Think you know Texas? San Antonio will surprise you. It moves at its own pace, wears its history on every street corner, and welcomes strangers to its table as if they’ve always belonged.

In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, host Aaron Millar is joined by Wanderlust’s North America Editor Jacqui Agate; Manuel Davila - artist, Indigenous tour guide and member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation; and celebrated chef Johnny Hernandez, to explore the food, culture and extraordinary history of the Lone Star state’s best-kept secret.

Highlights include:

• The Alamo - but not as you know it. Everyone knows the name. Almost nobody knows the full story. Manuel Davila reveals 13,000 years of history hiding in plain sight - and why the account of the famous battle only survived because of the women who lived to tell it.

• The city that wears its culture on its walls. From ochre pigments gathered at the riverbank - the same ones his ancestors used on the missions — to murals covering entire neighbourhoods, Manuel Davila shows why San Antonio doesn’t put its culture in a museum. It lives it.

• UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Chef Johnny Hernandez fills us in on what it takes to be recognised as one of the United States’ best foodie cities, and how they express their history, cultural foundations and welcome through their food fusions.

• 365 festivals a year. Fiesta San Antonio is 11 official days of parties - but every San Antonian knows the whole of April is fair game. And come October, the city hosts the largest Día de los Muertos celebration in the United States. Plus, 363 other festivals - yes, really - throughout the year.

Find Out More

• Plan your San Antonio adventure: visitsanantonio.com

Authentic. Alive. And Unmistakably San Antonio.

• Book your trip to San Antonio: journeyscape.com

• Chef Johnny Hernandez: chefjohnnyhernandez.com | Instagram: @iamchefjohnny

• Manuel Davila (Mesquite Poppy), artist and Indigenous tour guide: mesquitepoppy.com

• Jacqui Agate, Wanderlust North America Editor: Instagram: @jacquiagate

Read Wanderlust’s latest coverage of San Antonio at wanderlustmagazine.com

Intrepid Travel

Thanks to our series sponsor Intrepid, the leading specialists in small group adventures. For over 35 years, Intrepid small group trips have connected travellers with passionate, locally based leaders in more than 100 countries. Find out more at intrepidtravel.com

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 a community of passionate travellers, with print editions, exclusive content and more.

Credits

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Lyn Hughes and Lau

Rugged coastlines, world-record tides, legendary lobster, and a warmth of welcome that lingers long after you’ve left - Nova Scotia is one of North America’s most quietly spectacular destinations.

In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, host Aaron Millar is joined by three passionate advocates for Canada’s ocean province to make the case for slow travel done right.

Daniel Lopez from specialist tour operator Canadian Affair maps out the itineraries; award-winning travel writer and photographer Stuart Forster brings vivid first-hand storytelling from his own trips; and Alain Bossé - aka the Kilted Chef, one of Nova Scotia’s most celebrated culinary ambassadors - takes us deep into the food, heritage and extraordinary community spirit that make this province like nowhere else on Earth.

Nova Scotia is a destination that rewards curiosity, spontaneity, and the simple pleasure of exploring slowly and deeply. Get ready to explore Canada’s Ocean Playground.

Highlights include:

• The art of the “trip to nowhere”. Why Nova Scotia is the perfect canvas for slow travel - a province of winding coastal drives, unplanned detours and communities that seem almost designed for spontaneous connection.

• Driving the iconic Cabot Trail. Move through landscapes at a natural pace on Cape Breton’s legendary coastal road trip – renowned as one of the best in the country.

• The Bay of Fundy - tides, whales and foraging. Home to the highest tides on Earth, the Bay of Fundy is also one of the best places in Canada to spot humpback whales, and forage for your supper on the ocean floor at low tide.

• Paddling the Kejimkujik canoe trail. Experience adventure as immersion rather than adrenaline. Stuart Forster takes us onto the still waters of one of Nova Scotia’s most beautiful national parks - a designated dark sky preserve where, after an evening paddle, the night sky is “dialed up tenfold.”

• Deep roots, living heritage. Alain Bossé shares his journey to revive 17th and 18th-century Acadian recipes, including working with the Fortress of Louisbourg’s historic archives and how the province’s Mi’kmaq, Acadian, Scottish and French cultures weave together in every bowl and community.

• Planning your trip. Discover how to build the perfect Nova Scotia itinerary - from Halifax and Lunenburg to the Annapolis Valley wine region, up to the Cabot Trail and back along the eastern shore.

Find Out More

Plan your Nova Scotia adventure: novascotia.com

Book your Nova Scotia trip with Canadian travel experts Canadian Affair: canadianaffair.com/nova-scotia

Fly direct year-round from London Heathrow to Halifax with Air Canada: aircanada.com

Alain Bossé, The Kilted Chef: kiltedchef.ca

Stuart Forster, travel writer and photographer: go-eat-do.com

Check out our digital immersive article about Nova Scotia: wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/nova-scotia-top-travel-experiences/

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 trave

Far from the mega-ships and endless buffets of mainstream cruising, UnCruise Adventures takes travellers somewhere altogether wilder — remote coastlines, glacier-carved bays and untouched jungle waterways that can only be reached by small vessels.

In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, host Aaron Millar sits down with Captain Dan Blanchard, master mariner, back-country guide and the beating heart behind UnCruise Adventures, for a conversation full of bear encounters, whale-side kayaking and a skincare tip you won't find at any spa.

Adopted by the Tlingit tribe of southeast Alaska, Dan brings a deep respect for indigenous culture and the land to everything UnCruise does. His philosophy is simple: follow nature's clock, not your own. No two voyages are ever the same.

Highlights include:

Alaska

Explore UnCruise's spiritual home, from Prince William Sound and Glacier Bay National Park to the Aleutian islands and beyond. The wildlife alone — from brown bears to sperm whales — is unlike anywhere else on Earth.

Costa Rica & Panama

Go beyond the postcard. Sail into the raw, untamed heart of Central America, where extraordinary wildlife and vibrant local culture make for an experience that lingers long after you've left.

Hawaii

Discover the hidden bays of one of the world's most visited destinations, including the untouched Molokai, Lanai and little-known parts of the Big Island that will, as Dan puts it, "blow your socks off."

The Galápagos

Encounter wildlife with no fear of humans, trails that put you within touching distance of blue-footed boobies and sea lions, and a national park system so well managed that you may never see another boat.

FIND OUT MORE

Plan your own expedition at uncruise.com

Read more about UnCruise Adventures at wanderlustmagazine.com

INTREPID TRAVEL

Thanks to our series sponsor Intrepid, the leading specialists in small group adventures. To book a cultural exploration of Europe this summer, go to intrepidtravel.com/uk/europe

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 a community of passionate travellers, with print editions, exclusive content and 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.