Ever gone on holiday, arrived at your destination and not had a clue where to start? The answer is of course in the preparation however, whether you’re a perfect planner or a last minute traveller, having some insider knowledge on your destination will enhance your visit and allow you to make the most of your holiday.

Fortunately for us, a number of well-travelled experts have collaborated with BAA and come up with a series of six podcasts revealing insider tips from how to get into exclusive restaurants in New York to what ‘not’ to do on a train in Tokyo. The ‘Travel Tips from those in the Know’ guides take you off the tourist trail and highlight the local and expert knowledge that only experienced travellers or those that have lived in the cities would know. What’s more, if you do tend to leave planning to the last minute, the guides also reveal the best things to pick up at the airport to help you blend in when you get to your destination.

Two of the contributors to the new podcast series join us in a live webchat to discuss why being prepared will open so many more doors to you on holiday as well as revealing some of their exclusive tips. Log-on and chat to travel journalist and acclaimed author, Sarah Tucker and TV fashion stylist, John Scott and find out how to make your next holiday your best yet…

The podcasts will be available from Tuesday 22nd July and take you to New York, Milan, Sydney, Madrid, Tokyo and Moscow through the eyes and ears of a veritable banquet of experts including John Scott, Sarah Tucker, Plum Sykes, Wayne Hemingway, Olly Smith, Rob Crossan and Emine Ali Rushton. For more information and to download the podcasts go to: www.baa.com/travel

H: Host, Milo McCabe

S: Sarah Tucker, author

J: John Scott, TV fashion stylist

H: Hello and welcome to the Travel Show, I’m Milo McCabe.  Have you ever gone on holiday, arrived at your destination and not had a clue where to start? The answer of course is in the preparation however, whether you’re a perfect planner or a last minute traveller, having some insider knowledge on your destination will enhance your visit and allow you to make the most of your holiday.   Fortunately for us, a number of well-travelled experts have collaborated with BAA and come up with a series of six podcasts revealing insider tips on the cities they cover, from how to get into exclusive restaurants in New York to what ‘not’ to do on a train in Tokyo. Well to talk about these travel secrets for those in the know are two of the contributors from the new podcast series, travel journalist and acclaimed author Sarah Tucker and TV fashion stylist John Scott, thanks for coming guys

J: You’re welcome

H: Alright John, I’m going to come to you – can you tell us a little bit about some of the cities that e cover in the series?

J: Well basically we cover six cities, we cove Tokyo, Milan, Madrid, Sydney, New York and Moscow

H: And do you have a particular favourite in terms of what you do, in terms of shopping –

J: Well no I’ll shop anywhere in the world, that doesn’t matter, but my favourite, obviously shopping place for that is New York because you can get so much out there that’s very fashionable, but also with the strength of the pound at the moment you can get them at a good, good price.

H: Well I recently went out and there was awash with British people talking about the English pound, so you have to beat your way through those –

J: Oh yes definitely.  The best time to go really for me is November / December because you’ve got the Thanksgiving parade and then you have all the Christmas decorations up and that just makes Christmas shopping that extra special, you know

H: How about you Sarah, do you have a particular favourite, any city –

S: I love Sydney, and I have a deepest affection for Sydney because it’s very young, the weather’s always very, very good, it’s very outdoors, everybody’s outdoors and it’s a bit like John was saying about fashion, like New York is one of those places where you take an empty suitcase because you can get so much out there.  Sydney you take an empty suitcase simply because you can buy your t-shirts and shorts out there, you don’t take them with you.  So I always like going there and in the past when I’ve gone there you know I’ve hired a Harley Davidson and I’ve driven along by the beaches and that’s my idea of a great holiday

H: Right we’ll we’re only 2 ½ minutes in, we’re getting some insider information.  If you want anything specific to ask to these people here, get yourself in on the email, we’re live and we can do it right now and I do actually have a question, this is from Sophia Craft, I’m going to throw it to you John

