← All Of It with Alison Stewart
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This is all of it on WNYC. I'm Koosha in for Alison Stewart. Summer is here and it's the perfect time to plan your new next great escape. But with so many destinations and travel options out there, where should you go and how can you make the most of your vacation? Today we're diving into the hottest summer travel destinations and sharing essential tips to ensure that your trip is smooth, that it's safe, and above all, it's unforgettable. From romantic adventures exploring vineyards in Tuscany to tanning on the beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula to enjoying local cuisine in coastal regions like the Carolinas, we'll explore a variety of suitable vacation and I would love to do those from the show at any of those spots, but I guess I'll just make do in this studio right now. But I really do enjoy reading about them. Joining us to discuss is Nithya Chambers, the executive editor of Lonely Planet, to share insider tips and highlight some of the best Travel spots of 2024. Nithya, welcome to all of it.
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Thank you so much for having me. I do think the best part is, is how many trips you can plan at once because you start getting the ideas and you're like, oh, I've always wanted to do that. Maybe that's not this year, but maybe it's next year. And I think that's the great fun of travel planning, that the list is endless and you can you can find ways to, to space it out over the course of your life.
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It is not, in fact, actually about the journey nor the destination. It's just about daydreaming, really. And that's what we're going to do together now. And listeners, we want you to be a part of this adventure with us. So tell us where do you plan on traveling this summer or is there a place you visit every year or do you have plans already? If so, tell us where you're going or do you have questions for Nithya about how to get around and to your destination? 212-433-9692. That's 212-433. WNYC. Tell us where you're going. Let us live vicariously. 9692. Or you can send us a message on social media. We're all of it. Wnyc. Okay. So each year Lonely Planet releases a best in travel list. And this year's list includes places like Chile, St. Lucia, Pakistan, Croatia. What are the criteria that you use for that list?
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B
For the best in travel list? We really reach out to our editors, to our writers. We have a global network of about 750 writers and the, and they nominate, they nominate places all around the world that they love, that they think should be on the radar of travelers. And we, and that list actually comes out in October. We have, we follow a similar process internally. We, you know, we take in nominations and make selections for a book that just released in the last few weeks called Offbeat North America, which is part of our Offbeat franchise. And really the goal of the book is to highlight hidden gems. Off the Beaten Path is something we hear about all the time. And how to kind of balance the idea of crowds with places that still delight and inspire, but let you kind of hook into some of the energy of more popular destinations while minimizing the crowds and sometimes like the chaotic energy that can come with them.
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So for this year, what were some of those off the beaten path places that really spoke to you?
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B
So some of the off the beaten path places that spoke to us in Offbeat this year, you know, just, just in, in the local area. Staten island is on that list. Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Lambertville, New Jersey, Ithaca, New York, Assateague Island National Seashore, which is very close to Ocean City, Maryland. It's about a four and a half hour drive from New York, Harriet Tubman national park, the Catskills. Those are some of the destinations I think that are in the, in sort of the driving range of the listeners of wnyc. But, you know, a bunch of really fascinating places across the Midwest, in Wisconsin, in North Dakota, Portland, Oregon. Really places that you can hook into for, for a lot of beautiful outdoors, amazing foods, like, you know, towns that have really embraced a personality around being a bit off the beaten path.
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Have you been to any of those places that you just mentioned? Like the Harry Tubman national park actually stuck out to me. But any places that you visited personally from that list?
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Yeah, we, you know, I, we have. Like, I, you know, I always have to say I love Staten Island. I love. I as Yorker. I do feel like one of the great opportunities and options of being in a city like New York is how many pockets of New York you don't explore based on where you live and the kind of the openness that summer gives you to do that. I was recently in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for a wedding. It was really beautiful, like a lot of farm to table, small businesses, art galleries, you know, beautiful bed and breakfast. Like, it was just a really lovely place to drive through, but also like a lot to take in, like local wines and, and, and just a feeling of sort of unplugging a bit that wasn't too far from, from New York. Harriet Tubman national park is again, just really in Maryland, is a really amazing. It's a 17 acre green park with farmland surrounding it and I think a really amazing place to visit if you're spending time in Maryland.
