The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust

It's the Switzerland of the Middle East, but unassuming Oman flies under the radar as a travel destination. This week co-host Belinda Jackson talks about why you should visit Oman - come for the evocative deserts, stay for the wild turtles and the rose harvest. We also take you on a quick run through the newly renovated boutique hotel The Lyall in South Yarra, and the four-star, wallet-friendly Dorsett Melbourne in central Melbourne, which just celebrated its first birthday, thelyall.com,⁠ dorsetthotels.com And which is the world’s best airport? Skytrax’ annual award for top airport in 2024 goes to ...[tune in to find out!], while Houston wins best art in an airport for its outstanding visual and performance art, and Melbourne was the highest of the Australian airports to make the list, at #19. Do you agree Melbourne is the best Aussie airport? https://www.worldairportawards.com/the-worlds-top-10-airports-of-2024/ Finally, we get to the bottom of gastro, revealing which countries where you’re most likely to suffer gastro (hint, it’s not called Bali Belly or Delhi Belly for nothing), according to healthnews.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

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 Also, new research on travellers' sleep habits shows how important a good night's sleep is, and we (over)share some rather ...precarious situations we've found ourselves in while trying to sleep on a holiday (hint: what ARE those people doing in next room?) And our tip this week is about how to maximise your European rail pass, thanks to Rail Europe, raileurope.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

What’s a tourism experience you can have nowhere in the world but here in Australia? Uluru is one of our great icons, and its tourist hub, Ayres Rock Resort, turns 40 this year. So it’s a great time to catch up with Matt Cameron-Smith, the CEO of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, which manages the resort. We talk about his favourite indigenous cultural experiences, with tips on where to eat, drink, see and experience country, voyages.com.au Also, Kirstie and Belle set you up for a great little weekend away on the Bellarine Peninsula, just 90 minutes from Melbourne. It’s got it all – coastal walks, exceptional food, a cycle rail trail and some of the best wine in the country, visitgeelongbellarine.com.au And with ANZAC Day just around the corner, our tip this week is about retracing history through some of the significant Commonwealth War memorial sites around the world, cwgc.org Can’t get enough of travel? Why not buy us a coffee, so we can continue sharing great travel inspo with you, ko-fi.com/theworldawaits --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

How green is Tasmania? Lush mountainsides and emerald islands, but also farmers' markets and farmgates, and a story of pristine bays and innovative Indigenous experiences. The isle that is the apple of our eye lured Tourism Tasmania CEO Sarah Clark back home for the top job, and she tells Kirstie what makes Tassie different to anywhere else in the world, discovertasmania.com.au Also, the world's best economy, business and first classes are named by Australia's own AirlineRatings.com And our tip is how to soak up a destination via books - search TripFiction to find books set in the location you're travelling in, tripfiction.com And co-host Kirstie's got a new gig, check out her news here: Karryon-Luxury --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Tune in for a masterclass on getting into Gold Class when you fly, with points whisperer Chris Chamberlin of Points Hacks. Chris has travelled over two million kilometers 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 Also this episode, which is the world’s happiest country? See worldhappiness.report And where do you go to feel the genius of Leonardo Da Vinci, when in Milan, courtesy of the new Da Vinci: 500 Years of Genius exhibition at The Lume, in Melbourne, thelumemelbourne.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Would you cycle around the world with three kids, including a one-year-old baby? Andrew and Nicola Hughes quit their teaching jobs to do just that – they tell Kirstie about how they finance their trips, the logistics of it all and the trick of juggling three kids on bicycles. “Challenge and persistence, perseverance and exploration…are values we hold dear and want to share with our children, says Andrew. Follow the Hughes family at ⁠swagfamily.au⁠ Also, Kirstie tells us about her recent writers’ residency Varuna in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, and we have two tips – the first will help ensure you sleep better when you travel and the second will help you avoid the airlines with the most delays and cancellations. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Do you love the romance of a long train journey? Do these names – The Orient Express, The Ghan, The Flying Scotsman or The Rocky Mountaineer – have you dreaming of riding the rails into the sunset? Belle chats with train aficionado and travel writer Tim Richards, author of several books including Heading South and Ultimate Train Journeys World about why sleeper trains are back in fashion, new innovations in train travel, the best, scenic train routes for and how to train on a budget. We also ask Tim: can you actually sleep on a sleeper train, and we put a call out for a high-speed rail link between Sydney and Melbourne! Also, this episode, Indonesia (read: Bali) has bumped New Zealand off its perch as most visited destination for Australians, and cost-saving site WeThrift reveals the cheapest cities to visit. See iwriter.com.au www.seat61.com www.thetrainline.com www.eurail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

