The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust

"I always say 'collect, don’t shop'… so when you're purchasing something that’s a tangible representation of a destination you’re making a contribution not only financially, but also to that cultural preservation of a destination, and that’s something you’ll have forever and it’s better than any memory," says Andria Mitsakos, founder of Anthologist and global founder of AMPR. 

It was an accident, quite literally, that saw Mitsakos fall in love with Greece, and now she splits her time between Athens and the Greek island of Paros. She takes us to some of the country's best artisans where she buys her artefacts, and shares insider tips on the best way to enjoy a Greek getaway. 

We also talk about all the new flight routes landing in Australia, and our tip this week is from Smartraveller about how to stay safe when drinking overseas. Watch Belle’s interview on ABC News TV here. See Smartraveller’s tips here. 

This episode is sponsored by Explore Worldwide, which offers small-group adventures with local tour leaders. Click here for adventure travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

“Costa Rica has something that’s very special… we have the second best place in the world for diving … and now the Government is thinking in blue, and you’ll hear that soon about the Costa Rica preservation, the idea is to make the coastline a [fish] nursery… so you’re going to hear very soon about the blue country Costa Rica wants to be,” Juan Carlos Rodriguez, a naturalist guide with Explore Worldwide.

Few people would be as passionate about their country as Juan, who has been taking tours to experience Costa Rica's incredible flora and fauna for more than three decades. He talks to us about what makes the Central American country the best destination for a nature escape, and how it plans to be the world’s first ‘blue country’. 

We also chat about the world's safest airlines by Airline Ratings; and what do you do when you make a purchase overseas and are given the option to pay in multiple currencies? We explain the best way to save with a tip from CNN journalist and host of the travel series, Quest’s World of Wonder, Richard Quest.

This episode is sponsored by Explore Worldwide, which offers small-group adventures with local tour leaders. Click here for adventure travel inspiration to Costa Rica from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

There are 26,000 ramen bars in Tokyo – how do you choose the best one? Chef Luke Burgess talks about finding your way to the best places to eat in Tokyo.

Luke, who co-authored the book 'Only in Tokyo: Two Chefs, 24 Hours, the Ultimate Food City', shares his favourite, and most confronting dishes, and talks about the endless pursuit of understanding Japanese food and its refinement, see https://www.instagram.com/lukeburgess77/?hl=en

Also, Lonely Planet's much anticipated global best beaches of 2025 list has dropped and Australia has made the top two; and travel is still top of our wishlist, according to a new survey from money.com.au.

This episode is sponsored by Explore Worldwide, which offers small group adventures with local tour leaders. Click here for adventure travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Sri Lanka now has its first long-distance hiking route and we’re talking to the man who created it.
 
The 300-kilometre The Pekoe Trail is the brainchild of adventurer Miguel Cunat, who spent a decade knitting together hill-country trails to create a walking route that ventures through tea plantations and historical sites, and visits remote villages to connect with the local culture. He talks about how he did it, and his favourite parts of the trail.
 
We also take you to the Australian Open tennis tournament, and cover the best Australian summer events for your calendar. And our hot tip is how best to travel with your hound, thanks to Shandos Cleaver, author of Off the Leash in Australia., see travelnuity.com
 
This episode is sponsored by Explore Worldwide, which offers small group adventures with local tour leaders. Click here for adventure travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Dream of days wandering Italy’s Amalfi Coast? In our first episode of 2025, we are taking you there with Australian-Italian author Maria Pasquale.

Maria’s new book, Mangia: How to eat your way through Italy, explores the food histories and dishes across regional Italy, including Campania, home to the Amalfi Coast, famed for its fragrant lemons and San Marzano tomatoes.
So let’s go explore some of the villages and beaches, Maria’s shares the best places to eat on the Amalfi Coast, her favourite dining experiences, and the best times to visit Italy's playground, maria-pasquale.com  

We also chat about the top travel trends for 2025 from coolcations to radical sabbaticals exploreworldwide.com.au/travel-trends-2025, and we share some great tips from Etihad’s cabin crew about inflight skincare.

