Overall this is an somewhat interesting and informative podcast. I like the format and the guests are usually very knowledgeable. There is a wide range of locations reviewed within the catalog of the podcast. My one complaint (And I apologize for mentioning this because once you notice this, you can’t unhear it and it will dive you crazy) is that the host Chris says “okay” a lot! I know it’s a little thing, but it is definitely annoying. I do also wish there would be a bit more vetting of his guests. In a recent episode about West Michigan, the guest had frequent, sometimes cringe worthy gaffes, was recommending chain restaurants, seem perplexed about chicken and waffles, and completely failed to mention that Grand Rapids is a craft beer destination. However, the content and overall quality of the podcast usually helps you look past this.

The episodes give good ideas of things to try in the featured location, but it’s really difficult to listen to Chris continuously interrupt or mansplain his guest. It’s cringy. If he could teach himself not to do that, it would be a much better podcast.

Just discovered and am becoming an avid listener. Keep them coming.

I started listening to this podcast many years ago now. It’s not some rambling, super high energy show but it’s always informative, he sticks to pertinent information. And, there’s a show on literally everywhere! I’ve gone on a road trip from the Midwest to the west coast and he has shows on every city, state, and major location I had mapped out. Now I’m planning a trip through the south to New Orleans and of course I’ve downloaded the shows for all the big places I want to visit for recommendations and insight. And it’s definitely not just the State. I’ve used Chris’s podcast to plans trips to Portugal and the Middle East as well. It’s really quite a feat. Bravo Chris!

This is my go to podcast whenever I visit a destination. Great host, great guests.

Fun & informative for me as an armchair traveler. It’s nice to hear about foreign lands without the slurs against Americans & capitalism, which another travel show host does often.

The guy who hosts the podcast can be quite condescending to the guests on his podcast. He doesn’t have the patience to interview people from other cultures. He’s not very patient, and quite honestly a jerk at times.

Bu güzel ve zevkli şovu beğendim.

I love this dad-vibe podcast that offers great tidbits in a detailed and consistent format. Amateur traveler is my first stop on a long quest when I begin my next-trip research. Chris and his guest(s) whet my appetite for the destination and give me good jumping off points, a big picture to wrap my head around, and some specific places or unique things to get excited about. From there, I go to blogs, google and more to dig deeper, but I appreciate that this is an approachable place to begin without feeling overwhelmed. The last few parts to the episode are some of my favorites because they make me reminisce about my own trips and what I would also list as my number one thing, and how I would describe the place in three words, etc. The wrap-up is concise and memorable and a great way to end the show. Thanks Chris!

I’ve been listening to Amateur Traveler for about 4 years. I enjoy the informative guests and use the content for my own trip planning or for dreaming of future vacations. Episodes help pass the time while commuting. Chris, thanks for the time you obviously devote to keep such a high-quality podcast coming to us!

I love this podcast, very informative, planed my vacation with this podcast!

Chopin was not born in Warsaw. He fled to Paris in the early 19th century and not around WWI.

Still a pleasure after all these years. Episode on southeast Ireland is a recent standout!

I enjoy the interviews - but as a proud Keralite I have to mention that Feni is NOT a liquor from Kerala - it’s from Goa . (At 42.00 in the episode on Kerala) This is a problem you can sometimes run into when you interview a foreigner about a place which really isn’t theirs . Try and get a local .

Very sorry for your loss Chris.

My bucket list is growing due to this podcast.

Listened to the episodes on Washington DC. I am planning a trip there and your podcasts were full of great information. Thank you!

I was disappointed by this podcast episode, which was supposed to be about the Virginia coast, but ended up being a superficial and biased tour of some historical sites and wineries. The host and the guest barely scratched the surface of the rich and diverse culture, history, and nature of this region, and instead focused on some clichéd and overrated attractions. The worst part was when they mentioned the Trump Winery as one of the places to visit, without any critical or objective analysis of its quality, reputation, or impact. This was a blatant endorsement of a controversial and divisive figure, who has nothing to do with the authentic Virginia experience. I expected more from a travel podcast that claims to help real travelers plan real trips. This episode was a waste of time and an insult to the listeners.

