If you’re anything like me, you’ll have been spending lockdown binging travel programmes, daydreaming about a time before Covid-19 where you could wander freely. BBC’s Race Across the World has been one of my favourites, partly due to the fact that it reminded me of my own backpacking adventures around south-east Asia, and also because of the angle it puts on foreign travel.
What’s Race Across the World about?
For those who haven’t watched it, the series follows the trail of five dynamic duos who are stripped of their modern conveniences and given the mission of racing from one corner of the world to the other, without jumping on a plane.
There’s another catch; they can hitch-hike, take buses, coaches, boats and trains to get from destination to destination, but they have to do it on a budget. The contestants are all given the exact cost of the air-fare from their starting point to their end destination, which they have to make last throughout the whole trip. If they run out of money, they’re out of the race. If they reach the finishing line first, they win a grand total of £20,000. I don’t know about you, but I’m 100% applying for next year’s series.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS?
This year’s contestants travel from Mexico City to Ushuaia in Argentina – a journey spanning almost 9,000 kilometres. Now obviously, this sort of travel isn’t doable for many of us, unless you have lots of time to spare. I know I wouldn’t be able to take a month out of my precious annual leave to travel from Central to South America, but there is still something to take away about the sort of travel the programme promotes.
Race Across The World reminds us of the tempting cocktail of romance and adventure that comes with travelling through a destination, rather than over it. It shows how taking the long route can introduce you to the true flavour of a country, its culture, history and fascinating people. Not only are you reducing your carbon footprint by avoiding plane travel, but you’re learning more about the destinations you’re travelling through – while having unforgettable adventures along the way.
The programme made me think about how straight-forward and comparitively boring travel has become; too often, we choose the easiest option when it comes to travelling, instead of thinking about the journey itself as an experience worth treasuring.
This was what I loved about my backpacking trip, and Race Across the World has definitely inspired me to add an element of this to my holidays closer to home. Living in the UK, we’re so blessed to have the interconnected landmass of Europe on our doorstep, making it easier than ever to hop from country to country by road and rail. Instead of jumping on a plane to Spain one year, I could drive or take a train, taking in the sights of France before reaching my final destination, turning what could have been a fairly one-dimensional holiday into a exciting multi-stop tour.
Would you consider a holiday like this? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! And don’t forget to catch up on Race Across the World on BBC iPlayer.
Comments are closed.