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Listeners, if you have a place that you're excited about visiting this summer, give us a call or send us a text. We're at 212-433-9692. We got a text saying, this is Julio. My travel plans are going to Aruba. I plan a yearly trip there with my sisters and it's absolutely beautiful. It really is one happy island. Well, Julio, I hope that you enjoy that trip. We've also got William from Stony Brook. Hey, William, welcome to the show. You're on.
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Yes, hi, how are you? Yes, I was trying to see if I can get some nice information about Maine, where to go, exactly, what's going to be there, and then returning to Quebec and Montreal to Petit Paul, if possible.
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Okay, William, awesome. So we've got Maine and we've got Montreal. Any tips, Nithya, for either of those places? Let's start with Maine.
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Yeah, my family actually did a trip to Maine last year. It was Portland. Maine is an amazing town to fly into. I think the drive from New York is, if you like a road trip, I think it's A bit of a commitment. So I think it's kind of in the 10 hour range. But if you can fly to Portland and then drive, really just an amazing. Maine is an amazing place to explore. The fresh seafood, amazing outdoor hiking. We actually did the drive from Portland to Acadia national park, which is about three hours north. Acadia national park is about three hours north, north of Portland. And we did it in the summer and it was honestly like one of the greatest experiences that my family has had. Just the fresh air, this, the, the pink granite and the ocean. I really love the contrast of pine trees and blue ocean. A really amazing place to spend summer, honestly. As much seafood as you can eat. I felt like every little place that you pulled off to eat lobster was the best place you've ever had lobster. So I feel like Maine and Portland, Maine is just really like, like an exquisite option in the Northeast in the summertime.
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So William, I hope that some of those tips help you out and hope that you have a great trip. There's another text that we just got in that I would like to go to. It says I'm going to a wedding in Long Island. I'm only going to be there for two days, but if you're going to see something, what would you see there? So Nithya, Long island, there's a lot of different parts of Long Island. I'm sure we've both been there many times being from New York City. But any, any tips? Any things that, that stick out for you?
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Well, one of the places that we talk about in our in the offbeat North America book is Shelter Island. And I think if you're, if you're willing to commit to the drive. I think I don't know where we're landing on Long Island. If you're willing to commit to the drive. It's really, you know, I think you want a car when you get there. It's really beautiful. Kayaking, beaches, it can get pricey on the summer weekends. But I think if you're willing to add some space and time inside of like the week, if you can, if you have the, the time to kind of spread into the week, I think it's a great way to make to, to, to kind of take a wedding or commitment like that that you have and, and make it bigger. We also have spent time in Belport on Long island, which is really like a, be a beautiful small town, has like all of those, you know, Main street, you know, fresh ice cream, cute restaurants, very walkable downtown and isn't just another place if you, if you don't want to go kind of all the way to the, to, to Shelter Island.
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And I hope that whoever sent that message when you go on Long island that you have a great experience at the wedding as well, that it's its own special thing to to get to do. So enjoy another you know, I'm loving that we're getting questions going through our text, so so let's spend some time on that here. Texter. That said, any tips on going to the Southern Hemisphere for the first time? I'm New York City based. This kind of gets into the idea of going abroad for your summertime vacations, which is a thing that a lot of New York City people love to do. Nithya, any sense of either on the off the beaten path list that you just came up with with that book or just at Lonely Planet in general, what some of the best places in the Southern hemisphere are for you?
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Well, I actually think it's like, you know, I think going to the Southern Hemisphere is just a, it's an amazing opportunity and like good planning to kind of think about making that trip because it's certainly not a short flight. So good advance planning to do that. I think that it's a great, it's a great opportunity for art. The the offbeat book was focused on North America, but I think it's a great time to think about cuisine, to think about cl. What you should be packing, I think always packing layers. I've recently been researching the Inca Trail and thinking about what times of years to do that, when is the rainy season, really thinking ahead so that you make sure that you're packing and, and packing for your family accordingly.
