The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust

This week, two of the world's biggest travel entrepreneurs speak to The World Awaits.

Social entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author and G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip talks about his decision to take his company into the luxury space after three decades – and what it means to you, the traveller. “The beautiful thing of travel [is] you have the opportunity to transform lives if you step out of your comfort zone,” says Bruce Poon Tip, gadventures.com

Anyone who’s ever used a Lonely Planet guidebook will have read the story about how Tony and Maureen Wheeler wrote and published their first guidebook, Across Asia on the Cheap, on their kitchen table in 1973, finally selling the Lonely Planet behemoth in 2011. Tony talks about counting countries, flying with carry-on only, his favourite country and the art of travel. He also shares what he’s reading now, tonywheeler.com.au

We also have a gorgeous giveaway from Gypsea Loop, a gold or silver Hair Tie Bangle. To win, email us at [email protected] and tell us where you'd like to wear the bangle. Bonus entries if you like and follow on instagram at @theworldawaitspodcast and tag a friend!   

What Tony’s reading now:

Dust On My Shoes by Peter Pinney
The Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay 
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

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Need some travel tech or gear inspo? We’ve got you covered this week, with Belle and our producer Alaisdair Leith back behind the mic. We’ve also teamed up with Gypsea Loop to give away a gorgeous Hair Tie Bangle, talk whale swims and Rick Stein's NSW hotel, pop into Melbourne bar Brass Monkey’s love letter to Victoria, and stay at the W Sydney.  

Here's our travel gear hotlist:

Gypsea Loop Hair Tie Bangle, our gorgeous giveaway, is designed by Tracy Morris of The Blonde Nomads Australian travelling family. In plated gold or silver, value $119. To enter our giveaway, email us at [email protected], and tell us where you'd like to be wearing the bracelet. Bonus points if you follow @theworldawaitspodcast , like the post and tag a friend; gypsealoop.com 

TG90 Portable Charger - fast recharging on the go
Ray Ban Meta Headliner - sunglasses with video call, camera, speakers,
Twelve South Airfly Pro - wireless adapter
Peak Design Tech Pouch - best little bag in town
SunButter Reef Safe Sunscreen - Australian made, carbon neutral
Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Balm - organic, Australian made

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Welcome to the winter series, where we talk to two of the biggest influences in the travel industry. 

He’s eaten tarantulas, jumped out of planes, dropped his kilt while Highland dancing and even…gone camping *quelle horreur!* Kevin Moloney, together with his wife Janetta Stones, are 'the snobby travellers' on the incredibly successful Travel Guides show on Nine network. See https://www.9now.com.au/travel-guides

Also this week, should you wash that elephant in Thailand? Adventure World managing director Neil Rodgers chats about the importance of ethical travel and how to ensure you are doing the right thing by wildlife when you travel. 

"If you can touch an animal, it’s not a good experience... our whole element is teach not preach, I inherently think people want to do the right thing, but as an industry, we need to be harsh," he says. See https://www.adventureworld.com/ 
 
Next week, Alaisdair Leith joins Belle Jackson to talk about travel tech and the gadgets that make life on the road a little smoother. 

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Chef, restaurateur, author and all-round nice guy Luke Mangan has restaurants in hotels, cruise ships, airports and even in a pylon in the  Sydney Harbour Bridge He has an OAM for his services to hospitality and has just launched his own wine brand. Kirstie chats to him about his favourite places to travel and eat, how he got his start and what he’s up to next. See lukemangan.com

We also talk through some of the world’s best adult-only hotels for a kid-free getaway, and share some tips on working remotely in another country. Italy calling anyone? See placestotravel.com

ADULT-ONLY HOTELS: In Europe, Green Pearls recommends Italy’s first holistic vegan hotel LA VIMEA, treetop hotel My Arbor in Italy’s South Tyrol and sustainable Lifestyle Hotel SAND at Timmendorfer Strand on the Baltic coast in Germany. And in Australia, Mr & Mrs Smith recommend the Islington Hotel in Hobart, Longitude 131 at Uluru and Maleny Lodge on the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

greenpearls.com &
mrandmrssmith.com/collections/adults-only-hotels

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It's our birthday! The World Awaits turns one, and to celebrate, we're talking the world's oldest and rarest cultural traditions, where to drink martinis and we even have a great giveaway!

Author Eliot Stein talks about how he travelled around the globe in search of people who are maintaining some of the world’s oldest and rarest cultural traditions for his book, Custodians of Wonder. He meets a Peruvian bridge weaver, Sweden's last night watchman, a 27th-generation West African griot and a woman making the world's rarest pasta.

What's a birthday without a trip down memory lane? We take a look back at our favourite eps and how we got into radio and podcasting.

