Aryeh Lightstone served as the Senior Advisor to U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, from 2017 to 2021. During his tenure as Senior Advisor, he played a critical role in advancing bilateral U.S. - Israel relations with a focus on economic development & technology cooperation.

Aryeh was appointed as the Special Envoy for Economic Normalization. In that role he was an integral member of the Peace to Prosperity team, leading the inaugural Abraham Accords Business Summit, directing the Abraham fund, and serving as point person in the Middle East for the actualization of the Abraham Accords.

Today, he is the CEO of the Abraham Accords Peace Institute, the author of "Let My People Know" the inside story of the Abraham Accords. Aryeh is a proud father of four and husband to a very patient wife, Estee.

On this episode, Aryeh shares his one way ticket to go back in time to be with Abraham. In the course of the conversation, Aryeh draws on Abraham's life which provides inspiration for meaning, value, purpose and sacrifice in our own lives.

Aryeh also provides perspective on the U.S. - Israel relationship and underscores how apart from Israel being an economic and technological powerhouse benefiting American companies, it has also provided the U.S. with intelligence which has saved American lives; the genesis and benefits of the Abraham Accords; why he's bullish on the Middle East and doesn't know if there will be a more exciting place to live outside of the U.S. than the Middle East in the next 25 years.

Dickie Arbiter began his broadcasting career in Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) in the mid-1960s.

Following a return to the United Kingdom in the early 1970s he joined LBC News Radio/IRN (Independent Radio News) as a newscaster and program presenter.

During late Queen’s 1977 Silver Jubilee he was asked to report on the British royal family.

In 1981 he was responsible for organizing the UK’s commercial radio coverage as well as taking on as lead commentator of the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.

With the success of the Royal wedding coverage, he was appointed IRN’s Court Correspondent with accreditation to Buckingham Palace – being only one of two such correspondents with continuous and unfettered access to the Palace.

His new role meant travelling extensively both at home and abroad, covering the British monarchy, his area of expertise.

In 1988, he joined the Buckingham Palace Press Office, serving not only as press spokesman to the late Queen Elizabeth II but also spokesman for The King, when he was The Prince of Wales and his late wife, Diana Princess of Wales.

In addition to his role as Royal press spokesman, Dickie was responsible for the media management of ceremonial occasions.

These included all major state events inside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle inward State Visits, the late Queen’s major UK engagements and the operational media requirements for royal funerals, including that of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

For his service to the crown, In the 1996 Birthday Honors, he was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO).

Since retiring from Royal duty, Dickie went back to his broadcasting roots as a television commentator.

Having spent going on fifty years covering royalty, heads of state, and other globally recognized figures, his knowledge qualifies him to bring his own personal insight into the public forum as a royal analyst and international lecturer.

On this episode, Dickie shares his one way ticket to Whitefish, Montana to horseback ride and enjoy a cowboy lifestyle.

In our conversation, we also cover a wide swath of topics including:

1. The role of the Monarchy

2. A window into the late Queen’s personality

3. The Republican movement in the UK and 13 realms where the Sovereign is Head of State

4. His tea with then Prince Charles & Lady Diana Spencer three days before their 1981 wedding…and what their relationship was really like

5. Lovely anecdotes of time spent with Diana during royal engagements

6. Behind the scenes look at managing the press for Diana’s funeral

7. The painstaking details that go into an overseas royal tour

8. How the King is navigating his relentless schedule despite his cancer

9. The U.S. President the late Queen tolerated and the U.S. First Lady with which she had a frosty relationship

10. The drama surrounding Harry and Meghan

11. The late Queen’s last days

12. What he really thinks of the Netflix series “The Crown”.

Born and raised on the West Coast of the US, Lucas Peters now makes Tangier his home. He’s a travel writer and photographer and the author of the Moon Guide Book for Morocco. Together with his very accomplished wife, Amina, they own and operate Journey Beyond Travel, one of Morocco’s most successful, sustainable tour companies.

Lucas’ expertise isn’t limited to Morocco though. He also wrote Moon Guide Book’s Grand European Journeys: 40 Unforgettable Trips by Road, Rail, Sea & More.

In November 2024, Lucas is releasing the Moon Guide Book for Sevilla, Granada and Andalusia.

When he’s not writing or planning remarkable journeys for his clients, Lucas, together with Amina and their two kids, spends time traveling around Morocco, exploring the small towns dotting the national roads, difficult-to-access mountain villages and crumbling kasbahs of the Sahara.

On this episode, Lucas shares that in 2009, he bought a one way ticket to Morocco and never left – so he’s truly on a one way ticket journey!

Also in the conversation, Lucas and Host, Steven Shalowitz, touch on each of the destinations Steven visited on his recent four and a half week journey through Morocco which Lucas orchestrated. They included: Rabat, Tangier, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, Volubilis, Moulay Idriss, Meknes, Fes, Ifrane, Erfoud, the Sahara, the Atlas Mountains, Essaouira, Marrakech and Casablanca.

Plus, the two highlight everything from riads to hammams, Morocco’s rich Jewish heritage to Moroccan cuisine, the method to Moroccan aesthetic madness to the proliferation of cats throughout the country, and more.