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We are talking with Nithya Chambers, who's the Lonely Planet executive editor and we are looking at summer travel destinations and tips. So listeners, if you have plans to travel this summer or if there's a place that you visit every year during the summer, give us a call, send us a text, tell us where it is. We're at 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. Or of course, if you have a question for Nithya about how to get to or around your destination, we're here for that too. 212-433-9692. There's this trend that I learned about in prepping for this segment that I was really interested in. It's set instead of jet setting. I'd love to talk about that for a second because people might be picking Their destinations because of events, I'm thinking like the Paris Olympics or the UEFA Euro 2024 soccer tournament. But there's also this new trend that's called set jetting, where travelers book a trip after seeing a destination featured in a show or in a movie. Can you tell us a little bit about where this trend comes from and what destinations kind of are on the radar from a TV show or a movie?
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Yeah, I think there is. This has been a really fun trend to watch, and it's not surprising. I think streaming is such a premium experience. The places you see the. The experiences that people are having really make you want to go there. I think White Lotus has really led the way on this, and I think, you know, you certainly saw that with White Lotus. After Italy, I think Thailand is. Is really kind of anticipating what. What White Lotus can bring and is already seeing a bit of the uptick. Romania, which is featured in the second season of Wednesday, I think is also kind of having. Having sort of the anticipation of and the expression of people traveling to have that experience. Emily in Paris really opened up Paris in a different way to, you know, I would say that, like, Paris is a destination that is iconic on its own. I think seeing a character that you love or that you love to be frustrated with experience a city makes you want to experience that city in that way, too. And Squid Games, I think, you know, South Korea definitely saw a boom in kind of the Squid Games traffic. And I think, you know, and it's not. It's not surprising we were joking in our office after the final series of six or the final season of Succession, who didn't want to do a karaoke bar tour through New York City after that? I do think there is something about seeing a place on screen and then wanting to go have that experience in person.
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Let's go to Jeff in New York. Hey, Jeff, welcome to the show.
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Hey, thanks for taking my call. So my destination is actually Japan because of chronic deflation and a high US Dollar, it's actually cheap. But my question is, as a North Dakota native, least visited state in the Union, where were you thinking of when you mentioned North Dakota as a destination?
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Oh, interesting. Yeah, go ahead.
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Yeah, thanks for asking. That's a great. That's a great question. I think we in. In the. In North Dakota, in Offbeat, we had really talked about kind of. We profiled Fargo downtown. Fargo in North Dakota is just a real center for culture and community, a strollable city, public art, diverse dining, and street festivals. I think, you know, there's a Lot of local produce, local meat in the farmland that surrounds Fargo. And so the farm to table dining in the area is really inventive and fresh along with like, I think like, you know, experimental ciders, buffalo sausage. I think the food that's happening in Fargo is really interesting. And then of course like doing the drive to the north to Teddy Roosevelt national park in the North Dakota badlands, really, you know, scenic solitude, wildlife, hiking history, quirky towns and cowboy culture. And you know, I think when you're there, you can hike down into Painted Canyon, see a petrified forest. I think there's just a lot in North Dakota to take in from, from, from east to west. And those were the spots that we profiled in the book.
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Jeff, or if you're still there, I'd love to know. What do you think about that list there? How does it as a, as a.
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Native, I gotta say something. My partner is a New Yorker and is a tough sell. And we went to Fargo and his expectations were low, but we had a bison and elk meatloaf there that he said was as good as anything he's had in the Big Apple. So yeah, that Fargo scene is really hot.
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That's awesome. And you said you're going to Japan later this summer. Did I hear that right?
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Yeah, yeah, no, that. I mean, I love Japan. I've been many times, but I'll tell. People should know. I mean it's not great for the residents probably, but with their historic deflation they've had, and then not all time maybe, but the really high dollar, it is actually cheap to go to Japan now.
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Well, Jeff, we hope that you really enjoy that trip. Thanks for calling in. Thanks for shouting out that meatloaf. It sounds pretty good. I might have to check that out myself. This brings up Jeff' point about going to Japan. Made me think of the updated passport policies. Actually, Nithya and I think a lot of folks listening might be helped out by learning about that because recently the State Department launched an updated online passport renewal service. Right. How does that process make it easier for travelers who are going abroad this summer?
