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The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust
Where does your wanderlust lead you?
To Melbourne’s cafes or the vast deserts of the Empty Quarter, a New Zealand vineyard or the pavements of New York… what’s your neighbourhood?
Join travel journalists and editors Kirstie Bedford and Belinda Jackson for inspiring stories and inside information from across the world.
Website https://theworldawaits.au
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The World Awaits: travel tales to inspire your wanderlust
EP 130 Adventurer Tim Jarvis AM on his journey to the ends of the Earth, plus tennis and travel budgets
Adventurer, environmental scientist, author, filmmaker, philanthropist, speaker, and Australian of the Year Tim Jarvis AM... is there anything this man can't do?
You'll think not after hearing about his adventures including undertaking two of the harshest and most extreme Antarctic expeditions – Douglas Mawson and Ernest Shackleton's survival journeys, and he did them in the original clothing, with the same gear used a century ago.
Jarvis talks about his journeys, his latest expedition, and he talks about how travel can inspire conservation and the difference every traveller can make.
We also take you to the tennis with the Australian Open now in full swing in Melbourne, talk about Australia's travel spending with new ING research, and it might be a touchy subject, but the Movicol Constipation State of the Nation report is out (yes, there is such a thing!) and we chat about how to keep things moving when you travel.
Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au
Welcome to the World Awaits. Travel tales to inspire your Wonderlust.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome back to the World of Waits. Hi, everybody. Happy New Year. We can say that because we've all been on holidays and I think that the legacy still retains until the end of January. We are so excited to jump into 2026 with our first full, fresh episode for the year. We have an amazing interviewee to kick things off. It is adventurer and conservationist Tim Jarvis. But before we get to that, how is your week, Ben Kirstie? How are your holidays? How's life?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, well, I mean, as you say, we've both been away to our favorite destinations, you at the Mornington Peninsula and me at Phillip Island, and um favorite local destinations, I should say. And uh yeah, but it's been a bit of a bizarre old summer. We had heat waves one minute and then cold freezes the next. But it's as we record this, it is actually high 20s and the Australian Open is on. So if you're in Melbourne, make sure you grab a ground pass because the tennis runs until the first of Feb. And it's such a cool thing to do. Belle and I actually did it one year. That was so much fun, wasn't it? And we just kind of wandered around and um with our Aperol spritz and and um and watched the big screens and there's great food trucks, and yeah, it's a good thing to do. So you can get tickets actually at the um ozopen.com website um or as also Ticketmaster, but and we'll put a link in the show notes.
SPEAKER_02:I do love going to the tennis and I go every year. Um, and and you know, we've already kicked off early because we were lucky enough to go to a tennis event this past week with Explorer Journeys to meet its global brand ambassador, which is a world number two men's tennis player, Yannak Sina. Oh my goodness. I've got to say, I didn't love him until this, um, until this interview. But um he's he's developed a new onboard wellness program for the luxury cruise brand. So um we went to the Stokehouse in St Kilda and he was being interviewed by Catherine Murphy, who's the fabulous sports journalist and presenter for ABC Sport. I love her so much. It was so interesting. You know, he's only 24, um, but he was so articulate. And he actually left home. He told us this great story about um being 13 and playing tennis in Egypt, uh, and his family was back at home. I just thought that was such an incredible thing. I mean, talk about so he's you know, he's been on the circuit for so long. It's no wonder he's so articulate.
SPEAKER_03:At such a young age, yeah. And and the other really interesting thing, and and like you said, Catherine was incredible. She really managed to get some really interesting things out of him rather than just sort of the standard um, you know, key message talk. And he was actually, he was great. He was telling us some personal things. So he one of the things that was really interesting was that he was talking about how he sleeps until 40 minutes before a big match. So say he's got a match at seven, he'll have you know, people waking him up at like 20 past six and just gets up and then jumps straight into it. Has he said he has about 15 minutes of complete alone time, um, and then he just goes straight into play. So gosh, he obviously isn't one of those people that's um slow to wake up. And but I guess you know, if you're if you're playing at that level, then um you need all the sleep you can get, really.
