Lovelly Travels

Travelling with kids is one thing, but deciding to turn your life into an everlasting travel adventure is next level. For Chantal Patton and her wander loving family, this is the reality. Growing Up Without Borders is the website and Youtiube channels that follows the adventures of the Patton family. I had the pleasure of speaking with Chantal and swapping travel tales from our digital nomad lifestyles. From house swapping to home schooling, Chantal and her family have navigated it all. 100 countries down and they have no intention of slowing down anytime soon (well, bar the minor blip of the pandemic.) So many pearls of wisdom and wonderful travel stories in this episode, it's a must for any travel loving family!

Have you ever travelled with a sibling? It could be that familiar family fun, or it could be fraught with childhood tension. For Emma and her brother James, travelling together as adults has led to some amazing experiences and created a special bond through the memories they share. Travelling across 9 countries over the years together, they have had some unforgettable experiences. We hear about James's love for travel, their very different approaches to travel and where they both want to get to next with their own families - and together. Join us for some sweet moments of reminiscing and funny anecdotes from this travel loving family.

It's time to for you to grab your funny hats and papal slippers, maybe a little tiny wafer and a goblet of red wine - and is that white smoke I see or a witch being burned? We're going to put some knights Templar on trial and punish people for thinking that the earth is round. So start crawling through your secret tunnels and REPENT YE SINNERS! We are going to the world's smallest country - The Vatican City! Emma visited the Vatican City in 2018 and got to tick off one of the two special territiories on the UN reocgnised list! This is one of the few countries Emma has visited which is acceptable to spend just 1 day in, because seriously, it's that small! Darius has not yet been but thoroughly enjoyed putting together the facts and the intro for this very special country on our list. All puns welcomed!

Extreme sport and extreme travel! Amanda Thompson doesn't shy away from a challenge. Combining sport and travel can be an incredible way to see the world, expanding your mind and your horizons all at once. From the boardroom of Australia's biggest banks as a leading Financial Advisor to qualifying three times for the Ironman World Championships despite health issues, Amanda Thompson has never been afraid of a challenge. Amanda says "Living (some of) my life in lycra has gifted me some amazing travel experiences, both nationally and internationally. When I took up the sport of triathlon, the gruelling training and feeling of exhilaration at completing such a time consuming and body taxing event was front of mind. What I didn't see coming was the doors this sport would open to travelling to destinations I wouldn't previously have considered, as well as sightseeing in a completely different fashion – by bike!" Join us as we hear from this inspiring athlete about her adventurous approach to travel, work and life!

We're off to the beautiful island of Vanuatu

Incredibly in 2006/7 (yes it was over New Years, Darius and Emma happened to randomly bump into each other somewhere in the world! That place was Prague in Czech Republic. This week we're travelling back in time, as we often do, to revisit this experience. From cobbled streets to epic castles, delicious hot raspberries to some of the finest beer = Czech Republic is a gorgeous country to visit. We spent most of our time in Prague but Emma also made a quick visit to the spectacular Czesky Krumlov. Hear what we loved, hear what we could do without, and hear all about why this country is a must for your bucket list.

It's hard to believe but we are STILL in this and it's going to be a while yet. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emma started having conversations with people from around the world about what was really happening in their home countries - and we are still having these conversations. It is now October 2021, and Melbourne is still in some form of lockdown. No way could we have ever imagined or predicted it would look like this still 18 months on. Danielle Phyland, a travel blogger and one of our regular podcast guests certainly could not imagine how it would have looked. And we know! Because we spoke back in April. Have a listen to what we thought would happen back in 2020 and what is the reality now in October 2021. I hope we're not checking in again in 2022, but I'm also quite enjoying getting this snapshot of this super challenging/interesting/ ever changing time in our lives and for the world.

Did you ever take a gap year? Emma did when she was 18 between high school and University - living in the UK and travelling through Europe and Asia. But what about an Adult Gap year? This week we welcome Jenny Cook, author of Adult Gap Year to tell us all about this awesome life experience. Jenny is a life enthusiast, world traveller and life long learner. She's a creative who loves to travel and explore other cultures. She says “living my best life and inspiring others is my mission.” Make sure to get a copy of Jenny's book at https://jennycook.life/book or on any reputable online store. It's an Amazon best seller!