And for our birthday, we’re giving you the presents: drop us a line at [email protected] and tell us your favourite episode, for a chance to win a double pass to Yarra Valley’s winter wine festival, on the weekend of the winter solstice, Shortest Lunch  shortestlunch.com.au

Finally, celebrate World Martini Day with a martini (or two) - Garden Street Gin club’s mixologist George Bekarian recommends Bar Planet in Newtown, Bobby’s Free in Barcelona or his own bar, Cardea, in Sydney’s Barangaroo. See gardenstreet.com

Eliot Stein's book, Custodians of Wonder: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250281098/custodiansofwonder 

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Jenny Gray is the force behind Intrepid Travel’s incredibly successful women-only expeditions, which it runs in seven countries including Saudi Arabia. Jenny and Belle travelled together recently 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 

Also, the rise in cruising and how much does an ultra-luxe, round-the-world cruise actually cost? We ask leading liners Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and also review chef Luke Mangan’s newest restaurant, Bistrot Bisou, in Hotel Indigo Melbourne  on Flinders, see silversea.com, regent.cruiselines.com, bistrotbisou.com.au

And a new book recommendation; Walking the Rock Country in Kakadu/Karrire kundenge karribolknan kunwarddehwardde by Diane Lucas and Ben Tyler is written in English and Kundjeyhmi, one of the 11 Bininj Kunwok languages of Kakadu and western Arnhem Land,  allenandunwin.com 

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 ‘It’s already authentic, it’s not made for the tourist, everything is there like it has been for hundreds of years, Sanjib Raj Khanal, CEO of Explore Japan.

Sanjib is a leading tour operator in West Japan, and talks about why Shikoku, Japan’s fourth largest island – with its tranquil Iya Valley,  ancient rope swings and famed ramen – offers an authentic cultural experience, and why going regional in Japan rewards curious travellers. See the Naoshima art house project benesse-artsite.jp 

We also talk accessible travel - Australians with disabilities spend $8 billion annually on tourism services, taking more than 20% of all day trips. We share some of Australia’s best accessible tourism experiences, such as the Three Sisters walk in the Blue Mountains and Quicksilver’s water-powered lift to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.  For more, see australia.com/en/facts-and-planning/getting-around/accessible-travel-in-australia.html or visit Travel Without Limits,  Australia’s only disability specific magazine, travelwithoutlimits.com.au 

Finally, MasterChef judge Melissa Leong shares her tips for eating in Hong Kong. Mix fine dining with a market street walk – take a foodie tour through Central and Sheung Wan, or a seafood lunch and walk on Lamma Island, she says. And for fine dining, Melissa plumps for the Michelin-starred Man Wah restaurant, on top of the Mandarin Oriental - while you’re there, nip into the Aubrey, currently #17 on the Asia’s 50 Best Bars list.
hongkongfoodietours.com/buy-tickets/central-sheung-wan-foodie-tour/
discoverhongkong.com 

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How do you earn the right to list “Adventurer” as your occupation? Ride a bicycle 10,000km across Russia? Row a wooden boat to the Arctic Ocean? Or maybe spend 3 ½ years riding from Mongolia to Hungary on horseback?

Tim Cope has done all three, and has written and filmed his epic adventures. His best known book is On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads, and he talks about Mongolia, a land where there are no fences, where people invite strangers into their homes, and hospitality is the rule, not the exception. 

“In truth, by the time I arrived in Mongolia, I’d only been on a horse in five days,” Tim admits. “But I learned to ride horses amongst nomadic people of Mongolia and Kazakhstan.” See timcopejourneys.com

Also this week, a look at the disruptions in the aviation industry – the good (Nauru Airlines, Qantas) and bad (Bonza, Vanuatu) – and how you can get your Australian passport faster, and cheaper. You can thank us later! 

.

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Social entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author and G Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip talks to Kirstie about his decision to take his travel company into the luxury space after three decades – and what it means to you, the traveller. Stay to the end because you do not want to miss his most bizarre travel moment!  gadventures.com

Also, why not trade the southern winter for a food festival in northern Australia? The weather’s warm, they’ve got celeb chefs, and watermelon skiing. Believe us.

And our tip this week is about what to look for when booking an airport hotel while you’re in transit.

Taste of Port Douglas, 8-11 August tasteportdouglas.com.au
Curated Plate, Sunshine Coast, July 26-4 August thecuratedplate.com.au
Karrimanjbekkan An-me Kakadu (Taste of Kakadu), 24-26 May kakadutourism.com
Scenic Rim Eat Local Month, 1-3 June eatlocalmonth.com.au
Redfest Strawberry festival, 6 – 8 September redfest.com.au
Toowoomba festival of Food & Wine, 8-10 September tcof.com.au
Blackbutt Avocado festival, 14 September avofest.com.au 

And if you’d like to check out the Chicago packages with the Sofitel Melbourne, see sofitel-melbourne.com.au

As a bonus, Belle shares her favourite clip of the week, about the fact Melbourne still doesn’t have a rail link to the airport. Sound on. abc.net.au/melbourne/sammy-j-s-ode-to-melbourne-s-ariport-rail/103830622?utm 

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All eyes are on Paris ahead of the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, from 26 July, 2024. Magali Déchelette joins us to talk about the world’s most beloved city, and how to get the best out of a visit to Paris. Magali, who is the founder of Family Twist, a company that creates luxury family-friendly experiences across the great cultural cities of Europe, shares her favourite times to visit, viewpoints (it’s not from the Eiffel Tower), and travelling with kids in Paris, family-twist.com 

Also, we swish through the luxury of Dubai’s new signature hotel, Atlantis The Royal, with its sky-high pool bar collab with Dolce&Gabbana and the super-luxe Nobu beach bar, and celebrate the news that international flight prices are going down, according to research by Flight Centre, atlantis.com, karryon.com.au

Finally, Southern Cross Travel Insurance reveals the most common scams that target travellers, from the old “my taxi meter is broken” to visa application fraud, scti.com.au--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

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