We’re crunching through the snow, leaping from jagged cliffs and going behind the scenes in the Rough Guide to Everywhere series finale. First off, we’re in South Georgia, an eyebrow-shaped island in the South Atlantic Ocean, where travel writer and Rough Guides podcast heavyweight Shafik Meghji shares stories from his expedition, from curious penguins to passing glaciers the size of the Isle of Man. Then we whizz across to Mexico, where Rough Guides author Daniel Stables stumbled across the ultimate adrenaline rush. In the southwest city of Acapulco, daredevil residents enjoy a heart-palpitating tradition which goes all the way back to the 1920s. That’s it for series four – make sure you listen to all the episodes and keep in touch on Twitter (@roughguides)! This series has been hosted by Aimee White and has been produced by Alannah Chance and Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

What is it that draws us to extreme travel? In our penultimate episode of series four of The Rough Guide to Everywhere podcast, we speak with the travel writer, filmmaker and storyteller, Ash Bhardwaj. Ash recently travelled the entire length and breadth of the Russian-European border – that’s 8500km, in case you were wondering – so we decided to find out exactly why he decided to take this travel venture to the extreme, and what travel means to him... This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

When you think of Swedish traditions, maybe what comes to mind is fika, lagom or Midsummer’s Day celebrations. But there’s another, quite unique tradition that you may not have heard of before: kulning, otherwise known as cow-calling. In this episode, we find out exactly what kulning is, the social impact that it has had on the country and how what started as a local way of life in the Middle Ages has woven itself into modern music and life today. By preserving subcultures like kulning, we gain a real insight into how traditions are formed and how they develop over time. We discover so much about a particular place’s history, and from that, what is important to its people and why. This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

What exactly is ‘responsible photography’? In this episode, we’re exploring how we can be more mindful when photographing a particular place or a person. We speak with the award-winning travel writer and photographer Lola Akinmade Åkerström, an expert on the subject, and photographer Hoda Afshar, who explains how new images can battle old stereotypes. Photography gives us the opportunity to peer into other people’s realities, understand and empathize with situations different to our own and listen to their stories, and present this in one powerful shot. This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

Adventure writing has the ability to transport you to the place you’re reading about: taking in the unfamiliar script on a road sign, savouring sharp smells and fragrant tastes, basking in the hot heat and tingling in the freezing cold, feeling the rhythm of the music beating through the air. In this episode, we speak with author Maggie Ritchie, who travelled to Shanghai to research her new book, Bold Girls, in which two young Glaswegian women move to Shanghai at the turn of the 20th century. We also speak to reporter Jennifer Lin, who travelled from Philadelphia to Shanghai to trace the roots of her Chinese family, through the written words of her grandfather. When we travel, we go in search of adventure – but along the way, we realise that it can also be found in the most surprising of places... This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

The 6th June 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy, so in this podcast episode we take a look at how the Second World War is memorialised across Europe, and the importance of doing so. We speak with Joe Staines, one of the authors of our upcoming Travel the Liberation Route Europe Guide, and writer Louisa Adjoa-Parker, to discuss how different European countries were affected, and listen to some of the lesser-heard histories of the Second World War. By examining this part of history through a wider narrative lense, we can recognise the complexity of both the realities and atrocities committed. It’s important that we retell and record these stories before it’s too late – and use them, to pay attention to the world around us. This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

Icelandic folklore complements the rugged landscape of the remote West Fjords. With ethereal vistas, natural beauty and enchanting landscapes aplenty, there is something else that brings character to this region: myths, legends and witchcraft. This week, host Aimee White (@aimeefw) speaks to Magnus Raffnson, co-founder of the Museum of Witchcraft and Sorcery, to find out how Iceland’s folklore and history of witchcraft is connected with this part of the country, and how it has improved tourism to the area. Thanks to our producer Femi Oriogun-Williams of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk). Music Contributions by Glacier Quartet.

Our sister-guidebook series, Insight Guides, have brought out their very own podcast. Exciting times! In this short episode we chat with Zara Sekhavati, the podcast host, to find out more about Insight Guides and what series one has to offer – as well as a sneak preview of the very first episode. Check out their feed, The Insight Guides Podcast, for future episodes.

Welcome to series four of the Rough Guide to Everywhere! With a brand new host on board (Rough Guides editor Aimee White), we've got a fresh batch of stories, intriguing destinations and incredible guests lined up and ready to share with you. In this first episode, we take a look at a unique communications black hole in West Virginia, USA. The small town of Green Bank is home to the National Radio Quiet Zone, where scientists monitor space via huge, white telescopes. Radio waves must be kept to an absolute minimum: the smallest bit of electronics on a camera is millions of times louder than anything scientists are listening to from space. People are choosing to relocate here to avoid cellular radiation, which led us to wonder – could we travel somewhere that didn't have any wifi or GPS access? Thanks to our producers Femi Oriogun-Williams and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk). Music contributions by Sebastian Crawshaw.

