The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust

Giant green palms, sugar-white sand beaches where every shell seems to move with life, and gin-clear waters home to an aquarium of kaleidoscopic marine life.

Welcome to the Cocos Keeling Islands – an atoll almost halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka where the airport runway doubles as the golf course, so infrequent are the flights.

We explain why this special little spot should be on your travel bucket list – and if you’re travelling from Australia, you don’t even need a passport to get there. 

We also chat about Emirates' new data about the hot European destinations this winter, and Airbnb's spring travel report is out with some top tips for staying safe when you are a solo traveller.

https://cocoskeelingislands.com.au/

https://news.airbnb.com/2025-spring-trends-travelers-embrace-soft-slow-travel/

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What do you do when a revolution breaks out? If you're Dennis Bunnik, you throw yourself into the thick of it. Dennis is co-owner of Bunnik Tours which, in 2025  celebrates 30 years taking Australians to every corner of the globe, and he chats to Belle about the situations he's found himself in as a very, very hands-on small group tour operator. 

He's also a hardcore aviation geek with a huge YouTube following for his airline reviews and behind-the-scenes access into the world of aviation, answering all the big questions like, "What happens to airline blankets?" 

He shares his hot tips for best airlines in all classes, adds a few airport lounge hacks and 'fesses up to the country-counting competition of his family. See bunniktours.com.au   

Also, where to go if you're seeking spiritual enlightenment on your next trip. New research from Psychic World reveals the top destinations we're searching for that deepen our connection to faith, heritage and history.

And a new study by Australian luggage brand Kadi Luggage reveals the best time and day of the week to schedule your flights at five major Australian airports to avoid the dread flight delays.

https://kadiluggage.com/

Finally, where is Belle off to this week? Tune in...

https://www.youtube.com/c/DennisBunnikTravels  

https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/whats-on/world-book 

https://www.psychicworld.com/

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First, she walked the length of New Zealand and now adventurer, author and inspirational speaker Laura Waters has completed an epic journey paddling the length of Australia’s longest river, the Murray River.

The 2,400-kilometre challenge saw her paddle for weeks on end. She tells us why she did it, recounts the tough challenges she faced along the way and tells us where the best spots are if you want to follow in her wake.

Watch Laura here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCRARCeTKyw

The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards has revealed the best in the business, from tourist attractions and festivals to five-star accommodation.

And non-bank lender MONEYME has analysed Australia’s 10 most popular holiday destinations to find the best and worst value destinations for travellers.

Finally, we give you a sneak peek into one of Melbourne's most anticipated luxury hotels, 1 Hotel, and explain why this hotel is gaining so much attention.

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If your dream destination is anywhere curled up with a great book in a cosy nook by the fire or by the pool, let Lucy Pearson take you on a reading retreat. 

Lucy is a bibliotherapist and bespoke library curator who has designed a series of upcoming reading retreats in France, Wales and Australia.
  
Expect silent book clubs or find a cosy nook by the fire or pool to read, as well as a bibliotherapy session and a book 'prescription'. Each retreat has a theme, stories shaped by the sea, a French-inspired reading list inspired by the allure of France, and a winter retreat where houses are the central character.

Co-host Belle also asks Lucy for her travel lit hot list, which includes:

Holy Cow! (India) Sarah MacDonald
Wild (USA) Sheryl Strayed
In Search of Silence (India & New Zealand) Poorna Bell 
Eat Pray Love (India, Italy, Indonesia) Elizabeth Gilbert
Hideous Kinky (Morocco) Esther Freud and her favourite travelogue;
A Year in Provence (France) Peter Mayle.

For more about Lucy's reading retreats in Provence, Wales or Daylesford here in Australia and her bibliotherapy practice, visit thelitedit.com  You can also sign up to her substack, and follow her on Instagram.

And what kind of holidays are we taking? Find out what's hot right now, according to new research from experience network Big Red Group.

We also hit the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival; Kirstie went to the Longest Lunch - think hundreds of meters of tables set along the lawns of Kings Domain, while Belle went to gaol. She sat down to what should have been Ned Kelly's final dinner the atmospheric Old Melbourne Gaol. There are still more free and low-cost events at the festival, or pop in the diary for the 2026 festival; https://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au

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“These women are selling bikes to families who are using them to get to the river to fish, fields to farm and to get to school… we have one bike shop in Zambia that has sold over 8,000 bikes in that local community… and they are ferocious entrepreneurs and it’s so fun to hear them talk about their lives now compared to when they started nine years ago,” Keith Sproule, the Executive Director of Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy.

