Ep 84 The Australian woman walking the length of the Earth; the best food cities & how to avoid jet lag

“I don’t see a town any sooner than five days and now 10 to 20 days … so it’s remote, it’s very cold …and there are grizzly bears, and wolves and they travel in packs… so I start at daylight and I’ve always got a podcast playing because of predators,” says Lucy Barnard, the Australian woman walking the length of the Earth. 

With International Women's Day fast approaching, there couldn’t be a more fitting interview for this week as Lucy attempts to be the first woman to walk the world from Argentina to Alaska, covering 30,000 kilometres across 14 countries, with her dog Wombat in tow.  

Lucy shares her favourite places to hike and explains what it’s like walking through regions so dangerous you need a police escort tanglesandtail.com

Also, the world's best food destinations according to  British online travel agency Travel Bag - which Australian city's taken the coveted prize of the global food capital and we're talking gold-covered baklava (say Dubai without saying Dubai) travelbag.co.uk

NIB Travel has seven top tips to beat jet lag, nibtravelinsurance.com.au and Belle opens the doors to the Little National Hotel in Sydney’s CBD littlenationalhotel.com.au/Sydney/

Drop us your thoughts on this week's episode at hello@theworldawaits.au - we love hearing from our listeners!

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro and Welcome
• 0:17 Belle's hotel experience @ Little National Hotel Sydney
• 2:24 Kirstie's Netflix recommendations
• 3:05 Top food destinations around the world
• 7:34 Interview with Lucy Barnard : Walking the World
• 33:41 Tips to avoid jet lag
• 37:15 Closing

Transcript

 Introduction and Welcome

Welcome to The World Awaits. Travel tales to inspire your wanderlust.

Welcome back to The World Awaits. How are you all? 

Hi, everyone. How's your week been, Belle? 

Belle's Hotel Experience in Sydney

I can't report that I've been anywhere too exotic this week, although last week I did stay at the Little National in Sydney, which is a little cracker of a hotel right in Wynyard Station. So if you're coming from the airport, this is a godsend because it's on the city loop, the train city loop, so you can jump out of the plane onto a train and land in front of the hotel.

How convenient. It's a bit like Edenatown Hall, which is where we stayed the other week, which is near the town hall station. So if you scoot on back, you can hear us chat about that on episode 82. 

Yeah, look, such a great location. So we need, of course, just near Martin's place. The rooms at the Little National are super stylish, not lavish sizes, but really well designed with giant comfortable beds framed into the window.

So you can see on my Instagram what I'm talking about there. But the real clincher was the rooftop. It has a lounge with a fire for cool nights and a huge outdoor terrace, but the best part for me, and this Might make me seem a little bit boring. It has an excellent co working space. So after I checked out at 11 AM, I headed up and worked on the rooftop bar for a couple of hours before my event.

So it's got free tea and coffee, printing desks, also a really. Genuinely fantastic gym. And if you know me, that recommendation does not come lightly, like I'm just not going to jump into any gym. I need a view if I'm going to go run on the treadmill. And, and this time you're actually looking out onto the city as you run.

And it's got a selection of kettlebells and a whole free weight section, which you don't see in many hotel gyms, do you? Yeah, that's so good. And, and it's got a good rate too, doesn't it? 

Yeah, though it averages about 3. 70 a night, which is a great price for Sydney. I have to say the hotel prices in that town, they are so much higher than Melbourne.

So this is a sweet little find. The first Little National opened in Canberra way back in 2015. Sydney dropped in November, 2020, and the newest one is in Newcastle, which opened at the middle of last year. 

Yeah, that's a really good hotel. Top of you need a central Sydney stay and we'll put a link to Little National Sydney in the show notes.

So that's my roundup. What about you, Kirstie? 

Kirstie's Netflix Recommendation

We talked about treadmills earlier, when I'm always trying to multitask, and so I have actually been watching a bit of Netflix while I'm on the treadmill and just smashed out Apple Cider Vinegar, which is that series that everyone's talking about, Belle Gibson who claims she had cancer.

God, unbelievable. It was such a fascinating series to watch. Anyway, to happier things, and I am so excited about this week's interview, and it's fitting because on Saturday, and for those on playback, that's March the 8th, 2025. It's International Women's Day and I'm talking to the first woman to attempt to walk around the world.

So stay tuned because her story is really inspiring and just truly remarkable. 

