Destination Unlocked

About Destination Unlocked

Hosted by travel writer and speaker, Daniel Edward, Destination Unlocked is the conversational travel podcast featuring local experts from all around the world. In each episode, Daniel is joined by a local guide or expert traveller for a free-flowing conversation to help you plan your best travel experiences. Each episode is packed with genuinely useful advice, practical tips, and will save you hours of time researching what to see and do on your travels, how to get around, and the local customs and culture. Want to hear about a specific destination? You can let us know on the website: https://www.destinationunlocked.com If you are a local tour guide or travel expert and you'd like to join Daniel in an upcoming episode, please feel free to get in touch via the website as well.

Publisher

Destination Unlocked

Category

education · leisure · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Dec 2025

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

42 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Canada: Coast to coast with Sandra Potter

   Canada is big enough to make choosing where to go a holiday in itself. Sandra Potter, founder of Frontier Travel, returns to Destination Unlocked to help us find our way, from the lakes and mountains of the Rockies to Québec City’s historic streets and the icebergs off Newfoundland. Joining Daniel Edward for a coast-to-coast conversation, Sandra shares the places she loves, the journeys she recommends and the decisions that can make a Canadian holiday work better. Having lived in Vancouver and built a travel business that began with Canadian skiing, she brings decades of experience and plenty of strong opinions. We start with Canada’s cities. Toronto has distinctive neighbourhoods and an impressive restaurant scene; Montréal offers a different cultural flavour; and Québec City has left Daniel with some of his favourite Canadian memories. Sandra explains why Vancouver remains her favourite city, with ocean, mountains and outdoor adventures close at hand. Then we head into the Rockies. We explore Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, compare skiing holidays in Alberta and Whistler, and consider what makes a winter visit rewarding even when you aren’t spending every day on the slopes. For train lovers, there’s a discussion of VIA Rail’s Canadian and the Rocky Mountaineer, including why travelling through the mountains in daylight matters. Further east, we consider Niagara Falls and Sandra’s preference for staying in Niagara-on-the-Lake, before turning to Ottawa, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Expect Peggy’s Cove, colourful coastal towns, maritime history and the appeal of spotting an iceberg from shore. There’s also time for food: lobster on the Atlantic coast, salmon in the west, Québec’s poutine and Daniel’s enthusiasm for sharing a BeaverTail. Sandra introduces her favourite Canadian cocktail, the Caesar, and reveals the Vancouver Island village she heads to when she wants a few days off. In this episode: • Choosing between Toronto, Montréal, Québec City and Vancouver • Victoria, Vancouver Island and Sandra’s love of Tofino • First Nations cultural attractions on the West Coast • Scenic rail journeys through the Canadian Rockies • Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and Whistler • Niagara Falls versus Niagara-on-the-Lake • Ottawa and Canada’s Atlantic coast • Newfoundland’s Iceberg Alley • Canadian food, drinks and tips for a first visit About our guest Sandra Potter is the founder of Frontier Travel, specialising in tailor-made holidays, with extensive experience of travelling throughout Canada. Find more episodes and share your own Canadian recommendations at destinationunlocked.com (https://destinationunlocked.com/). Follow Destination Unlocked wherever you listen for a different destination each week, explored through conversation with someone who knows it well.

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Jersey: Castles, Giant Tides and Island Life with Malcolm Lewis

   Jersey may sit just a short flight from Britain, but this tiny Channel Island has its own government, its own traditions and a character shaped by Norman history, wartime occupation and some of the largest tides in the world. Daniel is joined by Malcolm Lewis, owner of Longueville Manor, to unlock an island of medieval castles, sweeping beaches, exceptional seafood and wonderfully unexpected local customs. Malcolm explains why Jersey is a Crown Dependency rather than part of the United Kingdom, how its twelve parishes help govern island life, and why the monarch is still affectionately toasted as the Duke of Normandy. They explore the castles and fortifications scattered across Jersey, from Mont Orgueil and Elizabeth Castle to the bunkers left by the German Occupation. Malcolm reflects on the hardship islanders endured between 1940 and 1945, and why Liberation Day on 9 May remains Jersey’s most important annual celebration. The conversation also turns to Longueville Manor, the historic country house hotel Malcolm’s grandparents rescued from disrepair and opened in 1949. He shares the remarkable story of how a family dream became one of Jersey’s best-known hotels, complete with woodland walks, a Victorian kitchen garden, local wildlife and honey produced on the estate. Food is never far away. Discover why Jersey’s enormous tidal range produces outstanding lobster, crab, oysters and hand-dived scallops, what makes Jersey milk so famously rich, and why early May is the perfect time to enjoy Jersey Royals. Malcolm also reveals: His essential Jersey experience The island’s best season for a visit Why St Ouen’s Bay is ideal for surfing The restaurant mistake first-time visitors should avoid How to explore Jersey’s 15mph Green Lanes The detective series to watch before travelling The traditional Jersey souvenir made from a cabbage stalk From Gerald Durrell’s pioneering conservation work at Jersey Zoo to afternoon tea with homemade jam and Jersey cream, this is your expert introduction to an island that feels reassuringly familiar while remaining entirely itself. About Malcolm Lewis Malcolm Lewis is the owner of Longueville Manor in St Saviour, Jersey. The hotel has been owned and managed by the Lewis family since 1949 and is known for its personal hospitality, historic setting, gardens and close relationship with Jersey’s local producers. Useful links Longueville Manor: https://www.longuevillemanor.com/ (https://www.longuevillemanor.com/) Visit Jersey: https://www.jersey.com/ (https://www.jersey.com/) Jersey Zoo and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust: https://www.durrell.org/ (https://www.durrell.org/) Destination Unlocked: https://destinationunlocked.com/ (https://destinationunlocked.com/)

3. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Antarctica and other luxury adventures with Sam Bradley

   What does Antarctica look like beyond the familiar cruise routes? Sam Bradley of Cookson Adventures joins Daniel to reveal a different side of the White Continent, reached by air from Cape Town and experienced from a remote camp deep within the Antarctic interior. Sam shares what happened when he travelled south to research an extraordinary family adventure. He takes us inside vivid blue ice caves near the Schirmacher Oasis, describes the careful journey to an emperor penguin colony and explains why every Antarctic plan must remain flexible enough to follow the weather. The conversation also explores what luxury really means at the end of the Earth. In a place where everything must be flown in and every trace of human activity must be removed, comfort takes on a different meaning. Warm cabins, excellent food and a sauna matter, but the greater luxury is a journey designed around the people taking it. Sam explains how Cookson Adventures creates bespoke trips for families, from treasure hunts and private camps to meaningful conservation experiences. He also shares an important lesson from his Antarctic hosts: sometimes the best thing to do is stop, sit by the window and take in where you are. In this episode: Flying from Cape Town into the Antarctic interior Staying at Ultima Oasis Camp Exploring Antarctica’s blue ice caves Visiting an emperor penguin colony responsibly The realities of operating in an extreme environment Designing bespoke adventures for families How luxury travel can support conservation Why time and personalisation are the rarest luxuries Useful links Cookson Adventures (https://cooksonadventures.com/) Cookson Adventures on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cooksonadventures/) Cookson Adventures on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/cookson-adventures) Destination Unlocked (https://www.destinationunlocked.com)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

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