J: Ok

H: Because it’s shopping related – “is Milan really as good for shopping as they say?”  I don’t know who they are but they say it’s good for shopping

J: It is if you’ve got lots of money

H: Right

J: And you know about style because everybody there is stylish, everybody looks at what you’re wearing, it’s a really important part of everyday life.  Weekend are spent promenading so everyone can see the wealth that you’re wearing and if you go to Milan, either before you go get some really fantastic shoes or get some when you get there because the first thing they look at is your shoes, especially – and also the other thing about Milan is men’s fashion outweighs women’s fashion in Milan.  The men are more fashion obsessed than the women are, even though the women look amazing, the men are far, far more classy

H: The men are more fastidious out there

S: They’re vain. They’re more vain –

J: Oh yes completely

S: They’re like peacocks

J: And there’s nothing wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of taking care of yourself

S: Peacocks – no?

J: Bit of peacockery

S: No?

H: Now Sarah.  Sarah, Sarah, Sarah – why would someone be interested in looking at tips that would be sort of away from the normal kind of travel tips you would get, the insider information – why is it important to have the insider information about these cities when you visit them, as opposed to following the sort of regular tourist trails?

S: I think the problem is there’s so much information out there, there’s so much information on the websites, you’ve got guide books galore – we have information overload, so I think a lot of people when they go overseas, they don’t know where to start, and that’s the problem because they don’t – end up doing nothing.  I think the beauty of having these podcasts is that you have a choice, but it’s a limited, defined choice just by experts, and you’ve got the very best and the most unusual things that really would take not just hours to learn about, but years, and I think, I think that’s the beauty of it, so that when you actually get out there you don’t waste any time and any money making mistakes because that’s what you don’t want to do when you’re on holiday

H: I see what you’re saying because personally when I’ve visited a city I think I’ve had the best time when I’ve gone to see a friend and he’s then taken me out to various places. Well I’ve – and this is of course what we’re getting at in the podcasts, I’ve got another question here and it’s going to put you on the spot a little bit.  Where would you suggest to go – well I’m not going to ask you the question that’s going to put you on the spot actually, I’m going to go to another question.  I’ve just thought no hang on, maybe a bit later!  Where would you suggest to go for a family Christmas break?  Where’s good for Christmas?

S: Oh a family Christmas break, I’ve got a 9 year old little boy and I remember taking him, a couple of years ago, to Prague, and it’s – it used to be extremely cold and now it’s – because of the climate change it’s much, much warmer.  It’s one of those wonderful Bohemian cities, it’s known to be extremely romantic and it’s very very sixy – sexy!  Sixy / sexy even!  But for children the markets, the outdoor markets, they have one in the main square is exquisite, and they sell these donuts on these sort of like – that they create on these hot, metal poles and they put all this dough around it and they sugar it with cinnamon and spice and they have the most amazing Christmas tree and Christmas carols, and for the grown-ups there’s the Glubwein of which there is much and which I drank a lot of.  So as a place there’s a really Christmassy, really nice place to go – I can highly recommend Prague

H: Right ok. We’re talking about wine, drinking, having a good time – romantic endeavours, going to a city for a romantic short break – both of you, any city you particularly recommend in that area?

J: Well it has to be Paris really doesn’t it?

S: Yes, yes

J: It’s just the city of romance

S: Well I went, I went a couple of weeks ago for my birthday, and I – as well as just walking around and doing the Baton Rouge I went to a restaurant called Dans Le Noir which is run by blind people, and you eat completely in the dark, which is not terribly good for a first date because you’re sort of like, hopefully the lady you’re taking out is dressed up to the nines and then you can’t actually see her while you’re eating but it’s a wonderful thing to do while you’re there, and the Pompidou Centre, which is actually just across the road from this restaurant, again it’s a wonderful place to sort of spend the morning or have lunch, there is so much to do, and it is a cliché but no one does it better than Paris

