Before we get started, a quick warning: this episode contains spoilers. So if you haven’t finished watching the latest series of Race Across the World, I’d suggest turning off now and coming back once you have!

Race Across the World is one of those shows that just gets under your skin, isn’t it? You start off thinking you’re watching a travel programme, and then suddenly you’re so emotionally invested in people trying to get across a border, find a cheap hostel, or make it onto a 29-hour train with no phone and barely any money. This season, five pairs travel over 12,000 kilometres, from Palermo in Sicily all the way to Hatgal in Mongolia, without smartphones, internet access, flights or bank cards, relying instead on instinct, kindness, grit and a lot of very long bus and train journeys.

And at the heart of it all were today’s guests: best friends Jo and Kush from Liverpool, who not only won the series, but completely won over viewers along the way. Their friendship was such a joy to watch and there was something so lovely about seeing two young men support each other so openly through the highs and lows.

What I loved about chatting to them is that Race Across the World has this brilliant sense of mystery around it. As a viewer, I’m always wondering how the show actually works. So in this episode, we really get into all of that. We talk about the audition process, the secrecy around winning, the budget, the homestays, the toilets, the borders, the long-distance trains, and what it’s really like travelling without your phone in your pocket. And of course, we talk about the places too. From Sorrento and Naples, to Tbilisi in Georgia, the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the vast landscapes of Kazakhstan, and the wild, icy beauty of Mongolia.

Destination Recap:

• Palermo, Sicily, Italy
• Sorrento, Italy
• Naples, Italy
• Greece
• Türkiye
• Kars, Türkiye
• Georgia
• Tbilisi, Georgia
• Azerbaijan
• Uzbekistan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
• Kazakhstan
• Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan
• Almaty, Kazakhstan
• Mongolia
• Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
• Hatgal, Mongolia
• Lake Khövsgöl, Mongolia
• Kathmandu, Nepal
• Punjab, India
• Central India
• Sri Lanka
• Costa Rica
• Brazil
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

With thanks to...

Richard Haworth - Discover their luxury hotel-quality bedding, towels and table linen at Richard Haworth At Home

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is one of the country’s best-loved comedians and presenters - the wonderful Tom Allen. You’ll know him from Bake Off: An Extra Slice, The Apprentice: You’re Fired, QI, Would I Lie To You?, Live at the Apollo and of course his standup comedy. He’s also a brilliant writer, and his new novel, Common Decency, is out now.

Tom’s travel diaries are full of glorious detail. We talk childhood holidays, package holidays, the etiquette of sunbeds, solo travel, America, Japan, Spain, the joy of a great hotel, and why food is so often the thing that makes a place unforgettable.

Destination Recap:

Holly: Sani, Halkidiki, Greece

Tom:

• Gran Canaria, Spain
• Javea, Spain
• Alicante, Spain
• Benidorm, Spain
• San Francisco, USA
• New York, USA
• Philadelphia, USA
• Cherry Hill, USA
• Japan
• Tokyo, Japan
• Kyoto, Japan
• Osaka, Japan
• Hiroshima, Japan
• Nara, Japan
• Gran Canaria, Spain
• Maspalomas, Spain
• Menorca, Spain
• Wakefield, England
• Elgin, Scotland
• Banchory, Scotland
• Highlands and Islands, Scotland
• Beijing, China
• Forbidden City, China
• Great Wall of China, China

Tom Allen’s hilarious debut novel Common Decency is out now

Today’s episode was filmed in the Westminster Suite at London Marriott County Hall

With thanks to...

Richard Haworth - Discover their luxury hotel-quality bedding, towels and table linen at Richard Haworth At Home

Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.co.uk/host

If you enjoyed this episode, please hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app. It really helps the podcast grow, allows me to keep bringing you these incredible guests - and it means you’re delivered a fresh dose of wanderlust each week.

And if you’d like a little more Travel Diaries in your life, you can find me on Instagram and TikTok @hollyrubenstein.

Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you next week.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s Destination Special, we’re taking you somewhere that, for so many travellers, represents the ultimate holiday feeling: Queensland, Australia.

This is a state seven times the size of Britain! A place where one trip can take you from the cultural heartbeat and riverside energy of Brisbane, to the al fresco beach lifestyle of the Gold Coast, to ancient rainforest, island life, wildlife encounters, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island cultures, First Nations storytelling, and one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef.

Known as Australia’s Sunshine State, Queensland is, of course, famous for its blue skies, golden beaches and that blissful sense of switching off the moment you arrive. But as I discovered through making this episode, it is so much more than that.

And that, really, is what makes Queensland so compelling - it’s not just one kind of holiday. It’s a whole collection of holidays in one place. You can wake up in Brisbane, wandering along the river as the city comes to life, stop for brilliant coffee and world-class food, then be out in nature within minutes, perhaps heading to nearby Minjerribah, also known as North Stradbroke Island, for First Nations culture and extraordinary natural landscapes. You can head south towards the Gold Coast for beach walks, coastal drives, wineries, rainforest and incredible produce. Or you can travel north to the Whitsundays, where Hamilton Island, Whitehaven Beach and the Great Barrier Reef deliver that almost dreamlike version of Australia with its turquoise water, white sand, sailing, seafood, and warm tropical air.

Today’s guest is someone who experienced Queensland through one of its great strengths: food. Matt Tebbutt, chef, broadcaster and host of Saturday Kitchen, recently travelled there, eating his way through the state, from riverside restaurants and beachside lunches to extraordinary seafood and island dining.

What struck me most in speaking to Matt was that the food became a way into everything else: the landscape, the wildlife, the culture, the openness, the warmth, and that easy-going Aussie outdoor lifestyle. This episode is wanderlust, guaranteed. So let’s buckle up and get started.

Destination Recap

• Brisbane
• Stanley Restaurant, Brisbane
• Howard Smith Wharves, Brisbane
• James Street, Brisbane
• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane
• North Stradbroke Island / Minjerribah
• Lady Elliot Island
• The Great Barrier Reef
• Gold Coast
• Rick Shores, Gold Coast
• Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk
• Mason Winery, Mount Tamborine
• The Whitsundays
• Hamilton Island
• The Sundays, Hamilton Island
• Whitehaven Beach
• Catseye Pool Club, Hamilton Island
• Long Pavilion at qualia
• Bommie, Hamilton Island
• Passage Peak, Hamilton Island

Thank you to Tourism and Events Queensland for working with me on this episode. For more information and further inspiration about travelling to Queensland, visit queensland.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, please hit follow or subscribe wherever you’re listening. It really helps the podcast grow, allows me to keep bringing you these incredible guests - and it means you’re delivered a fresh dose of wanderlust each week.

And if you’d like a little more Travel Diaries in your life, you can find me on Instagram and TikTok @hollyrubenstein.

Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you on Tuesday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.