The Thinking Traveller
Episodes
Corinth - Discovering a Greek, Roman & Christian City
21 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Corinth was a central city of the Greek world, influential in shipbuilding, colonisation and pottery production, and later in architecture, politics a...
Slovenia - Empires, Landscapes & Legends
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Slovenia sits at a crossroads of Europe – where the Alps meet the Pannonian Plain and where a short Adriatic coastline opens onto the wider Mediterr...
STAGES - Marg Horwell & The Art of Costume
17 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Marg Horwell is one of Australia’s most acclaimed costume designers, whose work spans opera, theatre and large-scale international productions.Her w...
Patagonia - Chile’s Last Frontier
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Patagonia is one of the world’s great frontier landscapes – a region shaped by ice, wind and the long histories of those who have lived and travel...
The Silk Road - Where East and West First Met
15 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Linking the Far East with the Mediterranean world, the Silk Road became history’s most influential crossroads, shaping civilisations through trade, ...
The Puccini Sound - Hallmarks of His Operatic Style
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Puccini’s operas remain some of the most beloved in the repertoire, their soaring melodies and emotional intensity instantly recognisable to audienc...
Hatshepsut - From Queen to Pharaoh
16 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Queen who dared to rule as King, Hatshepsut rose from Royal Consort to become one of Egypt’s most successful and innovative Pharaohs.Ruling Egypt ...
Women of Venice - Power, Patronage & Performance
19 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While Venice was a patriarchal society, women nonetheless played vital roles in shaping the city’s political, social and cultural fabric.From patric...
Imperial Vienna - Art, Architecture & Music
21 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Elegant and imperial yet vibrantly modern, Vienna is a city where, like the beloved Danube itself, history and creativity flow together.For over four ...
The Classical Age of the Ottoman Empire
24 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the late 13th century, a coalition of Turkic tribes united under a dynamic leader named Osman, forming a small principality situated between the de...
1945 - A Year That Changed Us
26 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
2025 marks the 80th Anniversary of the end of World War II.A year that reshaped the world and transformed Australia, 1945 was a tumultuous time that w...
Greece & The Hellenistic World
08 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Alexander the Great conquered much of the known world, creating an empire that stretched from Greece all the way to India, he paved the way for t...
Armenia's Oldest Church - A New Discovery
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Archaeologists have recently uncovered the ruins of an octagonal Armenian church dating back 1,700 years – making it one of the oldest such survivin...
Johann Sebastian Bach's Leipzig
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Johann Sebastian Bach was, besides being a famed organist, harpsichordist, violist and violinist, one of the most prolific and iconic composers of the...
Marion Mahony Griffin - From Chicago to Canberra
23 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, and his career is deeply connected to that of Marion Mahony Griffin....
Sunset Boulevard on Broadway - Choreographer Fabian Aloise
26 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A bold reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thrilling musical, Sunset Boulevard, made its Broadway premiere just last week and saw Nicole Scherzinge...
Norfolk Island - Colonial History in the Pacific
28 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A tiny speck in the Pacific, Norfolk Island has a fascinating past and occupies a unique position in the history of European settlement in Australia.I...
War in the Pacific: From Borneo to Singapore
17 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
More than 80 years ago, the Fall of Singapore and the War in the Pacific touched almost all Australian households in some way. With Victory in the Pac...
Wolf Hall Trilogy - History & Interpretation
20 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hilary Mantel’s extraordinary Wolf Hall Trilogy ignited popular interest in the turbulent Tudor period of British history. Coupled with the BBC prod...
Romeo & Juliet - Finding Truth in Verona
22 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody knows the story of Romeo and Juliet. They are arguably the most famous lovers in literature. Their story has been told and retold through co...
Pharaoh - Rulers of Ancient Egypt
25 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the lead up to the National Gallery of Victoria’s new landmark exhibition Pharaoh, we are joined on our podcast by popular UK-based Egyptologist ...
The Story of Theatre - History, Customs & Experiences
27 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all love going to the theatre, whether it’s a light-hearted musical or a deep thought-provoking drama. But the term theatre encompasses so much...