Host keeps interrupting

Overall a solid podcast with coverage of several countries/ regions. Some guests are great (Colombia, Cyprus, Tamil Nadu, Chennai) and some are terrible (Western Michigan, Mysore) - great when information provided is detailed enough, clear and the guest is clearly enamored of the place discussed; terrible when information provided is incorrect, recommendations made are just not distinct enough or the guest seems hopelessly out of date. The host is fun; sometimes smart-alecky and that’s because he’s a Boomer. Boomers are often badly behaved. Another note - please STOP using the term “tuk tuk” for motorized rickshaws in India. They are “auto rickshaws”, locally just referred to as “auto” ALL over India. We get that Westerners who have been to other parts of Asia have heard the tuk tuk phrase there but India is a different country. It’s akin to using “lift” in the US instead of elevator. Just stop!

I really enjoy listening to this informative podcast. It has encouraged me to travel much more. I’ve already been to Morocco and Mexico based on inspiration from this podcast. Chris, I hope to go on one of your tours/trips one day. Thanks for what you do and keep up the good work!

I’ve listened to every episode of the podcast and they are all wonderful, but the one about Armenia struck me the most. The gorgeous photos and vivid descriptions really struck a chord with me, and made me want to venture to it’s beautiful land!

This is a really good podcast. I just discovered it and now I’m binging it. Initially I was only listening to the places that interest me but now I’m listening to all of it. And that could be because I am OBSESSED with the theme song! LOL. I even went to SoundCloud so I could listen to the whole song on repeat.

I took some time today to listen to your show!! amateur traveler travel podcast is a fantastic podcast with great info, advice, and perspectives. You won't regret listening to and learning from the podcast.

The host really ruins this podcast. Cool idea but it was hard to listen to

I often listen to Chris’ podcast while driving in the car. One week he’ll cover a place like Omaha, the next week, a place like Oman. Such diversity of locations. A comfort food of podcasts. Keep going Chris!

So informative and helpful. I discovered it because I am going on my first trip to Turkey. But now I want to listen to them all. Putting as my other favorite new podcast but the other is a satirical, comedy of small town life "Community News with Paul and Sasha". It's so funny!!! Between your 2 shows I have a lot to binge now. I want to travel everywhere.

I enjoy 95% of these shows. The 5% account for those shows where a guest may not be an expert in the community or has a narrow focus (as an example; lots of info about food and drink, but not much info about what makes a place special and different). Chris: I enjoy your podcasts on my commute, so I do not take advantage of the enhanced podcasts. No need to invest the time if remainder of audience has same input.

It just does! I really enjoy listening and dreaming up my future travels. Thanks for making this content!!! 🎉

I love to listen to your podcast while I’m at work!! In my mind I am wherever you and your guest are talking about!! It makes my shift go by so quickly, and by the end of it I’ve been to six or seven different countries!! Love it❣️

Very informative as a travel agent to listen to. My 1 year old daughter loves your theme song also ha

Like everyone else, I struggle to find time in the day to listen to all of the podcast that I would like to. I stumbled across this podcast by accident a couple of years ago, and it has been a game changer for me. I don’t feel like I need to look elsewhere as this podcast covers all of my interests. The host and guests are informative.The pace is perfect (I still listen at one and a half speed). My favorite feature is the interactive component with pictures that I can look at while the host and guests are talking. Keep up the fantastic work!

Chris Christensen is a boomer who spends half of the episodes interrupting and correcting the guests, especially the female guests. It gets really hard to listen to. Episode 449 on Mainland Greece is one of many examples. He also hasn’t updated the format of the show or interview questions for the last 14 years. C’mon, dude, the world is changing. Change with it. I keep listening because I love travel, especially in 2020 where the only places I can go are my memories and future plans.