Top Food Destinations Around the World

But first up, I hope you've eaten because we're about to make you very hungry. British online travel agency Travel Bag, which has been around for 46 years, has released its list of the best food destinations, with one city in Australia taking the coveted prize of the global food capital.

And you don't have to get big points for guessing this one because cat is out of the bag with Kirstie Segway, as you might no doubt have guessed it is. Melbourne, our own hometown. The report says, and they're not telling us anything new here. Melbourne boasts a diverse culinary scene featuring everything from Chinatown's iconic dim sum to avocado on toast with more than a hundred different.

Cuisines represented. So it ranks amongst the highest on the food list just for its culinary variety. And the destination manager for Oceania, Fiona Woods, said there's a strong Korean influence in the city, which is true. Healy's Lane, which has actually been officially named by the city of Melbourne, Koreatown.

Healy's Lane is a great example. It's packed with amazing Korean restaurants and even like it's nicknamed it's Kinchy Lane and don't forget the Queen Vic night markets, which is an absolute foodies paradise with all kinds of international eats and I have to throw one in for Gimlet, which we ate at a couple of weeks ago, which is on Flinders Lane, which is a bit of a downtown.

A bit of a destination for food there. And it's one of Andrew McConnell's, chef Andrew McConnell's ventures. And it's phenomenal, isn't it? They 

love it. Yeah. Incredible. Really beautiful food there and such a cool little spot to really, really nice little spot to eat. Toronto came in second place. It.

Actually beats Melbourne when it comes to the types of cuisine, because it's got 103, including traditional Canadian dishes and Taiwanese food is a real hit, as well as Greek and Turkish. And you, if you're visiting there, head to the Kensington Market, which is known for its multicultural street food and also the Distillery District, which has trendy cafes and restaurants, which are all housed in historic buildings.

And third place went to Dubai, renowned for its luxury dining scene. Can you say Dubai and not say luxury somewhere in the sense as it's home to the world famous restaurants, such as the Steakhouse Noura et, which is led by Turkish chef Salt Bae. This is the guy that did the salt sprinkle. And another one to call out is Pierre Chic, known for the stunning broad dining experience.

So we're talking extravagant food trends. Nur et's 24 gold covered steaks cost about 750 Australian dollars each. He's also got a gold wrapped baklava in there, which is if you're a fan of baklava, the sweet, and the legendary Cheesecake Factory's towering desserts. Because if the Middle East has nothing else, it has an insane sweet tooth.

Oh my god, there were no 24 karat gold covered steaks when I was in Dubai last year, or towering desserts. And what do you know, Sydney came in fourth place, and I have to mention a restaurant that's topped Time Out's list of best restaurants in Sydney, which is described as being like a candle lit Italian themed party.

And it's one of the city's most exciting new restaurants, and it's really cool because it's in an underground cave in Sydney's CBD, and that's called Neptune's Grotto. 

And another newcomer in Sydney that's made the best of lists is Olympus, which is in a new precinct at the bottom of Redfern, and that's home to the new Eve Hotel, which just opened when we were up in Sydney the other week.

It is, the restaurant, as the name suggests, is Greek, and I ate there a couple of weeks ago. I have to say, heaven is found in their fried zucchini and churro masalata. And rounding out the top of the top five best foodie destinations, according to travel bag is Hanoi, which also got points for being one of the most affordable places to eat.

They suggest heading into the old quarter for a bowl of pho, which is the classic dish of Northern Vietnam. Hunters reckon that pho 10 in Hoc Kiem, which is just near the lake, is your best bet, but there's also a sophisticated high end dining scene. And there are a bazillion places to eat for in this town.

So best to get out and discover your own. Yeah. Yum. One of my favorite dishes. And now I'm ridiculously hungry. And if you want to peruse the list of top foodie destinations, we'll put a link in the show notes.

Interview with Lucy Barnard: Walking the World

This week, I'm talking to Lucy Barnard, an Aussie in pursuit of becoming the first woman to walk the length of the Earth from Argentina to Alaska, crossing 30, 000 kilometers and 14 countries. Lucy talks about her favorite places to hike so far, and what it's like walking through regions where you need a police escort.

Welcome to the show, Lucy! 

Thank you. It's so nice to have you on The World Awaits. Thanks for joining us. Let's start by, tell us a bit about your background. 