Our final stop on the state tour of Australia, the last but definitely not least - Tasmania. Fun fact: you have to go OVERSEAS to visit this part of Australia, it's located on the bottom of Australia and this island state is a true gem!! A pearl in the ocean if you will. Actually, something you can do here is sample some of the amazing seafood - oysters, salmon, prawns and so much more. Tassie is famous for its fresh produce and incredible food and wine season. Salamanca Markets in Hobart is a must to sample a whole range of delicacies. We're joined on this episode by Emma's lovely friend and Tasmanian born and bred, Selina Bush. She shares with us so much of her gorgeous state. Emma had only been to Hobart and Launceston so now has a HUGE list of places to visit next time. From Cradle Mountain to Bruny Island, wineries to epic trails, this state is breathtaking and although it may seem small - deserves a solid amount of time to explore! Thank you for joining us on this fun 8 part series and please let us know if you enjoyed it! We'd love to do some more in the future. Thank you to all our Aussie guests for sharing their incredible states with us. I still call Australia home and after listening to this series, I'm sure you can see (well hear) why!

"We're taking our tour of Australia to the capital - the Australian Capital Territory in fact. A lot of people know it as Canberra, however that's the city! Fun fact- ACT is a territory all of its own. And it's situated inside another state! We welcome back Alison Hallworth to talk about her former home state. This one is jam packed full of tips for places to visit in the ACT. Some people think there isn't much to do, especially after being dragged their on a school trip or family holiday as a kid. But there's heaps to do and the state has come a long way in a short time with a vibrant cafe and restaurant scene. We're coming to the end of our first series, our tour of the Australian states - so make sure to listen in to the rest over on Lovelly Travels. Also you may notice the photos for this episode are a tad random. Alison's photo is from the Dinosaur museum. Emma's photo is with co-host Darius and a bunch of friends during the year 9 Canberra school trip. We promise both photos were taken in the ACT - love a pic with a story!"

We're off to the Heart of Australia, the red centre and the top end of Oz - The Northern Territory. We welcome Nannette Holliday - International Woman of Mystery for this episode! As a published author and freelance travel and lifestyle writer, Nannette has an incredible insight into her adopted home state of Northern Territory. Emma shares her experience of visiting the absolute essential stops of Uluru, The Olgas, Kings Canyon and Alice Springs in the Red Centre, and the capital of the state, Darwin. While Nannette takes us to some of the untapped gold in this captivating part of Australia. If you really want to learn about Indigenous Australia and the traditional land owners who carry the stories, the NT is a must. There's so much story in the land itself and it mustn't be missed. You never never know, if you never never go! So come travel vicariously with us and then go plan your next NT trip! I'm excited to have mine booked to the Larapinta in May 2021.

The Sunshine state! We've reached Emma's current homeland, the perpetual holiday destination that is Queensland. Resort style living, epic beaches, amazing rainforests, world wonder of the Great Barrier Reef - this state has a lot going on. We're joined on this episode by Natascha Mirosch, Freelance Food & Travel Journalist & Podcaster at ExtraVirgin Food & Travel Podcast. Although Emma lives in QLD, she actually hasn't seen that much of it! Natascha takes us on a breathtaking tour to the far corners of this state and some incredible destinations that aren't on the well trodden tourist map path! Longreach - where QANTAS was born, Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt for wine, Charlieville for some history & Cape Tribulation for where the sharks and crocodiles meet! There is TOO much to see in this massive state but we will try our best to cover a whole bunch and have you planning your next holiday here - come visit me!

