The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust The World Awaits

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


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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


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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


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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. 


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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


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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.comstevemccurryicons.comturbli.com/historical-data/most-turbulent-airports-of-2023/


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