When you travel, it’s inevitable that you’ll occasionally have weird or random experiences, where you might have certain expectations before you arrive at a place, but then you’re totally thrown for a loop. Sometimes it’s frustrating, and other times it ends up being a pleasant surprise, but either way, it’s unexpected, and there’s this moment where you can’t help but stop, take a breath, and think, “Wait. How did I end up here again?” On today’s episode, I talk about how I found myself in a swarm of Justin Bieber fans in Bangkok, Thailand, and Nisreene Atassi — host of Expedia’s “Out Travel the System” podcast — shares the story of the time she and some co-workers went to a sushi dinner in Tokyo and ended up having a night they’d never forget. If you enjoy this episode, you might also like this story from my last season about the time I slept overnight on the floor of Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market to see an early morning tuna auction. And if all this inspires you to head to the nearest airport, check out this episode of Nissy’s podcast where she discusses tips for planning your own trip to Japan! As always, you can find, follow, and message Far From Home on Facebook or Instagram or contact me on Twitter. Or you can drop me a line at info@farfromhomepodcast.org ————————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Far From Home

How did I end up here?

In the immediate aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, President Bush vowed revenge against the perpetrators, but not everyone found his words comforting. Around this time, a small but vocal group of people got together to speak out. They were the parents, spouses, siblings, and children of people who were killed in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and they said they didn’t want the deaths of their loved ones to be used to justify military attacks that could harm innocent civilians on the other side of the world. They called themselves “September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows,” and in late November of 2001, they took part in a walk for peace from the Pentagon to the World Trade Center site. I was a young reporter at the time, and I tagged along and interviewed several members of the group, later producing an hour-long documentary featuring their stories. On this 20th anniversary of the attacks, I’m re-releasing that documentary, along with an interview I conducted a few weeks ago with David Potorti, whose brother James worked on the 96th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center. David has just co-edited an anthology of poetry from over 100 poets who’ve written about September 11th. It’s called Crossing the Rift: North Carolina Poets on 9/11 and its Aftermath. As always, you can find, follow, and message Far From Home on Facebook or Instagram or contact me on Twitter. Or you can drop me a line at info@farfromhomepodcast.org ————————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

The Stories of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

Knowing the rules and being able to navigate them can be a big part of feeling safe in any city. On this episode of Far From Home, I share an episode from another great podcast I recently discovered called “Here There Be Dragons,” where host Jess Myers speaks to residents of Stockholm, Sweden trying to figure out the norms, how to use them, and how to change them. Will they have to bend to Stockholm or will Stockholm bend to them? If you enjoy this episode, I highly recommend subscribing to HTBD wherever you get your podcasts to hear more fascinating, behind-the-scenes stories from cities around the world! ————————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Stockholm Norms (with Here There Be Dragons)

July 17th, 2021 marked the fifth anniversary of the day my brother Drew and I — along with our friends Jane and Rosi — set out from southern England on an 11,000 mi (18k km) road trip across Europe and Asia. Over the seven weeks that followed, we’d cross 18 countries, 8 time zones, 5 mountain ranges, and a few deserts, before eventually ending up in Ulan-Ude, Siberia, just north of Mongolia. And along the way, we’d have all sorts of crazy adventures, ranging from crashing a wedding in Kazakhstan to visiting Iran as American tourists, not to mention an emergency rescue and countless breakdowns and mechanical difficulties, often in the worst possible places! On this episode of Far From Home, I play a recent conversation Drew and Rosi had with me and a small crowd of Far From Home fans and listeners in Clubhouse, the audio-based social media app. We look back at some highlights from our adventure, share behind-the-scenes stories, and take questions from the audience (you can skip forward to 53:19 if you just want to hear the Q&A). If you’re new to this podcast and haven’t yet had a chance to listen to my first season where I documented this journey, I encourage you to go back and binge my show from the very beginning. You can also view tons of bonus content including photos and videos on my website as well as by scrolling back in my Instagram feed. If you want to read more about my journey, check out my Mongol Rally team website, and here’s the link where you can check out the Gallivanting Quines YouTube video Anne MacAskill mentioned during the Q&A portion of this event. ————————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Revisiting the Mongol Rally