In eighteenth-century Louisiana, escapee African slaves would make a break for the bayous. Here they might encounter Native Americans and occasionally find asylum with them: two peoples who had in common a struggle for freedom from oppression. That this episode in history is remembered is in part thanks to the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans, who are best known for their unmissable presence at the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations. Lavishly dressed in intricately beaded suits, the Black Masking Indians are a unique synthesis of African and Native American cultures and a celebration of the universal struggle to express our identity. Thanks to Cherice Harrison-Nelson for telling us her story; to Owen Wagner for recording Cherice’s side of our interview in New Orleans; to Ken Eng for all the wonderful music and sounds of Black Masking Indians in New Orleans, and for providing the podcast image; and to our producers Jessie Lawson and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

This week on The Rough Guide to Everywhere, host Rebecca Hallett (instagram.com/becca.hallett) takes a journey into her own genes, and asks whether it’s worth the trip. As at-home DNA tests get increasingly popular, some people are starting to travel based on their ancestry results. Is this an innovative new way to plan a trip, adding depth and connection to your travels? Or is it just another fad? Thanks to co-host Neil McQuillian, producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk), and assistant producer Femi Oriogun-Williams. Thanks also to 23andme (23andme.com) for providing Becca’s DNA test, and to all our interviewees. Episode photo by Rebecca Hallett.

Galápagos. What do you picture when you hear those four syllables? Chances are it’s wildlife, from giant tortoises and marine iguanas to blue-footed boobies. And rightly so, for the animals on these islands, sitting in extreme isolation 1000km (600 miles) off the Ecuadorian coast, are genuinely spectacular. In fact, it was the so-called ‘tameness’ of the Galápagos animals -- just one facet of their incredible idiosyncrasies -- that helped bring Darwin to his world-changing theory of evolution. Yet when early visitors christened the Galápagos ‘Las Islas Encantadas’, it wasn’t because they were ‘enchanted’ by the charming animals: it was more that the islands appeared to be under some malevolent spell. And from cannibals, convicts and buccaneers to a nudist colony turned murderous ménage à trois, a dark edge has informed human interaction with the islands ever since. Our host Neil McQuillian visits the Galápagos to discover the alternative human history of the world's most famous wildlife wonderland. Thanks to our producers Jessie Lawson and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

Having made it through colonisation by everyone from the Phoenicians to the Romans to the British, Malta may now be facing its biggest threat of all: tourists. This week, host Rebecca Hallett (instagram.com/becca.hallett) looks at the beautiful island nation’s history and the future it may be heading for through the lens of its architecture. As we near the end of Valletta’s tenure as European Capital of Culture 2018, we ask whether Malta will be able hang onto the heritage that makes it so unique. And how will it balance that with the needs of the thousands of people travelling there each year? Thanks to the Malta Tourism Authority, Dr Nik Soukmandjev, Konrad Buhagiar, of Architecture Project (architecture-project.com), our producer Alannah Chance, of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk), and assistant producer Femi Oriogun-Williams. Episode photo and some on-location audio by Jonathon Kram.

From the region's coal mines to keel boats plying the mighty River Tyne and ships on the hunt for precious whale oil, shanties eased and animated working life in England's Northeast for centuries. Host Neil McQuillian heads up to Newcastle for a dose of salty sea-shanty culture, meeting a couple of guardians of this bawdy, moving and always rousing oral culture. Thanks to our producers Femi Oriogun-Williams and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

Bring a fake wedding ring, cover up, don’t stay out late – just go with friends and don’t risk it! Every woman knows to expect these responses when she starts planning a trip by herself. But is this advice helpful, or does it just end up putting women off the exciting, enriching business of travelling on your own terms? Join host Rebecca Hallett (instagram.com/becca.hallett) in conversation with three intrepid women who’ve heard every cautionary tale, well-intentioned tip and “but is it safe?” under the sun, and done it anyway. Rachel Mills (about.me/rachmillstravel) is a one-time Rough Guides senior editor turned freelance travel writer; Rebecca Lowe is a human rights journalist, who spent a year cycling alone across the Middle East (thebicyclediaries.co.uk); and Jay Abdullahi is a black, disabled travel blogger, freelance writer, charity ambassador and show host (jayonlife.com). Between them, they try to figure out what it means to be a solo female traveller today – and whether that label is even useful. Thanks to our producer Alannah Chance, of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk), and researchers Femi Oriogun-Williams and Jessie Lawson.

