The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust
Where does your wanderlust lead you?
To Melbourne’s cafes or the vast deserts of the Empty Quarter, a New Zealand vineyard or the pavements of New York… what’s your neighbourhood?
Join travel journalists and editors Kirstie Bedford and Belinda Jackson for inspiring stories and inside information from across the world.
Website https://theworldawaits.au
Instagram @theworldawaitspodcast
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The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust
EP 100 We've hit 100 episodes! Our picks of the best episodes; our most bizarre travel moments & win a holiday in Thailand!
The World Awaits has hit a remarkable milestone, celebrating its 100th episode!
To get the party started, Avani Hotels & Resorts has partnered with us for a listener giveaway a tropical holiday in Thailand! To enter, simply like, follow and tag a friend on our Instagram page here.
On this special episode, our sound producer Alaisdair Leith joins us, and we chat about our favourite guests over the last two years (after all, there are now 100 to choose from!)
And it's time to ask ourselves the question we ask all our guests: What’s the most bizarre thing that’s ever happened to you on your travels? Flying pigs, anyone? Listen in to hear all about that escapade, and we also share our upcoming travels.
We’d like to give a big shout-out to those who have partnered with us over the past 100 episodes and shown so much support for the show: thanks to Avani Hotels & Resorts, Explore Worldwide and Tourism Ireland.
And finally, thank you to you, our listeners. We are so grateful to you. And we love hearing from you, so drop us a line at hello@theworldawaits.au to let us know your thoughts or discuss upcoming partnership opportunities.
Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au
Welcome
SPEAKER_01:back to The World Awaits. We are so excited that this is our 100th episode. So we started this podcast almost two years ago and to reach 100 episodes and see our listeners numbers increasing has been very exciting. It's been super exciting. We've loved having everybody along for the journey and we are super excited to for a very special giveaway this episode. So I'm not going to tell you all about it now. We're going to go into a little detail later on, but here's a teaser. It's a tropical holiday in Thailand.
SPEAKER_02:We'll see you next time. Wanderer Magazine, and I'm also a crime fiction writer. And I've just completed a manuscript that's currently with an agent being pitched to publishers at the moment. So I'm keeping everything crossed for good news there. If you'd like to pray to the literary gods, please do. And I'm also one of our hosts here at The World Awakes. And what about you, Al? Tell us a bit about you. Hi,
SPEAKER_00:so yeah, I'm Alistair Leith, the audio producer for The World Awakes. I am a entertainment journalist, I would say now. So I do things like movie reviews, game reviews, tech stuff. Interestingly enough, I will reveal here that I've just finished my first script for my first television show. It is getting prepped for pitch to a few places around. So I'm very excited to announce that to you. I don't think I've spoken to you two about it at all. I want to keep it very under wraps and not be pressured to talk about what it is or what it's about. But yeah, I have absolutely loved the last two years with both of you. What about you, Belle?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, two years. I can't believe it. Since we were sitting in a cafe in, where were we? We
SPEAKER_02:were in Altona. And remember, we wrote our entire plan out on a napkin. I wonder if we still have a photo of that
SPEAKER_01:napkin. I do. Let's do it. I have a photo. I have a photo of the napkin because once I got a job description as a finance journalist in the island and the guy wrote it out on a bar coaster and I said to him, can I take that later on? So when we did that, I'm going to dig it up because when we wrote it out on the napkin in the cafe, I thought this isn't the second time this is happening in my life. Clearly, I'm completely linked to napkins and bar coasters. So yes, I have been a finance journalist in Ireland, which was a weird part of my life, considering if my accountant heard me say that, he'd be like, but you are financially illiterate. But I am a journalist, and we're all in Melbourne, by the way. At the moment, I am really much a pre-journalist. I have a focus on the Middle East, where I've lived on and off for years. But I also lived in Ireland for a long time, like I was nearly five years there, which was a really big chunk of my first working life. I write for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. That's back from South Australia for a good weekend. The Financial Review, Luxury Escapes, pretty much anyone who pays me. And I guess what I've been diverging in now, because Percy, you've been doing crime fiction, Alice, you've been writing TV. I feel like the underachiever, like the snotty little kid that's done nothing sitting in the corner. I'm doing a lot more radio now, though, too, which has been really exciting with groups like ABC Radio and some of the commercials. So... Yeah, I can't say I've got a manuscript in my back pocket. Everybody's written a book, right, that was just crap and then they chucked it away. So I've got that. I think you both have got that too. Congratulations. Thanks for overshadowing me as well. Not a competition.
