It’s been one month since I moved to Kazakhstan, and in this episode I’m sharing what life in Almaty has really been like so far. I start with a broad overview of Kazakhstan — the ninth largest country in the world and the largest landlocked country, located in Central Asia — before diving into the personal side of relocating here.

From a chaotic travel day and an unexpected overnight in Istanbul, to apartment hunting, navigating bureaucracy, adjusting to a ten-hour time difference, and beginning boxing lessons entirely in Russian, this episode captures the reality of settling into a new country.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/AmdPShISk24

📸 Follow the Journey: Join me on Instagram ⁠@tastytralstravelpod⁠ and ⁠@tastytrailstravel⁠ for behind-the-scenes stories, foodie finds, and cultural deep dives

What should you really eat in New York City beyond pizza and bagels?In this episode, I’m joined by Scott Goodfriend, founder of Ultimate Food Tours NYC, to explore the incredible diversity of New York food culture. From regional Chinese cuisine in Chinatown NYC to Central Asian markets in Brighton Beach Brooklyn, we talk about how food tells the story of immigration, neighborhoods, and identity in the city.You’ll learn:🍜 How to find authentic food in NYC neighborhoods🥟 The difference between tourist spots and local favorites🗺️ Underrated food neighborhoods in New York 🍔 Viral foods in NYC that are actually worth the hype🚇 The NUMBER ONE TIP when visiting New York - and it's not what you think! Whether you’re planning a trip or just love learning about food, travel, and culture, this NYC food guide will give you a deeper, more meaningful way to experience the city.Connect with Scott and take a tour: Instragram: @ultimatefoodtours https://www.instagram.com/ultimatefoodtours/ Website: https://ultimatefoodtours.com/ Resources: ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/actionNational Immigration Law Center: https://www.nilc.org/ Minnesota Resources: https://linktr.ee/MutualAidMN50501 Hang out with me on Instagram: FOOD: @tastytrailstravelpod / tastytrailstravelpod TRAVEL: @tasty.trails.travel / tasty.trails.travel

This week the episode is a vlog, and it's up on Youtube, all about my trip to Finland!!

Check it out here

This was my first real vacation in two years—no work, no laptop, just pure adventure—and I couldn’t have picked a better place than Finland 🇫🇮❄️In this episode of Tasty Trails Travel, I’m sharing my winter journey through Helsinki, Lapland, and beyond, including:

• An overnight train to Rovaniemi (aka Santa Claus’ hometown 🎅)

• Visiting Santa Claus Village and crossing the Arctic Circle
• An icebreaker cruise where we walked and swam in frozen seas 🧊
• Seeing the Northern Lights (just a little!)
• Ethically run reindeer sleigh rides
• Staying in a glass igloo hotel for my birthday ✨

• Finnish saunas, great food, and lots of hot drinks
• A winter day trip to Tallinn, Estonia
• Ending the trip back in Helsinki with amazing meals and city wandering

-Dog sledding with the fastest, happiest pups ever 🐕❄️I also talk about traveling in low season, researching ethical animal tourism, and why this trip meant so much to me after a long stretch without a real break.If you love winter travel, slow travel, cozy vibes, or just living vicariously through cold-weather adventures—this one’s for you.

In this episode, we travel to Australia to explore Native Australian bush foods and the deep cultural knowledge behind them with Auntie Dale Chapman — Aboriginal chef, educator, and founder of My Dilly Bag.

With more than 25 years at the heart of Australia’s bush food movement, Auntie Dale shares how Indigenous food knowledge has been passed down for over 65,000 years through storytelling, seasonality, and deep connection to Country. We talk about powerful native ingredients like lemon myrtle, wattleseed, bush tomatoes, and bunya nuts, how food acts as medicine, and why sustainability and respect for land are central to Aboriginal foodways.

This conversation goes far beyond recipes — it’s about culture, wellness, education, and honoring the world’s oldest continuous living food traditions.

Connect with Auntie Dale: - mydillybag.com.au- Instagram: @my.dillybag- Facebook: My Dilly Bag

What does food science actually mean — and how does it shape what we eat, how food tastes, and even how humans evolved?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, a food scientist with a PhD, author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered, and the creator of an upcoming documentary on flavor chemistry called The Flavor Matrix. Together, we explore the science behind flavor, fermentation, and umami — and how culture, psychology, and sustainability are deeply intertwined with what ends up on our plates.

We talk about:

• What food science really is (and what it isn’t)

• How flavor is created at scale

• Plant-based meats and the future of food

• Fermentation, umami, and why taste is culturally learned

• Indigenous food knowledge and lost food traditions

• Why cooking may be one of the most important reasons humans evolved

This episode is a deep, curious conversation about food as culture, science, and survival — and why paying attention to what we eat matters more than ever.

- Watch the trailer for The Flavor Matrix: https://vimeo.com/1114030763- Visit the website - Check out 150 Food Science Questions Answered

I’ve officially said chau to Argentina — after five incredible years of living there. 🇦🇷

Whenever I leave a place that’s meant a lot to me, I write a “10 Things I Hate About You”-style love letter. It’s part poetry, part therapy, and all nostalgia.

I'm sharing all the different poems I've written about the places that have meant something to me - culminating in Argentina!! I wrote and recorded this a few years back, but everything still holds true today - except multiply my emotions by a billion.

@TastyTrailsTravelPod and tasty.trails.travel on Instagram to stay up to date on episodes and all things food & travel

A little late… but worth the wait. 🦃✨

This special Thanksgiving episode is all about gratitude—from Argentina to the people and places that shape our lives.
After moving out of Argentina after five years, I’m reflecting on the community, food, friendships, and experiences that changed me forever. And I asked YOU what you’re grateful for this year.
Tune in for a joyful, heartfelt collection of voice notes from listeners around the world sharing the big and small things that made 2025 meaningful.
Happy Thanksgiving & happy holidays, friends. ❤️🦃🌎

Food, travel, community, connection—it’s all here.

I’m back, baby — Season 2 is officially here! 🎙️

It feels so good to have the mic out again after taking a little break to travel (and, honestly, to breathe). To ease back in, I’m picking up right where we left off with Travel Disasters: Part 2 — because let’s be real, the travel chaos never truly ends.

In this episode, I’m talking about all the fun stuff we love to hate: bedbugs, stolen passports, scams, and lost valuables — plus how to avoid them, deal with them, and keep your sanity (and sense of humor) when things go sideways on the road.

This one’s for anyone who’s ever been bitten, scammed, or left wondering why they didn’t just stay home — but knows deep down that even the disasters make the best stories.

✈️ Here’s what I cover:

• Bedbugs and other “small pleasures” 😬

• Pickpockets, stolen passports, and what to do next

• Classic travel scams (and how not to fall for them)

• The realities of staying calm when it all hits the fan

• How to find the bright side — because there is one

So grab your headphones and let’s kick off Season 2 with some painfully relatable (and surprisingly useful) travel tales.

****Don't forget to send your voice notes in for the Thanksgiving episode coming up in two weeks!!

-Last year's episode on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5pgp2RBPgeeFlwC22hSTZg?si=8d8f7817b8fb4d54

-Send a DM on Instagram: @tastytrailstravelpod: https://www.instagram.com/tastytrailstravelpod/

-Email a voice note: tastytrailstravelpod@gmail.com