The Secret Resort of Le Grand-Bornand
Le Grand-Bornand is not a name that trips easily off the tongue when we mention skiing, but it's typically and traditionally French.
North American Dream in the French Alps
It's the twentieth anniversary of Arc 1950. The resort began as the idea of Canadian resort developer, Intrawest, creator of Mont-Tremblant in Quebec and manager of some 20 other resorts in North America – from Whistler to Mammoth.
Wild Travels In Africa And Asia
This week we're talking to someone who specialises in creating holidays that are entirely different – taking you to places you probably thought were out of bounds to all tourists.
From Fjord to Snowfield
We catch up with Rory Dixon who organises skiing-touring trips off a boat in Norway, life-changing adventures to distant corners of the world.
The World’s Most Travelled Man
Harry Mitsidis has travelled to every country in the world, at least twice. He's the founder of a website called NomadMania.
Walking to the South Pole
To discover a little of what former Royal Marine, Sam Cox, will experience living alone at -30°C, podcaster Peter Hardy spends time in an industrial freezer.
An American in Paris
Jay Swanson moved from the USA and now lives in Paris where he calls himself: 'a YouTuber, writer, and puppy wrangler.' He publishes a guide to the city called Paris in my Pocket.
Wild Skiing in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan
Untamed Borders sets out to satisfy the hunger of that rare breed of traveller who's already been to the far corners of the earth, but still wants more.
Chefs, Cars and Skiing
This week, we're talking to travel guru, Amin Momen, whose London-based company Momentum Ski organises bespoke holidays.
The Tennis Champion Who Escaped the Nazis
This week, we're in Vienna for an unusual episode of Action Packed Travel – unusual because our principal guest is Felice herself. She's just published a book about her grandparents' dramatic escape from Vienna to London.
Cycling From Antarctic To Arctic
Chris and his girlfriend Phoebe are in the saddle, for what you might describe by any standards as a rather long bike ride.
The Future Of European Skiing
Only a handful of ski resorts in the Alps will in future offer reliable snow cover throughout the season. These include Val d'Isere, Tignes and Val Thorens in France, Cervinia in Italy, and Zermatt in Switzerland – not forgetting the Austrian glaciers.
The Ultimate Ski Chalets
Globally, there's just a handful of specialist Courchevel operators who look after their guests on this giddy level. London-based Consensio is the leader of the pack.
Sea and Ski With Melody Sky
Action woman extraordinary – mountain and ocean photographer, skier and freediver, Melody lives her life on the edge.
Cervinia – On The Italian Side Of The Matterhorn
It was three years ago that we launched our podcast and today we're in a village that dates back to 1930. It is now evolving into what should become one of the most important future destinations for skiers in the whole of Europe.
A Short Break at Longueville Manor
The island of Jersey's top five-star hotel is a very special place indeed.
Jersey’s Occupation in the Second World War
We went on a lightning tour of some of the crumbling coastal defences linked by a network of underground passages and even an underground German hospital.
Morzine: A Bird’s Eye View
A vast ski area, environmentally-friendly chalets, and birds of prey are just a few of the attractions of Morzine.
There’s a Lot More to Cheltenham than Racing
With its glorious terraced houses, tree-lined promenades and grand public buildings, Cheltenham in Gloucestershire is said to be the most complete Regency town in Britain. Of course, it's best known these days for horse racing.
The Man Who Skis Faster than a F1 Car
Jacob Perkins' idea of fun is to travel down a mountainside in a straight line, reaching impossible speeds of up to 150mph without any form of motor.
Secrets Of The Royal Family
For the past 40 years, Richard Kay has been the expert on the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
Adventure Sailing For Beginners
Explore a world of polar bears and icebergs, or cross the Atlantic to forgotten corners of the Caribbean. You need the right spirit, but absolutely no previous seafaring experience is necessary.
Is the Saalbach Ski Area the Best in Austria?
Cows that milk themselves, oysters up a mountain, and a sommelier who plays Mozart to his wines...find out more when we take an intimate look at one of Austria's largest, most diverse and exciting ski areas.