SPEAKER_02:Well, he is also, I mean, he's 24, you know, he's just coming out of that, he's barely out of his teenage, you know, obsessive sleep years. Like I I thought it was just fantastic. We've actually got a little snippet of that interview on our Instagram. So if you jump onto the World of Waits podcast on Insta, um, take a quick look. And I'm off to the tennis this week with uh another sponsor, Mariette Bonvoy, who you'll see splashed all over the screens. And then Kirsty and I are both going back with Emirates to watch the quarterfinals. So you can see more tennis and catch up on our antics off court, um, as well as all of the latest episodes and that clip from Danick as well. And um, so it yeah, it's just awesome in Melbourne at the moment. But on a less frivolous note, Victoria has been particularly hard, hit hard by bushfires this January. And look, we were both lucky that we weren't in affected areas, but fires have hit some of the state's top tourism destinations. We're talking the Great Ocean Road, uh, which has also had floods, um, which is just bizarre, and the Victorian Alps and the Grampians, all places that we love to visit and have explored.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And so if you want to help these regions, um, then even while sort of the fires are continuing on, one good way to support them is to go to Victoria's High Country at home, which is a new online marketplace which has some products and experiences and vouchers from high country businesses. So you can support them. So go to their website, which is victoriashighcountry.com.au, and we will actually put a link to that um again in in the show notes. So jump on over to those.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely. Look, I was totally shocked by the loss of one of my favorite vineyards, Fowl's wines, in the Strasboggy Rangers, because we were just talking about it in our Christmas episode. Um their cellar indoor and restaurant on the Hume Highway remain unscathed. So if you want to support them, drop in for a drink or a coffee, or um, you know, further afield, you can you can do something really simple like just join the wine clubs or order from any of the vineyards and the Grampians in the high country or in the Otways hinterland above the Great Ocean Road to show your support for those um areas that are really slugging about at the moment.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and like we said, we'll make sure that we put links in the show notes so that you can um do your bit to support those regions if you wanted to. Um, so moving on, and this week, ING has news research on Australians' travel spending and it reveals the increase in costs and investments people are prepared to make the most of their trips. So the research actually found that the average leisure traveller is willing to spend about$7,300 on a two-week international holiday, which is a 20% increase in the past year. And I I sort of was looking at that figure and thinking, if you take into consideration flights, though, it's not really all that much. I mean, that's uh, you know, because though, and but I guess that those stats sort of come as travel costs do continue to rise.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely. More than half of the people in the survey of who were returning international travelers said that they've spent more on things like transfers on their latest trip and also um increased spend on accommodation. Like they spent actually spent 50% more on their accommodation, and they also increased the amount um that they budgeted for activities. So that was actually up 45%. And we talked about this before. Transfers can be brutal, um, you know, and something you've really got to factor into in your holidays, especially, for instance, if you're staying on an island, such as, you know, in one of the Gulf in the Gulfs in uh Thailand or in the Maldives where you need boat or plane transfers, um, because they are yeah, they are a significant part of your travel budget. If you're, you know, if you're trying to get away from the crowds, you've just got to spend that, haven't you?
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, you do. I was actually talking to someone about this recently and she was saying, Oh, I don't reckon transfers are that bad. Like land, we were talking land transfers, not like ridiculously expensive seaplane transfers or anything. And she was saying, you know, like if you think about it, if you're with a group and then if you're a single person and you're traveling with with say four others or something and it's 150 bucks and you split it, yep, I get it. It's not really that bad. But as a family, that's if you double that, and that's just, you know, if you particularly if you're going to more than one place, but even if you just go into one place and you double that, that is an extra 300 bucks. So yeah, it can be, it can be, you've got to take it into account. Um, the stats also showed that travellers allocate the biggest shares of their budgets to flights. I mean, go figure, because it's very expensive, isn't it? And transfers and then accommodation followed by food and dining and activities.
