Erin and Kattie discuss what constitutes a "New World Wonder," and why Egypt refused to participate in the contest to decide what would appear on this list.

We also dive into the sticky world of travel scams, and react to a hilarious before/after backpacking trend blowing up on TikTok.

POSTCARD episodes come out mid-month, between each regular episode of Curious Tourism. Catch candid discussions on the latest in travel-related media and hot-button topics.

Send your questions or commentary to the show on Instagram @curioustourismpod or email erin@pinatravels.org

If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast.

Read Erin's award-winning blog, Pina Travels.

Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter, Pod the North.

CREDITS

Written and Hosted by Erin Hynes

Produced by Kattie Laur

Travel media still often presents a narrow version of what travel looks like, and interracial couples are rarely a part of that picture. For these couples traveling together across cultures and borders can bring unique challenges, but also, really special and meaningful moments.

Katie and Bhavik join the show having just returned to Canada after spending 14 months traveling through Asia and beyond. We dig into what that experience was like, and how their shared identity as a interracial marriage couple shaped their trip.

PLUS we chat about the ethics of sharing the perished trekkers of Mount Everest on social media, and the glorification of traveling with an irresponsibly financial budget!

Guests: Katie & Bhavik. Burnt-out from their pharmacist jobs and re-assessing life after a severe honeymoon illness, Katie and Bhavik quit it all to travel the world for a year. Now, they are travel content creators and bloggers.

Links:

https://katieandbhav.com/

https://www.instagram.com/katieandbhav/

If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast.

Follow us on social media @curioustourismpod.

Read Erin's award-winning blog, Pina Travels.

Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter, Pod the North.

CREDITS

Written and Hosted by Erin Hynes

Produced by Kattie Laur

Music is "Night Stars" by Wolf Saga/David R. Maracle/Chippewa Travellers. Additional music from Motion Array.

Logo by Nicole Hall

Erin and Kattie are hitting the feed with a new monthly series of "POSTCARDS"!

In between each regular episode, catch discussions on the latest in travel-related media and one hot topic that's fresh on Erin's mind.

In this POSTCARD:

• A first-time-traveler heads to Fiji to star reality TV.
• The extreme day trip content flooding social media.
• The illegal stairway to heaven hike makes us question the economy of travel content.

Send your questions or commentary to the show on Instagram @curioustourismpod or email erin@pinatravels.org

If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast.

Read Erin's award-winning blog, Pina Travels.

Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter, Pod the North.

CREDITS

Written and Hosted by Erin Hynes

Produced by Kattie Laur

Sex tourism has existed for hundreds of years. And with the rise of globalization, it’s become a booming industry that exists in most corners of the earth. Sex work and sex tourism is complex. This kind of work intersects with history, power, race, economics, and global inequality.

Dr. Christopher Ewing joins the show to unpacking the history, misconceptions, impacts of sex tourism on local communities, and how travelers can think more critically about this side of the tourism industry.

PLUS we chat about Erin's recent travels and award WIN at the TMAC conference in Saskatoon, SK!

Guest: Christopher Ewing is an assistant professor of history at Purdue University. His first book, The Color of Desire: The Queer Politics of Race in the Federal Republic of Germany traces the trajectory queer, German racisms from 1970s sex tourism to twenty-first century fascism, and the queer of color activists who contested them. He’s currently working on a new book project about hate crime law and activism to explain how, in the 1990s, hate became an international crime. Chris has authored pieces for Time Magazine, The Conversation, and The Washington Post on queer politics, and has written extensively on the history of sex tourism in journals including Rethinking History, Central European History, and the Journal of the History of Sexuality. He received his Ph.D. in History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2018. When he’s not thinking about problems of sex and travel, Chris is pursuing his lifelong goal of rewilding the prairie, starting with his Indiana garden.

Links:

• https://www.christopherboalewing.com/
• https://www.news.vcu.edu/article/international_sex_tourism_is_a_booming_industry_its_also_been
• @christopherewing on bluesky

If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast.