Verbier in Summer – For Hiking, Golf and Mountain Biking
Most people don't truly appreciate the glory of the Alps that's revealed when the snow melts, the cows leave their winter quarters and chew the cud in meadows and high pastures sprinkled with flowers. They also fight each other!
The Dreaming Spires Of Oxford
When you visit, you need to be prepared for pelotons of bicycles, mostly not of the sporty type that you see in the Tour de France, but the ancient sit-up-and-beg variety with a basket for books on the front, and in the saddle an undergraduate in a hurry, or a don in a flowing black cloak.
What Lies Beneath Frome
Have you ever thought about what lies beneath your feet, under the pavement, under the road? This week, we're going underground to explore a network of mysterious tunnels hidden beneath the ancient Somerset town of Frome. It is 20 minutes south of Bath, and it has a long history dating back to Anglo Saxon times.
Travels With A Cello
Contemporary classical cellist, Eva Boecker, is one of 19 soloists from 9 countries who plays with Ensemble Modern. Every year the group performs about 100 concerts in Europe and worldwide.
Bletchley Park: A Well-Kept Secret
This week we're at Bletchley Park, the country mansion 35 minutes by train northwest of London, where Alan Turing and his team of cryptanalysts cracked the complicated codes of the German Enigma machine.
Oxford’s Iconic Randolph Hotel
Inspector Morse is the most famous TV show that was filmed in Oxford, and Colin Dexter, who used to sit in the hotel's Morse Bar penning his latest novel, would often write the Randolph into his stories. Freddie Mercury did a concert here, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde and J.R.R. Tolkien visited.
Living The Van Life
This week, we're on the road exploring the one sector of the travel industry that continues to explode in popularity across Europe.
Thermae Bath Spa – A Fusion Of Old And New
Thermae Bath Spa in the Roman city of Bath is in a building that looks not only to the past, but also to the future.
Music On A Train
Cheryl B Engelhardt is a singer-songwriter who composed and recorded her latest album, The Passenger, on a train journey from New York City to Los Angeles.
A New Podcast About Travel Podcasts
Ted Cragg in Quebec makes podcast episodes about travel podcasts. His is called Travel Podcast The World.
La Plagne By Train
This week we're going skiing to La Plagne and letting the train take the strain. Travelski is a brand new charter that takes snow lovers from St Pancras in Centre London to Moûtiers and Bourg St Maurice in the French Alps.
Corvara In The Italian Dolomites
The Sella Ronda is one of those world-renowned but slightly mysterious ski circuits – but no one ever quite explains what it actually is, and indeed how good you have to be to be able to complete it.
Jobs That Take You To Exotic Places
Whether it's in a beach villa or a mountain chalet, Izzy Boland of WandrLust-Jobs.com helps people find their dream job.
The Best Of Action Packed Travel 2021
We celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one with a look back at a few of our favourite episodes.
Cocktails At Christmas
This week, we're raising our glasses in celebration of the Christmas spirit, and who best to do it with than the cocktail king himself.
The Best December Snow In History
This week we're in the French ski resort of Val d’Isère, which opened its lift system at the end of November for the first time since March 2020.
Lacock: The Birthplace Of Photography
This week we're in the village of Lacock and this quaint medieval community might seem rather familiar.
The Rebirth Of Andermatt
The Swiss village of Andermatt is undergoing a major transformation into a world-class year-round destination.
Saving Snowsports With EcoSki
Rachael Westbrook provides solutions for skiers and snowboarders so they can continue to do what they love.
The Secret Gardens Of Somerset
The Newt has established itself as a world leader on a stage that is already strewn with hotel perfection. We discover just how good can great can get on this exalted scale of accommodation, ambience, natural surroundings and overall cultural experience.
Chilled-Out Luxury Ski Holidays
Consensio do the ski holiday at a slightly different level to everyone else – it's the level of luxury and service, but also the fact that it's totally bespoke and tailored to whatever guests want.
The New Ski Train To The Alps
Don't want to fly? This winter sees the re-introduction of a direct ski train to six resorts.
A Modern-Day Horse Nomad
Jess Isbrecht describes herself as a horse nomad who travels full time with her partner Byron and their horses, Mackenzie and River. She hosts the Happy Trails podcast and has a blog called Ride+Climb.