We're heading South now on our vicarious tour of Australia to the very aptly named, South Australia! It is in fact the state in the middle of Australia at the Southern end. World famous for its spectacular wines, this state has so much more to offer than just its delicious range of grape juice. Joined by former local Naomi Robinson, Emma revisits some of her 6 (or more) trips to this lovely region. From Adelaide, the city of churches which also has a rocking festival scene, to the coast for some shark diving and farmland to see some friends, we explore as much as we can in this episode. Highlights include the wine, the wine and the wine! Jokes, we also talk about the incredible food scene, some epics walks such as the Heysen Trail and of course, the much loved footy! Travel vicariously with us as we continue our Australia series! Join in the conversation on Facebook in the Lovelly Travels Community too! Links in the show notes.

Our Australia tour this week takes us to Victoria! One of the richest of all the states, after the Gold Rush in the 1800s, this fine state has a lot of incredible history and culture to soak up. Emma lived in Melbourne for 3 years and then frequently returned for work and leisure. Darius even went to visit her one time and together they revisit that trip and share their travels from the state of Victoria. We are also joined by regular Lovelly Travels guest, Danielle Phyland, who is a proud Victorian through and through. She's also a brilliant travel blogger and has written lots about her fine state of Vic, so get set for all the top tips. From the winding laneways of Melbourne to the epic mountains of the Aussie Alpine, from the famous Great Ocean Road to the charming English like location of Daylesford, Victoria has it all. Travel vicariously along with us. Remember the conversation always continues in the Lovelly Travels Community on Facebook too! Share your Victorian experiences there.

How to cover our home state in just one episode!! Well, we can't! And we will be back to deep dives into the regions. But continuing for now on our virtual tour of Australia, this week we are in Darius and Emma's childhood home state of NSW. Emma was born in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, and Darius moved to the Sutherland Shire as a young child from Germany. They met in High School in the Sutherland Shire, at Caringbah High, and have many great memories of Sydney. As we got older, and could explore more on our own, we've had the pleasure of exploring a lot of the famous East Coast of Australia. Many tourists come from around the world and roadtrip North from Sydney. And for good reason! It's stunning! From the wine country of Orange in the West, to the stunning surf spots near Nowra in the South, Cosmopolitan life in Sydney's east and epicly stunning hinterland in the Northern rivers region - we try to cover as much of this glorious state as possible. Make sure to jump in the Lovelly Travels Community and join in the conversation - sharing your favourite travel spots in NSW.

The first stop on our Australia series tour is the largest state of them all, Western Australia! Taking up more than a third of this enormous continent, WA has a lot of space and it needs a lot of time to explore. Luckily we have Perth local Amanda Kendle to help us tackle this mammoth location! Emma has also been to the lovely state of WA three times, so the two had wonderful chats about exploring the gorgeous and less frequented spots around the state. From tree top walks, to sunsets over the beach. From the most Westerly and Southern point, to the tippy top! We cover as much as we can. We'd love to hear your stories too! Make sure to join the conversation in the Lovelly Travels Community on Facebook.

I come from a land Down Under!! And we're going to deep dive in and explore it. Considering the fact that I won't be leaving my island home for some time, and these past 2 years have given me more time to explore this great land, I thought we could all go on the journey to visit all the states and territories together. This is our first series and we are so excited to kick off with Australia!! There are 8 states and territories so over the next two months, we'll visit them all. We're still looking for guests and stories, so make sure to email us if you'd like to share something or even join us on the podcast - info@lovellytravels.com. As always there'll be lots of chat in the group around this topic so please head on over and join us on Facebook in the Lovelly Travels Community. I'm so excited to travel vicariously around my home country with all of you!

Are you fascinated by the Tiny House movement that's sweeping the world? Emma is slightly obsessed and when she discovered that her friend and colleague Yvonne was “going Tiny”, we had to get the story on the podcast! Yvonne is also the Sustainability Queen :) She's passionate about sustainable living & a tiny house dweller. Yvonne and her partner built their tiny home in 2020 and following her experience on Instagram was so exciting. There's a lot more to it than just deciding to live in a tiny home. In this episode, she shares tips and learnings for those who are keen on the tiny house way of life. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as fan girl Emma did recording it!