SPEAKER_02:You did omit to mention that you were Australian Travel Writer of the Year two years in a row. So we will just put that little one out there. But yes, no. So you can rest assured that you're in good hands here. We, Belle and I, have both got journalism backgrounds. I did news journalism as well in New Zealand. And As Alice mentioned, he's been around the traps a bit. Yeah, but we love what we do and we are absolutely passionate about this podcast and we hope that you hear that from us. Given it's such a special milestone, we wanted to talk about some of our favourite episodes that you can scoot on back and have a listen to because we're finding increasingly now that we've got 100 episodes under our belt, that's what people are doing. The numbers are really growing significantly for some of our earlier episodes. We're going to kick off with you about what are some of your favourite or what was your favourite Yeah, it's
SPEAKER_01:been an interesting one going back because some of our most popular episodes, things, anything to do with Italy, the minute we say Italy, everyone goes, oh my God, I need to go and have a beautiful life there. When I had met the fabulous Maria Pasquale, who is an Australian-Italian author, the funny thing is we used to holiday when we were kids, our beach houses on the Mornington Peninsula, because everybody had a rough little shack down there, were two streets away. So we grew up in these... She was living a far more delicious lifestyle there in her Italian family. So I've always loved listening to Maria come on there and talk about eating in Rome. And she's actually been back to talk about the Amalfi Coast. So that's gone crazy. And then any time you mentioned Spain, like when Ben Grounder was talking about eating in Spain, that was a really big one as well. Do you remember we had that walking guide, Glenis Johnson, who had walked the Camino de Santiago 35? Yeah, she was amazing. Way back in episode eight. So I think she's probably done it a few more times since then. And I'm tipping Greece is going to be a big one for the European summer this year. You know how the last few years post COVID, everybody on your Instagram has been in either Italy or Spain. I think they're all going to be in Greece this year. So I'm seeing our Greek episodes are going through the roof. That's 80 and 63. So they're always a great one to look back onto. But Possibly my favourite is either the one I just did recently on South Africa with the author Tony Park, just because he opened my eyes to the idea of budget game drives and how they get you so close to the action, which terrifies me, simultaneously as well as making me just want to pack up and drive a Suzuki hatchback through the Kruger National Park. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? But then... I've landed on it, and it was actually Tim Cope. Tim Cope, who is an Australian author, and I fangirled him for years when he published his book On the Trail of Genghis Khan, where he rode from Mongolia. He rode across Genghis's entire empire on horseback, took him three years from the steppes of China through to the fringe of Hungary, which is astonishing. It took me months just to find him. because he's so off-grid. And then it took another couple of months to line up the interview. But I think I just wanted somebody to take me so far away from my world and give a glimpse into another extraordinary life, such as the life of a Mongolian nomad. And that's why I love it. And that is episode 43. What about you? Who's going next? Who's going next?
SPEAKER_00:I think it's me. So look, mine are going to sound a bit biased. The first one that I'm going with is episode 90. the Kokoskeeling Islands. I had never heard of this place to be totally upfront. Didn't even know it was remotely close to where we are or what it was about. And after hearing Hurstie's first half of the journey, not the getting stuck there part, I was talking to my partner. I'm like, that sounds like somewhere nice. It's not too far. That will still feel tropical and like a different experience. So I really love that episode. I'm actually going to look at going there at some point this year.
SPEAKER_02:I love that. That's the whole thing we want to do with our apps is inspire people. So thank you, Elsie. I love that.
SPEAKER_00:But yeah, just like literally do a Google image search and you'll be booking your tickets straight away. My next one will have to be Vienna, episode 83, because I think the whole time The bell was in Vienna. I think both of us, Kirsty, were very jealous. Yeah, we were. Amazing updates and just how perfect it sounded while we sweated away over here during Christmas.
SPEAKER_01:We did freeze our chops off, yeah, but you were both by the beach. I went
SPEAKER_00:into it every year. It's a bit like, oh, I think I bought something different. And your photos were just gorgeous. Yes. Absolutely beautiful. So definitely worth hearing all about that on episode 83. Thank
SPEAKER_01:you.
SPEAKER_00:And my third favorite is Norway, just because it's Norway. Episode 55. So anything where you mention the word fjords, I'm there. So yeah, I think that was your interview, Kirstie.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. We've got a couple of Norway ones. I went on a cruise to Norway too. And then we also interviewed at Norway, which is this incredible tour company. Yeah. And yeah, and they really take you and miss you in the culture. So that was the interview there. Yeah, amazing. I loved that interview too.