Firstly, I would say that I was a pretty adventurous, spirited kid, always looking out of the window at school, wishing I could be somewhere else. And then I went into the professional career path, became a scientist, became a communication specialist, and was Um, on my very first adult holiday away, when I was on a bus traveling down to Argentina and Argentina in the country areas is very open plains.

So there's not much happening over this 12 hour bus trip, except that time is passing, but the landscape's not changing. So that started me thinking that I could walk faster to get there. Um, and that silly little thought led to me doing a little Google search. Uh, to see if it was possible and if anyone had done it.

And then that got me wondering about the length of the world. And I'd seen that one man had done it in the year that I was born. But since then, no women had achieved the same feat. And I was like, Oh, it can't be that hard. 

So when did you, so when did you, so what did you do to get started? What planning did you have to do?And also when exactly was this that you got started? 

Okay. So I started in 2019, but the idea came to me in 2016. And in that time I was already a fairly competitive cyclist. I was a rock climber. I loved canyoning. Every weekend I was out doing what they like to call micro adventures these days. And so I just kept on with my usual fitness.

I was really, really fit. In fact, I would say now I'm less fit than I was. Back then, because I'm just walking, um, and I've lost a lot of my core strengths. Um, and then I went into a whole project management plan of setting out all of the things I would need to consider from country to country, any kind of illness that I might be exposed to along the way, any kind of political issues, visas that I need to be concerned about.

I knew that I wanted to get a dog, so I found out about if it was possible to pass through these places with dogs, which it's really easy, very easy. Um, and then after I had a big chart set out of all of the different things that I'd need to sort out along the way, I put it into. Traditional Gantt chart, full project management style and just step by step hooked in and got myself to the point where I didn't feel like I was ready.

You know, you never can be like, there's always something else or something extra that you could do. Um, but a really good friend of mine just said to me, Lucy, getting to the start line is a win. Just get to the start line and see how you go. And that's all I did. 

Lucy's Journey and Challenges

So how did you know where to go? Like how?

Oh, I didn't. That's the thing. So I spent way too much time really scrutinizing trails and directions that I would and paths and all of the, all of the rest of it. Um, but ultimately on the very first day, National Parks wouldn't let me through an old, um, an old border crossing without giving them three months notice, which I didn't have time to do.

So my whole plans from day one changed. Um, and from then on out, I just. Use local knowledge to, to determine the route, because in the world of Latin America, things really are day to day. And, and just because there is a higher profile of natural hazards over there. So earthquakes and tsunamis and all of that sort of stuff, you really need to maintain a flexible mindset to be able to continue on something that's so long term.

Keeping in mind that originally I thought it would take me three years to walk the length of the earth and I am now up to year five. 

So, and so what's the dog? 

Lucy's Dog Companion: Wombat

Why did you want to take a dog and where did you get the dog from? And did the dog go from the very start from day one? 

And I'd like to admit this, but I am dog obsessed.

Like if I had a spirit animal, it would be a dog. So, um, my whole life I've had some sort of a dog nearby and around with me and I just knew that I would struggle. So when I went. To university, that was the first time where I'd moved away from home and I didn't have any animals with me at that point. So I'd gone and volunteered at a zoo to see if that would quench my, my pining for a pet and it didn't.

Um, but then the guide dogs approached me and asked if I'd like to raise a puppy for them. And that got me down a whole separate path in my life where I was training guide dog puppies. Um, And so I had experienced that feeling previously. And I knew that if I was going to be overseas for such a long time, I would experience it again, but also it was a very natural, um, Strategy for reducing my risk to human interference while I was on the trail.

So having a dog that looks a little fierce, who's not fierce at all, but having one that looks that way is definitely a good way in deterring people from harassing me, especially in the evenings. I didn't start with a dog. I understood that one, about four people every year start this journey with the hopes of reaching Alaska, but typically everyone quits before they reach their first year.

And that's because the climate in Patagonia is so brutal. It's so difficult that People tend to stop along that point somewhere. So I decided that I didn't want to adopt a dog over there and then be stuck with having to deal with rehoming it or bringing it home because that can be really expensive. I wanted to prove to myself that I had what it took to, um, go the long distance.

And so I waited for that first year. And once that first year ticked over, it just happened fluidly that I was offered a dog from a farmer that was. Um, near where I was up to on my walk, I had a trailer with me. So I got one back as a puppy. Um, and he was able to walk during the day when he had lots of energy, which was a lot of the time, because he is such a high energy breed.