Always look forward to new episodes of this show. Chris has a great format that works. He lets the guests tell the story, but always asks important questions and contributes to the conversation in thoughtful ways. Great mix of unusual destinations, and familiar ones. Guests are always knowledgeable and informative. I’ve noticed a certain “luxury” travel podcaster has stolen some of his format…I had to unfollow her because it bugged me so much, lol.

Could you consider doing an updated episode about Newfoundland, Nova Scotia or PEI? Our family is planning a trip this summer and the last episodes about those places have been several years. Thank you !

We often get great info from this show, but here are a few things that would help. Firstly, the theme music! We reach for the fast-forward every time it starts :-| Lastly, the host is good and fairly low-key, but it’s often a much better experience for the listener if the host doesn’t frequently mention their knowledge on a place if the guest is supposed to be covering the topic. We don’t really need to know that the host has been here and there, just for the sake of making it known, do we? (A perfect example of this done skillfully is Rick Steves, who has traveled for decades and will know about even the most remote little cafe or church in a small village: he has a very modest way of ASKING the guest to prompt them about it, rather than making a STATEMENT about it.) Although, it is quite helpful when the host looks something up that the guest may be struggling with. A delicate balance…

Great program, wonderful guests but a complete jerk of a host. Chris is condescending, sarcastic and cold. Seems disinterested as well.

Never miss an episode. Travel inspiration in each episode.

The guests on this show are always really great and are always so knowledgeable about their respective destination. It’s always fun learning about a place I don’t know much about and the destinations are really diverse. The host could be better, though. He’s always saying, “I’m looking at this picture” or “I just looked up this information.” I’m sure his intentions are good (supplementing/clarifying what the guest just said) but it makes him come off as uninterested and really disrupts the flow of the conversation. If I want to know more about something that was talked about in an episode, I can just look it up after I’m done with the episode.

I just discovered this podcast about 5 days ago and cant stop listening to it. So many locations to hear about. We’re already planning a family road trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway based off an episode

Chris really puts in the extra work to make this podcast great. From the interesting guests to the insightful questions and real-time googling for facts and clarifications. I especially appreciate that he breaks every episode into chapters with a different photo, notes, and links for each topic or place discussed. I’m sure that’s a ton of extra work, but I really appreciate it.

Wonderful podcast with a wealth of information about places I’m dreaming of visiting as well as those I’ve never heard of. Thanks for all the great information!

As a new listener, I’m excited for a good resource for my own travels. I am also really enjoying hearing about places I’ll never visit myself, but I can dream.

Chris has excellent content on a weekly basis. This podcast is a weekly listen for me. I have used it to enhance my travels around the world - Hong Kong, Boston, Munich, Hawaii, Thailand, and so many more. Keep it up Chris! Dan @ Zipping Around The World Travel Podcast.

I have been a longtime listener to AT. Whenever I’m planning a trip this podcast is where I always start. The guest singers bring places to life and I’m always adding to my bucket list. Best destination travel podcast out there!

I really enjoy hearing about different places around the world. I like the format of the show too. But Chris is consistently belittling the places guests talk about. If someone says there are wineries in their location, Chris hassss to mention that he’s from California and ask “but how’s the wine?” I’ve heard this many times! In the Cleveland episode, Chris just haddd to mention that shark tunnels aren’t unique to Cleveland. Why does he have to put down places?

Really like the way things are described peppered with local stories and history. Would prefer to see lists of places and links to his blog and others in the show notes. I couldn’t find anything for the Slovenia episode, for example.

Chris’s voice is soft but crisp. He tells the story and the facts you need to know. His preparation is excellent. Yes, I am a fan. Thanks for some great content and interviews from a friendly podcaster on travel who aspires to this level.

Good travel show but can be a little hard to pay attention to some weeks. Overall, can’t complain and still listening every week!

I haven’t been able to find a better travel podcast than Mr. Christensen’s. He has an extensive podcast that grows even more every Saturday. It’s my go to podcast whenever I get that bit of wanderlust. It’s fun to listen to in the car, on a walk or when I’m on my echelon bike. I listen especially intently when I’m traveling to a location that he has podcasted on. He is great in his knowledge of the locations and their history. Thank you Chris!