Your World - Your Trip: Travel How You Like!

Your World - Your Trip: Travel How You Like!

Some people retire. Chessine Nugent started a travel company during a global pandemic and hasn't slowed down since. After seven years on cruise ships, two decades in international IT, and visits to more than 35 countries, Chessine launched Chessine's Travels from the Big Island of Hawaii with a simple philosophy: your world, your trip, your way. Small groups, private experiences, and cultural immersion that goes well beyond what any tour bus can offer. In this episode we cover a lot of ground — Japan, New Zealand, Iceland, Patagonia, Hong Kong, and a medical wellness program she's building in Thailand that pairs world-class head-to-toe health screenings with authentic cultural immersion. We also talk about her blog, which is genuinely one of the most practical and well-written travel resources out there, and she drops a credit card tip that I had absolutely no idea about and immediately filed away. And then there's the collaboration. Chessine and I — along with the team at The Table Less Traveled — are hosting a virtual cooking class the first week of August 2026, with a live chef joining us from Portugal. You cook along at home, I talk wine, and we all have a very good lunch together. Details and registration link below. This is the warmup act for a private Portugal wine and food trip we're planning for fall 2027 — harvest season, small group, sommelier on the ground. Information coming soon to both of our websites. In the lightning round: the best thing she's eaten recently is New Zealand ice cream — specifically hokey pokey, which is vanilla with toffee pieces — and she says it's creamier and lighter than anything else she's tasted. Her carry-on always has a small medical kit. And her best piece of advice? You don't pay a travel agent. The suppliers do. So there's absolutely no reason not to use one. Connect with Chessine: chessinestravels.com chessinestravelsblog.com Instagram: @nugentchessine Facebook: facebook.com/chessinestravels LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chessinenugent4155 YouTube: @chessinestravels6402 Virtual Cooking Class — Aug 08, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:45 PM PDT: https://www.thetablelesstraveled.com/products/august8-sofia-portuguese-cooking-class [https://www.thetablelesstraveled.com/products/august8-sofia-portuguese-cooking-class]  Portugal Trip — Fall 2027: thewineguy.vin [http://thewineguy.vin] + chessinestravels.com [http://chessinestravels.com] Nick Elliott — The Wine Guy: thewineguy.vin cheers@thewineguy.vin Instagram: @the.real.wine.guy TikTok: @realwineguy Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | link.content360.io/thewineguy