How do you experience Māori culture? Andrew Waddel from Tourism New Zealand talks about Indigenous tourism, the balance of getting it right for both the tourist and the local tangata whenua and why it’s so important to help ensure New Zealand attracts the travellers it so badly needs to boost the economy. Also, iconic travel photographer Steve McCurry is best known for his portrait of Sharbat Gula (the Afghan Girl), which went global as the cover shot for National Geographic in 1985 and is currently on exhibition in Melbourne. Steve shares some tips for getting that travel shot. And finally, from Turbli, a turbulence forecast tool, the world’s bumpiest airport is… can you guess? . newzealand.com stevemccurryicons.com turbli.com/historical-data/most-turbulent-airports-of-2023/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

They’re billed as ‘the snobby travellers’ but is it all just a front for Channel Nine’s Travel Guides, Kevin Moloney and Janetta Stones? In conversation with Belle, Kevin gives us a peek behind the velvet curtains of the tv show, which has sent the pair travelling to every corner of the globe since Travel Guides started in 2017 (meanwhile collecting armfuls of gongs along the way). Also this week, which do you think is the world’s most luxurious airport? We also welcome Turkish Airlines to Melbourne for its inaugural Istanbul-Melbourne route, and a hot tip from CNN anchor Richard Quest how status should be your friend when it comes to booking an airfare. https://9now.nine.com.au/travel-guides https://www.turkishairlines.com https://www.allcleartravel.co.uk/blog/worlds-most-luxurious-airports/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Louis Thompson from Nomadic Resorts talks about how he’s flipping luxury travel on its head by creating flat-pack hotels with a low-carbon footprint – and he’s won two UN recognitions in the process. And stay listening for Louis' thoughts on how AI will have a positive long-term impact on eco-lodges in the future, nomadicresorts.com Also, we chat Switftonomics with Taylor Swift in Australia this week, co-host Belle gets another gong, this time as TravMedia's Travel Writer of the Year, and which bucket-list destinations should you avoid? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Tony Wheeler is one of the most recognisable names in travel, and anyone who’s ever used a Lonely Planet guidebook will have read the story on the last page about how he and his wife Maureen 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. He talks about counting countries, flying with carry-on only, his favourite country and the art of travel, tonywheeler.com.au Also, do North Americans have the world’s friendliest accents? And the world’s best car-free cities; The world’s (allegedly) friendliest accent, minimumdepositcasinos.org Car-free cities comparethemarket.com.au/travel-insurance/features/best-car-less-cities/ What Tony Wheeler’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 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Let us take you 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 We also reveal Australia’s best beaches for 2024 – can you guess which state came out on top? (Here’s a hint, it’s their first time..) See bestaustralianbeaches.com And our travel tip is all about the invaluable online travel tool, smartraveller.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

The incoming Lunar New Year brings in the Year of the Wood Dragon – a year of opportunity and renewal, career work and success. Australian-Chinese artist Chris Chun talks us through the origins of the Chinese zodiac, and how best to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Take Chris’ recommendation and visit Melbourne’s Chinatown to see the Lunar New Year parade followed by yum cha, chinatownmelbourne.com.au then pop into the Museum of Chinese Australian History to say "Kung hei fat choi!" to the largest dragon in the world, the Millennial Dragon, whose head weighs around 200kg. Chris’s family’s favourite Chinese restaurant in Melbourne is the long-running Rock Kung has been around for decades, visit them at 101 Kingsway, Glen Waverley. Also, Booking.com releases its Top 10 Most Welcoming Places in Australia, and the Sunshine Coast and Victoria are shining bright - but who do you think got the top gong? For more Sunny Coast goodness, and to put its claim as Australia's craft beer capital to the test, see visitsunshinecoast.com And finally, let's save money on travel insurance! Financial comparison site Mozo shows you how, see mozo.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Should you wash elephants in Thailand? Adventure World's head Neil Rodgers talks about travelling ethically to ensure travel remains possible for our kids, including why you should avoid local tour operators who don’t protect wildlife, adventureworld.com.au Belle's just back from undertaking one of the great hikes in northern Victoria - the crossing between Falls Creek and Hotham, with Alpine Nature Experiences and Victoria's High Country. We also tell you how much we love the Australian Open and how to hack your annual leave so you can have longer holidays without sacrificing the pay packet, thanks to virginaustralia.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Antarctica and the Arctic are two of the last frontiers on the planet, and the focus of this week’s feature with veteran journalist Andrew Conway. He puts the case for travel to these two incredibly fragile, vulnerable places, and how we travellers can be involved in their conservation. We’re also talking the world's most powerful passports, according to the annual Henley Passport Index, based on data from the International Air Transport Association which shows which are the most powerful passports to hold – the more powerful, the more visa-free travel you can enjoy. For the full list, visit henleyglobal.com/passport-index/ranking And our tip this week is the safest places to travel, according to US multinational Berkshire Hathaway travel protection. Where do you reckon is the safest country? See bhtp.com/blog/safest-places-to-travel/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

