Trip Notes: ZM's Bree Tomasel on overcoming her fears of travelling solo
In the new episode of Travel podcast Trip Notes, radio and TV host Bree Tomasel reveals some of her favourite travel experiences.
From growing up in rural Queensland to making New Zealand her new home; travelling solo for the first time, to what it was really like to film Celebrity Treasure Island in Fiji, Bree is full of fun tales that will help inspire some wanderlust of your own.
The new episode of Trip Notes will be available free on Tuesday, September 16 at iHeart Radio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
ZM Drive and Celebrity Treasure Island host Bree Tomasel, centre, with Trip Notes hosts Tim Roxborogh and Stephanie Holmes. Photo / Supplied
In the meantime, to whet your appetite, Bree shares her "scariest" travel experience...
About four months ago, I was feeling a little lost and I did the only logical thing I could think of doing, something that scared the pants off me - travelling alone.
It was something I had always wished I had the courage to do. I'd listen to friends talk about their overseas discoveries - three months of unplanned travel around Italy, Canada and Sri Lanka. But how did they find the courage to take that plunge of being on their own in a totally unfamiliar place?
Now, I will warn you, this isn't a story where I go on to say I travelled for countless months with only a backpack and $14 in my pocket, because it's not. I did, however, manage to muster the courage to travel for 11 days - yes, just 11 days - by myself in a country I'd never been to before.
El Nido, Philippines was the destination, a place I'd always wanted to go. More under-developed than any other place I'd been to before, El Nido had all the appeal of a small country beach town that looked and felt totally different from any beach I'd ever been to.
The days that followed were a mix of eating at local places I'd heard about from people I was meeting, boat-hopping, bike-riding and tree-swinging. But it wasn't until the end of my trip that I had a true "holy crap, I can't believe I did that" experience.
I received a message from one of my friends on Instagram who, coincidently, had been travelling in El Nido a few weeks prior. She said, "You should get a local to take you up Taraw Cliff." I was feeling empowered: I found a local guy who said he would do it for 1000 pesos (about NZ$30) and boom, it was on!
Up at 4am, I rode my scooter out to the main road in the darkness, met my guide and I hopped into the sidecar of his motorbike.
El Nido in the Philippines. Photo / 123RF
We arrived at a little village and begin to walk among the huts until we came to a clearing, leading to a set of broken wooden steps; there was barely any light apart from the tiny torch he was carrying, which guided us to the beginning of the climb.
From there we faced rock faces with no harnesses, stifling humidity and bugs everywhere. We were chasing the sun.
'We have to make it to the top before sunrise,' he said.
I'm just glad that we did most of the climb in the dark because I think if I could have seen just how dangerous it was, I wouldn't have made it. Two and a half hours later, we got to the top and discovered one of the most beautiful views I'd ever seen. We were overlooking all of El Nido.
It was an experience I'd never forget, and I was just glad I'd made it unscathed ... until we had to make the two-hour trek down and I slipped and got a sizeable graze from my shin to my thigh. But I didn't care; it was worth every drop of sweat, blood and terrified tears.
It's not for the faint-hearted; I definitely wouldn't do the climb again. But maybe the travelling on my own ... if I can muster the courage.
Bree Tomasel hosts Celebrity Treasure Island (Sunday to Tuesday, TVNZ2) and ZM's Drive Show (Weekdays, 3pm-7pm). Follow her on Instagram - @breetomasel
To hear more about Bree's favourite travel memories - including some inside info about what it was really like on location with Celebrity Treasure Island, listen to Trip Notes.
Trip Notes is available on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. Photo / Supplied
Subscribe, and each new episode will automatically download every fortnight — ready for you to listen on your way to work, while you dream about your next holiday. You can also go to nzherald.co.nz/tripnotes to watch video from the podcast, and catch up on any episodes you may have missed
For more travel inspiration, go to houseoftravel.co.nz.