SPEAKER_00:Sounds incredible. How about you, Kirsty?
SPEAKER_02:Yes. Again, like Belle, I had lots though. It was very hard to narrow down. But the two that I'll highlight would be way, way back in episode 10. I interviewed Charles Street, who's actually, he lives in Perth and he splits his time actually between Perth and South Africa. And he runs a company called Nkwazi Adventures. And what they do is you fundraise before you go and you fundraise for a bike. And then they take the bikes into these remote communities and they give them to these children. And the remarkable part about this is It's not just about giving kids something fun to do. There's been stats that he had that showed that there'd been an academic increase from 35% to 85% because a lot of these kids are walking like two hours a day just to get to school. So by getting a bike by you for helping fundraisers and then you literally get to go and gift your bike and look at the child's face as you're giving them this bike, those children are then able to one, get to school. And a lot of the kids he was saying, When they graduate from high school, which now they're doing increasingly, the ones that have these bikes, they actually hand their bike down to other kids. So I just thought, gosh, Charles is an amazing person. He has another full-time job, but he just does this on the side because he wants to make a difference. And he's originally from South Africa. And what a remarkable person he is. And the other one that I really enjoyed and loved chatting with was Lucy Bernard, who's the 2024 Adventurer of the Year by Australian Geographic and she's an Australian woman who's walking the length of the earth and she's almost there so we will have to get her back on to chat about what she's done but her journey is so incredible. So she is walking from Argentina to Alaska, covering 30,000 kilometers across 14 countries. And she's got a dog with her who she did a poll on to try and get a name for it. And the name that won was Wombat, which is so cute. And she talks in this interview, which is episode 84, about how... She came to be able to take a dog with her and how it's been so remarkable having the dog with her. And she's now started a film production company to celebrate the people she meets along the way. And these remarkable communities that she wants to highlight. So not to get people to go there, but just so that people can learn to respect these closed off communities and their cultures. And I love that. Some of the stories she tells of the people she met and these very remote communities is just, yeah, truly remarkable. So what an incredible feat. And yeah, so that one I think is also definitely worth going back and having a listen to. So that's the end of our best episodes. Please go back and have a look at our earlier episodes and yeah, see what there's plenty to choose from. There's now 100 episodes.
UNKNOWN:Music
SPEAKER_02:We thought it was only fitting if we asked each other and answered the question we ask all of our guests. So we have a question we ask every single guest at the end of our episodes, and it is, what's the most bizarre thing that ever happened on your travels? And oh my God, we've had some incredible responses. We thought we'd do it ourselves. So let's kick off with you, Alastair.
SPEAKER_00:All right. My family may kill me for this one. So we were on a family trip and we had a layover in Hong Kong on the way to London. And we ended up staying overnight due to a cancelled flight, etc, etc. You all know the drill. And we were at this really cheap hotel and the dinner was buffet style and everything, nothing was in English. So no one had any idea what they were eating. My brother decided to just go in and go for it. Whatever looked good, whatever smelled good, he was going to go for it. We tried to warn him, hey, just be careful. You've got to sit on a plane from here to London. You don't want your stomach to be upset. Maybe ask before you load up your plate. And he went over to this section and started loading up this stuff that looked like Sweden Sour Sauce, so I'll forgive him. And my mum, being the cautious mum that she is, asked the hostess, what is that dish? And she said, oh, it's goose chunks in goose blood gravy. And mum said, we need to tell him. And I'm like, no, we don't. He's not sitting near us on the plane. Don't tell him. So we went back and he's hoeing into it, ate the whole thing. I'm like, oh, was that good? He said, yeah, it was the best. It was so delicious. I'm like, oh, that's really good. We found out what it is if you want to know. And then, yeah, we eventually told him. And yeah, he told us that it was the worst thing he's ever eaten, which is untrue because at the time he loved it. But it always helps to always ask your hostess if you can't read the signs to please interpret if you can to know what you're eating before getting on a very long flight. Because the flight didn't fare well is all I will say.
SPEAKER_01:And that was my next question. How was he on the flight?
SPEAKER_00:I'm so grateful that he was not sitting next to
SPEAKER_01:me. Oh
SPEAKER_00:my God. What about you, Belle?