For further information on Lucas, visit: http://lucasmpeters.com.

And for curated, bespoke visits to Morocco, Andalusia and select other destinations, visit: http://journeybeyondtravel.com

Sophie Ibbotson is a Central Asia specialist who has worked in the region since 2008, focusing on economic development — in particular tourism development — and water security. Through her company Maximum Exposure, she is a consultant to national governments and to the World Bank, and is Uzbekistan’s Tourism Ambassador to the UK.

Sophie is the author of six guidebooks for Bradt Travel Guides, and has written for Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveller, and Culture Trip, amongst many other publications.

She is also Chairman of the UK’s Royal Society for Asian Affairs, founded in 1901 as the Central Asia Society.

On this episode of the show, Sophie shares her one way ticket destination is to Samarkand in the early 1420s, when Ulugbek - a grandson of Amir Timur (Tamerlane) - was governor. Sophie points out that at this point, before he became the Timurid Emperor, Ulugbek had just finished constructing his madrassa and astronomical observatory, solidifying Samarkand as one of the great intellectual and cultural centers of the Islamic world.

In our conversation, Sophie also highlights:

• What surprises most visitors to Uzbekistan
• Why the Registan (central square) in Samarkand is one of the top 5 places in the world to visit along with Angkor Wat and the Taj Mahal
• Tashkent’s dazzling subway
• Bukhara's unique Jewish community and the city as the most beautiful on the Silk Road
• The backstory behind suzani textiles
• The world’s second largest collection of Russian avant-garde art is housed in the Savitsky Museum in the Karakalpakstan capital of Nukus (thus making it known as the Louvre of the Steppe!)
• The gem that is the walled city of Khiva
• What makes Sudan such a fascinating destination – apart from it having more pyramids than Egypt.

We wind down the conversation with Sophie sharing her philosophy on travel which is: “If you have the opportunity, go”!

Follow Sophie on Instagram & X: @uzambassador

For more on Sophie, visit: www.uzbekistan.travel/en &

www.maximumexposure.co

Mildred Kirschenbaum, a centenarian with a zest for life, is known for her viral life advice as a social media influencer, sharing her simple yet profound guidance for a fulfilling life.

Mildred came from humble beginnings, born to immigrant parents in Brooklyn, NY. She excelled in school but needed to work. By 19 she was married and began a family when her husband returned from the service after WWII. She held volunteer leadership positions in non-profit organizations. With a passion for travel, she started a travel agency and traveled the world.

Mildred wrote her first book, MILDRED'S MINDSET: WISDOM FROM A WOMAN CENTENARIAN, when she was 100 years old, to share her tips on longevity and living life to the fullest. Her positive attitude and love for socializing have endeared her to many, and her approach to life reflects her belief in enjoying every day. Mildred’s daughter, Gayle Kirschenbaum, has been instrumental in sharing her mother's wisdom with the world.

Mildred's remarkable journey and her unique perspective on life inspire and uplift readers of all ages.

On this episode, Mildred shares her one way ticket to the South of France which she describes as her logical answer (her illogical answer is to a place where there’s no cancer, no illness and where people can enjoy life).

Apart from exploring her destination, with her signature humor and candid character, we also spotlight a few keys to living a long and zestful life, as featured in her book. They include: Attitude, learning new things, the need to foster a sense of community, and the importance of forgiveness.

We also cover travel – her philosophy on it, dressing for it, and changes in it – and more!

This is a delightful conversation which you’ll surely enjoy and be inspired by.

I just returned from a magical week on the rivers of Germany as a guest of Transcend Cruises. Our stops and excursions included: Koblenz, Cochem, Boppard, Rudesheim, Heidelberg, Speyer, Wiesbaden, Wurzburg and Frankfurt. And I loved every second.

As for Transcend, it’s a charter-only river cruise line with a fleet of its own purpose-built vessels. The company offers truly customized river cruise journeys with tailor-made itineraries and experiences for any kind of group.

So for example, you can hold a destination wedding, or a corporate retreat, or celebrate a milestone birthday with family and friends, or really just about anything! On my sailing, the ship was chartered by the Porsche Club of North America with tailored experiences for car enthusiasts. And of course, there were plenty of cultural options to enjoy for the likes of yours truly.

The ship I was on was the Advance and was 5 stars all the way – from the suite to the dining to the staff. Frankly, I didn’t want to leave!

For more on Transcend, visit: https://www.transcend.cruises/ or tune in to episode 301 of The One Way Ticket Show where our guest was Matthew Shollar, Founder & Chief Visionary of Transcend Cruises.

While on board, I had the chance to sit down and chat with the ship’s Captain Rob Jager, Head Chef Mihai Tuca, and Transcend’s General Manager, Carmen Mladenovic. You can listen to each of those conversations here on The One Way Ticket Show.

On this episode, we’re featuring our conversation with Chef Mihai. We cover how he plans for a journey, how local cuisines impact menus on the ship, his favorite foods to prepare, what makes Transcend’s offering so unique, plus, it being the one way ticket show, of course I had to ask Chef Mihai where he’d go on his one way ticket journey of choice (if you’re new to the show, that’s the premise of the podcast).

Enjoy!