Simon Reeve shares his top destination I think is best bang for buck is…
Zimbabwe represents good value in Africa. My daughter swears by Mexico where she and her fiance travelled recently and absolutely loved.
Simon Reeve at Mana Pools on a Zambezi River safari in Zimbabwe in 2009.
Inside my carry-on you’ll always find…
My camera, lenses, batteries, a charger, storage cards and LaCie hard drives. Even if it’s Sydney to Melbourne for a meeting, the camera always goes in first. Photography is therapy for me; it’s a reason for being.
As soon as I check in…
If I’m with an airline where I still have lounge access, I will park there and reorganise my backpack contents for the 28th time that day and still not be able to find my passport when the flight is called.
The plane seat I always choose in economy is…
An aisle and not too far back. Back surgery a few years ago means I get up as often as possible while hopefully not ticking too many people off.
My favourite type of travel companion is…
With guests I’m guiding, you just want them to comprehend the beauty and spirit of the places we go. That might be sitting around a fire in the pre-dawn before a game drive, saying nothing, sipping a coffee, listening to birds. I want people to become fierce protectors of these places, even when they get home.
I like to get to the airport…
I’d get to the airport the day before if that was an option. I spent too many days running to make flights, caught in traffic or security queues, with all the stress that goes with it. If someone says “nah, two and half hours is plenty”, I start trembling and sweating.
I am not a points person…
I could be a record contender for points lost, wasted or unclaimed. Ansett anyone?
Simon Reeve filming Beyond 2000 in 1992.
I pack my suitcase…
I generally still overpack. I pack with total disregard for sound scientific principles. You’d reckon being on Beyond 2000 might have taught me something. Nup.
The one song that’s always on my travel playlist…
I love how music weaves its way into travel memories of happy times. I will say Wave by the great Antônio Carlos Jobim. Brazilians are so cool they even named Rio’s travelling for business in New York last year, I started using a money, passport, and wallet belt for the first time. It was certainly hot and sweaty on the subway, but it was reassuring to know exactly where my belongings were at all times.
The city I always use public transport in is…
New York; it’s brilliant. I felt like a grown-up, on and off at those famous stations, a snapshot of everything that makes New York the unique, dynamic city that it is.