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A four-month plan turned into eight years on the road, and that leap reshaped everything. We sit down with Caryl Eve Dolinko, author of A Woman’s Guide to World Travel, to unpack how purpose-led planning makes travel deeply rewarding—especially for women considering solo adventures.

What do you actually want from your trip? Whether it’s tracing your ancestry, learning to cook regional dishes, studying music, or chasing landscapes, your why helps you choose your how—solo freedom, a trusted travel buddy, or an interest-driven group.

Caryl highlights woman-friendly destinations with strong infrastructure and cultural openness—Thailand, Spain, Israel, Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands—and shares ways to navigate more complex regions through women-only hostel rooms, local rail options, and online communities that turn safety into solidarity.

More tips: Caryl’s keeps packing simple: neutral layers, multi-use pieces, and a compact medical kit with prescriptions in original containers. We dig into airline fees, the power of carry-on travel, and the truth that you can buy what you forgot—often better and cheaper—once you arrive.

Ships can be a smart option at any age: onboard medical care, built-in security, and an unpack-once lifestyle that opens up new ports without the hassle.

Solo travel gets special attention: how to meet people naturally, make dining alone feel purposeful, and turn restaurants into planning hubs. We map practical budget moves—museum free days, transit passes, street markets, and neighborhood lunches—and show how a few local phrases build instant rapport.

We also go there on romance abroad, both the allure and the boundaries, and we share grounded safety tactics. Caryl closes with a luminous memory from Machu Picchu.

Follow the podcast, share the episode with a friend who needs a nudge.

Our guest, Caryl Eve Dolinko, author of A Woman’s Guide to World Travel, has traveled to almost 100 countries, and speaks and writes about travel around the world.

Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books of the year'). She has contributed to dozens of guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
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Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has produced over 125 travel episodes! New episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. All episodes are also on her website: placesirememberlealane.com

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Travel vlogs of featured podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now also drop on YouTube.

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We head to Périgord—the historic heart of France's fertile Dordogne region—to map a four-color journey through Noir, Blanc, Pourpre, and Vert: cliffside castles, prehistoric cave art, limestone towns, vineyard hills, and green valleys stitched with old paper mills.

Our guests, Stephanie Williamson and Emily Conyngham, know the area from the inside, with details and choices that shape a smarter, quieter trip.

We start in Périgord Noir, using Sarlat’s 14th-century streets and market days as our base, then climb to the hedged terraces of Marqueyssac for that golden-hour view as hot air balloons drift above the river. From there, we decode the caves—how to experience Lascaux’s faithful replica without harming fragile art, and why early mornings and shoulder seasons pay off.

In Périgord Blanc, limestone brightens the landscape around Perigueux, subterranean churches carve sanctuaries from rock, and truffle culture comes alive with local hunters and their Lagotto dogs. It’s not just about the black diamonds; it’s about stories passed down, guarded groves, and the rhythm of the forest.

Périgord Pourpre brings the glass to your hand: Bergerac reds, Montbazillac’s famed sweet whites, and wine trails that weave past châteaux like Lanquais, the “Unfinished Louvre.” We connect history to taste, from old trade routes to today’s small estates where conversation is part of the pour.

Finally, Périgord Vert opens the lungs: forest walks, rivers, mills, and quiet paths that invite you to slow down and notice. Along the way, we talk duck and foie gras, chestnuts, mushrooms, strawberries, and why summer reservations matter even in small towns.

For would-be expats and for tourists, we end with memories covering language, cost of living, healthcare realities, and the charming community fabric that makes this quieter side of France so very special.

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Our guests are Stephanie Williamson, CEO and founder of Raison d'être travel that plans customized itineraries worldwide; and Emily Conyngham, who moved to the region in 2014 from the United States and owns a shop in Monpazier called Atelier Charmont.

Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books of the year'). She has contributed to dozens of guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles. Contact her at placesirememberlealane.com
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Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has produced over 125 travel episodes! New episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
_____
Travel vlogs of featured podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now also drop on YouTube.

Send us a text

Year’s end is the perfect time to chase moments that help us fall in love with travel. We stitch together a lively route from New York's Erie Canal’s quiet power to Namibia’s Etosha, where elephants, zebra, and predators converge around water in an arid dreamscape.

Along the way, we meet a winemaker who steers us into Spain's Alicante desert for a paella cooked over grapevines—one fire, one broth, no second chances—and learn why constraint can turn a meal into a memory that lasts.

Our path bends to Sorrento, a flat and beautiful Italian base that opens to Capri, Ischia, and the Amalfi Coast. We talk walkable alleys, lemon groves that become limoncello, and sunset cocktails on cliffside terraces. We ride rails through Canada at sunrise and across Switzerland where a simple coffee sparks a love story.

In Mexico City, lucha libre proves that travel joy can be loud, communal, and gloriously acrobatic, while Barcelona Spain lifts the spirit with castellers human towers, Sant Jordi’s books and roses, and music festivals that sweep from legends to up-and-comers.

We step into sacred time in Assisi in Italy's Umbrian region, to see Giotto’s frescoes and St. Francis’s world, then cross to India's Agra Fort where Shah Jahan arranged his bed and even a small mirror to keep the Taj Mahal always in view.

Add a few delightful detours—a red-clay miniature golf course in Normandy, train-station romance in Belgium, a harmonica gifted to a child in a Ugandan forest (and a musical moment)!

If these stories spark your curiosity, hit follow, and share with a friend who needs new trip ideas, Then dig into our archive of over 120 episodes to plan where your next unforgettable moment will begin.

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Our guests this past year are a mix of travel pros and travel enthusiasts -- and all of them have insightful tips and stories to tell.

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Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books of the year'). She has contributed to dozens of guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles. Contact her at placesirememberlealane.com
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Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has produced over 120 travel episodes! New episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
_____
Travel vlogs of featured podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now also drop on YouTube. Please subscribe, like, and comment.