We're continuing our COVID conversations series by revisiting interviews with people from around the world in 2020 and hearing what's happening now in 2021. This episode we go back to a conversation in April 2020 between Emma and Darius. Before the podcast started! They discuss what's happening in Germany and Australia and how COVID-19 was impacting their lives. In this time capsule style episode, we then Tak about what's happening in 2021. We didn't know then that we'd be in a similar position and nor do we know what the world will look like next year. But it's pretty interesting documenting this very bizarre time in our lives - and we look forward to reflecting on this in future! More countries, more updates to come in this series too! Share with us what your world is like - then and now! See how to connect with us in the show notes.

Hola Bienvenido a Peru! This week we're traveling back to South America to visit the picturesque postcard perfect country of Peru. We're joined by Daniellle Phyland from The Adventures of Poss and Ruby to relive memories, revisit some of the epic places and talk as always about our favourite foods and experiences. Danielle traveled to Peru in 2013 and visited Lima, Cusco, The Amazon Rainforest and Machu Picchu, along with some other smaller places around Cusco, and in between Machu Picchu. Emma visited Peru in 2012 when she trekked for happiness with the Black Dog Institute raising funds for mental health. Along with 12 others she raised $60,000 and visited the wonder of the world that is Machu Picchu. She also stayed on in the country and got to see Cusco, Pisac, trek through the Lares Valley and then went on to do some whitewater rafting and off to Puno to visit the Uros islands, floating islands. Tune in to hear more of these great adventures with these two intrepid travellers in the magical Peru.

The episode you never asked for but you never knew you needed! This long awaited (ok, mostly by us) episode will take us to some of the tallest towers in the world, some epic monuments and talk about height stats in general. Despite having a fear of heights, our co-host Darius loves going up tall buildings. After a friendship of 20 years, Emma only learned this while on the viewing platform of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Poland

The best part about travel is the adventure! Letting yourself go and committing to the journey. And on her trip to Bolivia, Emma had to do just that. In this episode, Emma welcomes her travel buddy Jess Picton to relive their escapades from Peru to Bolivia in 2012. After travelling alone, they united in Cusco and took an epic bus adventure across these two South American countries, creating memories and lessons to last a lifetime. "Our trip had mishaps, misadventures and miscommunications! In some ways I would look back on Bolivia and see it as difficult - but the blessing of traveling with someone as amazing as Jess, was that she helped me to see that all of these misses ... made the adventure!!! From Copacabana to Isla Del Sol on Lake Titicaca, to La Paz and then Salar de Uyuni and back again. I would go back to Bolivia again in a heartbeat! Epic landscapes, incredible history and a tapestry of culture. It's a must". Emma Country #29 of 57 for Emma's UN recognised country mission

This was a pretty fun one to record and ticked a big bucket list for our show. We talked about visiting the sheep farm of Trav and Millie Carter in Episode 24 - A real life farmer's wife, and in May 2021 - Emma did just that. Listen to excerpts from Emma's visit to the massive 5000 acre sheep farm and Trav the farmer who works the land. There's so much more to farming than many of us think, and these people really need to be a bit of a jack of all trades. There's also a lot of technology now involved - which we got to experience on a real life tractor ride! Shout out to all our fans in Kaniva, Victoria and thank you for listening! It was such a joy to get to experience some of that country hospitality at a local fundraiser and to meet some of the wonderful people Millie had spoken about. It was also so wonderful for Emma to get experience a whole new side of her own country! Make sure to get out and do the same!

We're off to the land of the Swiss! Come with us as we explore this tiny but mighty country. So many famous things we know and love come from Switzerland. It's also possibly one of the most picturesque and postcard-perfect countries in the world. Think mountains, think lakes, think serene! Darius shares from his many visits to this beautiful country. Discussing food, the epic tunnels through mountains, thousands of lakes and some great places to visit. Emma proves that she has very limited to little knowledge of Switzerland and has only really flown into the country, driven through it and skiied in and out of it (and fallen over in it! Blame the cheeky chocolat chaud!) Enjoy as we travel vicariously back to Switzerland through these travel chats.