In Balule Nature Reserve, a woman’s place is in the bush, putting off poachers and protecting rhinos – even when heavily pregnant. Rough Guides travel editor Georgia Stephens (twitter.com/Stephens_GA) spoke to Charlie, Nkateko and Cute of the Black Mambas (www.blackmambas.org) about the realities of life in South Africa’s first ever majority-female anti-poaching unit, dealing not only with poachers and dangerous animals, but also ingrained prejudices about what a woman can achieve. Thanks to our producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (www.reducedlistening.co.uk). Episode photo by Georgia Stephens.

Artworks made from human skulls, all-night street parades and frenzied spirit possession, Rough Guides author Thomas Rees (twitter.com/ThomasNRees) leads us down the alleyways of Port Au Prince in Haiti, looking at how vodou influences everything from the art world to the music scene and beyond. President Trump might not rate the place, but Thomas makes a very compelling case to the contrary. Thanks to our producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (www.reducedlistening.co.uk).

Trailer for series 3 of travel podcast The Rough Guide to Everywhere. We're back with wonderful new stories, new guests, new locations and new hosts in Rebecca Hallett and Neil McQuillian, editors at Rough Guides (www.roughguides.com). Episode 18 – all about Haiti and voudou – launches Monday June 4th. If you're enjoying the podcast, you can listen to all of the episodes on Apple podcasts or wherever you download your shows. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss an episode, and please give us a five-star review to help us get the word out about the podcast – it takes just a few seconds. Thanks to our producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (www.reducedlistening.co.uk). Image: Mascha Tace/Shutterstock

In this episode Greg travels to Finnish Lapland to embark on a hunt for the northern lights. This is Greg's last episode of the Rough Guide to Everywhere, but keep an eye on Rough Guides' social channels and roughguides.com to find out about exciting upcoming projects. And to find out what Greg's up to next, follow him on Twitter @greg_dickinson or Instagram @travelographs. Greg travelled to Finland with The Aurora Zone, the UK’s first and only dedicated Northern Lights holiday company. For more information, contact The Aurora Zone on 01670 785012 (www.theaurorazone.com).

At any one time, somewhere, there is a Rough Guides author on the road, crossing a country on a rickety bus, scribbling notes on the back of a receipt, or propping up a bar in a one-horse town. All in the name of making sure that the Rough Guide slotted in your backpack is as reliable, up-to-date and honest as ever. In this week's episode we hear from Shafik Meghji, who is just back from updating the Rough Guide to Bolivia. Shafik visits a lost civilization in the depths of the Bolivian Amazon, and makes a haunting discovery among the broken pottery pieces found on the site. First up, we speak with Harriet Constable. Harri is our correspondent in Nairobi, and worked on the Rough Guide to Kenya. In this conversation, she tells Greg about a car park in the centre of the city where people descend every Sunday to go rollerblading. If you're enjoying the podcast, you can listen to all of the episodes on Apple podcasts or wherever you download your shows. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss an episode, and please give us a five-star review to help us get the word out about the podcast – it takes just a few seconds.

Cowboy, pirate, storyteller, cultural educator, soft-porn photographer. 81-year-old Francis Firebrace has led an extraordinary life. In this episode, Greg chats with Francis in his Surrey home. Francis shares his incredible life story, and tells some of the Aboriginal stories that he is known and loved for.

In a world where we rely so heavily on GPS to get from A to B, it is easy to tune out from the natural navigational cues that surround us. In this episode, Rough Guides editor Greg Dickinson travels to Barnham in West Sussex to meet up with Tristan Gooley, the "Natural Navigator", to discover how to create an internal compass using the logic of nature. Check out www.naturalnavigator.com for more information on what Tristan does, and follow him on Twitter @NaturalNav.

On the Tanzanian island of Ukerewe, and across sub-Saharan Africa, people with albinism are persecuted in devastating and unimaginable ways. In the summer of 2016, Grammy Award-winning producer Ian Brennan travelled to the island with the charity Standing Voice, armed with a load of microphones and musical instruments. This is the story of the Tanzania Albinism Collective. This episode was produced by Alannah Chance. Assistant Producer Katie Callin. Thanks to Keith Drew and George Dee from Rough Guides. For more information on the Tanzania Albinism Collective, visit tanzaniaalbinismcollective.bandcamp.com and standingvoice.org.

