An author that hiked the Appalachian Trail and then got obsessed with the history and creation of trails. This is how the book “On Trails” by Robert Moor could be summarized. Sounds a bit, boring, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t. Instead, “On Trails” is one of the most fascinating “outdoor books” of the past years. In it, Robert explores how trails help us to understand the world. From ants to elephants to hiking paths that span continents, from interstate highways to the Internet, Moor discusses how the wisdom of trails link together all species.  It is a fascinating read, because it covers a seemingly simple topic – trails – , but spans an arc from the dawn of animal life to the digital era, and from science to history, philosophy and nature writing … to mention just a few of the captivating topics of the book – and of this conversation.   https://www.robertmoor.com/ https://twitter.com/robertmoor_ https://www.facebook.com/robert.moor 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Imagine you are sitting in a telephone booth-sized bubble hundreds of meters deep in the ocean surrounded by darkness, in an environment where nobody has ever been before. Many of the things you see here no one has ever seen before. Every now and then shining deep sea creatures appear. Most of them are completely new to science. As a deep-sea biologist, this scenario may still be very exciting but it's nothing new to Dr. Diva Amon, our guest in this episode. Grown up in Trinidad and Tobago and currently based in London, she participated in several deep-sea expeditions around the world to explore and study previously unknown deep-sea habitats. Her work has been featured on CNN International, National Geographic, BBC World, ABC Australia, NHK, Los Angeles Times and more. In this episode, she sheds some light onto some of the last remaining white spaces on the map of our world.   Links:   https://divaamon.com/ https://www.instagram.com/diva_amon https://twitter.com/DivaAmon?lang=en   In the conversation, Diva mentions a couple of vessels that provide livestreams of their deep-sea explorations: R/V Falkor: https://schmidtocean.org/technology/live-from-rv-falkor/ E/V Nautilus: https://nautiluslive.org/ NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/livestreams/welcome.html 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As a war correspondent for the Daily Telegraph Tim Butcher quickly became obsessed with one of the world’s most war-ravaged countries – the Congo. Its rich and multi-layered history triggered him to dig deeper in his attempt to better understand “the heart of Africa”. After discovering a personal and direct link to a famous historical expedition, Tim took on an adventurous journey and set off down a jungle track from Eastern to Western Congo. In his 2007 published book “Blood River – A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart”, which topped several bestseller lists, he reveals the story of the Congo and its troubles, which still remain up to date. In this episode of Unfolding Maps, he tells a part of this story – and of his own explorations of the Congo. You want to support Unfolding Maps? Then please leave a review and rating in the Apple Podcast App HERE. That way you can help our show to be found by other travelers. Thanks a lot! 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

To musically capture the essence of a solo journey over around the world is a tremendous creative challenge. Musician, director and photographer Jim Kroft, our guest in this episode, has tackled it. His journey took him through the endless expanses of the Russian winter, but also into the loneliness of Chinese mega-cities. On the way, he saw with his own eyes how people fleeing terror in their home countries were washed up on the coasts of Europe. He processed the impressions of this journey in his project "Journeys", which culminated in the album "Love on the Face of Fear" at the end of 2019. In this conversation he talks about his journeys, but also about how the creative process took place, how he transformed his experiences and the inspiration they provided into music. You want to support Unfolding Maps? Then please leave a review and rating in the Apple Podcast App HERE. That way you can help our show to be found by other travelers. Thanks a lot! 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two friends, two motorcycles and epic adventures all around the world. In episode 4 of Unfolding Maps, Charley Boorman talked about some of his most memorable travel experiences, many of which he has made with his best friend, the actor Ewan McGregor, known from movies such as Star Wars. These trips resulted in two hugely successful TV series: “Long Way Round” in 2004 and “Long Way Down” in 2007. Now, they have finally done it again! Their new show “Long Way Up” depicts their ride from Patagonia in Argentina through South America and North America all the way up to Los Angeles. It will be available on Apple TV+ from 18th September 2020 globally as an Apple Original Adventure Series. In this episode of Unfolding Maps Charley shares memories from the “Long Way Up”, from the majestic Andes to the rainforests of Central America. He also reveals some of the unique challenges Ewan and he faced because of making the whole trip – 21.000km through 13 countries! – on electric motorcycles.   