We’re still in the thick of Australian summer holidays, so it’s time for the great Victorian playground play-off! We ask the hard questions – who did it better these summer holidays, Mornington Peninsula (Belle) or Phillip Island (Kirstie)? Also this episode, we cover off the top tourism spots that Australians love to hate… and the hard-loved Gold Coast gets repeat mentions, thanks to research by internationaldriversassociation.com But back to Victoria, we’ve both been holidaying in the top Australian holiday hotspots of the Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island for decades. So when we tell you what our favourite beach is, know that we’ve swam/walked/sunbathed on all the others, as well. We also share the best places for coffee, best walks (long and short, steep and flat), our favourite viewpoints and wildlife experiences. And, after years and years of investigative journalism/eating till we burst, you’ll get our favourite eats from our respective holiday heartlands. Best beach: MP, Safety Beach. PI, Smiths Beach. Best walk: MP, Bushrangers Bay. PI, Cape Woolamai Walk or George Bass Coastal walk. Best adventure: MP, Peninsula Hot Springs. PI, Phillip Island Helicopters. Best coffee: MP, Commonfolk (Mornington) or Little Rebel (Dromana). PI G’day Tiger (Cowes). Best wildlife experience: MP, Moonlit Sanctuary or Polperro Dolphin Swims. PI Penguin Parade or e-biking from Super Cruzer to spot wallabies. Best food & wine: MP, Polperro picnics, DOC vs 400 Gradi pizza in Mornington, fish & chips on any beach. PI Purple Hen winery’s pinot noir, Cowes foreshore markets. See morningtonpeninsulatourism.org, visitphillipisland.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

We’re still in the thick of Australian summer holidays, so it’s time for the great Victorian playground play-off! We ask the hard questions – who did it better these summer holidays, Mornington Peninsula (Belle) or Phillip Island (Kirstie)? Also this episode, we cover off the top tourism spots that Australians love to hate… and the hard-loved Gold Coast gets repeat mentions, thanks to research by internationaldriversassociation.com But back to Victoria, we’ve both been holidaying in the top Australian holiday hotspots of the Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island for decades. So when we tell you what our favourite beach is, know that we’ve swam/walked/sunbathed on all the others, as well. We also share the best places for coffee, best walks (long and short, steep and flat), our favourite viewpoints and wildlife experiences. And, after years and years of investigative journalism/eating till we burst, you’ll get our favourite eats from our respective holiday heartlands. Best beach: MP, Safety Beach. PI, Smiths Beach. Best walk: MP, Bushrangers Bay. PI, Cape Woolamai Walk or George Bass Coastal walk. Best adventure: MP, Peninsula Hot Springs. PI, Phillip Island Helicopters. Best coffee: MP, Commonfolk (Mornington) or Little Rebel (Dromana). PI G’day Tiger (Cowes). Best wildlife experience: MP, Moonlit Sanctuary or Polperro Dolphin Swims. PI. Cape Woolamai Walk (wallabies), Nobbies (for penguins) and the Koala Conservation Reserve. Best food & wine: MP, Polperro picnics, DOC vs 400 Gradi pizza in Mornington, fish & chips on any beach. PI . Pino's Trattoria in Cowes, Purple Hen Winery (don't go past the pinot noir). See morningtonpeninsulatourism.org, visitphillipisland.com.au --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

This week, we bring you two of the biggest names to join us here at The World Awaits – travel commentator Bruce Poon Tip and design innovator Bill Bensley. Social entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author and owner of adventure travel company G Adventure Bruce Poon Tip talks to Kirstie from Toronto about the importance of community tourism, and what you can do as a traveller to genuinely make change to communities in need. Bruce also reveals the countries that are leading the way in travel for change, gadventures.com Watch Bruce’s moving video here, which is sure to change your perception of travel: thelasttouristfilm.com And Bill Bensley is world renowned for his unique, inspiring and award-winning hotel designs and eye-catching architecture, bringing to life more than 200 resorts, hotels and palaces in over 30 countries. He is also a concerned conservationist and passionate philanthropist, and a pioneer in helping communities, and preserving conservation and wildlife. He tells Kirstie why he’s so passionate about philanthropy and his next big project, bensley.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

We love Spain, and our two guests love it even more! This week's episode brings two of our favourite interviewees in to talk about their big love of all things Spanish. Meet Ben Groundwater - travel journalist occasional tour guide and lover of San Sebastian's food scene. He talks to Belle about how to eat like a Spaniard, breakfast beers and the best restaurant in this foodie heaven, bengroundwater.com Less eating, more walking, Wandering to World founder Glenyce Johnson tells Kirstie about walking the long-distance pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago, which she's done an incredible 35 times, instagram.com/wanderingtheworldwithus/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message

Vomiting comedians, being shot at in Honduras and running through a game reserve. We share some of the best responses we've received from our guests about their most bizarre travel moments. Thanks to @brenthillfiji @lisapagotto_ and @sheryltakayama for sharing stories of their escapades on the road. And hold the shame! Kirstie and I share our own fashion travel faux pas – all born from hard experiences. On the cruise ship. On the ski slopes. On the Fijian beaches and in the wilderness… --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theworldawaits/message