And then when he was tired, I'm popping into a hiking trailer that I had at the time, because I was crossing a desert and I needed to be able to carry extra water and extra food. And so it just made a lot of sense that. Since I had a hiking trailer that I could have a dog with me that could rest when it needed to.

And what breed is he? He's an Australian cattle dog, so really high energy. And wombat, just because you wanted the Australian, Australian name? Yeah, totally. Actually, it went to an election. I put up a little voting panel on my website. Um, don't ever do that. It led to major fight and someone hijacked the election, but they hacked in and put all of these votes on the names that they wanted.

And it was a different name to the one that actually legitimately won. And so, um, that's how he ended up getting one that there were a couple of names. There was Wombat, Yuki, Drover. And another one that I've since forgotten. 

Lucy's Route and Experiences

So give us a little summary of what you've covered so far. Where have you been?

What have you, what countries have you covered? Okay. So I started in Argentina and Chile, walking in and out of those two borders as I headed north, and that took me across Patagonia, um, and really very famous hiking areas, areas where there's glaciers, very cold down there, I experienced some of the coldest temperatures I've ever experienced in this zone and windiest, um, actually.

There was one occasion where even though I was wearing a very heavy pack, the wind scooped me up and threw me five meters and I got dumped on a rock on my knees. It was the most excruciating pain I think I've experienced while hiking. Um, and then leaving that area, I walked along a coastal region for a while, which then turned into the Atacama Desert, which is the longest driest desert on the planet.

That's non polar. From there, I moved into Peru, which was fabulous. Whenever anyone asks me where they should go hiking, that is definitely one of my favorite places to recommend because I was following trails that are 500 years old along the Incan highways that traveled all the way from. Chile up to Ecuador and then continue into Ecuador.

And then the trial became a little bit more tropical, a little bit more jungly. And then I've dropped into Columbia. I had a two year pause there because of the pandemic. But when I was able to continue, I was able to move through indigenous areas. I've met people who were able to connect me with the right people to get the conditions that I needed to go through those sirens.

Uh, after that, I reached an area. Which is really infamous, called the Darien Gap, where it's very hostile and there's a lot of criminal activity that occurs within the zone. But I managed to cross through there safely with the assistance of Centrefront, which is the border patrol area of the Panamanian police.

So I got through there, got through Panama. Panama has its own through trail. A through trail is a trail that extends the full length of a country. And they have the most magnificent, beautiful trail that I've followed as well. And then I went through Central America and just short cutting now because I've been through so many countries.

Okay. So then I went, um, so it went Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and into Mexico, which got a lot of attention because again, I ran into some hostile areas. And then most recently I crossed into the United States safely and started following the continental divide trail and have reached all the way to the very top of Wyoming.

I have. One state really left to go in the United States before crossing into Canada. So from there, I'll follow my final long trail, which is the great divide trail. I'll make my way over towards Alaska and then I'll be following, kind of following the highways, also following gas lines until I get up to the book ranges and I'll be cutting across the book ranges if the, um, season is.

And then I'll drop down into a town that's called Utqiagvik, it's the northernmost town in the Americas, formerly known as Barrow in Alaska. 

Got so many questions for you, we could be on now, but, um, so when you say the police helped you, what did they do? How did they, how did that work? Because you'd be walking for many, many days, right?

Yeah. So in this area, it's, um, known for people smuggling, people who are really, um, looking for, um, Salvation in a country that is safer than their own, somewhere safe to live. So that's going on. There were about 700 people every day that are commencing that walk. So it's a very high trafficked area. And there's a lot of cartel activity taking advantage of people who are just trying to find a safe place to live.

And then there's, because it's, there's no highway that goes through there and there's a lack of visibility, it's the hotspot for smuggling. Money and guns from Panama into Columbia and from Columbia into Panama drugs. So it's a very hot area. It's one of the areas that you'll see on smart traveler, where it's a red zone, which just says that you do not travel here.

If you do travel into these areas, you won't be covered by any travel insurance. They're seriously unsafe. And so I had. Um, received permission from indigenous groups that live in there, because even though it is hostile areas, there are people who live safely in their communities in these areas. So I was going to be handed from one community to the next, to the next.

But when center front heard that I was there, they felt very uncomfortable because ultimately as a foreign traveler. If something goes wrong, they're the people who get stuck with trying to find me and, and dealing with the family and the Australian government. And so it is also important to work, not just with the Indigenous people in this area, the Indigenous people have sovereignty over this land.

