Having been recognised twice during 2025 for the quality of our work here at Travel Writers Radio, we are proud to announce that this month we also received two awards for our work, one recognising the international flavour of our work and the other acknowledging excellence. We are notified in December that the show had been shortlisted as a finalist in the LUXLife Travel and Tourism Awards for 20256.

So we were understandably thrilled when the announcement came this month that we had won awards:

- Best International Travel & Lifestyle Podcast 2026 – Australia

and a second award

– LUXLife Client Satisfaction Excellence Award 2026.

LUXLife is part of the British-based Global Media Group.

Thank you

From the auspices of Travel Writers Radio in Melbourne, here is the latest travel and lifestyle news, produced and presented by Graeme Kemlo and Helen Hayes.

We get dozens of submissions every day, so to submit an item to be considered for our bulletin please make it short, t fair and ,accurate, not AI-generated and interesting.

Contact us by email - [email protected]

It's not usual for Graeme Kemlo to get an email from Guantanamo Cuba. But he did. It was from Guantanamo Bay, also known as GTMO, an infamous prison for enemy combatants following September 11 under the George W Bush presidency. Di he respond? Graeme takes up the story with author Victoria Montes, who turns out to be a teacher at the US Naval Base's high school and an author.

In her #Worth1000words submission this week, our reporter Fiona Harper, travelled to Antarctica from New Zealand. On Macqyarie Island she says she encountereda huddle of thousands of her favourite King Penguins. We think this image is definitely #Worth100-0Words

* Ourt script may have wrongly referred to these as Emperor penguins - blame the producer.

It’s hard to imagine anything better than a safari in Africa … until you do a safari on the water. Carolyne Jasinski checks out the laid-back luxury on a Chobe Princess river cruise and says the wildlife experience went up another notch.

Photo: Carolyne Jasinski

Our Aussie Expat in New York City, Phil Brown gives us an update on what is happening in the Big Apple from weather that is the extreme opposite of our extreme heat, to the latest political activities from Washington as they affect Democrat States, and also the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland. He spoke to Graeme Kemlo earlier.

Photo: Phil Brown

Just published by Brisbane-based writer, Rose Lane is is the story of a little-known walled city in the Upper Mustang region of Tibet that, effectively the last kingdom of a region that used to comprise many small kingdoms Rose had toured Tibet and Nepal before but seeing the unknown kingdom depicted on a postcard piqued her interest and having lost her childhood home when it was sold off, she decided to take a break and try to find the small kingdom in Tibet. She tells Graeme Kemlo how it became a Masters Thesis for her university study and ultimately a book.

The Last Tibetan Kingdom - A Journey In Search of Home by Rise Lane

Photo: supplied by author

In further news of recognition for achievement, one of the Foundation Members of Travel Writers Radio, Carolyne Jasinski, was formally recognised by Executive Producer of the show, Graeme Kemlo, for her contribution. Carolyne is a prolific reporter who travels so much that she spent 141 nights away from home in 2025.

As well as sometimes co-hosting Travel Writers Radio, Carolyne has recorded more than 200 interviews.

Among her favourite stories was an interview aboard The Ghan with 91 year-old Ted Dowsett

- https://soundcloud.com/travelwritersradio/ted-dowsett-reflects-on-his-91-years-and-many-ghan-trips-carolyne-jasinski? si=585c4893ae5f4592b624b5abb7c11064&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Thanks Carolyne - you deserve that G and T

Here is what's on Travel Writers Radil this week. The show broadcast first on J-AIR 88FM is produced and presented by the professional members of PALAT - the Professional Association of Lifestyle and Travel Writers. From Melbourne, we have been broadcasting to the world for almost 12 years. And this year, our award-winning program has been ranked Best International Travel & Lifestyle Podcast - Australia by the Global Media Group. We thank you, our listener,s and really appreciate the recognition on behalf of our team members here in Australia and offshore. To contact us, email: [email protected]

Carolyne Jasinski stepped off a cruise down the west coast of Africa into CapeTown from where she went on safari in Zimbabwe. With water and greenery everywhere, December is the ‘off’ season for wildlife spotting in Africa but blessed with a great guide (his name was Blessed) Carolyne Jasinski sees an elusive leopard at Mpala Jena safari lodge on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River.

Photo: Carolyne Jasinski shows her guide, Blessed Mpofu