Before we get started, a quick warning: this episode contains spoilers. So if you haven’t finished watching the latest series of Race Across the World, I’d suggest turning off now and coming back once you have!

Race Across the World is one of those shows that just gets under your skin, isn’t it? You start off thinking you’re watching a travel programme, and then suddenly you’re so emotionally invested in people trying to get across a border, find a cheap hostel, or make it onto a 29-hour train with no phone and barely any money. This season, five pairs travel over 12,000 kilometres, from Palermo in Sicily all the way to Hatgal in Mongolia, without smartphones, internet access, flights or bank cards, relying instead on instinct, kindness, grit and a lot of very long bus and train journeys.

And at the heart of it all were today’s guests: best friends Jo and Kush from Liverpool, who not only won the series, but completely won over viewers along the way. Their friendship was such a joy to watch and there was something so lovely about seeing two young men support each other so openly through the highs and lows.

What I loved about chatting to them is that Race Across the World has this brilliant sense of mystery around it. As a viewer, I’m always wondering how the show actually works. So in this episode, we really get into all of that. We talk about the audition process, the secrecy around winning, the budget, the homestays, the toilets, the borders, the long-distance trains, and what it’s really like travelling without your phone in your pocket.  And of course, we talk about the places too. From Sorrento and Naples, to Tbilisi in Georgia, the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the vast landscapes of Kazakhstan, and the wild, icy beauty of Mongolia.

Destination Recap:

• Palermo, Sicily, Italy
• Sorrento, Italy
• Naples, Italy
• Greece
• Türkiye
• Kars, Türkiye
• Georgia
• Tbilisi, Georgia
• Azerbaijan
• Uzbekistan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
• Kazakhstan
• Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan
• Almaty, Kazakhstan
• Mongolia
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• Hatgal, Mongolia
• Lake Khövsgöl, Mongolia
• Kathmandu, Nepal
• Punjab, India
• Central India
• Sri Lanka
• Costa Rica
• Brazil
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

With thanks to...

Richard Haworth - Discover their luxury hotel-quality bedding, towels and table linen at Richard Haworth At Home

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

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