Follow us on social media @curioustourismpod.

Read Erin's award-winning blog, Pina Travels.

Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter, Pod the North.

CREDITS

Written and Hosted by Erin Hynes

Produced by Kattie Laur

Music is "Night Stars" by Wolf Saga/David R. Maracle/Chippewa Travellers. Additional music from Motion Array.

Logo by Nicole Hall

Over the last few years, we’ve all noticed and felt the impact of growing inflation. During economic downturns, the tourism industry typically takes a hit. People are either nervous to spend money, or just don’t have the disposable income to put towards travel.

In moments like these, budget travel is on everyone’s mind. But can we actually do that responsibly?

Guest: Emma Cartwright is a travel blogger, podcaster, and influencer whose work is focused around educating tourists about sustainable tourism.

Links:

• https://thattravel.co.uk/the-sustainable-travel-podcast/
• https://thattravel.co.uk/
• https://www.instagram.com/that_travel/?hl=en-gb
• https://skift.com/2025/01/03/how-does-the-economy-impact-travel/

If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast.

Follow us on social media @curioustourismpod.

Read Erin's award-winning blog, Pina Travels.

Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter, Pod the North.

CREDITS

Written and Hosted by Erin Hynes

Produced by Kattie Laur

Music is "Night Stars" by Wolf Saga/David R. Maracle/Chippewa Travellers. Additional music from Motion Array.

Logo by Nicole Hall

You probably follow a few travel content creators on social media, and every once in a while, you’ll likely notice that they share content from a trip that is a collaboration with a tourism board. These trips, which are typically called media trips, or press trips, are a common way for travel creators to make an income, and a tool to give creators and tourism boards a chance to share insights about a region. But not every press trip (and not every travel influencer) is made equal.

Bri Mitchell joins the show to unpack the misconceptions around media trips, how they work, and why it's important to demystify them.

Bri Mitchell is a travel writer and content creator from Toronto. She has a penchant for adventure, and covers everything from active travel to culinary, wellness and sustainable tourism stories based on her personal travels and destination partnerships. Bri shares her thoughts and travel stories in her weekly newsletter, The Weekly Traveller, on social media @brimitchelltravels, and on her websites travelingmitch.com, UltimateOntario.com and WeExploreCanada.com.

Links:

• https://www.travelingmitch.com/
• https://theweeklytraveller.substack.com/
• https://ultimateontario.com/
• https://weexplorecanada.com/

If you're a fan of the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review Curious Tourism: Responsible Travel Podcast.

Follow us on social media @curioustourismpod.

Read Erin's award-winning blog, Pina Travels.

Subscribe to Kattie's podcasting newsletter, Pod the North.

CREDITS

Written and Hosted by Erin Hynes

Produced by Kattie Laur

Music is "Night Stars" by Wolf Saga/David R. Maracle/Chippewa Travellers. Additional music from Motion Array.

Logo by Nicole Hall

Erin and Kattie recap the season 3 FINALE of HBO'sThe White Lotus, unpacking each characters wild trajectory and crowing the Most Conciencious and Cringiest Travelers of the seaon!

Tell us what you thought of our recaps on Instagram!

Follow us on Instagram: @curioustourismpod

Reach us by email: erin@pinatravels.org

Curious Tourism is part of the Voyascape Travel Network & you can find more travel podcasts from around the world at https://voyascape.com/

Erin and Kattie recap S3E7 of HBO'sThe White Lotus, unpacking Gary and Chloe's proposition to Saxon, Gaitok's determination to avoid conflict (even though he's caught the bad guys), the deterioration of the gal pals, and much more!

Find the last recap of the season out next Thursday!

Follow us on Instagram: @curioustourismpod

Reach us by email: erin@pinatravels.org

Curious Tourism is part of the Voyascape Travel Network & you can find more travel podcasts from around the world at https://voyascape.com/