How To Be a “New Tourist,” the Powers and Perils of Tourism, Embracing Tourist Traps, and the Impact of Travel with Paige McClanahan

·1 hr 40 min

Paige McClanahan joins the show to talk about The New Tourist. The conversation starts with the idea that the most useful thing we can do when we travel is make genuine human connections with the people who live there. The host frames the book around three threads: how tourism has changed over time, how travel affects communities around the world, and how listeners can become better tourists. McClanahan argues that the richest part of travel is often not the museum or the restaurant, but the conversation. She says those exchanges can open your mind and shift your perspective more than a checklist of famous stops. That also asks for a little humility from the traveler. It means stepping out of your comfort zone and being willing to talk with someone whose culture or politics may be very different from your own. McClanahan says that kind of modesty can help both the traveler and the place being visited. The episode then moves into her story about Riyadh. She says she was scared before that solo trip as a woman, and the fear was real. Once there, she spent a full day with a Saudi woman named Fatima. Their conversations were honest and sometimes difficult, because they discussed leadership, human rights, homosexuality, and women's rights. They did not agree on everything. They still ended the day as friends, and they remain in touch. The story gives the episode its clearest example of what human-centered travel can look like. A smaller travel anecdote near the end reinforces that point. The host describes needing a ride to town, asking the neighbors in the next cabin, and getting help from a Dutch mountain biking group. That moment lands on the simple advice that people should not be afraid to ask. The episode closes with a reminder that travel is often most memorable when it is open, curious, and a little vulnerable.

As heard by us

A focused travel conversation that argues human connection matters more than checklist sightseeing.

Paige McClanahan's conversation on Zero To Travel lands on a simple idea: the best part of travel is the human connection that grows when someone takes time to meet the people who live there.

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Why you'd press play

You want travel that leaves room for humility, curiosity, and real people.

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