{"podcast":{"title":"Traveling with AAA","slug":"traveling-with-aaa-5494223","podcast_index_feed_id":5494223,"rss_url":"https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/travelingwithaaa.xml","website_url":"https://www.ace.aaa.com/?zip=92626&devicecd=PC","image_url":"https://assets.blubrry.com/coverart/orig/1459491-463819.jpg","author":"Auto Club Enterprises","episode_count":185,"summary":"To help you get the most of your travel experiences, Traveling with AAA takes you around the country and the world through conversations with industry pros. You’ll hear tips and tricks, travelers’ tales, and hard-won wisdom that will inspire you to plan your next adventure. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily the views of Auto Club Enterprises/The Automobile Club of Southern California, AAA and/or its affiliates.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-09T18:21:00.790291+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/traveling-with-aaa-5494223"},"episode":{"title":"Theme Parks Around the World with Zachary Laks","slug":"theme-parks-around-the-world-with-zachary-laks","published_at":"2026-07-02T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/traveling-with-aaa-5494223/theme-parks-around-the-world-with-zachary-laks","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/traveling-with-aaa-5494223","url":"https://podcast.show/travelingwithaaa/episode/154173417/","audio_url":"https://media.blubrry.com/travelingwithaaa/ins.blubrry.com/travelingwithaaa/TWA-2026-07-02-234.mp3","summary":"Some of the most exhilarating theme parks in the world have no mascot and no movie franchise behind them. What they do have is decades of obsessive craftsmanship, immersive storytelling, and rides good enough to build a trip around. In this episode, host Angie Orth is joined by Zachary Laks, a travel journalist and theme park expert who has written for Fodor’s, The Points Guy, and Lonely Planet. Before covering the world's parks, Zachary spent more than 20 years as a theater producer, which sharpened his eye for what separates a good theme park experience from an unforgettable one. You'll learn what makes a theme park memorable, which underrated domestic and European parks deserve a spot on your travel list, and why 2026 may be the most exciting year yet for thrill-seekers. What You’ll Learn: 3:18 The three qualities that separate a great theme park from a merely fun one 8:51 Why Europa Park in Germany keeps winning Best Theme Park Worldwide 16:35 What makes Silver Dollar City and other regional parks worth a road trip 21:47 Budget-friendly parks where you can stretch your dollar (or euro) 26:04 Why you should add a theme park day to your European itinerary Connect with Zachary Laks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachlaks/ Website: https://www.zacharylaks.com/ What's a theme park that surprised you? Share it in the comments! Connect with AAA: Book travel: https://aaa-text.co/travelingwithaaa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprises Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AAAAutoClubEnterprises Podcast: TravelingWithAAA.com","meta_description":"Some of the most exhilarating theme parks in the world have no mascot and no movie franchise behind them. What they do have is decades of obsessive crafts…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1981,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/traveling-with-aaa-5494223/episodes/theme-parks-around-the-world-with-zachary-laks/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/traveling-with-aaa-5494223/theme-parks-around-the-world-with-zachary-laks.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}