This is another deeply personal one for Emma and this week she's flying solo as she talks about a journey of a different kind. Emma shares her birth story and her family's own struggle with mental health before and after the birth of their first child. Of course it is Finn (Emma's son's) birth story that we will hear. But actually when a woman has her first baby, it's also the birth of a mother. It's this journey through matresence and navigating motherhood that Emma shares so openly and intimately about in this episode. Emma had always prepared herself for mental health challenges after the birth of her son, but she never expected it to impact her darling husband. With his permission, Emma tells the story of those challenging early weeks and months as a new family. If you're struggling at all during the pregnancy or early parenting journey, please seek support and help - there are some wonderful links in the show notes to guide you. With love, kindness and gratitude.

This is our second visit to Poland on the podcast, but this time we're taking a deeper dive. We're chatting to Tess Colman, one of Emma's dearest friends, who is Polish by descent. Tess's Grandfather, Alex Colman, moved to Australia from Poland with his family (including Tess's dad) after surviving World War II. There's even a book about his history, After Forty Years Silence, which we highly recommend you read and can be found on the Jewish Holocaust Centre's website (see show notes for link). Tess and her family went back to visit a few years ago and she shares that experience, as well as more of the history of her family. She also talks about some wonderful memories of growing up with her Grandmother's amazing Polish cooking. Emma adds a little from her brief time in Warsaw and together they daydream about when they can visit Poland together! Including the coast - which Emma again proves her lack of geographical knowledge by not realising that Poland does in fact have a coast!

In 2020, the distance in Australia that had seemed to no longer be such an issue became a challenge again. It was a time when in fact, the regions started to really come alive and with travel becoming more local as we can't go so far, regional areas are booming. Jane Hillsdon lives and works in regional NSW and is passionate about helping businesses to better market themselves, to their regions and beyond. Emma connected with Jane through Business Chicks and although they first met online, have now formed a friendship in the flesh too. When Emma was driving through NSW recently, it was Jane she reached out to to get the low down on her coastal area of Port Macquarie and Jane was every bit the local guide. She's also a passionate traveller and shares her love of exploring with us. In this episode we talk about the unique nature of "regions" in Australia, being that our country is so geographically spread. And what regional business and travel might look like in the future. Jane is an absolute gun marketer and you can listen to her podcast over at the "How to do Marketing Show", where Emma just happened to be a guest! See the show notes for more details!

Wow! Our first anniversary. We cannot quite believe it. This idea came about on a roadtrip at the end of 2018 through the Baltic region in Europe. It went something like “hey, I like podcasts. You like podcasts. We're good at talking. Let's do a podcast.” But it actually happened! And here we are, only 18 months after that trip and with now 60 episodes under our belt! Huge thank you to all of our amazing guests who have helped us to talk about some really interesting and thought-provoking aspects of travel. Thank you of course to our listeners, more than 1000 so far, and our beautiful community over at Lovelly Travels group on Facebook. We love you and we appreciate you. Keep the conversations going! And to Darius! The co-host with the most (awesome). Thank you for your passion, skills, editing prowess and patience with my lunatic antics, including Roadtripping across 5 countries in 2 days (something totally unimaginable now in 2020/2021). Thank you my friend. This has been a dream come true and there's so much more to come. But for now, thank you from Emma (Lovelly) Lovell. I'm so grateful for your support in following this mission to 195 countries and for raising awareness about mental health! More to come!!!

This week we’re off to Hungary! On many of the episodes we make you hungry with our discussions of lovely food - but we are in fact discussing the country this time. Beautiful architecture, a fascinating history and of course, incredible food. Emma and Darius share their brief but memorable trips to Budapest and their hopes to explore more of this wonderful European country. For Emma this was country 42 of the 195 UN recognised countries she plans to visit. Follow along @lovellytravels to hear more about this mission!

This conversation was too good for just one episode! We're back this week with Darius and his mum, Wilma!! We pick up with Wilma leaving Iran as the revolution began. She then travelled to Saudi Arabia to earn some travel money and visits Iraq, Syria and Turkey before heading back home to Germany. Her travels took her through Asia, back to Germany a number of times, before finally getting to settle in Australia with her young son, spoiler altert, our co-host Darius! Enjoy this beautiful conversation between mother and son as they relive shared travel experiences and learn about the road that got them to one another.

