The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust

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 you are able to make the most of th...

“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, OperAffinity, working and performing with imp...

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, and find out where the A-listers l...

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 or two about exploring Malta's f...

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 was a match made in heaven.

Take a list...

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, she's constantly on the road, and...

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, and explains why you should give surf...

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, see godivingshow.com/anz/sydney-dive...

“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 creators and husbands Brent Hartinger ...

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 Cairo safe right now? For more of Belle&a...

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 see some footage of her trip on Inst...

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 this incredible journey. Follow her ...

Welcome to our Winter Series!

This week we're taking you to Greece.

First up, host Kirstie chats to Andria Mitsakos, founder of Anthologist and global founder of AMPR, who takes us to some of the country's best artisans where she buys her artefacts, and shares insider tips on the best way to enjoy a Greek getaway. 

Next, host Belle Jackson takes us to Greece and Bulgaria, travelling by rail on a slow food, slow travel journe...

Welcome to our Winter Series!

This week is all about Italy. We are taking you from the Amalfi Coast to a tiny town south of Rome. 

First up, host Belinda Jackson’s chats with author Maria Pasquale, who explores the food histories and dishes across regional Italy. Maria, born to Italian parents and raised in Melbourne, is the author of four books and has readers in more than 100 countries.

Then, host Kirstie Bedford talks to award-winn...

Veteran journalist Andrew Conway has been to India four times, but this time he's doing things differently. His latest month-long sojourn was self-funded, and he took his husband, Greg, who had never been to India before. 

Andrew talks about how having a personal driver (details below) changed his entire experience and lets us in on some of the lesser-known places to go in this often chaotic country.  

1 Hotels opened its first ...

The World Awaits has hit a remarkable milestone, celebrating its 100th episode!

To get the party started, Avani Hotels & Resorts has partnered with us for a listener giveaway a tropical holiday in Thailand!  To enter, simply like, follow and tag a friend on our Instagram page here.

On this special episode, our sound producer Alaisdair Leith joins us, and we chat about our favourite guests over the last two ye...

Meet the singing teacher who founded a hiking company in Bhutan. Keen hiker Karen Haranis, of Rare Air Himalayan Travel, shares her favourite hikes, through the territory of Bengal tigers and red pandas, from the high mountain passes and lush rhododendron forests of this tiny mountain kingdom.

Together with her guides Tashi and Namgyel, they scout new routes and cultural experiences in Bhutan, including the little visited East Bhuta...

“These dolphins surrounded me and I was hovering above the sand and they were playing with me and I swam up with them and thought I would die for them to be safe, it was like my heart was cracked open and I came up thinking how can I be more impactful in the ocean space,” says freediving champion turned conservationist Hanli Prinsloo.

It was this encounter with dolphins in Mozambique while teaching a freediving course that made Hanl...

"Southern Africa is very hard to describe; for many people, you get bitten by something, or you breathe something in, and you become hooked," says Australian author Tony Park. 

Speaking to us from his home just north of Kruger National Park in South Africa, Tony shares his vast experience about going on safari in southern and east Africa. From the Kruger to the Kalahari, we're taking self-drive safaris on a budget, wh...