World Wonders and Local Magic with Julia Hurley

I have a feeling this episode is going to make you want to book a flight — and I'm not sure if it'll be to Knoxville or Sydney. Maybe both. Julia Hurley is one of those people who has simply done it all. Former Tennessee State Representative, CEO of Just Homes Group, children's book author, podcast host, world traveler, and one of the most passionate advocates for her corner of the country I've ever had the pleasure of sitting down with. She was born and raised in East Tennessee and — even after visiting more than 38 states and multiple countries across the globe — she'll tell you without hesitation that the Knoxville Valley is one of the most special places on earth. After this conversation, I'm inclined to agree. We talk about what makes East Tennessee so uniquely livable — tucked between the Cumberland Plateau and the Great Smoky Mountains, protected from severe weather and gifted with all four seasons (sometimes in the same afternoon). We talk about the food scene, which is quietly becoming something remarkable: three restaurants recently recognized by the Michelin Guide, a New York-style bagel spot that opens at 11 and needs you there by 9:30, a stunning farm-to-table destination called Blackberry Farm that has become the training ground for some of the region's best culinary talent, and a new Italian restaurant called Al Mafi with 18 tables and a month-long waitlist. Julia also takes us on a world tour — Australia (she insists on a minimum of four weeks and she is not wrong), the MONA art museum in Tasmania that made international news in 2025, a still-active gold rush town where you can literally shake gold from a stream, and the Great Barrier Reef, where she followed a sea turtle underwater until she was in tears at the color of it all. My wife and I are planning our own trip to Australia next January, and Julia has thoroughly upgraded my itinerary. In the lightning round: her wine of choice is Tempranillo — and I have thoughts on why that's a brilliant pairing for her favorite dish at home, which she learned from an Australian chef in Australia. I've put the recipe in the notes below. Make it on a Friday night with a bottle of Ribera del Duero and thank us both later. And if you're thinking about buying or selling in the Knoxville area, or want a local expert to help you navigate one of the most underrated real estate markets in the South, Julia is your person. Julia's Book: The Very Contrary Fairy — available on Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Very-Contrary-Fairy-Enchanted-Garden/dp/1962561089/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PE3WLXWLPSAM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ld33MwRGUB1suq9OpEQROhd-B8A7R-GaB2x_Cg7u0bP-8aI9rfeF3wGwmpg1MY4ch4wDUb57ldkiqhvy0tg-hXqGkB9c8JTL8qBqVOUzMDlU8gmvxCujWaohu_25-64hu0HZuMt8ZfbYSYEF7glB7AXyWD_Qgm6zIqnvLfUWCmI.W0TlGCiz66YRgYVA6d0liawrk8Tv2McHjeDxDqD7SoU&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Very+Contrary+Fairy&qid=1781468678&sprefix=the+very+contrary+fairy%2Caps%2C274&sr=8-1#detailBullets_feature_div]:  Julia Hurley — Connect: justhomesgroup.com [https://www.justhomesgroup.com/juliahurley/] , https://www.facebook.com/julia.hurley.498617/, [https://www.facebook.com/julia.hurley.498617/,] https://www.instagram.com/thejuliahurley/ [https://www.instagram.com/thejuliahurley/]  This Episode's Recipe: Classic Steak au Poivre — see below. Pair with a Ribera del Duero or Rioja Reserva Tempranillo. Nick Elliott — The Wine Guy: thewineguy.vin cheers@thewineguy.vin Instagram: @the.real.wine.guy TikTok: @realwineguy Facebook | YouTube | LinkedIn | link.content360.io/thewineguy Classic Steak au Poivre The French bistro classic — pepper-crusted steak with a rich Cognac cream sauce. Ready in under 30 minutes and elegant enough for any occasion. Julia Hurley swears by it, and so will you. INGREDIENTS • 2 filet mignon steaks (about 1½ in. thick) • 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns (or multicolor blend) • 1 teaspoons kosher salt • 1 tablespoons olive oil • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided • 1 shallot, finely minced • 0.3 cups Cognac or brandy • 0.8 cups heavy cream • 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard • 1 fresh thyme sprig STEPS 1. Prep the steaks: Remove 2 filet mignon steaks (about 1½ in. thick) from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking — this helps them cook evenly. Pat completely dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 teaspoons kosher salt. 2. Crack the peppercorns: Place 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns (or multicolor blend) in a zip-top bag and crush coarsely with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy skillet. You want rough, uneven pieces — not a fine grind. Press the cracked pepper firmly onto both sides of each steak. 3. Sear the steaks: Heat a cast iron or stainless skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add 1 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (1 tbsp of the butter). Place steaks in the pan and sear without moving them, 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare (internal temp around 130°F). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil. 4. Rest the steaks: Let the steaks rest while you build the sauce. This is non-negotiable — resting keeps all those juices where they belong. 5. Build the sauce: Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon of 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided to the pan along with 1 shallot, finely minced and 1 fresh thyme sprig. Sauté until the shallot is soft and translucent, about 1 minute. Remove the thyme sprig. 6. Flambé with Cognac: Remove the pan from the heat. Add 0.3 cups Cognac or brandy and carefully tilt the pan to ignite (or use a long lighter). Let the flames die down naturally, about 30 seconds, scraping up all the browned bits from the pan bottom. 7. Finish the cream sauce: Return pan to medium heat. Add 0.8 cups heavy cream and 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard and stir to combine. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 4–6 minutes. Finish by swirling in the remaining tablespoon of 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided for gloss. Taste and adjust salt. 8. Plate and serve: Place steaks on warmed plates and spoon the sauce generously over the top, with extra on the side. Serve immediately — this dish waits for no one. NOTES **Nick's wine pairing:** This is made for Tempranillo — exactly what Julia drinks. The peppercorn crust and cream sauce love the dark fruit and earthy structure of a good Ribera del Duero or Rioja Reserva. A Sangiovese (Chianti Classico Riserva) is a beautiful alternative if you want to go Italian. **Cut options:** Filet mignon is classic, but a well-trimmed New York strip or ribeye works beautifully and adds more beefy flavor. Adjust sear time by a minute or so for thicker cuts. **No flambé?** No problem — just add the Cognac and let it reduce in the pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Same flavor, less drama.

Getting Lost on Purpose: A Local's Guide to the Hidden Soul of Sonoma

Most people who visit Sonoma come for the wine. And yes — the wine is extraordinary. But Gerri O'Riordan will tell you, with the quiet confidence of someone born in Ireland who knows what real green actually looks like, that you're missing most of the story if you don't get off the main road. In this episode, I sit down with Gerri — founder of Sonoma Luxury Getaways and a proud Sonoma local — to talk about what makes this county one of the most layered, beautiful, and genuinely soulful corners of California. She paints a picture of spring in Sonoma that stopped me in my tracks: dormant vineyards carpeted in mustard, gnarly oak trees coming alive, cherry blossoms, rose bushes, and that particular green that only someone from Ireland could describe with full authority. We talk about how Gerri finds the hidden gems — the inland hamlets, the quirky little towns along the Russian River, the artists and the food people and the wine people all living and creating in the same place. Her method is simple: she gets in the car and drives until something stops her. We also bust a couple of myths — including the idea that good wine has to cost a fortune, and that a 97-point rating from Robert Parker means anything more than one person's opinion. Your palate is the only one that matters. We both agree on that. Gerri talks about her philosophy of slow travel — why she'd rather take you to two wineries in a day than three, why the road between A and B is as important as the destination, and why a tour with an agenda so tight you can't stop for a photo isn't really a tour at all. She walks through how Sonoma Luxury Getaways works, from a self-guided PDF itinerary all the way up to a fully customized, fully booked day — transport partners, discounts, maps, and everything in between. And she closes with a food recommendation that I didn't see coming — from someone who will freely admit she is not a duck person. Liberty Duck. Farmed right here in Sonoma. One Thanksgiving changed everything, and she's never looked back. Guest Links Website: https://www.sonomaluxurygetaways.com [https://www.sonomaluxurygetaways.com] Custom Tours: https://www.sonomaluxurygetaways.com/custom-tours [https://www.sonomaluxurygetaways.com/custom-tours] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonoma_getaways/ [https://www.instagram.com/sonoma_getaways/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582438315577 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582438315577] Connect with Pour & Explore Email: cheers@thewineguy.vin [cheers@thewineguy.vin] Website: www.thewineguy.vin [http://www.thewineguy.vin] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pourandexplorepodcast/ [https://www.facebook.com/pourandexplorepodcast/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.wine.guy/ [https://www.instagram.com/the.real.wine.guy/]

