The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust

This week is all about islands, as we take you to a Cambodian conservation-based private island resort and to the island nation of the Maldives. First up, Kirstie takes us to the stunning island resort of Song Saa in Cambodia’s Koh Rong archipelago. Bought by Australian Melita Koulmandas for US$15,000, she has transformed it from knee-deep in rubbish to a luxury retreat with Cambodia’s first prote...

Many people dream of being a digital nomad. Is 2026 your year to do it? This week, we’re giving you an insight into what life is really like living on the road, starting with authors, digital creators and husbands Brent Hartinger and Michael Jensen, who have lived in more than 30 countries and travelled to more than 60.  The long-time digital nomads originally from the United States share their in...

Merry Christmas to you all and welcome back to our Summer Series! This week, we're talking tropics, taking you to Tahiti and Papua New Guinea.  Co-host Kirstie Bedford talks about attending Tahiti's first annual yoga festival – a chance to find her Zen and connect with culture in this tropical paradise. Listen to festival founder Rani Chaves talk about what makes Tahiti such a unique des...

Welcome to the first of our Summer Series! This week, we’re taking you to Africa, a bucket list destination for those who want to see the Big Five or wander the pyramids of Giza. First up, co-host Belle Jackson , a frequent visitor and former resident of Egypt in northeast Africa, takes you to the many museums, explains the best way to see the pyramids, and shares the top three things to do in Cai...

Shopping for the traveller in your life this Christmas? Tune in as our tech hound and sound producer Alaisdair Leith teams up with host Belle Jackson to bring you our best last-minute gifts.  Also, get planning for your 2026 travels and get holiday maxxing - the art of maximising public holidays to get more time away, without the pay cut.  Our Christmas wishlist includes three great Australian des...

Are you sick of the day-to-day grind and dream of becoming a digital nomad in Italy? This week's pod is for you!  We are chatting to editor and travel writer Carrie Hutchinson who just spent the Australian winter working remotely in Sicily. She explains what the experience was like and provides some of her top tips so you can follow in her footsteps. We also have the lowdown from ex-flight at...

Are the Maldives worth the hype? This episode, co-host Belle Jackson talks about her most recent visit to the island nation. We're talking about the food, the different types of resorts, their sustainability and, of course, whale sharks.  Belle stayed at Niyama Private Islands Maldives for the surfing; niyama.com & Avani+ Fares Maldives for the whale sharks; avanihotels.com/en/fares-maldi...

We're celebrating this week as co-host Belle Jackson is once again named Travel Writer of the Year by the Australian Society of Travel Writers! See https://globalsalsa.com Belle takes us to Tasmania's Central Highlands, where wine, wombats and walking are all on the menu at the beautiful Pumphouse Point . Set in the glacial Lake St Claire, the lake lodge has recently opened its new Retre...

If you love a tropical, private island escape and want to do right by the environment, this is the episode for you. Co-host Kirstie Bedford takes us to the stunning island resort of Song Saa in Cambodia’s Koh Rong archipelago.  Bought by Australian Melita Koulmandas for US$15k, it has been transformed from knee-deep in rubbish to a luxury retreat with Cambodia’s first protected marine park.  Hear...

Wellness, walking, and why we lie about the cost of our holidays are all the hot topics this week. Kicking things off is co-host Kirstie Bedford talking about her recent trip to Tahiti, where she attended Tahiti's first annual yoga festival – a chance to find her Zen and connect with culture in this tropical paradise.  Listen to festival founder Rani Chaves talk about what makes Tahiti such a...

Four kilometres from Australia, Papua New Guinea is our closest, and also our least explored neighbour. As PNG celebrates the 50th anniversary of independence from Australia, Australian musician and composer David Bridie talks about his connection with PNG, which spans four decades.  A founding member of Not Drowning, Waving, David first visited PNG in 1986; he is now an initiated Tolai man, retur...

As Australia celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Uluru Handback, host Belle Jackson shares how you can take a bite of the red dust on a drive holiday around the Red Centre Way .  From Alice Springs/Alice Springs to Watarrka/Kings Canyon and Uluru, here's your list of where to stay, what to eat and some of the best things to do on a roadtrip in the Northern Territory. Also, the world's...