So it is their land and the. Panamanian police are guests there, but the Panamanian police also have a high number of indigenous people who work with them as well as professionals. So it's a, it's a really workable system. And I had a meeting with the director general, who is the highest level ranked person in the police force.

And he was able to coordinate a group of seven police officers to chaperone me through this area. Wow, amazing. Yeah, and I felt really uncomfortable with the idea of that at first because, I didn't want to inconvenience a government, you know, they've got bigger issues to deal with than a foreigner.

However, they were just following, um, their usual routine. So they patrol these areas, they walk along these trails as part of their job. They go on month swings. So they work for one month on and then one month off. And every day that they're working, they're moving through the jungle, trying to intercept illegal activity.

Amazing. Gosh. And when were you scared going into some of these areas? I was. 

Um, it's hard to describe, so I would say that I felt prepared and I had done a risk assessment where I felt comfortable with the level of risk that I was taking on. If I was just going to walk through there alone without doing any of the due diligence that I had done, then yes, I think it would be right to be very afraid, but because I had done all of the things that were necessary to keep myself safe, I was feeling more comfortable about it.

So what did you do with the dog? How far did the dog go with you on this part? 

Oh, okay. So with this section, I didn't take him in. I left him with somebody who I knew in the northern section of Colombia, and then he was flown into Panama, which actually was logistically more difficult than organizing a police escort, believe it or not, because that, that particular leg.

He is highly monetized by the bodies of people who like to bring or shit animals through. And so in hindsight, it would have been easier just to take him with me, but I didn't want to have the additional concern of keeping him safe too. 

Yeah, of course. So how much of the walk will he end up doing in the end?

Yeah, more or less exactly what I've done minus 6, 000 kilometers, which is what I covered in the first year. So, uh, he will do 24, 000 kilometers. 

All right. So, and so you're back home for a bit now, where is he now? He is with some, a family that's taking care of him in Colorado. 

Yeah. Amazing. Okay. Great. Oh, that's so nice.

So you get, so you, so when are you headed back off again? 

Um, just a couple of weeks actually. I'm frantically getting my budget ready and this final stretch is a very expensive. Leg of the journey, because I'm going to be requiring hiking, potentially hiking skis or snowshoes to walk through this along with snow and to keep in lines with walking the length of the world.

These are devices that you can't slide on and because they're specialists, they cost a lot. And then of course I'll be needing a sled as well. I can't just use the trailer that I have because it'll sink in the snow and all of the cold equipment that's required as well. So. I got a lot, a lot to organize in the next couple of weeks, but I will be continuing in a few weeks.

And do you have to do it within a certain time frame or anything? Is there any restrictions around like, if you claim to walk the world, does it matter? Or is it just a matter of actually, literally walking the world? Yeah. That's it. Because I'm the first woman, I write my own rules. Uh, and anyone that comes after me can attempt to do it faster.

Um, without having any rests because of COVID, I feel a lot more flexible about this now because I had been consistently walking the entire time and then because of the forced break, it was really liberating, ultimately, and it also just opens up a little bit of healthy competition in the sense that if someone wants to come in and do it faster than me, then by all means, I'd love to support them and encourage them to do that.

And so you've talked about Peru being your, you know, the best place that you've been and also the challenges obviously of getting through some of these places. What, um, what are you most looking forward to next? 

Well, um, it's really difficult to say. I think I was really impressed with the country. The Divide Trail that I'm on at the moment, which is a through trail that goes through the United States.

And so I guess I'm looking forward to seeing what Canada has to offer in the sense of their long trail that I'll be landing on as soon as I get to the border, which would be wonderful. And I am very curious to see, I have wanted to explore the Brook Ranges since I was very young and to be able to have that along the trail right at the end should be magnificent too.

And of course. I'm always really thrilled to see the different animals along the trail. We don't see very many because between wombat and I and the noisemaker that I have with me to deter predators, a lot of the animals get away before we get near them, but it is really thrilling to see nature. 

Amazing.

And what, tell us a bit about what you do, what you listen to and what you eat while you're, um, you know, how does, how do your days look? And, and where do you sleep? 

Um, well, the first thing is that I'm usually in a tent. So, um, I don't really see a town. Any sooner than every five days. And now that I'm heading into more remote regions, it could be 10 to 20 days, which is why I need a sled.

