Travel expert Mark Murphy returns this week to talk the hottest topics in travel in an all-new episode of the TravelPulse Podcast.

This week, the TravelPulse founder dissects a problematic episode of CBS' "Dr. Phil" centered on the Dominican Republic and 51-year-old Tammy Lawrence-Daley's claims that she was attacked Majestic Elegance resort in Punta Cana in January.

"Hearing over and over again, 'mystery, mystery, mystery,' doesn't tell you anything," said Murphy. "Let's say this woman was attacked and it was a one-off incident. 2.7 million Americans went to the DR in the last 12 months. It happens on that ratio all over the world. Everywhere, even in your hometown. So I don't know why that's news."

"There's still a lot of people who mistakenly believe that there's an issue in the Dominican Republic and clearly there's not. Fewer people in the last 12 months than on average have passed away in the Dominican Republic. In some years it's two to three times that because there are so many Americans that go there. It's the law of numbers," he added.

Later, Murphy discusses the Thomas Cook collapse, the disgusting story of a woman's foot blister popping and splattering passengers on an American Airlines flight and more before sharing some helpful travel tips for the fall and upcoming holiday season.

Listen to episode 54 of "TravelPulse: The Intersection of Travel—Where Politics, Finance, and Travel Meet" in its entirety below:

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