Keith Sproule oversees 55 philanthropy projects for A&K in 24 countries, including this one that he mentions, where A&K opens bike shops for women across Africa and the Middle East who use the money to buy homes and ensure their children have access to a better education. 

Also, TravelInsurance.com.au research shows many Aussie travellers are choosing Asia over Europe – we explain why, and our tip is about the top five passport mistakes you need to avoid by Smartraveller.

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Discover what fills your heart with Ireland, be it the rich culture, the legendary Irish hospitality, the stunning scenery, ancient cities or world-class food.  This episode is sponsored by our friends at Tourism Ireland. Learn more at ireland.com

This coming week sees the celebration of St Patrick's Day, one of the biggest festivals on the Emerald Isle. Walk the famous saint's waymarked way, or find your  own celebration, from the long-running Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival to the Puca Festival, marking the pagan event Samhain, the ancestor of Halloween. Ireland's most famous literary son, Oscar Wilde, died 125 years ago in 2025, and is celebrated in a new Wilde weekend, In Our Dreams.

Then, we take an about-turn back to Australia. "Melbourne is a city of stories," says author, guide and Melbourne aficionado Dale Campisi, whose new book, Naarm/Melbourne Neighbourhoods is a wealth of history, walks and minutiae about the Victorian capital. 

We ask Dale all your burning questions; did Melbourne narrowly avoid being called Batmania? Which Melbourne skyscraper is drizzled in (symbolic) blood? And was Flinders Street Station really supposed to be built in Mumbai? He also talks about Naarm/Melbourne's indigenous history, and what the land was like before Europeans settled here. 

We also have a giveaway! To win a copy of Dale's book, drop us a line at [email protected] to be in the running.  

And our tip this week is the art exhibitions you need to see right now. We're talking Inca gold, Japanese pumpkins and Australia's contribution to Europe's 20th-century, avant-garde art movement. 

Melbourne @ National Gallery of Victoria ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/yayoi-kusama/ 

Sydney @ Australian Museum australian.museum/exhibition/machu-picchu/ 

Canberra @ National Gallery nga.gov.au/exhibitions/anne-dangar/ 

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“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 [email protected] - we love hearing from our listeners!

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Ice skating, Christmas markets, imperial palaces and eating sausages in your opera gown – welcome to Vienna. Co-host Belle Jackson gives us a rundown from her recent 'coolcation' to Austria's capital and why 2025 is the year to visit, wien.info/en  and how you can use Vienna as a hub for further European exploration, using a Eurail pass.

We also chat about the NZ$500,000 campaign to lure Aussies across the ditch. Have you heard of the new tagline? Sublime or a stinker? Take a listen to hear our thoughts, newzealand.com 

And here's a link to Australia's own tourism classic youtube.com/watch?v=LaWrkBo0t1o and the current Swiss campaign, which we love, features Roger Federer and Trevor Noah, youtube.com/watch?v=5JK7vjVaIvo 

And how do you avoid Japan's cherry blossom crowds? We're thinking outside the box on this one... japan-guide.com/sakura/ 

Drop us your thoughts on this week's episode at [email protected] - we love hearing from our listeners!

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How do you get more real estate in an economy airline seat? Tech reviewer Alaisdair Leith rounds up some great new travel gear - with a seriously unexpected find... 

His new travel gear recommendations are:
Ninja water bottle
Bellroy Lite Travel Pack
Sony in-ear headphones
The Bevledge - ta-da!
and Belle's addition, thanks to guide James Burt of the Tasmanian Walking Company, is the Wollemi 90 Ultralight Expedition pack

Also, Kirstie and Belle chat about their recent stay at the newly reopened Adina Apartment Hotel Sydney Town Hall, and bring you the best news from the world's biggest travel industry meet, by TravMedia. 

And finally, we touch on the UK's new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) and ask; where will you find the world's most polite drivers?  

Drop us your thoughts on [email protected] - we'd love to hear!

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It's one of the world's greatest tourist destinations, and Machu Picchu totally lives up to the hype! 

Our guest this week is Sol Campos de Parry, Peru trade commissioner to Australia, who talks about the joy of hiking to the Inca City's Sun Gate. But if you miss out on a hiking permit up the Inca Trail, or are keen to explore other trails in Peru, Sol also takes us to other great walking destinations in the Amazon and Ancash's classic Laguna 69 trek in Huascarán National Park. Beware - Laguna 69 is at over 4600m, so she also shares some tips on adapting to high altitudes.

Also, this week, all the news of new hotels, restaurants and adventures on the Sunshine Coast. See visitsunshinecoast.com

And hello to all the lovers out there - Kirstie and Belle name their most romantic hotels for Valentine's Day, guaranteed to make you swoon!

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.

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