So I'm also in snow areas and following hydro geological areas, which are areas where. Most of the surface water comes from the weirs people consume. So that's to say that it's remote, it's very cold and can be very wet. So with that all said, I'm also in areas where there's lots of predators. So we're talking grizzly bears.

I'll be moving into polar bear regions. There's also wolves, which are huge, huge animals, much larger than I thought that they were. They're kind of two to three times bigger than a dog and they travel in packs. And there's also snow leopards. So I started daylight so that I can see, that's really important because predators tend to hunt at night, but they are around during the day.

And then I have a speaker that sits on my shoulder and I've always got either a podcast or a book playing, usually something that's conversational so that sounds like there's more than just me walking. Um, and we continue all the time with something playing in the background. And that's new because of predators.

And then if I can find somewhere to comfortably rest and it's not windy and it's not snowing, uh, then we will take a rest around lunch for sure. And sometimes we'll take a rest for morning tea and afternoon tea as well. But it is, now that it's cold, it's getting hard to find places where I can get under a tree and be dry and warm.

So it just is determined by that and also how my progress is going. If I'm having a very slow day, then we'll just push through. Wombat's very good at getting behind me and having an easier time of breaking snow. That's the region that I'm in, which it is right now. And then we get into the tent in the evening.

I get us warm. I heat water. I have to put my bear vault 100 meters away from my tent so that the food is not in the tent with me. And voila, that's what a day looks like. 

And what are you eating? Are you cooking? 

Yeah, so I've been, but to keep every, to keep the pack weight down, I have been buying freeze dried meals, which are meals that are snap frozen.

And then the water evaporates as it goes through that fast freeze process. And that is the lightest, most nutritious type of food for long term food storage. That you can get. So I typically will have a meal like that in the morning, and then we just snack during the day and Wombat shares everything that I eat to keep it really simple and to make sure that he's getting a.

Um, diversity in his diet. And I also, since this gets asked a lot, I have supplements for him to make sure that his health is in, you know, so make sure he's thriving. And I have a first aid kit for him too. In fact, he has less issues than I have to be completely, I take better care of him than I do myself.

Future Plans and Final Thoughts

And when you're finished, what's the plan? Are you going to write a book? What are you going to do? 

I get asked, I would almost say harassed for a book often. Um, however, I just don't feel like my story finishes at the end of the walk and I don't want to sit down and have a sad memoir of something that I should be celebrating.

So instead of doing that. I have a collection of places where I've been invited to go back and tell the story of these communities that are very hard to access. And they're very closed off to general public typically, but are happy for me to come in and share their story. So I've been working very hard to start a film production company, um, and have it in full flight by the time I finished the expedition.

And my hopes are that I'll be able to get the funding required and go into these places and really celebrate people who I've met along the way. 

Amazing! 

And introduce these communities that people may not have even ever experienced, like you said. There are just the most amazing stories out there, just waiting to be told.

I have been invited by people who live on a tropical glacier. Did you know tropical glaciers exist? I did not. Yeah. Yeah. Neither. So they live right at the top of this mountain in Columbia and they truly believe that their responsibility in life is to take care of the soul of our earth. So they're very concerned about that, but I don't want to just share that story, but also the purpose of their life and moments of real success and fulfillment so that I'm giving an idea of reverement for these people so that you can feel.

And respect them and be able to appreciate that while their lives and the story is a wonderful story, it's not your life, but that you respect them for it. 

Amazing. Gosh, I could talk to you for hours about this, but we're running out of time. So I'm going to have to ask you the question, the last question we ask all of our guests, which is, what's the most bizarre thing that's ever happened to you in your travels?

I think one of the most novel things is that I had been hiking through the desert in Mexico, the Chihuahuan desert, and I needed support because I had a support vehicle come through this area with me and it's the hottest. Area in Mexico, but also it's summer and they were spring and experiencing a heat wave and measured the hottest days ever experienced in Mexico during this time.

But unfortunately the car that we had rented to help me get through this section was a complete lemon. And so again, the police were supporting us and making sure that we were okay on a day to day basis. And so while the police were there with us one day, I asked them if they would like to do a tick tock with us and.

learn an Australian dance. And they said, yes, because they're Latinos and they can't resist. So I taught a bunch of police officers how to dance to the Nutbush.

It's on my Instagram. If you want to check it out. 

Well, I'm sure everyone will absolutely be wanting to go to your Instagram.

I'm sure you've got a whole list of these sorts of remarkable and bizarre experiences that you've had. Maybe that's a whole new film series. 