Eye Level is Earned: What the Beverage Industry Knows That You Don't

You've walked past it a hundred times without thinking about it — a wall of drinks, perfectly arranged, stocked with hundreds of choices. None of that is an accident. In this episode, I sit down with Debbie Wildrick — thirty-year veteran of the food and beverage industry, former category buyer for 7-Eleven, and the person the industry calls the Queen of Beverages — to pull back the curtain on how retail shelves actually work. How products get placed, why new brands almost never start at eye level, and what the word "schematics" means — the invisible blueprint that maps every single product to every single inch of shelf in every store you've ever shopped in. We talk about the five-to-seven second window a consumer takes to make a purchase decision, why too much choice can actually cause people to buy nothing at all, and how regional demographics quietly determine what you'll find in a San Diego store versus a store in Des Moines. We get into private label wines — yes, including Kirkland — and whether brand loyalty is dying or just evolving. And Debbie shares the one thing she says small brands consistently forget to bring to a buyer meeting. It's not the product. It's not the packaging. It's the data coming through the register. This one is for the consumers who've ever wondered why a favorite product disappeared — and for anyone who's ever thought about getting something onto a shelf. Guest Links Website: https://www.debbiewildrick.com [https://www.debbiewildrick.com] Free Download — Will It Sell?: https://free.debbiewildrick.com [https://free.debbiewildrick.com] Connect with Pour & Explore Email: cheers@thewineguy.vin [cheers@thewineguy.vin] Website: www.thewineguy.vin [http://www.thewineguy.vin] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pourandexplorepodcast/ [https://www.facebook.com/pourandexplorepodcast/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.wine.guy/ [https://www.instagram.com/the.real.wine.guy/]

Around The World...Accidentally

What do you do when your moving truck gets stolen and you're left with $1,200 to your name? If you're Pamdiana Jones, you pack a backpack, buy a one-way ticket to South Africa, and end up spending the next three years traveling solo around the world. The best part? None of it was planned. In this episode, I sit down with Pam — the self-styled Indiana Jones of travel writing, who chose her author pen name in exactly that spirit — about the accidental journey that took her from a ski town in Utah to Cape Town, across Southeast Asia, through Australia and New Zealand, and back again. The book she's written about it, When in Roam (as in, roaming around), is a fast-paced, hilarious, and genuinely action-packed memoir that puts the chaos of real travel on the page without softening a single edge. We talk about the cover shot — Pam bungee jumping in New Zealand, backwards, in a photo that she describes as representing every "I shouldn't be alive" moment in the book. The story behind it is even better: she told her friend she wasn't going to jump, and he shoved her off the platform anyway. We dig into the night in an African wildlife reserve — a 2am walk in the dark with a single pin flashlight, and a thousand eyes staring back at us from every direction. We talk about how Pam kept her total spend under $900 for three months in South Africa, the stopover in Malaysia that turned into four more months, and why she's glad she didn't know in advance that the trip would last three years. "If he's not going, I'm not going" is what she says she would have thought. Pam also talks about what finally made her write the book after 20 years of being told to — a read of Eat Pray Love that she admired as writing, but decided was not the Indiana Jonesy book she actually wanted to read. She had sharks, skydiving, a stabbing on a train on page one, and a bungee jump she didn't consent to. That felt like material. Guest Links Website: https://pamdianajones.com [https://pamdianajones.com] Shop & Books: https://pamdianajones.com/shop [https://pamdianajones.com/shop] Email Pam: Pam@PamdianaJones.com [Pam@PamdianaJones.com] Connect with Pour & Explore Email: cheers@thewineguy.vin [cheers@thewineguy.vin] Website: www.thewineguy.vin [http://www.thewineguy.vin] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pourandexplorepodcast/ [https://www.facebook.com/pourandexplorepodcast/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.wine.guy/ [https://www.instagram.com/the.real.wine.guy/]