We've all heard so much about North Korea. But how many of us have actually travelled to the secretive state? In this week's episode Greg chats with legendary travel writer and publisher Hilary Bradt about her recent visit to the most mysterious and isolated country in the world. We're very excited to announce that we have been shortlisted for a Lovie Award! Vote for The Rough Guide to Everywhere on bit.ly/voteroughguides before Thursday 5th October.

The Rough Guide to Everywhere podcast is back! Today we are delighted to launch Series Two of the Rough Guide to Everywhere, with this special recording taken in front of a live audience at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 14th September 2017. In previous episodes of the podcast we have travelled all around the world, from Patagonia to the Ukraine, via North Dakota and the Scottish Highlands. But in this live episode, recorded in Kings Cross, it felt fitting to focus our conversation on London town. Host Greg Dickinson sits down with three born n' bred Londoners: TimeOut London's news and events editor Sonya Barber, spoken-word poet Jeremiah "Sugar J" Brown, and the Pearly Queen of St Pancras herself. In the discussion we hear their thoughts on community spirit, the impacts of gentrification, and what they consider to be "quintessentially London" (pie 'n mash, the Thames, and escalators...). Subscribe to the podcast now to make sure you don't miss an episode. In future instalments we will travel to North Korea, discover a forgotten civilization in the Bolivian Amazon, and witness the silence of Antarctica.

In March 2017, podcast host Greg Dickinson travelled to the Scottish Highlands on Rough Guides duties. While on the road, Greg spent an afternoon with eccentric deerstalker Colin Murdoch, who leads extraordinary adventures across the Reraig Forest Estate to see his red deer herd up close. Subscribe to the Rough Guides podcast now to make sure you don't miss the beginning of Series Two, coming very soon. And we'd love to hear from you – get in touch on Twitter using #rgpodcast and leave us a review on iTunes.

For Esther Armah, travelling and living between different places has defined her identity. She has lived in Accra, London and New York, and in this episode Rough Guides' editor Greg Dickinson chats to her about identity, childhood, and what it was like returning to Accra, fifty years after the traumatic experience that threw her world upside down. Esther Armah is a journalist, a radio host, a columnist, a playwright, a director of a media company and a media communications lecturer.

In this week's episode we chat with Mikey Krzyzanowski, founder of Goma Collective, about his documentary on a Brazilian surf school that is empowering a generation.

This week we hear from a man who has seen entire continents in one glance: NASA astronaut, Don Thomas. Don has orbited Earth nearly 700 times on four space flights, and talks vividly about the view from outer space, and how space travel changes your perspective of life on Earth.

This week we hear from National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year Alastair Humphreys, the man behind Microadventures. He tells us how he came up with the concept, and challenges host Greg Dickinson to go off on a Microadventure of his own.

In this week's episode, poet comedian Tim Key tells us about his gap year in Kiev, Ukraine. He also shares stories from southeast Asia and India, where he penned a wonderful poem that he performs for us at the end of the episode. We also hear from Rough Guides' travel editor, Freya Godfrey. Freya speaks of her first impressions of India, and shares a story of an abandoned village.

In this week's episode, we travel to Latin America to hear from two of the world's most ambitious and outspoken eco-pioneers. Kris Tompkins, the ex-CEO of Patagonia clothing, explains why she moved to South America in the early 1990s to embark on one of the biggest conservation projects of all time with her husband, Doug. Her story is one of unbridled ambition and untimely tragedy. First, our own Rough Guides author Shafik Meghji travels to the Rara Avis Reserve in Costa Rica. Here, he meets the visionary Amos Bien, one of the founding fathers of "ecotourism" as we know it today.

In this third episode of The Rough Guide to Everywhere we catch up with the one and only Ruby Wax. Ruby shares previously untold travel stories, from the time she was locked up in a jail cell in Berkeley to taking selfies with the Dalai Lama, and tips us off on where to find "that real thing".

In this second episode of The Rough Guide to Everywhere, we hunker down and talk about "hygge" with Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute. Meik speaks about his travels around the world "collecting smiles" – from South Korea to Mexico – and explains why people from Copenhagen are so happy. And we catch up with our very own Senior Editor, Neil McQuillian. He travelled to South Dakota to witness the annual buffalo roundup and meet the wranglers, who find contentment in a completely different way.

In this first episode of The Rough Guide to Everywhere, we talk to two people who have cycled huge lengths of the planet, fifty years apart. Legendary travel writer Dervla Murphy shares stories from her 1963 solo cycle from Ireland to India, disclosing how she accidentally became an arms trader in Afghanistan. And twenty-something adventurer Charlie Walker tells of the scrapes and psychological shifts that he experienced during a four-year cycle around the world.