Denali National Park, the country's twelfth national park, is home to the highest point in North America, Denali. It's frequently visited by tourists in Alaska, but it requires advanced preparation to visit. By planning ahead, visitors can make the most of their time in this park.In this podcast, we describe what Denali is all about, how to get to …

Lassen Volcanic National Park, the country's eleventh national park, is home to active and dormant volcanoes, hydrothermal features, and beautiful mountain landscapes. It's one of the least visited parks in California, but many people congregate to Lassen Volcanic's main attractions. By planning ahead, visitors can avoid the crowds and see some tru…

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, the country's tenth national park, is home to two of the most active volcanoes in the world. Most visitors go to try and spot some volcanic activity, like lava flows, steam vents, and lava tubes. Hawai'i Volcanoes is located on the island of Hawai'i and is constantly changing and shifting, so visitors should plan ah…

Rocky Mountain National Park, the country's ninth national park, is home to spectacular mountain environments, alpine tundra, wildlife, and gorgeous lakes. Most visitors go to drive the Trail Ridge Road or take a hike, and the park is a paradise for those activities. Rocky Mountain is located in north-central Colorado and is surrounded by beautiful…

Glacier National Park, the country's eighth national park, is home to mountains, hundreds of lakes, and 26 rapidly-receding glaciers. Most visitors go to drive the Going to the Sun Road or take a hike, and the park is a paradise for those activities. Glacier is located in Montana along the Canadian border, and is half of the Waterton-Glacier Intern…

Mesa Verde National Park, the country's seventh-oldest park, is home to some of the most impressive cliff dwellings in the world. Most visitors go to tour the cliff dwellings, but there is much more to be found in Mesa Verde. Mesa Verde is located in southwestern Colorado, in the Four Corners Region, where visitors can find plenty more to see and d…

Wind Cave National Park, the country's sixth-oldest park, is home to the densest cave system in the world. Most visitors go to see the cave itself, but there is another world for exploring above ground. Wind Cave is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, situated among several other national parks that would make any trip memorable.In this pod…

Crater Lake National Park, the country's fifth-oldest park, is home to the country's deepest lake. Most visitors go to see Crater Lake and its rim trails and scenic drive, which make up most of the park's recreation opportunities. Crater Lake has a relatively short visiting season, and most visitors see the park in July and August, so avoiding the …

Mount Rainier National Park, the country's fourth-oldest park, has a fascinating history of preservation. Most visitors go to see the iconic Mount Rainier, which juts out abruptly along the horizon, twice the height of its surrounding peaks. Mount Rainier has a relatively short visiting season, and most visitors see the park in July and August, so …

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, some of the country's earliest parks, protect the world's largest trees, vast wilderness, and diverse ecosystems.In this podcast, we describe what Sequoia and Kings Canyon are all about, how to get to the parks, where to sleep, what to do, and everything in between. Plus we answer a few of your questions abo…

Yosemite National Park, the country's third park, is foundational in national parks history. Surrounded by granite cliffs, sequoias, waterfalls, and history, visitors can easily find something for them. Yosemite is popular, and most visitors congregate into the 7-square-mile area of Yosemite Valley, so visiting the park in a way that doesn't feel o…

Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park, is truly one of a kind. Teeming with geothermal activity, wildlife, and vast wilderness, yet chock full of visitor facilities, programs, and tours, Yellowstone is a park for everyone.In this podcast, we describe what Yellowstone is all about, how to get to the park, where to sleep, what to…

This season, we're getting back to our roots to launch a year-long national parks project. Each week, we will put out a podcast covering a different national park, describing what the park is all about, how to visit, what to do, and answer some of your questions about the park. We will be working through the parks in the order in which they were es…

Nigeria is SO DIVERSE, and yet it's a very under-touristed destination. In this episode I provide live reports from Nigeria with various segments of my personal experience with the culture in Lagos and a rural village. We will also cover: 1. Nigeria country overview 2. 8 Nigeria National Parks previews 3. Tourist highlights around Lagos and the res…

