The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust

There are 26,000 ramen bars in Tokyo – how do you choose the best one? Chef Luke Burgess talks about finding your way to the best places to eat in Tokyo. Luke, who co-authored the book ' Only in Tokyo: Two Chefs, 24 Hours, the Ultimate Food City ', shares his favourite, and most confronting dishes, and talks about the endless pursuit of understanding Japanese food and its refinement, see...

Sri Lanka now has its first long-distance hiking route and we’re talking to the man who created it.   The 300-kilometre The Pekoe Trail is the brainchild of adventurer Miguel Cunat, who spent a decade knitting together hill-country trails to create a walking route that ventures through tea plantations and historical sites, and visits remote villages to connect with the local culture. He talks abou...

Dream of days wandering Italy’s Amalfi Coast? In our first episode of 2025, we are taking you there with Australian-Italian author Maria Pasquale . Maria’s new book, Mangia: How to eat your way through Italy , explores the food histories and dishes across regional Italy, including Campania, home to the Amalfi Coast, famed for its fragrant lemons and San Marzano tomatoes. So let’s go explore some o...

This is our last Summer Series before we return to normal programming! Tune in for a masterclass on how to fly first class with Chris Chamberlin of Points Hacks. Chris has travelled more than two million kilometres 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 f...

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 Then all aboard for The Orient Express, The Ghan, The Flying Scotsman or The Rocky Mountaineer with train aficio...

Let's take you completely off the beaten track and to the ends of the Earth. Jenny Gray is the force behind Intrepid Travel’s women-only expeditions, which it runs in seven countries including Saudi Arabia. Jenny chats about travelling as a woman 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 Sau...

Welcome to our Summer Series for 24/25. We're kicking off with our islands edition, and we're taking you to Indonesia and Italy! Let's go 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 retr...

Fly up the pointy end of the plane with air mile loyalty specialist, Adele Eliseo of  The Champagne Mile.  “Points collection is less about flying and more about where you can maximise your points on the ground," says  Adele, "In almost every area where we spend money there’s a way to get points , so start by analysing your spending and where you could collect points.” And she walks the...

Southern USA rings with the sweet sounds of blues, soul and R&B – this week, we’re designing the perfect musical roadtrip through the southern states with iconic rock journalist Glenn A Baker. “Memphis really is the centre of the journey,” says Glenn, who suggests starting in New Orleans and driving through four or five states – with even a river cruise in the mix – to find the places of legen...

“The thing I like most about Bali is [it’s] like one big resort, and when you go on holiday you leave all your baggage behind… so everyone is enjoying themselves, it’s very optimistic,” says esteemed Australian designer, artist and owner of Pineapple Hill, Stuart Membery. Stuart, the former head designer of Esprit, now splits his time between Bondi, Australia and Bali, Indonesia. He talks to us ab...

Solo sailor Lisa Blair OAM has sailed around Antarctica not once, but twice, and her book Facing Fear records that first, near-fatal expedition. Lisa has a rack of world records under her belt – just this year alone, she set the fastest time sailing Sydney to Auckland and first woman solo monohull record, slicing an incredible four days off the previous record; and is the first person to sail solo...

Is the 'Land of the Long White Cloud’ on your travel to-do list? This week, our resident Kiwi, co-host Kirstie Bedford chats about all the reasons you should head to New Zealand’s far north . From a moving cultural experience to bedding down in the ultimate luxury at Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, pretty Northland ticks many a box and you’ll leave with a new appreciation of this sacred land to Māori,...

Love a cruise but just can’t choose?  Cruise expert Honida Beram has sailed the seven seas on more than 50 cruises; she explains the best cruise for you to choose. Also, Lonely Planet’s annual Best in Travel list – the breakdown of where to travel in 2025 and why, see lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel And if you’re heartbroken and footloose, we reveal the best places to travel after a break-up, with...