Will Community Tourism Have A Positive Impact?
Leah Whitfield of G Adventures explains that if you're travelling, you need to have a positive impact on the local people whose homes you're effectively going to stay in, and realise that you can have an incredible experience but also help change lives at the other end
How To Work In The Frenetic World Of Travel PR
Lynsey Devon of Heaven Publicity tells us about creating the images for hotels and tour operators, resorts and even whole countries
How To Live An Offbeat Life As A Digital Nomad
Digital nomads are enterprising business people who travel the world with a laptop, settling wherever takes their fancy for days or for months at a time before moving on to fresh horizons.
Glamping at Marston Park in Somerset
For people who don't know the word, glamping is glamorous camping where you can stay in nature, but without the basic hardships that usually accompany a night in a tent.
Action Woman at Action Packed Travel
'For a few seconds, you don't know whether you're upside down or inside out,' says Louise Hall, who jumped out of a plane for the first time last week. She has also been ice-swimming, climbed and skied Mont Blanc, walked to the North Pole, and dived the Great Blue Hole in Belize.
Time Well Spent On The Ultimate Holiday
This week's episode is about time and travel – not time travel, but how to spend your leisure time. We spoke to bestselling author James Wallman and to Gavin Copus of the Air Charter Company.
The Best Ski Solutions For This Winter
We asked ski industry specialist, Craig Burton, what the ski situation is in the world at present and whether we will be able to go skiing this winter.
Colombia Is Cool
This week we're in Colombia or to be more exact: in the Coffee Region, the fruit bowl of this enchanting and ever-surprising South American country where we're talking to New Zealander, Bruce McLean. But how safe is it?
Tales From Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is set in thousands of acres of rolling parkland outside the village of Woodstock in Oxfordshire. It's bigger than Buckingham Palace, but it's also privately owned by the family that built it over 300 years ago. It's been the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough since 1704 and was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
The Amazing Giraffe Manor in Kenya
It's been dubbed the most Instagrammed hotel in the world and we can see why. At certain times of the day, giraffes are everywhere with heads popping up on balconies and at the breakfast table, helping themselves to your toast and cornflakes.
How to Spend the Day at Warwick Castle
We're looking back over a thousand years of action-packed history at Warwick Castle in the heart of Middle England.
The Home of Traditional Cheddar Cheese
This week, we're veering slightly off our normal track to take a look at a food of British origin.
Secrets of the New Forest
In Hampshire and Dorset in the south of England, we explore the country's most visited national park. It's a wild and beautiful place where the locals, ponies, cattle and even pigs roam free under obscure common laws that date back to feudal times.
Saving Bees in South Africa
Di Luden is Executive Director for the Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA) and one of her projects has been to rehome honeybees in South Africa.
Theatre and Play for Refugee Children in The Middle East
Oscar Wood of Seenaryo transforms education and equips refugees in Lebanon and Jordan with the tools for the future.
Powerboat Racing with Daisy and Sam Coleman
This week, we're exploring the high octane and sometimes dangerous world of powerboat racing. Daisy Coleman and her brother Sam are the reigning P1 world champions.
Wild Adventures in Wales
When Claire married a Welshman, she gave up her marketing job across the border in England and the couple decided to bring the world of adventure to Wales. It all began with mountain biking.
A Travel Podcast One Year On
We decided to celebrate our one year podcast anniversary with a look back at a dozen of our favourite episodes. Of course, there are a lot more...
The Misadventures of the Adventurists
Here we're exploring the extremes of travel – as opposed to traditional organised holidays. Unquestionably, Tom Morgan is our most eccentric and daredevil traveller to date.
Legendary Explorer: John Blashford-Snell
This octogenarian is never happier than when he finds himself astride an elephant in India or paddling a dugout canoe in the South American rainforest, or shooting rapids in the crocodile-infested waters of the Nile.
Geraldine Fasnacht: On a Wing and a Prayer
Geraldine’s idea of a little light, adrenaline-fuelled recreation is to climb one of Europe's highest peaks and then dive off it in a wing suit.