H: There you go.  I’ve just had – coincidentally – a question about Paris, here we go, this is from Alex Sweeney – “you’ve answered it, you’ve already answered it.  Where’s the best place for a romantic meal in Paris that won’t break the bank?”  You mentioned there’s a restaurant you can go to in Paris where all the lights are out, it’s just in complete darkness.  Now you said that might be a bit weird for a first date but in the same way it might even break down inhibitions a little bit, you know -

S: A bit too much, a bit too much because I think there’s a lot of people, because it’s completely in the dark, everyone thinks no one can see what you’re doing, but one thing, a really good tip I would say is that they do have infra-red cameras because when I found that out, one of my friends found that out, they were a little bit embarrassed

J: There’s one in London as well, there’s a branch of it in London as well isn’t there

S: Yes just opened, Clerkenwell

H: How about New York, where would you go for a sort of good, nice, not too expensive meal –

J: Well it depends what kind of meal you want because in New York you can have whatever you want.  I’d always stay somewhere like the Soho Grand hotel because it’s right in the middle of Soho, you’re in the middle of all the nightlife, and it’s just – and it’s not that expensive, but also any flavour you want, any taste you want you can go out there and get it, it’s not a problem, and it’s also – as long as a girl has a little black dress you can eat anywhere you want to eat really

H: You can get in anywhere with a little black dress

J: Yes

H: But Kenny Flinch is saying to me “I’m going to New York and want to eat in a real New York deli.  Any suggestions?”

J: Well there’s two, the one I would go to is Dean & Deluca, I used to work in New York and it used to be next door to my office so I’d pop out there every single day

H: Why, why there?

J: Just because it feels like you’re in a New York film, it feels like you’re in a film set, and the food is fantastic and I didn’t know – I didn’t know what a zucchini was and things like that, but it’s just ,it’s just really unusual but it serves all your typical kind of deli, kind of New York food, you just think you’re in a – like I say – in a film set

H: And you can wear what you like!

J: Oh yes whatever

H: Now in terms of fashion generally in New York, I mean are – in the UK we see Sex in the City and we see all the ladies very, very dressed up, haute couture

J: Yes

H: Etc etc – now is it more fashionable generally on the streets, shopping, than in the UK?

J: It depends again where you shop.  I was based in Soho and you can just wander round in your shorts and your t-shirt in summer, nobody judges you there by what you wear.  I mean obviously when you get up nearer Central Park and Midtown then people are looking at what you’re wearing, but it depends if you’re going out in the evening.  Like I say a lady can get away with a little black dress, dress it up all different ways while you’re there, but it’s all about classy stylishness.  It’s not about just wearing the most fashionable trends, it’s about looking the part, so you could be in some retro frock, but it’s if you look amazing then people will turn, you know people will turn to look at you

H: Staying with fashion and looking at these cities, are there any faux pas, say that people from the UK wouldn’t necessarily know about going to any of these cities, any big fashion faux pas –

J: Not really, I mean obviously if you’re going to Australia you don’t take your jumper, and if you’re going to places like Tokyo you don’t go there to shop, especially if you’re over 5’9 or you’re plus size because you just won’t get anything

H: Right

J: But the shops are really really expensive there.  But I also think one little travel tip is if you’re going to a country that has traditional rules, or a lot of religious rules, as a woman I’d take a pashmina or a wrap folded up in your bag the whole time, just in case you have to cover your shoulders or your legs, just to respect the country that you’re staying in really

S: When I travel I always travel in layers and material that is like scrunchupable, so like I roll everything rather than fold things

J: Is that a technical term, scrunchupable?

S: Well – scrunchupable!  I don’t know, I just invented it.  But sort of I think – just scrunchupable, and thin layers, like I don’t know whether this is fashionable or not, but it’s just easy to pack and easy to wear, and if it gets cold I just put more thin layers on.  It’s a bit – it’s a gypsy but you can still be

J: Oh you can be stylish

S: But classic gypsy

J: Oh if you were dressed like that and you were visiting a church you’d take something with you to cover your shoulders –

S: Yes

J: Wouldn’t you, yes?

