Exodus Podcasts

Paul Goldstein outs the Kilimanjaro lightweights
According to Wikipedia, only 30% of climbers actually reach Uhuru summit, with the majority turning back at Gilman's Point. Paul Goldstein rants that getting to Gilman's Point is an achievement, but you can't say that you've 'climbed Kili' until you've reached Uhuru Peak...

There's so much stigma attached to solo travellers these days. There's nothing to be ashamed of, it doesn't mean you don't have any mates! Single? Get away with like minded individuals with an experienced leader and enjoy the safety of a group with all the adventure of an Exodus holiday. In a couple? Different tastes and interests? With a precious one or two week holiday, perhaps you don't want to spend it in the same way as your partner, so be an individual and come along on a solo departure.

See the page with our current solo departures.

Last weekend I wandered past throngs of ornithologists lining a nondescript stretch of shingle infixed on a lone wader. If these khaki-clad birder's pawned a couple of their lenses they could come and view the greatest birding spectacles in the world - colourful, endearing and fascinating...the penguin. Picture a volcanic beach accessible only by a small ice rated vessel, on which is a shimmering haze of a quarter of a million King Penguins with their duffle coated chicks.

Paul Goldstein blows the lid on 'canned' wildlife photography

You may have seen the London Metro or The Mirror today (14/05/2010) and been blown away by the out of this world wildlife photographs of 'wild' animals. This is in fact a load of nonsense. Firstly, these animals are not native, a second on google would tell you that, secondly they are not remotely wild, their absurd poses and antics will tell even a complete townie they are tame. If you want to see genuinely wild shots, go on a photographic holiday with award-winning photographers with Exodus. There's nothing manufactured about these pictures.

For those who gauge their ocean voyages by tiaras, shuffleboard, bingo and shopping, look no further. However for those who want probably the most exciting Polar expedition ever offered to the UK market, Paul Goldstein delivers some purple anecdotes about his new ice-breaking toy - the Kapitan Khlebnikov and its landmark departure into the Weddel Sea and the Emperor Penguin Colony at Snow Hill Island in November 09. And with the BBC's Jonathan Scott on board, a pioneering adventure awaits, one sitting at dinner - you decide.

Cruising - a low point in the travel industry - an Orwellian trawl throughout the maritime world, disgorging regimented pilgrims onto unsuspecting local people with all the money tied up in the ships very deep pockets, avid Cruise antagonist Paul Goldstein discusses...

Yomping in the Jungfrau, peak practice in Peru, ambling in Andalucia, route marching in Romania - scary eh? You'll need boots, gaiters, woolly hats, isotonic power bars, Kendal Mint Cake, a sinister inventory of Gore-Tex and one of those maps to dangle round your neck - will you look like a geek? YES - do you need all this nonsense? NO! Even if your weekly pedograph includes only Waitrose and the Red Lion, do not be put off. You choose the grade in one of 54 countries, we do the rest, but you do the trekking.

There is a different way to enjoy a winter holiday. Get away from the downhill skiing and snow-boarding crowd as you take to your cross country skis, snowshoes or team of huskies. Paul Goldstein tells us more and without a 'croque monsieur' in sight!

Carbon offset your footprint, join a community project, and while you’re at it satisfy your ego! Most of these so-called ‘’eco-friendly projects’’ are only concerned with money making - they stamp their green motif in their brochures and put in the small print that only £1 goes to the cause. If they really care, they’d get on with it, jump off the eco-tourism bandwagon and find ways to help the local community. These life coaches who offer ‘inner being’ and ‘wellness’ holidays - get a real job please - how does sitting on a yoga mat help anyone but those who want to appear sensitive?

A wise man once said the best way to experience somewhere is on foot or in the saddle. He was right and of the two by foot is the easiest. Even if the furthest you've ever walked is the Crown and Anchor and the Post Office don't be put off. Exodus is staffed by many keen trekkers always desperate to pull on their boots, hoist up their rucksacks and sally forth into the mountains. Outspoken guide Paul Goldstein who has just summited Kilimanjaro again, let's rip on why he loves this style of holiday. Whether it is Nepal, Morocco, the Pyrennes or the Andes, thirty five years of know how puts you in the most capable hands, the walking however you have to do yourself.

'Yes, I'm on the beach, it's very hot, I've just had a swim, I think we're having seared prawns for lunch, what time is it there?'. Just recently on the East Coast of Zanzibar I was forced to listen aghast as a South African broadcast to his buddies that Durban was 'so much better than this dishevelled part of the world'. Not only was it loud and insulting, it was also palpably wrong. The gratuitous use of a phone abroad is not only unedifying and vulgar but also indicative of the unseasoned traveller.

Newquay or Nepal? Canford Cliffs or Cape Town? Fish and chips in Skeggy or Gnocchi in Italy? Don't waste the most precious time you have in overpriced guesthouses in the UK. Britain has some magnificent scenery, but can you really de-stress when trying to light a fire in the rain in a dank campsite in Wales? My playstation will always be abroad.