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Well, I think that the, I mean, I think the most important thing to know is that the. Is that passports still take six to eight weeks if you're not doing expedited whether you're online in person, like it's a six to eight week window. I think knowing that and knowing if you're not going to go anywhere, this might just be a good time to check it off your bucket list or to check it off the list of Things to do so that you have it in hand for the rest of the year or, and next year. But passports are. But the. But what they've recently reinstated is an online renewal program as a pilot. I think probably to just test out volume and to see, to kind of test their own system against the ability to renew online. I think the most important thing for folks to Remember though is 6 to 8 weeks is still the recommended window. If you're not expediting though, I'll tell you that my parents in April renewed their passports and they got them back in four weeks non expedited. So I think it's more just, it's more just like give yourself the window but know that there's a chance it could come back sooner.
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So right now, the pilot program, it can save you a trip to a passport office, but you still need to plan at least six weeks in advance, right?
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That's right.
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And we got a text here that says thank you so much for this. I've traveled with lonely planet for 30 years. Oh, that's great. My daughter really wants to go to Colonial Williamsburg. Any thoughts on how to make that interesting for the whole family? Andrea in Brooklyn. Andrea, thank you for that. Nithya, are you familiar with Williamsburg? Any thoughts on that?
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So I haven't necessarily been to Colonial Williamsburg myself, but I can tell you that, you know, it's between Richmond and Newport News. I think there's a lot going on in Virginia and Virginia beach. And so I think sometimes, you know, it's always great to have a destination as like an anchor point for what you want to do. But the chances of going to Colonial Williamsburg for a week is probably not what your family is going to do. So it's okay to kind of think about it as part of a week of activities and to figure out how to fill up the rest of the time with things that, that, that the whole family wants to do and to kind of think about that as a slice or an anchor in a week long trip and do research around the hiking, the beaches, the food in that area to kind of fold it into the trip.
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Let's go to Jan in Westchester. Hey Jan, welcome to the show.
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Hi there. Hi there.
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Hi.
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So where are you going this summer?
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So my son and his wife and 2 year old moved to Belgium this year and I visited them once and I'm going to go again in July and then I'm going to go for a few days and then we're going to go to take a flight to Marseille for a little vacation. So I guess that's my question. What to do?
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What to do in Marseille. All right, well that sounds like a really exciting trip. I mean, you go to Belgium again, get to go to Marseille. Nithya, any ideas there?
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Well, we do have on Our Site the 15 Top Things on lonelyplanet.com the 15 Top Things to do in Marseille. So I definitely would recommend going to Lonely Planet to do a little bit of research. I think there are great sunsets to see in Marseille. Open air markets are really part of the culture there. And I think exploring open air markets, the food. I think beyond fish and seafood, there is a lot to eat and drink. I think sailing, exploring the history, ancient Mediterranean civilization. I think there is a lot of, of exploration and history and outdoors and the culture to do there. But would definitely Recommend going to lonelyplanet.com because we just did a 15 things to do in Marseille article earlier this year.
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D
So Jan, thanks for that call. I'm looking at the clock. There's one text that I want to read. It says we love Newport, Rhode Island. As it passes our quote no screens test, can our kids go for a few weeks with no TV, iPad, etc. The answer for Newport is an absolute yes. There's just too much to do outside beaches, kite flying at Brenton Point, learning to sail, the cliff walk for Adams and revolutionary history, lighthouses, Dell's lemonade, mini cars, biking. It's pure summer fun.
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Wow.
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Newport. I gotta visit that. Have you been to Newport before?
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I have not been to Newport. I've driven through but have not been to Newport. I think that sounds amazing and I feel like as a mom of two kids love places that get them off their phones because the, because the experience while you're there is just so full and rich that they want to be fully present and not, not plugged into things happening in other places.
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And I'm wondering for you where, where are you excited to visit this summer?
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Well, I'm one of those people that has not done a lot of planning, so I am, I have like 4 half trips planned. We are thinking about going to the Pacific Northwest, Seattle and Portland. My family always does a little bit of time in North Miami Beach. Even though it's kind of rainy, I feel like we, it's, it's not as crowded and, and we like the heat in the summertime. So those are two traditions that we. Or that going to North Miami beach is always a tradition for us. And, and we, we love being there.
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Awesome. Well, I hope you have a great time and I hope that everyone that is calling in, had questions or has plans also has a great time this summer. My guest has been Nithya Chambers, the Executive Editor of Lonely Planet, and she shared some insider tips and highlighted some of the best travel spots in the summer of 2024. Safe travels, Nithya. Thanks for joining us.
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Thanks for having me.
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