Travel with Amateur Traveler Podcast

Travel to Orléans, France, with Riana from Teaspoon of Adventure as she shares a seven-day itinerary featuring Joan of Arc history, Loire River scenery, medieval towns, museums, local food, and some of the most impressive châteaux in the Loire Valley.

Orléans is about 75 miles southwest of Paris and approximately 90 minutes away by train. Its compact historic center, good train connections, and access to the surrounding countryside make it a practical base for exploring both the city and the Loire Valley.

Riana recommends spending the first three days in Orléans, taking train trips on days four and five, and renting a car for château-hopping on days six and seven.

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https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-orleans-france/
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In this episode of Amateur Traveler, I recount a six-night sailing voyage aboard the Schooner Heritage, one of the vessels in the Maine Windjammer Association fleet.

The trip began and ended in Rockland, Maine, and covered roughly 116 miles through Penobscot Bay. Unlike a conventional cruise, there was no fixed daily itinerary. Each day’s route depended on the wind, tides, currents, weather forecast, and the availability of a safe anchorage.

I was a guest of the Schooner Heritage. The cruise was hosted, while I paid for transportation to Rockland, expenses before boarding, and crew gratuities.

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https://amateurtraveler.com/sailing-maine-windjammer/
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In this episode of Amateur Traveler, Sam Williams joins Chris to talk about the Caribbean island of Dominica, a destination he describes as “unspoiled Caribbean.” Unlike many Caribbean islands, where the main draw is the beach, Dominica is known for its rainforest, mountains, waterfalls, hot springs, snorkeling, whale watching, canyoning, and sea turtles.

Sam recommends spending about a week on the island, renting a car, and using the Roseau area as a base for much of the trip before finishing on the wilder east coast near Rosalie Bay.

Why Visit Dominica?

Sam says Dominica is a good choice for travelers who want a Caribbean island experience that feels different from the standard resort-and-beach vacation. The island has beaches, but its real appeal is its jungle interior, dramatic waterfalls, volcanic activity, rugged roads, and low-key feel. Outside of cruise ship days, many sights can feel surprisingly uncrowded.

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https://amateurtraveler.com/travel-to-dominica/
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In this episode of Amateur Traveler, host Chris Christensen talks about his press trip through Aragon, Spain, joined by fellow travelers Kevin Revolinski and Cathy Bennett Kopf. Aragon sits in northeastern Spain, west of Catalonia, and stretches from Zaragoza north to the Pyrenees and the French border.

Why Visit Aragon?

Aragon offers Roman ruins, Mudéjar architecture, cathedrals, castles, abbeys, Garnacha wine, medieval villages, mountain scenery, and outdoor adventure, without the crowds of Spain’s better-known cities. 

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https://amateurtraveler.com/zaragoza-and-aragon-spain/
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Hear about luxury barge cruising in France as Chris Christensen describes a week aboard the Renaissance, a European Waterways hotel barge traveling through Western Burgundy and the Upper Loire.

Chris and his wife previously cruised with European Waterways on the Canal du Midi. For this journey, they returned to France to explore the Briare Canal, one of the country’s oldest canals, aboard a vessel carrying just eight passengers and five crew members.

The result was an unusually intimate trip combining French cuisine, historic towns, private châteaux, Sancerre vineyards, canal locks, and long, leisurely afternoons on the water.

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https://amateurtraveler.com/cruising-the-briare-canal/
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