Los Angeles is one of the world’s most familiar cities — shaped by film, music and pop culture — yet it remains endlessly surprising. In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, we go beyond the icons to uncover a more intimate, and layered LA.

Host Aaron Millar is joined by three locals with unique perspectives on the city: Evan Lovett, creator and host of the podcast LA in a Minute; Kara Bartelt, General Manager of The Hoxton, Downtown LA; and Gavin Brennan, founder of E-Bike Tours LA. Together, they explore a city defined not just by Hollywood, but by reinvention, diverse neighbourhoods, outdoor life and creative energy.

From cycling culture and downtown art nights to beaches with wildly different personalities, future-facing museums and the buzz building ahead of the 2026 World Cup, this is a portrait of LA as a mosaic — expansive, diverse and constantly evolving.

Highlights include:

• What’s new in 2026, from the FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium to major museum openings across the city.

• Exploring LA by bike — from downtown neighbourhoods and the LA River to Griffith Park and beyond.

• Rethinking LA’s outdoor life, including kayaking the river, hiking urban hills and discovering wildlife in the heart of the city.

• A deep dive into LA’s creative future, including the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art and the world’s first museum of AI arts: Dataland.

• The ultimate locals-designed three-day LA itinerary — beaches, bike rides, baseball, and where to get the best food in the city.

FIND OUT MORE

Search up ‘LA in a Minute’ on your favourite podcast platform. Instagram: @lainaminute

The Hoxton Downtown LA: thehoxton.com

Discover LA by bike with E-Bike Tours LA: ebiketoursla.com

Plan your trip at discoverlosangeles.com / #WeLoveLA

Read the accompanying articles at wanderlustmagazine.com

WANDERLUST: OFF THE PAGE

Take the road less travelled with us — subscribe to the show so you never miss an adventure!

WANDERLUST MAGAZINE

Wanderlust is the UK’s leading independent travel magazine, taking the road less travelled since 1993. Find out more at wanderlustmagazine.com

Become a Wanderlust Club Member and join our community of serious travellers for just £35 a year (or around $50). Membership includes six collectible print issues, exclusive competitions and events, full digital archive access back to 2010, and much more.

CREDITS

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Lyn Hughes and Laura Field introduce the show; Aaron Millar is the interviewer and script editor; Audio production by Charles Tyrie.

With more than 7,000 islands scattered across warm tropical seas, the vast archipelago of the Philippines offers extraordinary diversity for intrepid travellers: coral reefs alive with colour, jungle-clad volcanoes ripe for hiking and some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet.

This is a country that rewards curiosity — and still feels wonderfully underexplored.

In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, Aaron Millar is joined by travel writer and long-time Wanderlust contributor Mark Stratton, who shares why he keeps returning to the Philippines — and why it remains one of his favourite destinations in the world.

Follow us on the road less travelled to one of Southeast Asia’s most rewarding destinations.

Highlights include:

• Discovering why the Philippines’ 7,000+ islands still feel like one of travel’s great frontiers — and how spontaneity shapes the experience.

• Exploring Luzon, from the vibrant streets of Manila to the breathtaking Banaue Rice Terraces, carved into the mountains thousands of years ago.

• Snorkelling with vast shoals of sardines, swimming alongside gentle whale sharks, and experiencing the Philippines’ world-class marine biodiversity.

• Island hopping through the Visayas, including Bohol’s Chocolate Hills, Siquijor’s quiet beaches, and Palawan’s spectacular limestone islands and hidden coves.

If you’re dreaming of turquoise seas, meaningful encounters, and the thrill of discovering somewhere that still feels open-ended, this episode might just move the Philippines to the top of your list.

FIND OUT MORE

Download the Philippines official travel app - Travel Philippines

Plan your journey to the Philippines at itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PhilippinesinUK/

Instagram @philippines_uk

Email: info@pdotlondon.co.uk

Connect with Mark Stratton on his website: MarkStrattonTravels.com

Read the accompanying article, and see the photos at wanderlustmagazine.com

• The Wanderlust Guide to the Best of the Philippines
• Island Hopping in the Philippines (Mark Stratton)

WANDERLUST: OFF THE PAGE
Take the road less travelled with us and subscribe to the show so you never miss an adventure.

WANDERLUST MAGAZINE
Wanderlust is the UK’s leading independent travel magazine, taking the road less travelled since 1993. Find out more at wanderlustmagazine.com

Become a Wanderlust Club Member to join our community of serious travellers for just £35 a year (or about $50). Membership includes six collectible print issues, exclusive competitions and events, full digital archive access back to 2010, and much more.

CREDITS
This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.
Lyn Hughes and Laura Field introduce the show. Aaron Millar is the interviewer and script editor. Audio production by Charles Tyrie.

Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina severed a vital rail link along the Gulf Coast, Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service is back — reconnecting New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama for the first time in two decades. In today’s episode, Wanderlust’s North America Editor, Jacqui Agate, takes us on the inaugural journey, following the tracks deep into the culture, history and landscapes of the American South.

From New Orleans’ musical pulse and Mississippi’s small coastal towns to Mobile, Alabama — the birthplace of Mardi Gras — this is a journey filled with music, history, food and more than a little bit of Mardi Gras fun.

But it’s also a journey about renewal, and how a train line, once lost, can become a powerful symbol of connection restored.

Highlights include:

• Riding the revived Mardi Gras Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, and why its return matters now.

• Tracing Mardi Gras from its origins to its modern expressions along the Gulf Coast.

• Exploring how places shaped by Hurricane Katrina continue to rebuild, remember and redefine themselves.

• Discovering Alabama through culture, history, wilderness and creativity — beyond the clichés.

• Reflecting on what slower travel reveals about place, people and connection.

FIND OUT MORE

Plan your journey to plan a sweet home from home at alabama.travel

Buy tickets for the new Mardis Gras train at amtrak.com

Connect with Jacqui Agate on Instagram @jacquiagate and jacquiagate.com

Read the accompanying article, and see the photos at wanderlustmagazine.com

• Get to the heart of the American South in Alabama

WANDERLUST: OFF THE PAGE
Take the road less travelled with us and subscribe to the show so you never miss an adventure.

WANDERLUST MAGAZINE
Wanderlust is the UK’s leading independent travel magazine, taking the road less travelled since 1993. Find out more at wanderlustmagazine.com

Become a Wanderlust Club Member to join our community of serious travellers for just £35 a year (or about $50). Membership includes six collectible print issues, exclusive competitions and events, full digital archive access back to 2010, and much more.

CREDITS
This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry.
Lyn Hughes and Laura Field introduce the show. Aaron Millar is the interviewer and script editor. Audio production by Charles Tyrie.