Now that I think about it, it's not even the first time that I've danced with police officers right down in Argentina and Patagonia. They invited me to come to Zumba with them because they just saw that I was on my own and that I probably, you know, the theme of this whole walk is that community has always gotten behind you.

And I think one of the big values of The Latin Americas is maintaining a sense of community and protecting one another, really looking out for each other. And so definitely I have been adopted a lot and invited to do a lot of things that I wouldn't ordinarily expect. 

It's been so amazing chatting with you.I wish we could just talk forever and we'll have to revisit, um, and have another conversation once you're. Finished and congratulations on this incredible, remarkable achievement. You're just truly such an inspiration to so many people. And we will put all of the links in the show 
notes. 

Thanks so much.

I love that Lucy's just getting the job done, no matter what it takes. Such an absolute inspiration. And if you want to follow Lucy on the last leg of her trip around the world, go to tangles and tail on Instagram or her website, which has all of the info about how to support her, which is tangles and tail.

Tips to Avoid Jet Lag

Our tip this week is how to avoid jet lag. Now stay with us because we know everyone throws things out like drink water and avoid alcohol, but these are some tips that we're pretty confident you might not have even heard of. 

Yeah. So NID Travel has seven top tips to beat jet lag and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed.

Starting with, and I love this one, book a window seat on the same side of the plane that you would sleep in your bed. So I never would have thought of that, but apparently it means you can talk your body into sleeping better. 

Yeah. Amazing. Who would have thought of that? That'll work for you, Belle, cause you can sleep anywhere.

So it wouldn't matter what side you sit on anyway. I really can. Absolutely. Next up, try a 12 to 16 hour fast a day prior to travel or even during travel to trigger your circadian rhythms. Okay, I think with that one, I'd just be super hungry and wouldn't be able to sleep. But they also say snack on healthy foods like nuts, seeds and dark chocolate during your flight.

I'm up for the dark chocolate. 

Yeah, I always have some of those little bars in my bag when I'm traveling. Their next tip is when you get to your destination, limit your nap to 20 or 30 minutes. And I totally agree with this one. Natural light is the biggest influencer on your body clock. So start, so jumpstart the process of adjusting to your new time zone by getting outside and soaking up the sights of your destination.

I have to say, I think going for a swim as soon as you get to your destination, especially if it's somewhere like Dubai, is, is the absolute key in this one. 

Yeah, I agree, and I try and do that too, but it can be hard when you first land in Europe from Australia. Some of the others are a bit more obvious, but a good reminder.

So, a few days before you leave, gradually adjust your sleep schedule to match the time zone of your destination. And this will help your body adjust more quickly when you arrive. Adjusting your watch to your destination's time zone as soon as you board your flight can also help you mentally adjust, ticking your body clock into beating jet lag.

But I don't actually know about adjusting your time zone. A few days before, that's going to be pretty hard if you're trying to live life in the time zone of your homeland. But anyway. 

Yeah, I think the one that we should do all at home as well, when you travel, this next tip is turn off all electrical devices and seat back screens an hour before you sleep as the blue light screens, the blue light that the screens emit can Delay your sleep.

So eye masks, noise, canceling headphones, and a comfortable travel pillow will also help. Although I never carry a pillow. I always have a big scarf. I don't know. What about you? As we said earlier, you can sleep anywhere. 

You could probably just curl up in the corner under the pod. Yeah, while we're recording the podcast, have a little nap.

But I, I can't, I'm a bit more of a princess. I can't sleep on a play without headphones in an iMac. Yeah, that, that, it needs to be quiet. I just need quiet, but anyway. And stick to electrolyte rich drinks like coconut water. And lastly, consider a supplement. So some people will turn to prescription medications to help them sleep.

But while they can leave you rested, they don't stop jet lag, as they don't help reset your body clock. And if you don't cope without sleep, a bit like me, then these are all worth a bit of a try. And if they don't work well for me, travel's worth being a bit groggy for, eh? I'll just do it anyway. And we will put a link in the show notes.

And please give us a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts. Click on our profile, scroll down to the bottom to ratings and reviews. And if you're on Spotify, go to our main page and click the three dots underneath our photo, or simply drop us a line at hello at theworldawaits. au. We love nothing more than hearing from our listeners.

Closing Remarks

That's a wrap for The World Awaits this week. Click to subscribe anywhere you listen to your favorite pods. Thanks for listening. See you next week.