Open Water Swimming with Simon Murie
All you really need is a pair of Speedos, goggles, a hat and the ability to swim a few kilometres in the warm waters of the Mediterranean or the Caribbean or perhaps a rather chilly North Atlantic Ocean.
Matilda Temperley, Action Woman Behind The Lens
The top fashion and reportage photographer and worldwide adventurer started out as a scientist in Africa before switching careers.
Warren Smith: Ski Instructor to the Stars and Royals
The legendary freeride skier runs his Ski Academy in Verbier in Switzerland and in Cervinia in Italy, where he fixes those parts of your ski technique that you simply can't fix on your own.
Brown Bears In The Pyrenees
Penny Walker fell in love with the region and emigrated from her native Yorkshire. She now lives in a remote hamlet on the French side of the mountains.
Learnings From Five Olympic Games
British rower, Frances Houghton's 21-year-quest for gold. During an illustrious career, she was four times world champion, picked up three Olympic silver medals and, astonishingly, took part in no less than five Olympic Games.
Dan Egan: Extreme Skiing Pioneer
Dan’s one of the greatest stars of American extreme skiing, and for the past 30 years he's been jumping off cliffs and making stomach-churning first descents of quite impossibly steep mountains all over the world.
John-Paul Flintoff: An Eventful Life
This week, we're talking to a remarkable writer, artist, public speaker, master of the arts at large.
Travels With The Hungry Cyclist
Tom Kevill-Davies has managed to carve a highly successful career for himself out of his twin passions, cycling and eating.
Food And Travel With Sarah Barrell
Award-winning writer, Sarah Barrell, reports on her journeys around the world in just about every publication in the UK.
How To Overcome Language Barriers
Language is still a huge obstacle for people deciding to travel. Brenden Kumarasamy, founder of MasterTalk, helps you cross the barrier.
Globetotting – A Travel Blog That Explores The World With Kids
This week, we're taking a look at travelling with children and making a living out of it.
Everything You Want To Know About The Roman City Of Bath
What did Jane Austen and the Roman emperor, Claudius, have in common? The answer is: a love of bathwater.
Inside The World Of Horse Racing
This week, we're exploring the world of horses with Colin Cameron, who has an intimate knowledge of studs and racecourses across the globe.
What You Should Know About Water-To-Go
Back in 2002, the United Nations adopted water as a basic human right. But sadly, the fact is that millions still don't have easy access to clean drinking water.
Explorer Tom Avery: North Pole, South Pole And Verbier
Tom Avery has always been infatuated by snow – be that getting up a mountain, skiing down the other side, driving dog teams through the snow, or using ice axes and crampons to climb up a snowy peak.
Mystery At Wookey Hole
Where better to be spooked than Wookey Hole in the scenic Mendip Hills in the west of England?
VickyFlipFlop, Travel Blogger
How about wandering around the world and writing for your own publication with no demanding editors apart from yourself? This week we're exploring the solitary world of travel blogging.
Tee Time With Golfer, Farhad Heydari
This week, we’re talking golf with the editor of NetJets Magazine and the founder and CEO of House of Heydari. Having covered the game professionally and been around it since childhood, he explains why it is more than just a game.
Lyme Regis, Star Of Ammonite
A release of a new movie, Ammonite, based on the life of Mary Anning, is about to thrust the town into the limelight once again.
Mark Palmer, Newspaper Travel Editor
This week, we're talking to Mark Palmer, travel editor of The Daily Mail, the UK's largest print daily with a digital edition that measures its readership around the world in multimillions.
Fly Fishing – From Trout To Trevally
Peter McLeod's career as an extreme fly fishing expert has taken him from India and the Seychelles to Sudan and Christmas Island in search of fish.
The Good Life: Escaping To Cornwall
For all of us in 2020, the world has been turned upside down. But one family had already started a new life.
Everything You Need to Know About Ski Clinics In Val d’Isère
We want to tell you about some rather special ski clinics in Val d'Isère that we run at the start of each European ski season.
A Complete Guide to Stonehenge
This week, we're on the road, exploring the great Neolithic monument at Stonehenge.
