Nassau & Paradise Island are the cultural heartbeat of The Bahamas, densely layered islands whose history has shaped a culture unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean. The beaches are extraordinary, and the waters are among the clearest in the world. But prepare to be surprised by how much more there is.

In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, host Aaron Millar is joined by Arlene Nash Ferguson, founder of the Educulture Junkanoo Museum in Nassau, and Chef Tevin Kemp, chef de cuisine at The Kitchen at Baha Mar, for a conversation full of laughter, fierce opinions about Johnny Cake, Bahamian dance tips and why Junkanoo is the most extraordinary Caribbean festival you’ve probably never heard of.

Get ready to discover The Bahamas beyond the beaches.

Highlights include:

• The beat that gets inside you. Goatskin drums in the dark, cowbells tied to the waist, costumes towering twenty feet in the air - all made from cardboard nobody else wanted. Junkanoo happens at night, in the streets, at full volume. There is nothing else like it on Earth.

• An act of defiance that became a national festival. During the days of slavery, enslaved Africans were granted just three days of holiday at Christmas. They used them to secretly recreate their festivals from home - in the dark, out of sight - as a profound act of resistance and identity. Two hundred years later, The Bahamas are still dancing.

• Why every dish tells a story. From Johnny Cake (the journey cake that lost its journey but kept its soul) to conch, boiled fish and guava duff, Chef Tevin unpacks the African, Caribbean and British threads woven into every Bahamian recipe, and why honouring those flavours is, as he puts it, about honouring the people who came before.

Find Out More

Discover Nassau & Paradise Island: nassauparadiseisland.com

Fly direct to Nassau from Heathrow on British Airways: britishairways.com

· Arlene Nash Ferguson: educulturebahamas.com

· Educulture Junkanoo Museum: nassauandparadiseisland.com

· Chef Tevin Kemp, Instagram: @cheftevinkemp

· The Kitchen at Baha Mar bahamar.com/the-kitchen

Read our latest feature on Nassau & Paradise Island at wanderlustmagazine.com

Both Arlene Nash Ferguson and Chef Tevin Kemp featured in Ainsley’s Taste of The Bahamas, a 10-part series broadcast on ITV January-March 2026. https://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/taste-of-the-bahamas

Intrepid Travel

Thanks to our series sponsor Intrepid, the leading specialists in small group adventures. For over 35 years, Intrepid small group trips have connected travellers with passionate, locally based leaders in more than 100 countries. Find out more at intrepidtravel.com

Wanderlust: Off the Page

Take the road less travelled with us and subscribe to the show so you never miss an adventure.

Wanderlust Magazine

Wanderlust is the UK’s leading independent travel magazine, taking the road less travelled since 1993. Find out more at wanderlustmagazine.com

Become a Wanderlust Club Member to join a community of passionate travellers, with print editions, exclusive content and more.

Credits

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Lyn Hughes and James Bainbridge introduce the show. Aaron Millar is the interviewer and script editor. Audio production by Charles Tyrie.

Sun, surf, snow and an insatiable appetite for doing things differently, California is unlike anywhere else on Earth. It has more national parks than any other US state, world-class ski resorts within driving distance of world-class surf breaks, and a state of mind that has produced more sporting innovators than perhaps anywhere else in the world.

In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, host Aaron Millar is joined by Johnny Mosley - Olympic gold medalist, freestyle skiing pioneer and lifelong Californian - to explore the state’s extraordinary sports culture, its legendary outdoor adventures, and the California state of mind that makes it all possible.

Get ready to experience California’s ultimate playground.

Highlights include:

• The gold medal run. Johnny Mosley takes us back to the Nagano Olympics and the 32 seconds that changed his life. Plus: find out why a Dinner Roll is not always something you eat on your plate.
• California ski safari From the legendary terrain of Palisades Tahoe where some of the most iconic lines in ski film history have been shot, to the vast snowfields of Mammoth Mountain, Johnny maps out the best mountains for every kind of skier.
• The Californian Tri-fecta. It’s not a myth. Come spring it’s possible to surf a world-class wave in the morning, skate down the boulevard and still be on the slopes by afternoon.
• How to experience California’s surf culture even if you can’t surf. From beginner lessons at Oceanside to watching the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, there are more ways into California’s most iconic culture than you might think.
• The empty pool that changed sport forever. California’s 1970s drought drained the swimming pools, and the skaters who jumped the fences to ride them invented a sport. Hear the story of Dogtown, Venice Beach skate parks and why Carlsbad is still the spiritual home of skate culture.
• World Cup, Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics. California is about to host the biggest sporting events on the planet - find out how you can join in. Plus: why American tailgating is the greatest sporting ritual you’ve never experienced.
• The California state of mind. What is it that makes California produce more sporting innovators per square mile than anywhere else on Earth? Johnny’s answer is worth the listen alone.