Ever the fabulous storyteller, this week we invite onto the podcast - Darius's Mum, Wilma! We like to keep it in the family over here at the Lovelly Travels Podcast and so this week is all about where Darius got his travel inspiration, his intrepid mother. Wilma shares where her love for travel came from and early adventures as a child. This includes tales about getting stranded in Paris, finishing her apprenticeship in New York and finally being able to live out her dream by getting a job with an international freight forwarder and leaving Germany! She also shares about learning Farsi and travelling to Iran and immersing herself into the culture where while working and living in the middle east as a young woman. She even throws in a couple of stories at the end about getting stuck in the desert and a Turkish prison. Enjoy this beautiful conversation between Lovelly Travels Co-host Darius and his mother Wilma.

Oh Canada! Oh Canada! It is a HUGE country with lots of rugged terrain to explore. Emma had the fortune of spending a few months there in 2007 when working at the ski resort Big White in British Columbia. She'a also been back to visit again, but it dawned on her during this episode just how much more there is to explore! We are joined this week by ruggedly handsome Touring / Recording artist, Charlie A'Court! Although this title was bestowed by the artist himself, we can concur. Emma and Charlie met in 2012 when Charlie was on tour in Australia, performing some of his amazing music in a private lounge room concert. Soon after the pair worked together, Emma providing her social media and digital expertise to promote Charlie's tour, and the friendship was firmly formed. Join us as we chat about travelling for work, the touring life of a musician and of course we get to the incredible country that is Charlie's homeland, Canada! Especially focussing on the East Coast where Charlie is based and Emma got to visit in 2014. Let's go explore Canadia!

Have you ever had a disaster on of your trips? It could be missing a flight, or losing your luggage or even a volcano going off and basically shutting down Europe! Big or small, a change in travel plans can send you into a tailspin. So we asked our listeners to share in the Lovelly Travels Community about their travel disaster experiences and relived some of our own. We do believe travel disasters are in the eye of the beholder - so some of these may seem like nothing to you, but to someone else, it could be MASSIVE! We're sure this episode will have you nodding, laughing and maybe even crying along with us.

In April 2020, I honestly did not think that we would still be here in a world that is impacted by a pandemic. But here we are! At the time, I decided to interview people from around the world about how COVID-19 was affecting them and what the lockdown and situation really looked like, not just what the media was telling us. Our lovely guest Géraldine Vetterl from episode 53 on France, gave us an update of what was happening there in March 2021. So, we decided to dig out this conversation from almost a year ago and see what we had predicted in our little time capsule of a podcast, and how it compares to what's happening in the world now. This is the first of our COVID CONVOS series and I look forward to sharing more then and nows from this truly fascinating and surreal time in the world. Please do also write to us if you'd like to share what things are like in your country - we'd love to share as many perspectives as possible, email info@lovellytravels.com

Palais vous francais? It's one of the most popular tourist destinations with one of the most loved cities in all the world, Paris! So this week, we are off to France. Joined by French local, Geraldine Vetterl, we explore the great love for this famous country and what makes it so alluring and desirable. Geraldine shares the diversity of her homeland and why you should take more time to explore, outside of the famous hot spots. Emma shares some of her experiences from her travels, all the way back in 2006 and 2007! Just like her, you'll be wanting to book a trip to experience all that this fine nation has to offer.

Holly Galbraith is a true champion for women and the tourism industry. Meeting through their shared passion of social media, and in a super fun and unusual setting, Emma and Holly both love promoting travel. Holly is one of the founders of Women in Tourism (Australia) and she helps connect women all across the country. She shares with us the difference between travel and tourism and helps to explore why the tourism industry is so important, more now than ever. This was a fabulous discussion about the power of marketing, and social media, in the tourism space and how travel will look moving forward.

Ciao Bella! This has been a long-awaited episode with our fans! This week we travel to Italy. Darius shares about Mt Etna and some fun facts from Italy about their volcanoes. Emma romantically reminisces about her first and only visit to Italy and why she can now see the allure making this one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. And of course, you cannot speak about Italy without mentioning the food. Get ready to get hungry, again!! From Positano to Sicily, Tuscany to Rome. We explore this stunning country and daydream about the next time we can visit.