Archaeology of Chile's Atacama Desert
30 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Flanked by the towering Andes to the east and the wild Pacific Ocean to the west, the impossibly dry Atacama Desert is the spectacular result of this ...
House of Tudor - Monarchs & Dynasty
24 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Founded in 1485 by Henry VII, the Tudor dynasty, although short lived, was coloured by rebellions, conspiracies, challenges to succession, and fear of...
The Lombards in Northern Italy
20 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Lombardy region of Italy, bordered on the north by Switzerland and south by the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, has a fascinating and complex hi...
Ramses II - Egypt's Golden Empire
11 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the lead up to the Sydney exclusive exhibition 'Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs' at the Australian Museum, we are joined on this ep...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP8 - Actor Singer Kaye Tuckerman with Peter Eyers
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP7 - Leading Lady Caroline O'Connor with Peter Eyers
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP6 - Song & Dance Man Michaeljon Slinger with Peter Eyers
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP5 - Actor Singer Amelia Cormack with Peter Eyers
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP4 - Leading Man Hayden Tee with Peter Eyers
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP3 - Actor Singer Maree Johnson with Peter Eyers
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP2 - Actor Tony Sheldon with Peter Eyers
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
STAGES | Broadway Spotlight EP1 - Music Maker Carmel Dean with Peter Eyers
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this special Broadway Spotlight series, brought to you by Peter Eyers, host of the STAGES podcast. In January 2024, Peter will be leading a...
Cuba - Then and Now
05 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cuba is one of those destinations that, merely by its name, conjures up images of vibrant art, soul stirring music and colonial streets populated by e...
Pompeii - New Excavations & The Latest Finds
01 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the first official excavations in 1748, Pompeii has captured the popular imagination of the Western world, and there has never been a better tim...
Israel's Masada Myth
20 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When Masada was excavated in the 1960s, Israel was a very new country (less than 20 years old), full of immigrants from many different backgrounds, an...
Sacrifice & Service - The Unexpected Stories of Australian Military History
22 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From primary school, all Australian school children learn about the sacrifice of the first Anzacs at Gallipoli. However, it's sometimes surprisin...
Broadway - The Great White Way
18 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are two great theatre districts of the world – The West End in London and Broadway in New York. It can be argued strongly over which is the mo...
Alexander the Great - King of Macedonia
25 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) is one of the most significant figures of the Ancient World, whose legacy is both far reaching and profound.His 13-ye...
Vienna - The Wiener Moderne
28 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
At is heart, Vienna is city of palaces and gardens, museums, music and tradition. For more than 400 years it was the jewel in the glittering imperial ...
Uzbekistan - Silk Road Cities
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Straddling the fabled Silk Road, Uzbekistan has undergone enormous transformations throughout its long history. The most recent has been the emergence...
Morocco's Four Imperial Cities
19 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Morocco is a country that has fascinated travellers for centuries, and just its name conjures up impressive kasbahs, exquisitely decorated medersas an...
Politics of Fashion - The Evolution of The First Lady
15 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The President is no doubt the most powerful political figure in the United States, but make no mistake: the First Lady is just as influential in her o...
The History and Culture of Portugal
17 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A diminutive country tucked into the south west corner of the Iberian peninsula, Portugal is somewhat of an anomaly, almost forgotten in comparison wi...
Roman Women
06 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of Ancient Rome, we automatically think of the strong male characters – figures such as Caesar, Pompey or Augustus – but what about ...
The Conflict in Ukraine
05 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the past week (March 6, 2022), the world has looked on in shock and anguish for the people of Ukraine. Has Vladimir Putin gone mad? Or is there so...
Canberra International Music Festival - composer Katy Abbott
02 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This year's Canberra International Music Festival features the premiere of a new work by Melbourne-based composer Katy Abbott. As part of its par...
ANZAC POW's - The Real Story
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Very little was known about the fate of the small number of Anzac's taken prisoner during the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915 until Dr Jennifer Lawles...
Botticelli to Van Gogh - Academy Travel's review
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The National Gallery of Australia is currently hosting a blockbuster exhibition from the National Gallery in London. Titled Botticelli to Van Gogh the...
The idea of Vienna - composer Brian Howard
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As part of Academy Travel's partnership with the Canberra International Music Festival, the Festival's 2021 composer-in-residence Brian Howa...