SPEAKER_02:I and G's head of consumer and market insights, Matt Bowen, said basically the results show Australia's passion for international travel is undeniable, which we know, and they are willing to invest significantly in creating unforgettable memories, even as costs rise. So he said that saving for a holiday continues to be one of the most popular financial goals.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, and given most of our listeners are interested in travel, it's not a surprise. Um, but yeah, I mean, avid avid travelers are gonna obviously gonna scrimp on on other areas. I remember when our kids were just little babies and we were in the thick of, you know, having a massive mortgage and stuff, and we we hadn't been in Australia all that long. And we made some sacrifices back then, you know, to travel. Like we would always scrimp in other areas and save in other areas just to get up to even say a package deal up in the Gold Coast or something. And then there's obviously always camping's a good way if things are a bit tight too, and you can't um, you know, get away overseas, then that's sort of that's obviously another great way. And the stats are all showing, obviously, that camping, camping and motorhoming is is growing um increasingly because of those reasons.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we camped as kids, like there was no holiday, like a there was Ozzy camping holidays. You might have had to trim back your wine budget because you didn't get out on the road.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, because I drink because I drink so much.
SPEAKER_02:I think I'm gonna say your household's wine budget and just leave it at that. Um, so look, it's you know, here's a hot tip. If you scoot back to episode 123, which is just before Christmas, you can hear us talking about some great hotels that don't break the bank either. And I was actually talking about this on 3AW the other day. I'm gonna put a link to that in the show notes as well. About we were talking about Sydney Melbourne hotel prices and there's some really interesting stats in there about where to holiday. Basically, don't holiday in Sydney because it's through the roof. Ultimately, though, nothing beats travel for a reset, regardless of what it looks like for you. And that's why you're here, and we love you for it.
SPEAKER_03:This week I'm so excited to be sharing a chat I had with environmental scientist, author, filmmaker, philanthropist, and a speaker, and Australian of the year, Tim Jarvis.
SPEAKER_02:That's a lot of titles. So, amongst all of that, what made you really want to speak to Tim?
SPEAKER_03:I love chatting to adventurers. My gosh. Um, I think I'm just living vicariously through them. And Tim has long been on my list of interviewees. So when the opportunity arise, obviously I just jumped at that one. He has taken two of the harshest and most extreme Antarctic adventures, Douglas Mawson and Ernest Shackleton's survival journeys. And he did them in the original clothing with the same gear that was used a century ago. I mean, remarkable. Um and he talks all about it and also his latest expedition, and he also um explains about how travel can inspire conservation. So take a listen. Welcome to the show, Tim.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks, Kirsty. Great to be here.
SPEAKER_03:So great to have you on The World Awakes. Let's start by tell us a bit about your background and how a love of the outdoors as a child has sort of inspired you to take the path that you have.
SPEAKER_00:Well, my mother was a Scot, my father was English, uh, but I grew up in Malaysia as a young child from the age of seven, uh in Asia, in fact, till I was 19. And uh my parents would just say, Go outside and find something to do, and we'll see you later on. And uh, and and I developed a sort of love of spending time both in nature, but also I learned a lot about my own resourcefulness, and I enjoyed that side of myself, and it just it really were the it was the early seeds of of the career in the environment field and adventuring that I do today all those years ago back in Malaysia.
SPEAKER_03:Amazing. What were you doing? What was the path that led you to then obviously getting to that point where you could retrace retrace those um remarkable um expeditions?