Get my live reports and sounds of the island as I circle Ireland and Northern Ireland! I'll cover everything from traditional tourist destinations, the 6 Irish National Parks and our personal itinerary: 2 parks, Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, quaint seaside hamlets, random cave attractions, 3 castles, super old distillery, Giant's Causeway, famous…

It's hard to think about visiting Europe as an American without thinking about the ancient architecture, romantic cities, great food, and backpacking hostel to hostel. But when we planned a six-week Eurotrip last summer, we found that many things we had thought about traveling through Europe weren't exactly what we expected.In this episode of Switc…

Having a travel wish list and putting your travel goals down on paper can have a huge impact on whether or not you actually achieve those travel goals. Today we're sharing why you should have a travel wish list, how we created ours, and what destinations are high on our list.Music: http://bensound.com…

If you aren't following us on social media, you may have missed our exciting news... we welcomed baby boy Donelson on June 10th! We are soaking up baby snuggles and diaper changes here at home, but today we broke away from that routine to record a new episode.Today we're sharing EVERYTHING about our trip to the Azores... how we got there, where we …

We may not be expert babymooners yet, but we sure had an amazing time during our recent pre-baby trip to the Azores and mainland Portugal. Listen for all things babymooning: planning and considerations, our favorite babymoon-specific activities, and things we learned along the way.Music: http://bensound.com…

Today we're sharing Part II of our Africa experiences last summer. Last time, we broke down our top 5 game drive experiences. Today, we're chatting all about our favorite natural landmarks and outdoor experiences in the southern portion of Africa. From mountains to waterfalls to desert, Africa has something for just about everyone.Music: http://ben…

If you missed the big news out of the National Park Service a few weeks ago, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was renamed Indiana Dunes National Park, making it the U.S.'s 61st national park. Of course, we have to talk about it.We share our thoughts, our experiences at the park, and clips from an interview we recently conducted with Kailey Capuano …

When it comes to backpacking on a budget through a giant region, Southern Africa is no Southeast Asia. It doesn't have the extensive travel infrastructure, the masses of digital nomads, or the shoestring-budget travel possibilities. But as a travel destination, Africa called to us.Today we're sharing our start-to-finish planning process for our 66-…

2018 has been good to us, especially in terms of travel experiences.Dozens of new countries, two new continents (for Elizabeth!) and millions of memories.Listen for our top 18 travel experiences last year. Let's see if 2019 can top it!Music: http://bensound.comAv Cole & Elizabeth Donelson

In honor of Thanksgiving, this episode covers a smorgasbord of topics… all from you! We picked out some great questions and comments from our listeners over the past 6 months since we ended the first season of the podcast and started our 3-month traveling hiatus. Should I spend on a dream trip or accelerating debt payments?The app that donates to c…

We are so grateful for the friends we met this summer while on an overland tour through eastern and southern Africa. They taught us a lot, but one thing that stuck is that we have SO MUCH of the world left to explore. Today we're sharing a discussion we recorded back in July with our new friends about the ups and downs of travel, magical travel mom…

We're back and we're overly excited to kick off Season 2 of Switchbacks. We're going international, people. Want to know what we've been up to lately? Curious about our very favorite budget travel tips?Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks w…

In February, Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri quietly became the 60th national park. Today we're breaking down the history behind the famous Arch, and the controversy that surrounds its national park status.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and …

Today we're taking off on a 3.5-month trip abroad to Eastern Europe and Africa. Listen to hear where we're going, why we're taking time off social media, and what you can expect from our podcast in the next few months.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, vid…

We are thrilled to announce that our eBook all about how to visit Alaska's national park is now available for download. You can find it here: http://switchbackkids.com/product/ebook-visit-alaskas-8-national-parks/Today, we spilling five of our top resources for building your own Alaska adventure. Whether you are planning to visit the parks or trave…

Ever think about striking out for a long-haul international excursion? Over the last two years and ten international trips, we have been learning about what we need and what we don't. Today we're sharing our list for our upcoming 3.5-month trip through Europe and Africa. For links, and the entire list, go to our show notes at: switchbackkids.com/po…

