We’re crunching through the snow, leaping from jagged cliffs and going behind the scenes in the Rough Guide to Everywhere series finale. First off, we’re in South Georgia, an eyebrow-shaped island in the South Atlantic Ocean, where travel writer and Rough Guides podcast heavyweight Shafik Meghji shares stories from his expedition, from curious penguins to passing glaciers the size of the Isle of Man. Then we whizz across to Mexico, where Rough Guides author Daniel Stables stumbled across the ultimate adrenaline rush. In the southwest city of Acapulco, daredevil residents enjoy a heart-palpitating tradition which goes all the way back to the 1920s. That’s it for series four – make sure you listen to all the episodes and keep in touch on Twitter (@roughguides)! This series has been hosted by Aimee White and has been produced by Alannah Chance and Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

What is it that draws us to extreme travel? In our penultimate episode of series four of The Rough Guide to Everywhere podcast, we speak with the travel writer, filmmaker and storyteller, Ash Bhardwaj. Ash recently travelled the entire length and breadth of the Russian-European border – that’s 8500km, in case you were wondering – so we decided to find out exactly why he decided to take this travel venture to the extreme, and what travel means to him... This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

When you think of Swedish traditions, maybe what comes to mind is fika, lagom or Midsummer’s Day celebrations. But there’s another, quite unique tradition that you may not have heard of before: kulning, otherwise known as cow-calling. In this episode, we find out exactly what kulning is, the social impact that it has had on the country and how what started as a local way of life in the Middle Ages has woven itself into modern music and life today. By preserving subcultures like kulning, we gain a real insight into how traditions are formed and how they develop over time. We discover so much about a particular place’s history, and from that, what is important to its people and why. This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

What exactly is ‘responsible photography’? In this episode, we’re exploring how we can be more mindful when photographing a particular place or a person. We speak with the award-winning travel writer and photographer Lola Akinmade Åkerström, an expert on the subject, and photographer Hoda Afshar, who explains how new images can battle old stereotypes. Photography gives us the opportunity to peer into other people’s realities, understand and empathize with situations different to our own and listen to their stories, and present this in one powerful shot. This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

Adventure writing has the ability to transport you to the place you’re reading about: taking in the unfamiliar script on a road sign, savouring sharp smells and fragrant tastes, basking in the hot heat and tingling in the freezing cold, feeling the rhythm of the music beating through the air. In this episode, we speak with author Maggie Ritchie, who travelled to Shanghai to research her new book, Bold Girls, in which two young Glaswegian women move to Shanghai at the turn of the 20th century. We also speak to reporter Jennifer Lin, who travelled from Philadelphia to Shanghai to trace the roots of her Chinese family, through the written words of her grandfather. When we travel, we go in search of adventure – but along the way, we realise that it can also be found in the most surprising of places... This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams for Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

The 6th June 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy, so in this podcast episode we take a look at how the Second World War is memorialised across Europe, and the importance of doing so. We speak with Joe Staines, one of the authors of our upcoming Travel the Liberation Route Europe Guide, and writer Louisa Adjoa-Parker, to discuss how different European countries were affected, and listen to some of the lesser-heard histories of the Second World War. By examining this part of history through a wider narrative lense, we can recognise the complexity of both the realities and atrocities committed. It’s important that we retell and record these stories before it’s too late – and use them, to pay attention to the world around us. This episode was hosted by Aimee White (@aimeefw) and produced by Femi Oriogun-Williams of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

Icelandic folklore complements the rugged landscape of the remote West Fjords. With ethereal vistas, natural beauty and enchanting landscapes aplenty, there is something else that brings character to this region: myths, legends and witchcraft. This week, host Aimee White (@aimeefw) speaks to Magnus Raffnson, co-founder of the Museum of Witchcraft and Sorcery, to find out how Iceland’s folklore and history of witchcraft is connected with this part of the country, and how it has improved tourism to the area. Thanks to our producer Femi Oriogun-Williams of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk). Music Contributions by Glacier Quartet.

Our sister-guidebook series, Insight Guides, have brought out their very own podcast. Exciting times! In this short episode we chat with Zara Sekhavati, the podcast host, to find out more about Insight Guides and what series one has to offer – as well as a sneak preview of the very first episode. Check out their feed, The Insight Guides Podcast, for future episodes.

Welcome to series four of the Rough Guide to Everywhere! With a brand new host on board (Rough Guides editor Aimee White), we've got a fresh batch of stories, intriguing destinations and incredible guests lined up and ready to share with you. In this first episode, we take a look at a unique communications black hole in West Virginia, USA. The small town of Green Bank is home to the National Radio Quiet Zone, where scientists monitor space via huge, white telescopes. Radio waves must be kept to an absolute minimum: the smallest bit of electronics on a camera is millions of times louder than anything scientists are listening to from space. People are choosing to relocate here to avoid cellular radiation, which led us to wonder – could we travel somewhere that didn't have any wifi or GPS access? Thanks to our producers Femi Oriogun-Williams and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk). Music contributions by Sebastian Crawshaw.

In eighteenth-century Louisiana, escapee African slaves would make a break for the bayous. Here they might encounter Native Americans and occasionally find asylum with them: two peoples who had in common a struggle for freedom from oppression. That this episode in history is remembered is in part thanks to the Black Masking Indians of New Orleans, who are best known for their unmissable presence at the city’s Mardi Gras celebrations. Lavishly dressed in intricately beaded suits, the Black Masking Indians are a unique synthesis of African and Native American cultures and a celebration of the universal struggle to express our identity. Thanks to Cherice Harrison-Nelson for telling us her story; to Owen Wagner for recording Cherice’s side of our interview in New Orleans; to Ken Eng for all the wonderful music and sounds of Black Masking Indians in New Orleans, and for providing the podcast image; and to our producers Jessie Lawson and Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk).

This week on The Rough Guide to Everywhere, host Rebecca Hallett (instagram.com/becca.hallett) takes a journey into her own genes, and asks whether it’s worth the trip. As at-home DNA tests get increasingly popular, some people are starting to travel based on their ancestry results. Is this an innovative new way to plan a trip, adding depth and connection to your travels? Or is it just another fad? Thanks to co-host Neil McQuillian, producer Alannah Chance of Reduced Listening (reducedlistening.co.uk), and assistant producer Femi Oriogun-Williams. Thanks also to 23andme (23andme.com) for providing Becca’s DNA test, and to all our interviewees. Episode photo by Rebecca Hallett.