SPEAKER_00:Well, at the age of seven, I had a I had a club called the Adventurers Club. I think I was probably the only member, but it made me feel like I was part of something bigger, and uh I had a little hut with a lock on the door where I could sort of you know keep all the bad guys at bay, but there there probably weren't any, it was probably just me and my own imagination, and I I suppose I've retained that childlike that childlike sense of discovery um all the way through into adulthood because expeditions at the end of the day are pretty you know, they're complex on the one hand, but on the other hand, they're a simple idea to cross something, get to the top of something, are you capable of doing something, and just having almost a childlike idealism about it all and and a sense of adventure and a willingness to push yourself. So I suppose the expeditions have just got bigger and bigger and bigger over time, and you keep pushing at that boundary of what you think you're capable of, and it leads you to retracing Shackleton's journey uh down in Antarctica, you know, 30 years later, 40 years later. So I've just kept that I've kept that sense of um that sense of adventure.
SPEAKER_03:Wow. And is that what and so were you doing like what at the was your line of work sort of uh, you know, tell us a bit about what sort of what you industries you were working in and or were you doing this were you doing that sort of as your line of work?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean I've always done I think my I've had two parallel lives really, right since as far back as I can remember. One is the environment stuff, which I do professionally, and the other one is is I guess adventuring. And the two, of course, are very closely interconnected because um I think the adventuring came from a love of spending time outdoors, but that same time spent outdoors really um really focused my mind on just how uh at risk or under pressure the environment is, and that led to that that that sort of parallel life, studying for various qualifications and working all the way up to being an environmental uh environmental scientist. And now, of course, the films and the books and the expeditions I do actually provide me with a really good way of of storytelling around the importance of protecting the environment. So everything is kind of very interconnected, it's almost impossible to separate it out. But I think it began as that childhood love of spending time outdoors in in Malaysia.
SPEAKER_03:So tell us a bit about those um expeditions, particularly those ones. Uh and what what made you want to do it um and without the advancement of the technology that we have now?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think I think look, I think expeditions, there's there's there's two bits of it. I suppose you could say the same about uh travel and adventure travel. I mean, one is seeing new places, and the other one is is the changes it brings about within you. It's your own personal internal journey that you go through when you find yourself in new situations and new places, meeting new people, having new experiences. And so there's always been two parallel things. There's the literal journey of exploration and the personal and the kind of the personal um journey of exploration. I've done many expeditions in the modern way, um, up in the Arctic, and I'd done a trip um to the South Pole on foot in Antarctica in in 99. But all of those have been done with Gore-Tex jackets and GPS and you know all the modern modern technology. They were still, you know, in some cases pretty brutal expeditions, but they were done with modern technology. And you start wondering what it will be like to turn the clock back and test yourself against those early explorers who wore, you know, leather boots and woolens and eight pieces of congealed fat for their sustenance and pulled a sled and and suppered and there was no cell phones and no GPS, and so it made me wonder you know how a modern person would stack up compared with those explorers of old, and it once that gets into your head, you need to go and find out. And how did it well I managed spoiler alert, I'm alive and uh I made it. Um but um I have to say you you have to uh go to whole new levels of physical and mental um find all new levels of physical and mental kind of resilience within yourself to pull off those expeditions, particularly knowing that the modern technology exists and you're deliberately depriving yourself of it, which is something of course they didn't suffer from. A hundred years ago, Douglas Morrison or Ernest Shackleton, you know, they were using state-of-the-art technology. For me, I'm turning the clock back more than a hundred years and using the stuff they had, and that's a burden. You think, oh, things could be far less dangerous and less miserable and less challenging if I had X, you know, some modern bit of technology. Um, but you come away from it just thinking, you know, marveling at what they were able to achieve. You know, you come with a an even greater level of respect than you had before you went.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, I I can imagine. And how do your fat does your family feel about about um these expeditions that you do that are slightly risky? Um highly.