SPEAKER_01:Love this story. I was up in the Kimberley at Bullough Station, which is one of the iconic Outback stations. Yeah, mate. And I was there doing a photo essay, and I was with another journalist, Mark Muller from Outback magazine. And the owners at the time, Franz Renacher, is also a pilot. So they have a helicopter. So we took the doors off the helicopter, strapped ourselves in, and then we were flying around the property, shooting it on aerial, dropping down, having picnics and stuff. It was all fantastic. Had a great day. Just before the sun sets, we're flying back to the homestead. Franz is in the front. We're at the back. No doors, winged in my hair, all of that sort of thing. It was fantastic. And then Franz says over the headphones, we're just going to pull the, sorry, I've just got to pull the helicopter down. He dropped the helicopter into this giant swamp. They were like mosquitoes the size of entire chickens flying past. And it had rushes above your eyes. And Franz leans underneath the seat, the pilot's seat, pulls out a shotgun and runs off. And we're like, what's happening? I said, we'd better go and find out. And Mike goes, oh, okay. So we run off after him. We hear these shots. Bang. Franz comes back with his smoking gun, shoves it back under the seat, lifts the helicopter back and flies a couple of meters away. And he's this giant black wild boar lying on the ground that he's just shot. Ties the legs of the boar to a rope. Ties the rope. to the runners of the helicopter and we fly back to that homestead and this pig is swinging underneath like a clock's pendulum. And it's swinging. It's like, oh my God, this is so bizarre. As we get over the homestead, he circles over this gigantic water tank and from the surface of the tank, these two sets of eyes come up. He cuts, the pig drops into the water and the pig and the eyes all disappear below the surface and he says to us, I promised Marley I'd feed the crocs before dinner. See, two crocodiles that they were shipping off to, I think, San Diego Zoo because there were crocodiles everywhere. And doesn't get any more Australian than that. And they had to leave the crocs. So that is my, I think that is my most bizarre story. travel experience. And that's it.
SPEAKER_02:Tracy, tell us about yours. Okay, so I had to think about this. I'm going to tell a little story from back in my 20s. So when I was in my 20s and traxing around Europe, as you do, I was on a train from France to Spain and we were just, we were quite young and we were backpackers and we had, we were just sitting on this train and all of a sudden the train stopped and it wasn't a place where we thought we were stopping and a train just stops. And this group of guys just jumps on board and they're all just wearing jeans and t-shirts. And then we look down and they all pull out these guns. They're all carrying guns, but they're just like in completely casual clothing. And then, and they were quite young. They were like around our age. And then they started walking around asking everyone for their passports. And we're like, oh my God, what the hell is happening here? Everyone had to hand out their passports. And then they took... half the people on our carriage off with them, and then the train just carried on. And we never found out what happened, what it was about. It was just honestly, truly the most bizarre thing that had ever happened in my entire life. That would have to be one of the most bizarre things that has ever happened to me.
SPEAKER_01:But I didn't like that. I'm on a bus with passport control. But anyway, so there you go. Souvenirs that you can bring back. Did he jump on a bus holding a gun? Marry me! Marry me! Or I'll kill you! No, he didn't do that, actually. It was all important for old guys on the Sinai Peninsula. They kept pulling up with these giant guns. Guns and travel are generally non-compatible. But anyway, that's just my opinion. So after all those bizarre moments, we are absolutely inspired to hit the road again because we want to see more guns, more crocodiles, more dead pigs. Oh my gosh, I love travel so much. Let's go, let's go. So I'm going to kick off first with my next trip because I don't, yeah, because I don't know. But one of the things I didn't mention is I have a very strong connection to Egypt where I've lived and I brought back the ultimate souvenir, also known as a husband. So I am happy and I also want to call him that. He really does. So I'm going back to Cairo. Not ideal timing because it's going to be very hot. Also a little bit of slap and tickle going on around the area, but we're going to zen breathe our way through it. It was supposed to be the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, but of course they postponed it because of said slap and tickle happening with Iran and Israel, but I'm sure it's going to be fine. So I'm going back to go back to the pyramids because there's been a lot of change happening there at the moment. And I'm going to go and swim in the Southern Mediterranean because it is the clearest and most beautiful water. that you've ever seen in your life. And it's astonishing. It's Whitsundays on steroids. Gosh, they're not going to let me back in the country. So that's my next travel adventure. What about you, Alistair?