We are up to episode 50! We cannot believe it's been almost a year since we started the podcast and in such a crazy time for travel. We felt it was a bit of a milestone and time to check in on what's happening in the world. Darius and Emma share their travel plans for 2021. Emma gives us an update on new mum life with her little adventurer, Finn (age 2 months at time of recording). They also both share about what's happening in their respective countries, Australia and Germany, with the world still being heavily impacted by COVID-19. Plenty more adventures to come and despite the limitations, travel lives on! If not at the very least through our memories and stories. So come along again and travel vicariously with us!

It’s safe to say that Emma got her travel habits from her family! Jet setting from the age of 2 with her English parents, she’s barely slowed down since. But Brian Lovell, Emma’s Dad, has quite a few travels under his belt too! Not only traveling with the family, he also spent many years traveling to various countries each year for work conferences. Emma and her Dad trade stories, reminisce about some of their adventures (including a hilarious travel fail in Borneo) and share experiences from the 18+ countries they’ve been to together! Brian also shares about his big adventure of emigrating to Australia from the UK when he was in his early 20s, coming for 1 year and still here 40 years later!

In November 2020, through a series of fortunate events, Emma ended up on an incredible writers retreat. Hosted by Writer & Writing Coach, Kerstin Pilz, the Write Your Journey retreat was an incredibly invigorating, relaxing and moving experience for Emma and now she's hooked. Hear more about Kerstin's incredible journey, her love for travel and her wonderful writing retreats. She truly believes in the power of writing for healing and encourages us all to share our story.

Wild animals, breathtaking ocean views and fascinating culture - welcome to South Africa! Emma interviews her lovely friend Brydi Schutz on this episode, a passionate South African. Emma visited Cape Town in 2008 and Brydi showed her around, getting to experience being a tourist in her own country too. Hear some wonderful tips, listen as they discuss the complex history and get excited about your future trip to South Africa!

"Last week we hear what it's like to go from USA to AUS. This week we go from AUS to USA, we talk to Cat Commander about why she took on this epic life change. Cat is an avid explorer, she thrives on the adrenaline of visiting far off places with vastly different cultures to her Australian roots, and also enjoys local tourism in Southern California, where she now lives. Alongside her job in the film/tv industry, she owns and manages a popular vacation rental in Big Bear Lake, and has plans to expand her Short Term Rental Empire. She recently published a children's book on Amazon called Bryson The Bear - inspired by the Big Bear Lake region. Enjoy this fascinating chat with an adventurous woman!"

Have you ever wanted to be a local in a new country? Theresa Winters has done it a number of times and she really takes living life as a local seriously. Emma met Theresa through their work in entertainment and journalism and has had the pleasure of experiencing Theresa's immersive local spirit. Fun fact! Theresa is from the same area as Emma's magical Cuzzy, Bill Hunter, who was featured in episode 22 of the Lovelly Travels podcast. Both women share their local experiences from Illinois and Wisconsin, USA. Learn more about Theresa in the show notes and of course, in the episode!

Namaste! Welcome to our India episode! Definitely the first of many as Emma has been there not once, not twice but 11 times. It's one of her most visited countries but also her favourite of all time. Emma even has the unspoken motto of Indian tourism on her arm - Atithi Devo Bhava. It means "Guest is God". She even now partners with a travel company in India, Take me to India. We also welcome to this episode Anuj Haribhakti, originally from India and now living in Australia, Anuj is a passionate podcast listener and avid traveller. After connecting through their love of podcasts, Anuj and Emma get to talking all things India - with the local and traveller's perspective. Come and explore Incredible India with us.

Emma loves the Liandra Swim brand and their approach to fashion and representation of the Indigenous Australian culture. In this episode, we invited Creative Director/Founder and designer Liandra Gaykamangu onto the podcast to share more about her awesome brand and the influence of her heritage on her business. "We are an eco-conscious and ethically minded brand. Liandra Swim is designed in Australia and our prints are 100% authentic. Our Creative Director/Founder and designer, Liandra Gaykamangu, is a Yolngu woman from North-East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory Australia. Our swimwear is made in Bali, Indonesia in ethical working conditions."