When you travel – especially if you’re in a distant and unfamiliar place – it’s inevitable that sooner or later, things will happen that are beyond your control. You’re thrown a curveball and you’ve got to do your best to stay calm, be creative, and improvise. On this episode, I feature two stories from friends of mine who got caught in unexpected and frightening situations outside their comfort zones, where they had to navigate entirely new terrain and try their best to sort things out. First we hear from Graham and Sarah Marsden about their 2010 trip to Syria on the eve of the Arab Spring. Graham is the founder of a travel company ironically called “Don’t Go Travel,” which promotes ethical and responsible tourism. He also hosts a podcast called “Don’t Go Unless,” where I was a guest a few months ago, discussing my trip to Cambodia. Then, Donna Salter tells the story of how she ended up stranded on a little tiny boat in the middle of very big ocean. If you want to hear about another one of her adventures, hitching a ride across the ocean on a cargo ship, here’s an interview she did on the Global Travel Channel podcast. (Music used in this episode includes Desert City, Balzan Groove - Vadodara, and Darkening Developments by Kevin MacLeod, which are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. (source: http://incompetech.com/), as well as Filastine – Judas Goat (feat. Hichman Enouiti), which was licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivs 3.0 license.) ————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Out of Your Comfort Zone

COVID-19 has closed borders and made travel difficult if not impossible for many of us over the past year-and-a-half. But radio signals don't need passports or plane tickets. They circle the earth, bouncing off the atmosphere. So even if you’re confined to your home, it’s possible — with a good antenna — to listen to voices from the other side of the world. On this episode of Far From Home, award-winning radio producer, audio archivist, and shortwave / pirate radio aficionado David Goren joins me to share recorded highlights from his decades monitoring the airwaves. If you enjoy this interview, I highly recommend checking out David’s interactive Brooklyn Pirate Radio Sound Map as well as his Soundcloud page where he’s posted dozens more shortwave radio recordings from his archives. You can follow Far From Home on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and join my club on the Clubhouse app (please drop me a line at info@farfromhomepodcast.org if you need an invitation). ————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Tuning in the World

On this episode of Far From Home, I continue my series where I’m checking in with friends and colleagues around the world to get a sense of the many ways COVID-19 is affecting people and how their governments are handling the pandemic. This time we hear voices from Tunisia, Switzerland, Cameroon, Antigua and Barbuda, Mexico, and the Czech Republic. If you’ve missed the previous two installments of my COVID Stories series, you can check them out in my season 3 archive. As mentioned in this episode, if you’re a Swiss German speaker and want to listen to This Wachter’s botany podcast, you can find it here. Morgan Childs recently produced Foreign Insiders, a 10-part series about foreigners and other outsiders in the Czech Republic. And you can follow Sam Kimball (who gave us the update from Tunisia) on Twitter. ————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

COVID Stories Part 3

April 26, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the former USSR — which remains the worst nuclear accident in history — so I’m re-releasing an episode from my second season where my friend Donna and I visited the site of the explosion and toured abandoned buildings in nearby villages. You can read more about my trip and see photos and videos on my website. If you’re a new listener to my show and you enjoy this episode, I recommend you go back and delve into my archives, since I’ve got tons more interesting documentaries I’ve produced from my travels over the years! ————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Revisiting Chernobyl

Each year on April 19th, residents of Oklahoma City commemorate the anniversary of the 1995 bombing in their city, which prior to September 11th bore the distinction of being the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil. On this episode of Far From Home, I dig into my archives to share two stories I produced about the bombing from back when I was a reporter at a small public radio station in Oklahoma. First I look back at how Muslim Americans were falsely blamed in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Then I share the story of former Oklahoma City police officer Jim Ramsey, who won his department’s Medal of Valor for his role on the day of the bombing, before guilt and depression got the best of him. ————- On Far From Home, award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian documents fascinating stories from far-flung places like Iran, Chernobyl, and Mongolia. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Oklahoma City