Did you know there are 6 internal consultants who are employed by the NPS and travel across the country to advise and work on its toughest business problems? Today we go beyond the vistas to explore the inner workings of parks. Our interview is with Adam Ranson, one of those internal consultants, who gets to see the parks from a whole different ang…

We aren't parents.But we likely will be someday. So as we were traveling through all 59 national parks in 2015-2016, we often looked at parks through the lens of someday coming back and experiencing them with our own future kids.Today on the podcast, we're sharing about two parks that (we think) would be great for families of all ages. We offer ins…

Sometimes you visit a national park for the views and landmarks. Sometimes you visit a national park to reconnect with friends and family in an uninterrupted environment. Any time you travel with a group, especially to a national park, there are a few things you can do to enhance your experience.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at …

Today we're counting down our very best experiences of 2017. Listen for some travel inspiration, and also to hear where we're headed in 2018!Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us …

In January, we traveled to Panama. Our true motivation for visiting this country was that we had enough Spirit miles to fly there for free. But what we brought home was much more valuable: a wonder of the world, the hardest hike we have ever completed, and a bucket-list overwater bungalow stay. Listen for the details and our in-the-moment reflectio…

If you aren't supplementing your national parks trip with a ranger program or two, you aren't doing it right.Today we're breaking down everything you should know about the wide variety of ranger programs offered at our national parks.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for…

We do more in the parks than just hike. Today we're chatting all about kayaking in the national parks, featuring a very water-heavy park in Minnesota: Voyageurs!Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each Nation…

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows during our year in the national parks. Today we're sharing two of the more challenging experiences we had.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us…

When we think back to our year in the parks, a few epic activities always stand out. Today we're reflecting on two backpacking trips that allowed us to get deeper into Grand Canyon and Isle Royale National Parks.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos an…

During our year in the parks, some moments were subtle. There were moments of quiet beauty, soft sunsets, easy strolls in beautiful places.But some moments were loud. We had experiences in the parks that we planned for, dreamed about, and were so happy to execute. We'll always remember the quiet moments, but the loud ones will be forever in our nat…

It's always worth the logistics to get deeper into the national parks.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or find us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for much more!Adventure on!Music: ht…

Visiting a national park in its off-season has its pros and cons. Today we lay those out, while reflecting on our time in Lassen Volcanic and Mount Rainier National Parks.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on e…

When visiting some national parks, the "just wing it" approach works. But for many parks, advanced planning is required. Listen as we discuss planning hurdles and logistic loopholes at Yellowstone and Katmai National Parks.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts…

We're back today with another Top Ten list... this time, our Top Ten Overnight Hikes in the national parks. We counted and determined that we spent 27 nights sleeping in the backcountry last year. Here were our favorites.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, …

The national parks are known for their sweeping mountain vistas and incredible wildlife, but what about the unsung plant life that supports the ecosystems where mountain peaks and wildlife can thrive? Today, they'll get their day.Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blo…

Discover two national parks protected for their geologic significance: Arches and Crater Lake. What makes these parks important? What makes them beautiful and fun to explore? Find out!Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackkids.com/podcast.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and…

Most national parks are known for their natural beauty: think mountains, lakeshores, and canyons. But Mesa Verde and Hot Springs are quite different.Although still beautiful, these two parks were formed to preserve and protect some of our country's most significant cultural elements. Listen for more, and check out today's show notes at switchbackki…

Politics often determine their official designation, but all 417 national parks are important. Although we spent our year focusing on the 59 "parks," we also found ourselves at almost 100 other NPS sites. Listen for our Top 10 national parks that don't happen to have the "park" designation. And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos an…

When we were on our own all-59 national parks tour, we heard about another young man gearing up for a bigger adventure: all 417 National Park Service sites on one continuous road trip.Meet Mikah Meyer, epic national parks traveler and write at tbcmikah.com. In today's podcast, he explains his inspiration for traveling, his aim to serve as a differe…

The National Parks themselves are plenty to keep you happy and entertained, but sometimes modern conveniences can be nice after a long day of hiking.Enter, gateway cities. Some are better than others, but these two are the best.And check out SwitchbackKids.com for blog posts, videos and ebooks with tips, info and visuals on each National Park. Or f…