Art for the Medici - money, myth & mystery
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Medici family rose to prominence in 14th-century Florence, making a humble beginning as moneychangers but eventually becoming one of Europe’s mo...
Overpriced!? What some people pay for art
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2017, a painting of the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci sold for a record-breaking $450 million USD at Christie’s auction house in New York...
Bhutan - a modern Shangri-La
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tucked away in the far eastern Himalaya, Bhutan is arguably the last bastion of the Tibetan Buddhist culture and religion in its truest form. Despite ...
Andrea Palladio - Architect of the Renaissance
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Palladio was the most influential architect of the Italian Renaissance, and his buildings were perfectly proportioned, intelligent and gracious yet un...
The Mayflower - 400th Anniversary
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mayflower, the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in September 1620. More than 30 million Americans can now trace...
Puccini, Callas & Two Italian Music Festivals
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Royna McNamara joins us today to trace the footsteps of Giacomo Puccini and Maria Callas, and discuss the events that helped shape their musical lives...
The 2020 US Presidential Election - Biden vs Trump
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Three months out from the American election, the polls have Joe Biden ahead of Donald Trump in every State. But can we believe the polls? Is Trump in ...
Bilbao & The Guggenheim Effect
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s known as the Guggenheim Effect – the extraordinary impact that the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao had in revitalizing the Basque city into an inter...
A New Black Identity - The Harlem Renaissance
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1920s, a cultural movement emerged in uptown New York. For the first time in history, African Americans were living in large urban areas, econo...
Mawson’s Huts - Antarctic Archaeology
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Estelle Lazer joins us today to discuss Sir Douglas Mawson’s colossus legacy in Antarctic exploration. Estelle was the first archaeologist to wor...
Lake Mungo - the land frozen in time
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lake Mungo, in outback NSW, is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Australia. One of the Willandra Lakes, listed by UNESCO as a place ...
Italian women artists of the 16th & 17th-century
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When we talk about the Italian Old Masters we immediately think of Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto and Caravaggio. All men. But there were m...
Tenzing Sherpa – Tiger of the Snows
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa is a household name to many. In 1953, he and Edmund Hillary became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. It was...
Frank Lloyd Wright - a journey through modern America
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Known as the greatest American architect of all time, Wright’s iconic structures continue to attract visitors from around the world. From his beginn...
Jeffrey Smart - from Adelaide to Italy
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Although he spent much of his career in Italy, Jeffrey Smart is one of Australia’s most significant artists, famous for his depictions of stark urba...
Japanese gardens - history of an art form
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Garden design is an important Japanese art form which has been evolving for over 1000 years. Literary and cultural historian Dr Kathleen Olive tells u...
Rehabilitation of the Romanovs - Russia's last tsar
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Known during communist days as 'the Bloody', Nicholas is now more commonly known to Russians as the 'Tsar-Martyr'. Writer and hist...
The Norman Kingdom of Sicily – splendour in the sun
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Norman Conquest of Sicily began in 1061, five years before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Cultural historian Robert Veel traces how the N...
Pompeii - uncovering the truth
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Internationally acclaimed archaeologist, Dr Estelle Lazer, takes us to the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy, to uncover what is preserved under the ash....
The life of Caravaggio - as provocative as his paintings?
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cultural historian Dr Kathleen Olive takes us into the often volatile life and career of the most famous Italian painter of the Baroque period, Michel...
Siberia & The Russian Far East - the world’s last travel frontier
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and historian Dr Matthew Dal Santo takes us to Siberia and the Russian Far East, and reveals the cultural and geographical wonders of one of th...
Beethoven – 250 years of Ludwig van Beethoven
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the world celebrates Beethoven’s 250th birthday in 2020, classical music specialist Dr Tom Ford discusses his life and genius, how he continued t...
American Vogue – history of a fashion bible
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Historian and educator Dr Anna Lebovic delves into the history of Vogue, examining how it has evolved since its birth as an American weekly newspaper ...
Venice – how to avoid the crowds
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cultural historian Robert Veel offers insights into how to locate the less-visited highlights when exploring Venice, including the best times to visit...