Travels of the heart
Our podcast returns for a new season, to relive memories and inspire future adventures, writes Stephanie Holmes
Love, heartbreak and holiday romance are on our minds in the first episode of our Travel podcast Trip Notes, which returns today for a brand new season. When last year’s first lockdown hit and the Travel team retreated to our homes, making a podcast became a bit of a challenge. We didn’t have access to a studio and celebrity guests were hunkering down at home too, so we were forced to “pivot”.
Juliette Sivertsen proved a master of adaptability, recording episodes of the show from a makeshift studio in her bedroom wardrobe, reading some of our favourite Travel feature stories. We loved this nostalgic armchair travelling so much, we’re continuing it this season, albeit in a more high-tech way.
We’re back in the studio, and each episode will see me joined by a couple of special guests — one of whom is the writer of the story we’ll discuss. You’ll hear Juliette read that story, then we’ll use it to inspire conversation around our own travels in New Zealand, as well as memories from holidays in the far-flung destinations we’re longing for. And, as the world begins to open up even more, we’ll be telling you about the global getaways we’ve been enjoying in the hopes of inspiring future holidays of your own.
We kick off the first episode with my story,
Matters of the Heart, from June 2020. The story was supposed to be all about luxurious travel experiences but somehow, when I started writing, tales of heartbreak and love came out.
I talk with Maggie Wicks and Juliette Sivertsen about how it felt to share publicly such personal experiences. We’ll also discuss other holiday heartbreaks and romances we’ve experienced over the years, taking you to Taumarunui, Paris, Sydney, New Orleans, Jerusalem, Hawke’s Bay, Venice and beyond — all from the comfort of your armchair, or your commute.
Future episodes will see me joined by other Herald writers, including Simon Wilson, Greg Bruce and Karl Puschmann, with themes ranging from family holidays to food and wine travel, active adventures and the world’s most remote destinations.
You can find Trip Notes at iheartradio, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will be released every fortnight — subscribe and they’ll download automatically as soon as they’re available. You can also find more episodes at nzherald.co.nz/tripnotes