“Food is our love language,” says Lima-born chef Alejandro Saravia, who takes us on a culinary adventure through Latin America. The chef, who recently opened Morena, two Latin American restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne, admits he didn’t like ceviche until he was 18. “It was a sacrilege for a Peruvian. At the same time, I’m not a soccer fanatic. But I learned to love it, and every time I visit Pe...

Love islands?  Australia has thousands of them to choose from, and Emma Shaw , author of Ultimate Islands Escapes (Hardie Grant), can help you find the island of your dreams. From such all-stars as Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays to the far-flung Cocos Keeling Islands, nearly 3000km north-west of Perth, there’s an island to suit every taste and every budget. See hardiegrantgift.com.au ; @explor...

Co-host Belle takes us to Greece and Bulgaria, travelling by rail on a slow food, slow travel journey of these neighbouring countries, eurail.com She travelled on a Eurail pass , which criss-crosses 33 European countries, all without flying. She also gives us a peek at the new Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino on the Peloponnese peninsula, on the Greek mainland - and it's as glamorous as you w...

Living a nomadic life; the ‘not-hot’ list and airport departure times Have you ever dreamt of packing it all in and travelling the world? That’s what Tim and Sharyn Nilsen have done and the only retirement plans they have are to keep ticking off the list of countries they visit – well, those that are left. This week, Sharyn gives some great advice as to how you can do it too. https://catchourtrave...

When was the last time you really soaked up the night sky? Spotted a full moon? Admired the Milky Way? Saw an aurora? Marnie Ogg joins us to talk about astrotourism . Marnie designs and leads stargazing tours, and she is also the founder of the Australasian Dark Sky Alliance, which educates people about light pollution. So stay with us to learn the best places on Earth to go stargazing, aurora hun...

Would you let yourself be dropped on a remote island, for total solitude?  That's explorer and entrepreneur Alvaro Cerezo's job - he drops willing travellers on deserted islands in the most remote corners of the globe. "We give fake names to protect our islands so they are secret to protect them from mass tourism.. [otherwise] we will destroy the feeling of isolation for the client…...

Done Saigon and Hanoi, ready to explore more of Vietnam? Co-host Belle Jackson talks about why you should have the water cities of Hue (on the Perfume River), Kê Gà (on Kê Gà Bay) and Can Tho (on the Mekong Delta), on your must-visit list. She also shares the cultural tourism of the Azerai hotel group, and new flights from Melbourne into Hanoi with Vietnamese low-cost carrier VietJet, azerai.com ,...

Want to get the best airfare to Europe or the US? We're going full #avgeek as flight booking expert Mark Trim shares insider secrets on airlines to watch, alternative routes and the best time to buy. He also shares tips on booking in shoulder seasons and the Asian gateways offering great lie-flat deals . The co-founder of the Complex Travel Group, which specialises in round-the-world fares ,...

This week we reveal the secrets of the Blue Zones – where people live the longest and healthiest lives. Blue Zone Vice President Nick Buettner explains how they discovered Blue Zones, the habits of those living there, and lessons you can learn from visiting these regions. And the Netflix show Nick mentions is Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones see netflix.com/title/81214929   We also reveal ne...

Rajasthan is the India of the imagination – fortresses and palaces, the grand desert, bustling bazaars and incredible colour... men in fabulous turbans and elephants and camels everywhere. But there are so many places to love in India, says Fiona Caulfield . Fiona swapped a high-profile career as a futurist and branding consultant in New York for Bangalore in southern India, where she created the...

Dramatic fjords, snowy mountains, midnight sun… Norway’s natural beauty is legendary. But wait, there’s more! Torunn Tronsvang is the founder of UpNorway and says there’s so much more to Norway than the stunning scenery.  She leads you through Norway’s world-leading food and wine scene, shares cultural experiences with the Indigenous people, as well as its impressive architecture, including its pu...

One in five Australians lives with a disability, and yet on hotel websites, the facilities listed to cater for these travellers are often as far down the list with the dog's water bowl. Julie Jones, creator of Have Wheelchair Will Travel and co-founder of Travel Without Limits, talks about what we can all do to make travel more inclusive for those with a disability, travelwithoutlimits.com.au...