SPEAKER_00:I look, I think um look, I think my wife is supportive of it because she realizes I use it for um for good effect. I mean, I don't think I would have had the chance to get in front of uh, you know, politicians and big corporate organizations and make films and write books if it weren't for the trips that I've done, the expeditions I've done, and they in turn provide you with this incredible uh platform to affect change. So although there's risks involved, I think somewhere along the line my family think it's worth it. And uh I think the day you just do it as a just to take risks for the sake of taking risk, probably that would be that would be that would be met that would be met with resistance, I guess, but but up to this point I've used those things for good effect. A lot of work around climate change and target or things like that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. And so tell us um a bit about, let's talk about some of the um expeditions that you've done. What are some what are some or what's one or two or just some really sort of key highlights that you've had, um, or you know, some that have really stuck out for you as being incredibly life-changing?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think reaching South Pole on foot, unsupported, pulling a sled, 225 kilo sled, 30ks a day, from the edge of the real edge of Antarctica, where the ocean meets the ice, and uh just doing it unsupported 47 days, no rest days, to reach the South Pole at almost 3,000 metres up and do it on your own steam was a real moment. Um and that in turn led, I guess, indirectly to me retracing the journey of Sir Douglas Mawson, who was this heroic era explorer from Adelaide originally, and he'd undertaken an expedition of the same duration, 47 days, but in his case both of his colleagues had died, and he was the only survivor. And I decided to try and do his expedition again with the same hundred-year-old technology uh just to see whether um it could be done. There'd been suggestions that he might have had to do all sorts of things on the original expedition to make it, including potentially cannibalism. And so I didn't really ascribe to that, but I I I wanted to just honour what he had uh done by attempting it in the modern era but using the same old technology. And uh I lost over thirty kilos in weight, but I proved I think in my own mind it can be done. And then that in turn then led to me being asked by the granddaughter of Sarinus Shackleton to retrace her grandfather's journey where his ship sank and he managed to save everyone from certain death in Antarctica after a crazy small boat journey across the Southern Ocean from Antarctica to uh an island called South Georgia. Um and again we used no modern technology, rebuilt the boat, ate large. War cotton smocks, no GPS, big C's, plenty of scares. Um almost didn't make it but managed to get to the same whaling station that he got to a hundred years before us and kind of you know honour what he'd managed to achieve. So I think they're probably the three big highlights I've done lots of other expeditions over the years, but those three probably stand out all with an Antarctic focus.
SPEAKER_03:Wow, remarkable. And gosh, it must have been such a sense of achievement when you got to the end. And uh yeah, really challenging to then to you know to go forward because you'd be thinking, gosh, what's next after that?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I mean, and look, I think um for all the listeners, I mean, I think we're all our own worst critics really in our in our quiet moments when we're on our own. Um, and so you know, the the achievement of some of these things for me has forced me to come to terms with the fact that you've done something that is kind of worthy of a bit of merit, and you either decide to give yourself a bit of credit for it, um, or it demeans what's been achieved because you've been able to do it, and you've got to really kind of try and work through all of those mixed mixed emotions. Um, what I would say is, you know, you can't ever do the same thing as they did in the bottom era, you know, people know where you are and that sort of thing. Um but you get as close as you can, and it teaches you uh teaches you a lot, teaches you a lot of resilience and uh about the you know, teaches you about the the things of value in life and all sorts of things.
SPEAKER_03:So I I I I'm absolutely certain it is, and so let's uh talk about then like how this has all sort of inspired you, or obviously all of your travels um in the area of conservation. So um, and and obviously, you know, they say you know, you can't protect what you don't love, and and obviously you've you've uh grown to to love um particularly, you know, Antarctica. And um, so what are you what are your thoughts around that? I mean, there there's there's questions around obviously this the longevity and sustainability, um, particularly with um cruise ships going in and all that this sort of thing um around the conservation of particularly that area.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I mean that expression, if you don't know it, you won't love it, if you don't love it, you won't protect it, I think is really true. I'd like to think that the most people who go down to Antarctica, and it is a great privilege to get the opportunity to go, not everybody can, obviously, but um I do feel that of all the trips I've done down there where I've been together with with you know venture tourists, for example, um the majority of them have come away really are quite changed by the experience. It's such an incredible, incredible place. Um and I do think it on balance is is one has to be careful what one says here, but I think I think Antarctica will not live or die based on on how many ships go down there. I don't think the footprint of the ships, although you have to be careful, particularly with things like disease spread to penguin colonies and things like that, that has to be regulated. And IATO do a very good job of that. But the biggest issue facing a place like that is is where there are two things. One is climate change melting Antarctica, and the other one is the is the overfishing of the Southern Ocean, which still happens, and that's nothing to do with with tourism. So I think on balance, you know, as long as um we manage to continue to regulate it correctly, and like I say, IATU does IATO does do a very good job, good job of that. Um I think on balance it's a positive to have people go and see the place and come away and and and feel moved to try and protect it by changing their behaviour or telling others to change their behavior to better protect it.
