This travel podcast travels the unbeaten path. Unfolding Maps talks to adventurers of all dimensions about their expeditions and the experiences that shaped them. Join the host, Erik Lorenz, in his conversations with globetrotters, who are best-selling writers, award-winning photographers and critically-acclaimed filmmakers. Through the pens and lenses of these border crossers, Unfolding Maps tells stories that encourage us to step out of familiar spaces, to venture to the other side of borders,…
Al Mennie is one of the best big-wave surfers of all time — but it wasn't the giant waves that had the biggest impact on him. When the world shut down in 2020, the Northern Irish surfer began swimming alone at night in the freezing Atlantic, and discovered something profound: darkness can be a gift. In his book "Night Swimming" (for our German listeners: "Schwimmen im Mondlicht"), he shares how…
What happens when you consciously leave behind the fast pace of life and devote ten years to wonder? Patrick Bringley once worked at The New Yorker, one of the world's most prestigious magazines. But after his brother Tom died of cancer at a young age, he left his career behind and became a museum guard at the legendary Metropolitan Museum of Art. In his international bestseller “All the Beauty in…
Imagine standing on a mountain, right at the edge of a cliff. Below you, the ground drops steeply. Then you take a step forward— and let yourself fall. You spread your arms and – after a few seconds – begin to fly. This feeling of flight is what many base jumpers and wingsuit flyers yearn for. They risk their lives for these moments of complete freedom, as base jumping and wingsuit flying are…
A giant whale shark gracefully swims beneath a fishing boat, its massive form capable of capsizing the small vessel with a single movement. This captivating moment was captured by the renowned Mexican environmental photographer and marine biologist Cristina Mittermeier. Whether it's majestic whales, gigantic icebergs, or indigenous people – Cristina has traveled the world for decades to capture…
Steep rock faces, surrounded by vast glaciers and massive icebergs floating far below on the ocean - Greenland's nature is truly unique. Not only in terms of the landscape but also because Greenland’s glaciers and ice caps play a crucial role in climate change. However, exploring their condition can be extremely difficult as they are almost inaccessible due to their remote location. Our two guests…
Powerful, loving, and wise – elephants hold a great fascination for people worldwide. And yet they are threatened with extinction. Due to ivory trade and loss of habitat through humans, populations have been decreasing drastically in recent centuries. Kenyan conservationist Dr. Paula Kahumbu has made it her life’s work to prevent this. She is CEO of the organization WildlifeDirect and won numerous…
What does real success really mean? How can we effectively fight against climate change and for nature? And what to make of the protests of the "last generation"? Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE talks about all this and more in this episode of Unfolding Maps. She also reflects on her earliest animal-related childhood memories, explains what growing up during World War II taught her for life, and explains…
From a childhood close to nature in Jamaica, to a youth marked by violent experiences in England, to an unforgettable walk to the North Pole that would change everything – that's how you could describe the life of Dwayne Fields in a nutshell, the first Brit of color to reach the North Pole on foot. Since his march to the North Pole, one adventure follows the next. Most recently, the presenter,…
This time at Unfolding Maps - not a climber, not a cyclist, not a desert photographer, but: Hollywood's most famous and beloved villain! Danny Trejo was shot, stabbed, decapitated, blown up, hanged, flattened by an elevator and lost his life in some even less appetizing ways that I'd rather leave unmentioned here. He's been the record holder as the world's most killed actor for years now - and…
What can we learn from the tribes in the rainforest of New Guinea? What are the greatest dangers facing humanity and the earth today, and how can they be overcome? These are some of the many questions we address in this conversation with a leading scientist that has been voted one of the world's top ten intellectuals by various British and American magazines and who researches and writes on just…