From the jazz clubs and Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans to the swamps, dance halls and small towns of Acadiana, this Destination Special explores a side of Louisiana, USA that many visitors never get to see.

We travel west along Interstate 10 into the heart of Cajun and Creole country, a region shaped by its French language, distinctive music, extraordinary food and deep connection to the surrounding bayous.

Louisiana travel and culture writer Herman Fuselier shares the traditions behind Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras, introduces the sounds of Cajun and Zydeco music, and explains why the true heart of Cajun country lies beyond New Orleans.

Cajun French musician Jourdan Thibodeaux joins me from his home on Cypress Island, overlooking the Atchafalaya Basin. We discuss language, identity, life in the swamp and the importance of experiencing South Louisiana authentically.

Finally, Lori Johnson Walls of Johnson’s Boucanière in Lafayette introduces the dishes every first-time visitor should try, from crawfish étouffée and po’boys to beignets and a proper Louisiana boudin.

• New Orleans, USA
• Baton Rouge, USA
• Acadiana, USA
• Atchafalaya Basin, USA
• Lafayette, USA
• Breaux Bridge, USA
• Opelousas, USA
• Eunice, USA
• New Iberia, USA
• Lake Charles, USA
• Sunset, USA
• Arnaudville, USA
• Washington, USA
• Cypress Island, USA
• Henderson, USA
• Mamou, USA
• Avery Island, USA
• Vacherie, USA

• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans, USA
• French Quarter, New Orleans, USA
• Café du Monde, New Orleans, USA
• Eunice Cajun Mardi Gras, Eunice, USA
• La Poussière Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, USA
• Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival, Breaux Bridge, USA
• El Sido’s Zydeco & Blues Club, Lafayette, USA
• Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Lafayette, USA
• Johnson’s Boucanière, Lafayette, USA
• Dwyer’s Café, Lafayette, USA
• Poor Boy’s Riverside Inn, Lafayette, USA
• Olde Tyme Grocery, Lafayette, USA
• Borden’s Ice Cream Shoppe, Lafayette, USA
• Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, Opelousas, USA
• DezMeaux’s Boudin, Opelousas, USA
• Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant, Washington, USA
• Hotel Klaus, Washington, USA
• Fred’s Lounge, Mamou, USA
• Cypress Cove Landing Houseboats, Henderson, USA
• TABASCO Factory and Avery Island, Avery Island, USA
• Laura Plantation, Vacherie, USA

To find out more about visiting Louisiana, go to ExploreLouisiana.com.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok. I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Suzannah Ramsdale, Lifestyle Director for The Standard.

With thanks to...

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is returning to the podcast after 5 years! TV presenter, adventurer and explorer Steve Backshall is one of the most travelled people in the world, and one of the best story tellers - so he is the ultimate Travel Diaries guest.

Just listening back to his first episode in preparation for today was a reminder of what an amazing episode that was - if you haven’t listened to that scroll back and listen to that first, because his life is so interesting, and then come back and listen to this one!

It was so lovely to meet him in person this time, just last week. We filmed this in London, and it was really good fun putting some of your new travel diaries chapters to him - his answers were sensational. When somebody has been to this many places it's hard to know where to start, but I think that you're going to be absolutely captivated by Steve's stories, as I was.

So from Suriname to the Scilly Isles, Jerusalem to Alaska, and so much more, here’s Steve.

**Listeners - there's a strange video with the loading of Apple Podcasts' video today, so I'm reuploading this as an audio only file until it resolves.**

Destination recap

• West Cornwall, England
• Land’s End, England
• South Africa
• Suriname
• Alaska, USA
• Juneau, USA
• The Azores, Portugal
• Dominica
• Colombia
• Papua New Guinea
• New Britain, Papua New Guinea
• New Ireland, Papua New Guinea
• New Caledonia
• Yucatán, Mexico
• Cancún, Mexico
• Tulum, Mexico
• Bimini, The Bahamas
• The Isles of Scilly, England
• St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly
• Jerusalem
• Tel Aviv, Israel
• The Negev Desert, Israel
• Kyrgyzstan
• Northeast Greenland, Greenland

Steve’s Deadly Live tour begins in October. Find out more here.

If you’d like to find out who’s joining me next Tuesday, come and follow me on Instagram and TikTok, I’m @hollyrubenstein and I’d love to hear from you.

I’ll be back on Sunday with another episode of Unpacked, this time with Conde Nast Traveller’s Digital Director, Sarah Allard.

With thanks to...

Kimpton Los Monteros - a five-star hotel for discovering the best of Marbella.

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.