Get Outta Here!

We’ve taken the theme of our “Get Outta Here!” podcast and turned it into a book! Our just-published “Get Outta Here!” travel anthology features 80 experiences, adventures and destinations around the world, with bonus sections on cruising and advice on saving time and money when you travel. We’ve got stories from every continent (OK, except Antarctica…) and every region of the U.S., and whether you’re a globetrotter or an armchair traveler, you’ll be entertained and inspired. Our stories will take you foraging for your supper in the English countryside, let you spend the night with a family in Peru en route to Machu Picchu, and put you on the transcontinental railroad from Mongolia to Siberia. We’ve also got stories that offer destination guides to cities and even entire countries, telling you everything you need to know about visiting Ethiopia, Colombia, Tokyo or New York in a mere 800 words.

Every year, a few days before Memorial Day, a coastal scientist known as Dr. Beach releases a list of what he considers the 10 best beaches in the U.S. Who is Dr. Beach, anyway? And how does he come up with this list? In this week's Associated Press Travel podcast "Get Outta Here," we interview Dr. Beach, aka Professor Stephen Leatherman, to find out who he is, how the list began, what his criteria and goals are in creating the list, and why so many beaches just don't make the cut.

Thinking about a trip to a Disney park? Putting all the pieces in place for a perfect itinerary - lodging, rides, restaurants - can be stressful. But here's a terrific expert resource that's free: the Disney Parks Moms Panel. In this episode of the Associated Press travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz interviews one of the Disney Parks Moms Panel members, Lindsey P. of Georgia, to get her tips for planning a stress-free Disney trip.

A new memorial to the victims of racial terror lynchings is expected to attract thousands of new visitors to Montgomery, Alabama, in the next year. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast "Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz visits the city to see the memorial and a new museum dedicated to the legacy of slavery and segregation. You’ll hear from visitors who drove across the country to be there for the opening, and you’ll hear what Ava DuVernay and others have to say about it. The podcast also explores some of Montgomery’s other incredible civil rights history, including the arrest of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery bus boycott, the Freedom Rides and the parsonage where a young minister named Martin Luther King, Jr., became the leader of a movement, virtually overnight.

Are you a fan of the British royals? The kind of person who devoured every episode of “The Crown” and is loving all the news about the May 19 wedding of Prince Harry and his American bride, actress Meghan Markle? Then you’ll love this week’s AP Travel podcast “Get Outta Here!” hosted by Associated Press travel editor Beth Harpaz. Answering questions about all things royal is Gavin Landry from Visit Britain, the tourism agency, who’ll help us come up with a grand sightseeing itinerary, from Windsor Castle to Westminster Abbey.

Birthright Israel marks its 18th birthday this year. The program has brought 600,000 young Jews on free trips to Israel since its founding. In this episode of the Associated Press travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz interviews Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark about the program, including some of its controversial aspects. We’ll find out who’s eligible to go, where the funding comes from, how the trips deal with a wide variety of opinions on Israeli politics and the Middle East, and why so many participants say that the night they spend in the Israeli desert is their favorite part of the trip.

He was once afraid to fly, but today John DiScala — better known as Johnny Jet — is an expert on air travel. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” hosted by AP Travel editor Beth J. Harpaz, Johnny offers advice for summer travel including finding and booking flights and how to get the best deals. He also explains his strategy for how to cope with the unreasonable demands that airlines sometimes place on passengers.

Have you thought about where you might live when you retire? Some Americans are retiring outside the U.S., taking advantage of warm weather, lower cost of living and expat communities. In this episode of AP’s weekly podcast “Get Outta Here,” Associated Press Travel editor Beth Harpaz speaks with personal finance expert Liz Weston of NerdWallet about the pros and cons of retiring abroad. We also look at a couple of up-and-coming retirement communities outside the U.S.

You may be familiar with Rick Steves, the travel guidebook writer, tour company operator and TV show host. Now his son Andy Steves is offering up his own brand of travel, with tips and tours for a new generation. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel weekly podcast “Get Outta Here,” host Beth Harpaz, the AP Travel editor, talks to Andy Steves about his guidebook, “Andy Steves’ Europe: City-Hopping on a Budget,” and his company, Weekend Student Adventures. Andy Steves also shares some of his strategies for travel and talks about what it was like growing up as Rick Steves’ son.

ViaHero is a new trip-planning company that combines the old-school service of a travel agent with authentic advice from local experts and the convenience of online booking. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz interviews ViaHero’s CEO Greg Buzulencia about how the service works, how he got his start in the travel industry as a teenager, and why ViaHero is being offered for travel to just a few places like Cuba, Japan and Iceland. Listen to the end for a discount code in case you want to try ViaHero for your next trip.

Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of a hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. The National Civil Rights Museum was built around the actual Lorraine Motel where King was staying. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” hosted by AP travel editor Beth Harpaz, we talk with AP reporter Adrian Sainz in Memphis about King’s time there, and what visitors will find at the motel site and museum. We also discuss events planned to mark the anniversary, additional sites of interest in Memphis and other destinations where travelers can walk in King’s footsteps.

“Black Panther” fans who long to visit Wakanda will find real cities, landscapes, culture, clothing and history all over Africa that will remind them of the fictional, high-tech kingdom depicted in the movie. In this episode of the AP Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” Associated Press Travel editor Beth Harpaz speaks with AP’s Africa editor Andrew Meldrum about destinations on the continent that offer glimpses of the world depicted in “Black Panther.”

Oneika Raymond aka Oneika the Traveller has been to more than 100 countries and lets us tag along on her trips through her blog, her Instagram feed and several Travel Channel video series. But she’s not just offering tips on budget travel, packing light and great destinations. In this episode of the AP Travel podcast “Get Outta Here!” hosted by AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz, Raymond also broaches some complex issues. What challenges do women face traveling solo? What challenges do black travelers face? And how do influencers balance their responsibility to their fans while also promoting the destinations that pay their bills?

FOMO at SXSW? Fear of missing out at the annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, can be a problem. In this episode of the Associated Press podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth Harpaz talks to AP reporter Paul Weber, who covers the festival each year, for some tips on how to get the most out of SXSW. The festival started more than 30 years ago as a grassroots talent incubator but it’s become a phenomenon. Some 400,000 people now attend, jockeying for entree into speeches by A-listers, Hollywood-style film premieres, 2,000 music performances and tech and product launches.

Think of beer and you may think of Irish pubs or Germany’s Oktoberfest. But a book called the "Atlas of Beer,” written by two geographers, surveys beer across six continents, from banana beer in Tanzania to the thirst-quenching beers of hot climates in Asia and South America to the booming microbrewery and craft beer movements in the U.S. In this episode of the Associated Press Travel podcast “Get Outta Here,” AP Travel editor Beth J. Harpaz talks to “Atlas of Beer” authors Nancy Hoalst-Pullen and Mark W. Patterson about beer culture around the world.