Bursting with culture, balmy nights, bustling streets and flavoursome food make Siem Reap a must-do for any family holiday, especially when it could be the last trip you do with your teens. This week, host Kirstie Bedford explains why Siem Reap is the ultimate last hurrah when it comes to family holidays. Finder details how you can get the most out of your frequent flyer points – and the best cred...

Ivona Siniarska has been to Africa 40 times and the founder and managing director of travel booker Take Off Go says it's more than a destination, "it's a deep-seated emotion". From Kenya to South Africa, Ivona talks to us about the best places to go, where to start for first-timers, and how to ensure you're travelling in a way that's right by the wildlife, and ensures...

“Opera and classical music shouldn’t be just for the elite,” says Australian-born soprano Breana Stillman. The opera singer leads a double life; based in Rome and singing throughout Europe, she’s also on a mission to bring classical music and opera to disadvantaged youth in central Africa, using art as a therapy.  Breana spends several months a year in Kenya with the charity she founded, OperAffin...

Melissa Hoyer is one of Australia’s most respected lifestyle commentators, journalists and editors, who has worked in the travel and lifestyle sector of the media industry for more than three decades, and has interviewed the likes of Drew Barrymore, Lady Gaga, Cate Blanchett and JK Rowling. This week, we take a look at what life's like for a leading commentator travelling on the celeb circuit...

There's great nightlife, it's summer all year round, and really, really hospitable people. Add to that fabulous architecture and a blossoming food scene, and what's not to love about Malta ?  In Australia, he's Mr Malta - Maltese-Australian chef, restaurateur and TV presenter Shane Delia has been returning to the Mediterranean island nation since he was 13, so he knows a thing...

For many, Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast is all about the surf, sun and stunning boutiques, but on this week’s episode we take you on a deeper dive into this pretty coastal region. Co-host Kirstie Bedford loves nothing more than an active getaway, and so a chance to hike, bike and kayak in this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve was her idea of a dream weekend – throw in whale watching, and it wa...

Airports are one of the most stressful places we'll find ourselves, and this week, we're looking at travel from the viewpoint of a neurodivergent traveller.   Sarah Maree Cameron is a radio and TV presenter, writer and comedian. She presents the House of Wellness on Nine Radio, and in Melbourne, the Weekend Break with Grubby on 3AW and TravelOz on Channel 7.  With that job description, s...

When Chelsea Ross launched the world’s first women-only surf retreat in Bali, it was purely because it was something she would have loved to do herself. Twenty-two years later, she’s hosted more than 18,000 women seeking a transformational experience in Bali through Goddess Retreats. She shares her experience, tips for the best ways to have a wellness experience in the popular Indonesian hotspot,...

Welcome to the underwater world of photographer and professional diver Todd Thimios, who shares his best dive sites in Australia and around the world – he’s got some hot tips for snorkellers, too.  To win a copy of Todd's book, Ultimate Dive Sites (Hardie Grant), follow us on instagram @theworldawaitspodcast and catch him MC'ing at the Go Diving Show at Sydney Showgrounds 6-7 September,...

“We’ve kind of become addicted to the novelty, life is always exciting… someone said to me, ‘you never get beyond the honeymoon stage in these countries you live in’, and I thought well that’s entirely true... but honeymoons are awesome… spending your life on a honeymoon sounds pretty good to me," says Brent Hartinger of Brent and Michael are Going Places.   Authors, travel writers, digital c...

You've booked a holiday to Egypt, but the Grand Egyptian Museum's (GEM) opening has been postponed...again! "All is not lost!" says podcast host and Egypt aficionado Belle Jackson , who is just back from Cairo. Belle shares her top three things to do in Cairo, including the best Egyptian museums and neighbourhoods, essential experiences and answers the age-old question, is Cair...

Hi there, welcome to our winter series. This week, we're taking you to the idyllic 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. Host Kirstie Bedford talks about her recent visit to the remote islands and what makes this largely unknown Australian island a must-visit. You can...

This week, we’re chatting to two remarkable women adventurers. First up meet Lucy Barnard , the Australian Geographic Society's 2024 Adventurer of the Year. Lucy is almost at the end of an intrepid feat to become the first woman to walk the length of the Earth – 30,000 kilometres from the southernmost tip of South America to the top of North America, and talks to co-host Kirstie Bedford about...