SPEAKER_03:And is that something I mean you you you hope that that travellers obviously obviously do? And I mean, how how can we as travellers ensure that we are doing doing right by um you know conservation when we visit these types of fragile regions?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think the first thing is to obviously follow all the rules that are set out by the companies that operate there, and as I say, they sign up to IATO and uh IATO does a good job, so that's a given that one should do that. But I think when you think of if you're talking an issue like climate change, for example, you know, almost 40% of our carbon footprint comes from the energy required to heat, light, and cool buildings. Another 20% is the energy from transport, the transport sector, of which obviously flying to your destination and then getting on a ship that is either heated or air conditioned, and going down to a place like Antarctica where obviously burns a lot of fossil, a lot of fossil fuel. And 8% of the global carbon footprint is food waste, and of course, food on board is is is something to be enjoyed. Believe me, I've just come off a wonderful uh trip with Aurora expeditions around Tasmania. The food was fantastic, but of course it does come with a carbon footprint. So that all of those things are things that we should be thinking about with the way in which we uh spend our money, the way in which we heat and cool our homes, whether we choose to offset our flights. Um, you know, we have a tremendous amount of how we invest our superannuation has a huge impact on what what happens in the world. Australia, in fact, has the fifth biggest superannuation pod in the world, and if that was put to the right, investing in the right things, which we've all got control over, then it would be uh a really big deal. So there's lots of things we can we can do um in our lives that actually collectively have a really major impact.
SPEAKER_03:There's another uh little accolade that you received, um Australian of the year. Oh my gosh, congratulations, quite remarkable. Um, so how it was being named Australian of the year, how did that sort of help with your efforts and also um what what were your what were your thoughts on on uh on that incredible accolade?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I mean the the yeah I think look the accolades one gets are are are wonderful they're wonderful to have. I mean it can be a very lonely road, of course, working in the environment space. And there are many other fields of endeavour where people quietly go about working without kind of necessarily a lot of recognition, just pick uh you know, teaching or the medical profession, for example, or social services. There are many others, but certainly the environment's no exception. A lot of it is quite lonely work, um, and so it is nice to get nice to get the recognition. I think the key thing is using the recognition to do something with it rather than just polish the trophy and stick it on the on the shelf and admire it uh longingly. You know, I think the key thing is using it to open more doors and affect more change. Um, and that's what I'm I'm trying to do.