This episode is sponsored by Explore Worldwide, which offers small group adventures with local tour leaders. We dare you not to be tempted by these incredible tours.

Click here for Adventure Travel inspiration from our friends at Explore Worldwide. Don’t Just Travel, Explore.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

This is our last Summer Series before we return to normal programming! Tune in for a masterclass on how to fly first class with Chris Chamberlin of Points Hacks. Chris has travelled more than two million kilometres in first or business class (that’s to the moon and back, twice) and shares his insights on which loyalty programs to focus on, and how to strategise your spending to switch your seats from beside the toilets to the champagne class. See pointhacks.com.au 

Want to get the best airfare to Europe or the US? Co-founder of Complex Travel Group, Mark Trim shares insider secrets on airlines to watch, alternative routes and the best time to buy. Trim's advice on what constitutes the 'best' airfare might also surprise you. complextravel.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Do you go on holiday, only to come back feeling like you need ...another holiday? How do we come back rested from a getaway? Journalist, author and co-founder of Life Unhurried Celeste Mitchell talks about how to slow down when you travel, and the best places to do it, lifeunhurried.com

Then all aboard for The Orient Express, The Ghan, The Flying Scotsman or The Rocky Mountaineer with train aficionado and travel writer Tim Richards. The author of several books including Heading South and Ultimate Train Journeys, he chats about why sleeper trains are back in fashion, new innovations in train travel, the best, scenic train routes and how to train on a budget, iwriter.com.au

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Let's take you completely off the beaten track and to the ends of the Earth.

Jenny Gray is the force behind Intrepid Travel’s women-only expeditions, which it runs in seven countries including Saudi Arabia. Jenny chats about travelling as a woman in the kingdom, exploring its deserts and meeting its people, merging two of the hottest trends in tourism at the moment - women-only travel and Saudi Arabia, intrepid.com

And Antarctica and the Arctic are two of the last frontiers on the planet. Veteran journalist Andrew Conway takes us into these incredibly fragile places, explaining  what you can expect in each, how they differ, and how we travellers can help ensure their survival for future generations https://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/ship/greg-mortimer/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Welcome to our Summer Series for 24/25. We're kicking off with our islands edition, and we're taking you to Indonesia and Italy!

Let's go to a remote tropical island in the Indonesian archipelago, where young Aussie couple, Jess and Dan Baldock have built Alamayah, a luxury boutique retreat. Designed by Jess and built by Dan along with the people of Sumba, the tiny, six-suite retreat has been a cultural experience, as the couple learned the local language and culture in the process, embedding Alamayah into the community, all the while raising their own young family on the island, alamayah.com 

Would you cycle for more than 210 kilometres in 30+ degree heat around southern Sardinia? For host Kirstie Bedford it was a dream come true. Kirstie spent a week biking the hills of the Italian island, all in the name of fun. She rode through an abandoned medieval village, biked through a Blue Zone, climbed hills to scour some of the Mediterranean's most beautiful beaches, and drank wine with locals to celebrate what Italians do best – live life to the fullest. Listen for Kirstie's vote for the prettiest Italian town and how you can follow in her bike tracks, utracks.com

And you can read Kirstie's latest story about her trip here: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/australian-geographic-adventure/destinations/2024/12/pedalling-for-pasta-a-week-of-cycling-around-southern-sardinia/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au

Fly up the pointy end of the plane with air mile loyalty specialist, Adele Eliseo of  The Champagne Mile. 

“Points collection is less about flying and more about where you can maximise your points on the ground," says  Adele, "In almost every area where we spend money there’s a way to get points, so start by analysing your spending and where you could collect points.”

And she walks the talk, having flown her entire family business class around the world, thechampagnemile.com.au

Also, the summer travel scams you need to watch out for according to booking.com, and with Christmas mere seconds away, we've got gift suggestions for the jetsetter in your life.

Buy experiences at redballoon.com.au
Search hardtofind.com.au & buyfromthebush.com.au
Bluetooth luggage tags: tile.com & apple.com
Buy a goat unwrapped.oxfam.org.au
Destination-inspired candles glasshousefragrances.com

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au