SPEAKER_00:I'm finally doing my dream trip. So I've always wanted to go to Brazil and Colombia, and I'm finally doing it in October. So I'll be staying at the W Hotel in Bogota for a week before heading over to Brazil. To go to Rio. Unfortunately, I did miss that free Lady Gaga concert on the beach. But I am very excited just to go. So, yeah, I'm very excited. Just started planning that. Booked the hotel the other day. And that means that I have to go now. Are
SPEAKER_01:you going to wait? I want to see, like, in your Carnivale sequence. I want to see you shooting
SPEAKER_00:yourself. Who knows? I'm not planning much. It's just going to be a go and see kind of trip. And I think this will be my first time flying economy in a while. So pray for me.
SPEAKER_01:No, not praying for you at all. I always fly economy, but I cannot wait to have you on the podcast. We're going to get you on the podcast and grill you about everything that you've learned. What an insane trip. Kirsty, where are you going to next? I've got a couple of
SPEAKER_02:exciting just coming up this year. So in a couple of weeks, as we're recording this, actually, as we go to air, it'll only be about a week. Before I leave, I'm going to Cambodia. Incredible property that I found called Songsa, which is run by this woman called Melita Kulimandis, who bought the island for US$15,000 back in the early 2000s. And she completely transformed this island from a desolate place. with depleted marine life into Cambodia's second marine protected sanctuary. And it's now this incredible, lush, beautiful, incredible property. And I'm also staying in Siem Reap at this incredible five-star Avani property called FCC Angkor Bay Avani. And I absolutely cannot wait to go there. That is a property that you might have heard us talking about earlier, actually, Belle and I, and you will hear all about that when I get back. And then later in the year, in November, I'm going on a Viking cruise, which I'm so excited about. We are cruising from Athens in Greece up to Venice. And so visiting Croatia and Montenegro along the way. And I am super excited about that because Viking do the most incredible cruises and have the most beautiful Scandi design. beautiful luxury ship. So I can't wait to jump on board that. So you'll be hearing about all three of us and our incredible adventures in coming episodes. So make sure that you continue listening with us and hang in there with us and see what we're all doing. So next up, we have some exciting news.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, what you've been waiting for, my friends, our special prize to mark this 100th episode. We have partnered with Avani. to give away. So Khao Lak is a beachside resort in southern Thailand, best to fly into Phuket and it's a one-hour drive north of the airport. It is also close to the dive sites of the Similan Islands and you can also visit Phang Nga Bay. So I think James Bond movies, they've got rock climbing sites around this area and The Avani excursions include a gentle bamboo rafting through the Thai jungles, surfing and Thai cooking classes. And the resort's facilities include kids' clubs and, because of course this is Thailand, a divine spa. And so you will get a daily breakfast and dinner, round-trip airport transfers, and also, love this, a one-time... Muay Thai boxing class for two people. If you want to sort your differences out. Perfect for honeymooners, for people who have been married for 20 years, for friends who have got certain grievances that they never spoke about in public. It's so much fun. What an amazing prize of four nights in paradise. So I'm so excited. I want to go.
SPEAKER_00:Right. You do. But that is such an amazing prize. How can listeners enter, Kirstie?
SPEAKER_02:So to enter, who doesn't want a tropical holiday? And particularly Thailand. Thailand, I have to say, is one of my most favorite places to go. I've been multiple times and oh my God, I just adore it. The food, the people, it's so easy to get around and incredible properties. So this property is one that you do not want to miss. So to enter, you've got to jump on over to our Instagram, which is theworldawaits. And also jump onto Avani Hotels. So Instagram, follow Avani Hotels and also follow The World Awaits. And like our post on The World Awaits Instagram about the competition and then tag a friend. The person, tag the person that you want to take to Thailand. And we will be having a draw, which we'll be announcing in September. coming weeks. Yeah, we're going to give people a little bit of time to get their entries in, but make sure that you tag those friends and don't forget to like both those pages and also, yeah, like the competition page. And you will be in the draw to win this incredible prize of four nights in this beautiful tropical Thailand resort.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you to all of our listeners. And if you do enjoy our podcast, please give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Click on our profile, scroll down to the bottom of 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. Happy 100s!
SPEAKER_02:If you'd like to help support our production costs, you can buy us a coffee at coffee.com slash theworldawaits. That's ko-fi.com slash theworldawaits so we can continue to bring you inspirational travel interviews with the world's best. That's a wrap for The World Awaits this week. Click to subscribe anywhere you listen to your favourite pods. Thanks for listening. See you next week.