SPEAKER_03:Amazing. So tell us uh what what what sort of projects you've got planned for 2026 and and beyond that.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I mean, look, I've been working a lot on um I worked together with the Environment Minister here in South Australia to get a biodiversity act for South Australia where I'm speaking to you from. That was a major achievement. I'm looking forward to seeing what that will look like when we try and roll out habitat conservation at scale in a place like South Australia. Um in 2023 and 2024, I worked with an organization called Pew, um who are a very well-respected advocacy group based out of the US, and we got protection for Australia's three sub-Antarctic islands, um Heardham MacDonald Island and Macquarie. Massive um sanctuaries around those. So I will be continuing with those pieces of work. But a week after this airs, I will be uh leaving from Cape Town to go to Antarctica again. And uh it's uh kind of secret, so I don't want to have to kill everyone if I give anything away, but um it it is a very, very exciting expedition to a remote part of uh Antarctica from leaving from South Africa by plane. And um I'm going down with various uh space agencies who see Antarctica as being like an analogue for space. It's cold, it's dry, it's very extreme. If you can find life there using your instrumentation, or if you can find minerals, um certainly no one will be extracting anything from Antarctica, but just testing the equipment to see how it could be used, maybe to find water on the moon. Um so we're gonna be testing equipment in very um extreme environments in the deep interior of of Antarctica in a place called Dronning Maud Land, um, which is very, very spectacular. Um and I'm very excited. So I've been planning that for several years, and uh hopefully you'll hear more about it because we'll make a short film about what we've done and maybe then something bigger, a little bit longer term.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, how remarkable. And we will certainly be talking about that and and linking to it to everything you're doing also in later episodes for anyone that um is listening to this now. So um what what are your hopes uh for in the future for sort of what travelers will do or how they sort of view the world? Um and what do you what what are your hopes for for to our listeners who are really avid travellers um and how the way that we treat the world in the future?
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think traveling responsibly is really important. I think um I think for a start it would be great if if someone's travel didn't have any negative impacts on the environment. That means sort of offsetting your uh flights, maybe thinking about the kind of food and the wine and the all the good things you enjoy when you go to remote places, they have to be probably brought in from somewhere else, and there's a carbon footprint associated with those. So it would be great if one could think about just completely negating any negative impact associated with your travel by by buying things like carbon or biodiversity credits to to help with that. I then think you know, in country, if you're in a different country or indeed if you're just in Australia, you should be aligning with organisations who are doing doing things the right way. Um you know, ask about the credentials of the uh the travel operator you're doing something with, ask them what they're putting back into the local community. Um, if it's in Australia, you know, do they have any First Nations people involved? What are they doing to contribute back to those kind of communities? If it's in East Africa, the same. Um you know, so important to be to be trying to operate not just sustainably, but I think we need to be thinking regeneratively. Uh being sustainable is about just cancelling out any negative impact your activity could result in. Um thinking regeneratively is thinking how what I'm what I'm doing or the travel I'm doing, how will that actually bring about a net positive change? Can I get involved with a local charity in the country I'm going to? Um I have my two weeks of adventure travel. Could I put a day towards actually working together with a with a local charity in the country that I'm going through? So leaving leaving things better than you found them, I think, is the key thing.
SPEAKER_03:Fantastic answer. And um, gosh, I could talk about this sort of stuff with you for hours, but we are unfortunately running out of time. So I'm gonna ask you the question that we ask all of our interviewees, which is what's the most bizarre thing that's ever happened to you on your travels?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, the most bizarre thing. Um I think probably um getting a lift out of Antarctica from a very, very remote place by a bunch of Russian uh parachutists who just decided to jump over this remote part of Antarctica on New Year's Eve of the new millennium, and it happened to be where I was, and I'd almost run out of food. I'd almost given up all hope, and then parachutes landed within a couple of K's of my tent. And I've got to tell you, this is a very remote spot. Uh I skied over to them and they said, Well, look, our plane is coming with the very limited English they spoke, they said, Our plane is coming back in two days. And seeing this uh Aleutian 76 four-engine jet land on this remote piece of ice that I then hitched a ride with. I didn't even know where I was going, I just knew it wasn't Antarctica, and that was that was fine. Um, I'd been down there for 80 days at that stage, almost run out of food, and them dropping me off in South America, just got a manly hug from one of the guys, and he walked off, and that was it. There was no money, there was no transaction, it's just I was standing there in my polar gear on a military runway somewhere in somewhere in Chile, and uh I thought, what just happened? Six hours of our opinion and card go on the ice. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Incredible. Gosh, well, yes, that's certainly bizarre and quite remarkable. Well, what what an incredible tales you have to tell. Um how fun it would be sitting around with you with a few drinks to hear more about all of these incredible stories.