Kuzo zung po la! In 2015, Emma took on the Trek to Happiness with Black Dog Institute and travelled to the incredible country of Bhutan. The trek was to raise funds for mental health and what better place than a country that rates its productivity on happiness. Bhutan is now trying to measure progress not by the popular idea of Gross Domestic Product but through Gross National Happiness. Emma travelled there with her good pal Nic who she met on a trek to Peru in 2012 and they share their passion for mental health, as well as a lot of silly and fun momenets. Nic Newling is an advocate for mental health, suicide prevention, and sharing personal stories. Since surviving his own mental illnesses but losing his brother to suicide, Nic strives to encourage sharing, listening, and working together for positive change. After six years with the Black Dog Institute, he has now ventured into sharing with the world by founding the grassroots organisation The Champions. So join us as we explore Bhutan, reminisc some of the magical moments and have a good old laugh!

Are you a fan of big treks? Well our guest this week Leigh Foster takes trekking to the next level! A friend of Emma's since high school, Leigh was sharing her journeys on Facebook and Emma who also loves big walks loved following on. We knew we had to have her on the show to share these experiences. Leigh is a weekday accountant and weekend warrior. She has a passion for adventure and the outdoors. During 2019 and 2019, she spent almost a year walking 8,000km's on two of the world's premier long distance trails, New Zealand's TA and USA's PCT. When she's not wandering the globe she's making the most of her weekends hiking and canyoning in the outskirts of Sydney. Listen and learn about what it's like to spend months on end trekking across amazing landscapes, and how to prepare for such an adventure!

Selamat Datang! This week we are off to Indonesia! A country in Asia made up of more than 17,000 islands! This was the 7th country that Emma visited overall, and 5/195 UN recognised countries that she's visited. We're covering off just 3 of the 17,000 locations today with Bali, Jakarta and Borneo. Darius shares his very fleeting (12 hour!) visit to Jakarta as well. As always we talk about the delicious foods to ear, places to see and some tips for making the most of your time.

Crucial to the travel experience is the art of packing a bag. Whether it's a suitcase, a backpack or a swag, everyone has a packing style. Danielle Phyland from The Adventures of Poss & Ruby joins us as our first repeat guest to discuss how to best organise ones bag for travel. Emma and Danielle travelled together in 2019 and it was clear their packing styles varied greatly! Enjoy hearing some tips, pointers and funny tales about packing.

Jambo and Karibu Rafiki! This week we're off to the majestically beautiful Tanzania. Jambo means hello, karibu means welcome and rafiki is friend. Emma was fortunate enough to visit Tanzania twice. The first time to meet her sponsor child Lazaro with World Vision Australia. And the second time to fulfil her promise to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in honour of her grandfather. We also share in this episode a love story! Local Tanzanian Loth Mollel met his beautiful wife, Emma's friend and colleague, Tara while she was volunteering in Tanzania. They share their beautiful tale with us here on the podcast and some top tips for those wanting to visit Tanzania. Come along on an exotic adventure and good old walk down memory lane on this episode.

We wish you a Merry Christmas! It's 2020 and the world looks a bit different this year but Christmas is NOT cancelled! We are here sharing our many wonderful memories of Christmas around the world. Darius tells us all about the many Christmas traditions in Germany and the magic of the Christmas markets, which he and Emma have visited a few times together. He also shares a few of his Aussie Christmas experiences. Emma has spent most of her Christmases in Ausralia but she's spent a fair few in England, and one in India. But it seems she likes to travel in December and has been in the following countries around Christmas time: USA, Canada, Scotland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, New Caledonia (and international waters on a Cruise Ship), South Africa, Bahrain, Finland, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and UAE! We'd love to hear more about your Christmas traditions too and however you celebrate the festive season, we wish you and your family are safe, happy and healthy. And Happy Birthday Jesus from Darius!