Saving Elephants And Climbing Everest With Holly Budge
Skydiving, mountaineering and saving elephants may seem like strange bedfellows, but not for Holly Budge.
The Most Unusual Ski Season In A Hundred Years
This week, we're taking a look at the future shape of ski holidays in the uncharted new world in which we now find ourselves. So this winter, will we be wearing face masks and skiing two metres apart?
From Nigeria To The USA: A Cultural Journey
Nosa Iyare is an inspirational man who emigrated from Nigeria to the United States and launched his own hugely successful podcast.
The Most Expensive Seaside Property In The World
We discover the imposing, residential street that mysteriously claims the fourth most expensive property prices on the planet.
Sustainable Travel With Francisca Kellett
This week we're talking to top travel writer and editor, Francisca Kellett about her extraordinary career. She describes herself as 'an eco nut and hotel junkie who spends more time than is strictly necessary in Africa.'
Why Winchester Is Great
The small and beautiful city of Winchester in Hampshire lies just about one hour from London to the southwest by train and about the same if you're driving.
A Solo Hiking Adventure
Stephanie Hunt has spent the last three decades travelling around the world, skiing, sailing, and her latest exploit: hiking the 2,650-mile length of the west coast of the USA.
7 Marathons 7 Days 7 Continents
This week we're talking to a self-confessed British sports fanatic, Rob Bell, a keen marathon runner who took on the ultimate challenge.
Minty Clinch: Age Is No Barrier To Adventure
For the past 30 years, Minty Clinch has ventured on horseback to some of the wildest corners of the world.
Cycling To Australia With A Cricket Bat
We’re celebrating English eccentricity at its very best and talking to cricket fan and cyclist, Oli Broom, who pedalled his way from London to Australia to watch the Ashes.
Travel The World With Wendy
This week we’re talking to Wendy Payne whose own podcast, Travel with Wendy, is a bit like an American version of ActionPacked Travel.
Extreme Travel Dreams
Jimmy Carroll with his business partner, Geordie McKay, turns your wildest and most extreme travel dreams into reality, with superyacht voyages to the end of the earth, intrepid journeys into deserts, jungles, polar regions and the depths of the ocean.
How To Become A Travel Writer With Sean Newsom
Sean Newsom writes mainly for The Sunday Times, travelling the world in summer and winter in search of extreme action and adventure.
A Gem Of A Life With Joanna Hardy
Joanna Hardy is an independent fine jewellery specialist and a regular on the BBC Antiques Roadshow. She is a former diamond dealer and auctioneer and travels around the world for her work.
Exploring The Planet With George Bullard
He's swum, sailed, kayaked and walked across giant swathes of the globe in aid of scientific research or just plain adventure.
On Safari With Alice In Africa
Alice Gully has floated and hiked, scrambled and flitted all over the wonderful continent in search of the best places and the best adventures.
Konrad Bartelski: From Ski Racer To Photographer
The former British alpine ski racer had a career change when he became a professional photographer.
Train Journeys – The Future For International Travel?
We talk to loco expert Daniel Elkan. His Snowcarbon website encourages you to explore a more comfortable and environmentally-friendly way to reach destinations in mainland Europe.
The Hot-Air Balloon Man
Daredevil adventurer and expedition leader, Peter Mason, organised the first hot-air balloon flight over Mt Everest.
Sudi The Foodie
Sudi Pigott describes herself as a discerningly greedy, ever curious journalist with more than 20 years experience writing on food, restaurants and travel.
Pedalling The Dream in Southeast Asia
This week, we're talking to Linda and Paul O'Halloran who took the ultimate sabbatical cycling across Southeast Asia.
Peter James: A Life of Crime
This week we've flown, virtually, to Jersey to talk to intrepid traveller Peter James. Peter is Britain's bestselling crime writer and creator of Brighton's Detective Superintendent Roy Grace
Arnie Wilson: The Man Who Has Skied More Resorts Than Anyone Else
This week we're skiing, or rather talking about it, with veteran skier writer Arnie Wilson. For many years, he was ski correspondent of the Financial Times, and he's the man who knows more about ski resorts than anyone else on the planet
