New Zealand Herald Travel sits down with Lincoln Lewis the newest host of Getaway.
From 19,000-ft skydives to battling with lightsabers in Disneyland, Australian actor and Getaway presenter Lincoln Lewis shares his most epic adventures and expert travel tips.
From where we’re sitting, you’re living the dream - do you have the best job in the world?
Hell yeah. I grew up watching Getaway and I’d talk to my mates the next day at school about the episodes and how cool it would be to be a presenter. So, I’m beyond stoked.
What are some of your favourite places you’ve visited with Getaway?
I’m a Queenslander through and through, so going up to North Queensland. We went through the Daintree Rain Forest and caught live mud crabs out of low tide flats and brought them into Mossman Gorge and cooked them up. That would be one of my favourite experiences so far.
In saying that, I also went to Hawaii. As well as visiting one of the most sought-after tourist destinations on the planet and getting to surf and zip line, we also experienced traditional Hawaiian culture, which was an amazing thing to experience and learn about.
In Tropical North Queensland, take a tour with a local Aboriginal guide from Walkabout Cultural Adventures and find mud crabs for your lunch. Photo / Supplied
What has been your most extreme adventure while filming the show?
When we were in Hawaii, we ziplined over the North Shore. It was about a kilometre long, so you’re riding it for a full minute. The view was incredible and the scenery changed, so it was like you’re experiencing a couple of different worlds all in one ride. It’s one of those moments you’re floating and asking yourself ‘is this real?’
What’s one of the best things about being a Getaway presenter?
Being able to have those cultural experiences, because that’s something only that destination can truly bring you. And you pay for that experience but no money or words can do justice to what you’re feeling when you’re connected like that.
Being able to bring that experience to the telly so people can go, ‘hey, I want to go check that out as well and feel that’, I think for me, that’s the privilege of being part of the team.
Experiencing Hawaii and its rich culture is one of Lincoln Lewis' best travel memories. Photo / Dustin Belt; Unsplash
What is the greatest trip you’ve ever been on?
So one was in 2019. I went to Disneyland for a week with my brother and we just geeked out. We visited Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge about 15 times in four days. It was awesome. Then, last year, I did a trip with a GoPro around the South Island and Kyle Mulinder (@BareKiwi) was in my group. A seal slapped him with an octopus and the video went viral worldwide.
We also did amazing things like kayaking and riding a helicopter around Franz Joseph Glacier, then doing a 19,000-ft skydive.
I’m such a fan of places like the Cook Islands, the Maldives, Tahiti; all those picturesque places. But I’m also a big history buff, so I would love to see the pyramids in Egypt or Machu Picchu or just somewhere where you think, ‘how did a culture build that?’
What’s the first thing you do after getting home from a trip?
I always unpack because I like to get that out of the way while I’ve got the energy. Once that’s done, I go straight for a swim. Because I’m fortunate enough to live on the Gold Coast at the moment, I’ll head straight down to the beach in the salt water, which is the ultimate cleanser, mentally and energetically.
No matter what, always have a couple of extra spare pairs of undies, never forget your charger and always, always get your phone plan sorted. Everything else, you can work it out.