SPEAKER_00:But um There are more. There are more.
SPEAKER_03:Well, we'll just have to revisit it. But thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. And um, yeah, we would certainly love to have you back on at any time.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks, Kirsty. And and uh as a final plug, I should mention my project, the Fork Tree project, which is a a rewilding project, but now we have a bit of an ecotourism operation going there. We're trying to get people to come and see the work we're doing in South Australia and um maybe get inspired. So do check it out.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, we will absolutely put links to that in the show notes as well.
SPEAKER_02:That is just remarkable how he lost 30 kilos in weight when he did the Douglas Mawson expedition, and it shows his absolute dedication. And if you'd like to follow Tim on his latest adventures, you can find him on Instagram at Timjarvisam, and his website is timjarvis.org.
SPEAKER_03:If you'd like to help support our production costs, you can buy us a coffee at coffee.com slash the world awaits. That's kmohyphen fi.com slash the world awaits, so we can continue to bring you inspirational travel interviews with the world's best. Our tip this week is about how to stop constipation on holiday. Now, despite us laughing about this, this is actually a very serious matter. With the new MovaCol constipation state of the nation report, yes, there is such a thing. Finding that nearly 80% of Australians have been constipated while on holiday. And for one in five, they say it has outright ruined their trip.
SPEAKER_02:You know, we've talked a lot historically about the reverse issue. Let's think belly belly rocket, um, deli belly, every other belly, gastro and back end issues on planes. And I'm not talking about where you're sitting. So it's only fair that we shine some light on the struggle at the other end of the scale. And this report shows the top feelings associated with constipation are obviously frustration. That's nearly 50% of people said they were frustrated and the same were annoyed at being constipated. And that really puts a dampener on your holiday.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Um, so look, changes in diet, hydration, medication, and routine obviously play a pretty big part here. And also flying, because you if you're trying not to drink too much water because you don't want to be rushing to the law all the time, then that can sort of, you know, firm things up at the other end. Um and the report also found that 60% of Aussies agree that a satisfying poo improves their mental health, which reinforces how connected our gut and mood really are.
SPEAKER_02:So what sorry, I'm I know I'm so childish of this um what to do to ensure you have a good poo when you travel? Well, you can have a chat to your pharmacist or your doctor for a start if it's an ongoing problem because we are not doctors, we cannot give you medical advice. Um, or you know, if you just need a bit of help before you travel.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. So well, well, Belle's right, and we're not certainly not doctors, although her husband is, and we maybe we should have got them on the pod this week. But um, try these things, maybe add a bit more fruit into your diet, take some dried apricots or prunes on your on your carry-on that, you know, can help things out. And um, and yeah, maybe like instead of worrying too much about rushing off to the loo, you just have to drink that water, at least even the 24 hours before you fly.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they do say that. I mean, hydration is one of those ways to get over jet lag as well. So you're you're doing yourself a favor on both ends. And um, consider doing some laps around the airport. So instead of just sitting and waiting for your flight, um, and as the sponsor of the research, MovaCol suggests, you could always pack a little satchel of the constipation buster in your travel kit for better movement. And we're not talking smooth flights here. Next week, my guest is the fabulous Walker Author podcaster and wilderness advocate, Haro Ryan, who's talking about why you should learn to navigate when bushwalking. She's also shared her favorite walking routes around the world and um some really great tips for learning bush survival techniques because she is actually a specialist in this area. So stick around for that great interview next week.
SPEAKER_03:And we would love it if you can follow us on socials. You'll find us at the World Awaits Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. And feel free to drop us a line at hello at theworldwaits.au. Or if you're enjoying this episode, please give us a rating or review.
SPEAKER_01:That's a wrap for the World Awaits this week. Click to subscribe anywhere you listen to your favourite pods. Thanks for listening. See you next week.