Over the past week, violence has once again broken out in Northern Ireland. During one skirmish in Belfast last Wednesday, rioters threw Molotov cocktails, several police officers were injured, and a double decker bus was hijacked and burnt to the ground. It was the latest flare-up in long-simmering tensions between Catholic nationalists — who are calling for a united Ireland — and Protestant loyalists and unionists, who remain dedicated to the British Crown. To get some context on the latest developments, I’m joined this episode by my colleague Don Duncan, who’s a journalist and a lecturer at Queen’s University in Belfast. Then we listen back to a documentary I produced several years ago for the podcast 99% Invisible about the dozens of fences and walls that still separate many Catholic nationalist and Protestant loyalist communities in Northern Ireland, even though it’s been more than two decades since a peace agreement was signed that officially ended the era of armed conflict. Visit my website to see photos and an interactive map of the peace walls in Northern Ireland. And visit 99% Invisible’s website for more background information about this story and to hear an extended conversation between me and host Roman Mars (starting around 28:30 into episode 367) about the connection between the peace walls and Brexit, the ongoing divisions between Catholics and Protestants, and a very funny television show that’s helping to bring them together. ————————— Far From Home is a podcast where award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits parts of the world that most people never think about and tells stories they've never heard. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Revisiting Belfast

Over the past year, COVID-19 has had all sorts of ripple effects that most of us never imagined: Air pollution plummeted as people stopped flying. Companies closed their office buildings for good as working from home became the new norm. And here’s another change you might not have thought much about: The pandemic has radically altered how the world sounds. On this episode, I’m joined by Berlin-based science journalist and multimedia producer Andreas von Bubnoff. He’s one of the creators of the Pandemic Silence Project. Together, we listen to recordings people around the world have submitted to his website, documenting how things now sound different where they live. If you’d like to submit a recording from where you live, you can do so here. *** Have you joined Far From Home’s fan discussion group yet on Clubhouse, the new audio-only social media app? I’m planning some cool events for the coming weeks and would love to have you participate! You can download the app here (unfortunately only for iPhone users for the time being), and if you need help getting in, drop me a line at info@farfromhomepodcast.org, and I’ll do my best to send you an invitation! Far From Home is a podcast where award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits parts of the world that most people never think about and tells stories they've never heard. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

The Sounds of Silence

Having hiked the Appalachian Trail, Justin and Patrice La Vigne thought they knew what they were getting into when they decided to embark on Te Araroa, a 2000 mile path across New Zealand. But they ended up being blown away by the kindness and incredible hospitality of the people they met along the way. If you’re interested in learning more about their journey, you can visit their website to read their blog and get Patrice’s book, Between Each Step – A Married Couple’s Thru Hike on New Zealand’s Te Araroa. Far From Home is a podcast where award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits parts of the world that most people never think about and tells stories they've never heard. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Te Araroa

I’m taking a break between seasons right now, but I’m popping back into your feed with a special bonus episode I’m sharing from a really great podcast called Foreign Correspondence. It’s hosted by Jake Spring, who’s a journalist for Reuters based in Brazil. On his program, Jake does fascinating interviews with other journalists around the world, and on his latest episode, Jake interviewed me about how I got into journalism, my previous work in public radio, and some of the stories I’ve worked on for Far From Home. Here are links to some of the things we talked about: HowSound podcast by Rob Rosenthal WNYC’s Peabody award winning coverage of NJ Governor Chris Christie and the response to Superstorm Sandy My story on Antigua and Barbuda that I co-produced with NPR’s Planet Money Vox podcast Today, Explained An Arm and a Leg podcast In the Dark podcast Season 2 Chef Yotam Ottolenghi Milk Street cooking website Bill Buford’s book Among the Thugs NPR’s Throughline history podcast WNYC’s On the Media radio show and podcast ————————- Far From Home is a podcast where award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits parts of the world that most people never think about and tells stories they've never heard. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Foreign Correspondence

On this final episode of Season 3, I return to where I began 2020 in Puerto Rico, on the last trip I took prior to the pandemic. I join my friend Rob at a parranda — the Puerto Rican version of Christmas caroling — except this parranda has a unique twist. Far From Home is a podcast where award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits parts of the world that most people never think about and tells stories they've never heard. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Japarican Christmas

COVID-19 may have forced most of us to take a break from traveling for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some really cool places to discover right in our own neighborhoods. On this episode, I join about a dozen suburban adventurers on an exploration of Toney’s Brook, a local stream that flows through — and under — the town of Montclair, New Jersey, close to where I live. See photos and videos from my trip on my website. And — if you’re not already doing so — make sure to follow Far From Home on Instagram or Facebook. Far From Home is a podcast where award-winning public radio journalist Scott Gurian visits parts of the world that most people never think about and tells stories they've never heard. For more info, visit farfromhomepodcast.org

Close to Home

Award-winning radio journalist Scott Gurian documents unexpected adventures and chance encounters with interesting people around the world.

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Far From Home

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