Find Out More

For more California travel inspiration, check out visitcalifornia.com.

And to make the most of British Airways’ comprehensive flight network into California with flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, visit ba.com/california.

Connect with Johnny Mosley on Instagram: @jonnymoseley

Read Wanderlust’s California features at wanderlustmagazine.com

Intrepid Travel

Thanks to our series sponsor Intrepid, the leading specialists in small group adventures. For over 35 years, Intrepid small group trips have connected travellers with passionate, locally based leaders in more than 100 countries. Find out more at intrepidtravel.com

Wanderlust: Off the Page

Take the road less travelled with us and subscribe to the show so you never miss an adventure.

Wanderlust Magazine

Wanderlust is the UK’s leading independent travel magazine, taking the road less travelled since 1993. Find out more at wanderlustmagazine.com

Become a Wanderlust Club Member to join a community of passionate travellers, with print editions, exclusive content and more.

Credits

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Lyn Hughes and Laura Field introduce the show. Aaron Millar is the interviewer and script editor. Audio production by Charles Tyrie.

Tucked between the Apennines and the Ligurian Sea, Genoa is one of Italy’s most captivating cities, and one of its most overlooked.

Home to one of the largest medieval centres in Europe, a UNESCO-listed collection of Renaissance palaces and a food culture that gave the world pesto and focaccia, Genoa is a city to be savoured.

In this episode of Wanderlust: Off the Page, host Aaron Millar is joined by regular Wanderlust contributor Tristan Rutherford, who fell in love with the city on his first visit over 25 years ago and is still coming back for more.

Receiving just a fraction of visitors as the county’s better-known cities, this is a journey on the road less travelled into the heart of one of Italy’s most beautiful, historic, and delicious destinations.

Highlights include:

• Spend a night in a palace. On select occasions, Genoa's tourist board opens up the city's UNESCO-listed aristocratic palaces for visitors to spend the night. It’s a rare chance to experience the extraordinary opulence of what was once one of Renaissance Italy's most powerful cities.

• See a once-in-a-generation Van Dyck exhibition. Van Dyck spent six formative years in Genoa, and this summer the city is reuniting the greatest collection of his portraits ever assembled, many never publicly displayed before.

• Get lost in the caruggi. Genoa's medieval old town is one of the largest in Europe - a labyrinth of narrow alleyways, historic shops and ancient bakeries where locals still get lost today.

• Pesto, focaccia and wildflower gelato. Genoa invented pesto, mastered focaccia and has been perfecting the art of wildflower gelato and candied fruit for centuries.

• The best-value base in northern Italy. Portofino in 30 minutes away. Cinque Terre just over an hour. Milan, Florence and the Italian Alps all within easy reach. Genoa is the perfect base for day trips to explore the surrounding area, without breaking the bank.

• The Rolli Days - and why 2026 is the year to go. Every October, Genoa’s most extraordinary private palaces open to the public. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Palazzi dei Rolli’s UNESCO inscription, making it the perfect moment to visit.

Find Out More

Plan your Genoa adventure: visitgenoa.it/en

Discover more about Genoa at: wanderlustmagazine.com

Wanderlust: Off the Page

Take the road less travelled with us and subscribe to the show so you never miss an adventure.

Wanderlust Magazine

Wanderlust is the UK’s leading independent travel magazine, taking the road less travelled since 1993. Find out more at wanderlustmagazine.com

Become a Wanderlust Club Member to join a community of passionate travellers, with print editions, exclusive content and more.

Credits

This episode was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Lyn Hughes and Laura Field introduce the show. Aaron Millar is the interviewer and script editor. Audio production by Charles Tyrie.