http://www.charleyboorman.com/ You want to support Unfolding Maps? Then please leave a review and rating in the Apple Podcast App HERE. That way you can help our show to be found by other travelers. Thanks a lot! 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What is lost when a whole culture disappears? Award-winning journalist Doug Bock Clark has written an epic book about the Lamalerans, a tribe that lives on a remote, eastern Indonesian island. For half a millennium, they have fed themselves by hunting sperm whales, using small, handmade boats and handmade harpoons. And until this day, this is the way they hunt and live. But how much longer? How does an endangered tribe face the challenge to navigate between ancient traditions and modern civilization? This is the story of Doug Bock Clarks bestselling book “The Last Whalers” – and it is what this episode is about. You want to support Unfolding Maps? Then please leave a review and rating in the Apple Podcast App HERE. That way you can help our show to be found by other travelers. Thanks a lot! 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Being the daughter of one of the Afghanistan’s most influential and prosperous persons, Nahid Shahalimi grew up in the country’s high society. However, the life of her family took a dramatic turn when her father died and Nahid had to flee to Canada with her mother and sisters in the 1980s. Since then, she has lived in Pakistan, India, the USA, Spain and Germany and – and became actively involved in many humanitarian projects.   In this episode she talks about both her remarkable childhood in Afghanistan and her humanitarian work today as an artist, author, activist and filmmaker, with which she shines a spotlight on the women of Afghanistan.   https://nahidshahalimi.com/    Note: The interview was already conducted in early 2020. In some respects, the political situation in Afghanistan has developed significantly since then. You want to support Unfolding Maps? Then please leave a review and rating in the Apple Podcast App HERE. That way you can help our show to be found by other travelers. Thanks a lot! 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Known as 'the flying photographer', George Steinmetz is the natural world’s leading aerial artist, being famous for his trademark low altitude aerial photography, a special technique that he has invented and perfected. He has done much of his work with a foot-launched motorized paraglider, which he pilots while taking pictures, as well as using drones to document climate change and the global food supply. His exploration and science photography has been featured in more than 40 National Geographic photo essays, The New York Times, Smithsonian, TIME, The New Yorker and many others, and in 2008, he was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. His numerous awards for photography include three prizes from World Press Photo. Most currently, he has published a book titled “The Human Planet”, a sweeping visual chronicle of the Earth today, considering issues such as climate change, sustainable agriculture, and the ever-expanding human footprint. https://georgesteinmetz.com/ https://www.instagram.com/geosteinmetz/ You want to support Unfolding Maps? Then please leave a review and rating in the Apple Podcast App HERE. That way you can help our show to be found by other travelers. Thanks a lot! 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mount Everest in the Himalayas, Mt Vinson in Antarctica - only two of the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. The former VOGUE fashion editor and today's extreme mountaineer Helga Hengge was the first German woman ever to successfully climb them all. She has experienced challenges that could not be more diverse, from the deep silence of Antarctica to the Stone Age of Papua, through rainforest and enormous snowstorms, up to the airy heights of steep summit ridges. In this episode of Unfolding Maps she talks about some of these adventures. 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A passionate adventurer, author and film maker: Alastair Humphreys' explorations of the earth are manifold. He has spent over four years cycling round the world, a journey of 46,000 miles through 60 countries and five continents. He walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run six marathons through the Sahara Desert, completed a crossing of Iceland, busked through Spain, participated in an expedition in the Arctic, close to the magnetic North Pole, and has trekked 1000 miles across the Empty Quarter desert. When he was named as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the year for 2012 however, it was for a much humbler endeavor: for creating and promoting the philosophy of microadventure. In this episode of Unfolding Maps, Alastair talks about great and small adventures – and how they can enrich our lives. Alastair on the web: www.alastairhumphreys.com Facebook Instagram 
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.