S: Yes

H: Oh well speaking of luggage and what you have, I’ve got a question from a Julia Kay – “now you’re both very well travelled but what is the one thing you always forget to pack?”

S: One thing I always forget to pack - I never – I always forget to pack adapters.  I always – I can never have sort of enough, and I always get them at the airport. That is one thing that I always forget to pack, and also another thing I always forget to pack, considering I’m a family journalist and I’m always telling mothers to make sure that their children – especially when they’re going to Australia – have enough cream on them – is cream.  They’re the two things I always forget

J: I deliberately forget to take my sunglasses so it’s an excuse to buy a new pair in the airport every time

S: How many have you got?

J: God knows there’s a pile in the back.  And then when you want to look for the one you want to wear it’s like you have to look through piles of them to find the one you want

H: And we have a question about Madrid as well, I’m going to fire at both of you here.  Samantha Murray – “off to Madrid on Friday, super excited.  Where are the best places to go?  Thanks.”

J: Well first of all – excuse me – Madrid is THE party town, it’s really full of young, vibrant, energetic bars and clubs and restaurants.  Make sure she takes all her best clothes with her, don’t take a sarong and a bikini, take all your Sunday best, don’t go like clubbing like in sequin boob tubes or anything but go classy, go expensive looking, because that’s what it’s all about

S: It is expensive as well

J: Yes

S: Madrid is an expensive city, so it’s also one of those places to go not with an empty suitcases.  You take your clothes with you

J: Yes you take everything.  And take a capsule wardrobe so you can mix and match, so it looks like you’re wearing something different every time

H: Capsule wardrobe

J: Yes

H: I consider myself a metrosexual but that’s beyond me!

J: Ok a capsule wardrobe is where you literally take a few pieces as you can but they all mix and match together

H: Oh ok

J: So as a woman you take a really lovely white blouse, a well-cut pair of trousers, really nice pair of jeans, a nice jacket, a nice skirt and a little black dress, and your accessories and then what you do is you mix and match, so you put the trousers with the shirt, then you put the skirt with the shirt, then you put the skirt with the jacket, and so every day you go out you look like you’re wearing something completely different but in fact you’re just rolling them all round. And then you have the big pearls, the small pearls, the big bling, the little bling, so it always looks different

H: See these are the kind of things people need to know, because so many people have packing nightmares, and a lot of people now like to just focus on taking hand luggage, so the capsule wardrobe stuff-  now do you tend to try and pack light when you travel as well?

S: I always – yes – I always pack light and I must admit that’s why I prefer to go to the warmer destinations rather than the cold ones, simply because you know, try going light on a ski holiday.  But I – I mentioned before I pack in layers.  I get a lot of stuff at the airport, I said things like adapters, sunscreens, things like that.  And I – I think most people when they pack their suitcases they should do it a couple of weeks in advance, look at it, then halve it.  Then the day before halve it again, because everybody takes too much.  I know you said you can never take enough hats, scarves and gloves and accessories and I know you’ve got to look good, but if you can get really disciplined with yourself and pack, like I said two weeks before then go back and have a look at it and – identify what you really need, because so many of these destinations, places like Sydney, places like New York, buy the clothes out there and then you will – you must be able to blend in if you’re buying there you won’t look so much like a tourist

J: Yes

S: And then you can meet the locals and they’ll tell you about where to go and things

H: So pack scrunchable stuff

S: Yes.  Scrunchupable stuff

H: To make you not like a tourist, and remember your adapter

S: Yes

H: And what about – what kind of stuff would you buy at the airport, what’s a good thing to buy at the airport? You say you forget your adapter, but getting out there and –

J: Well I think the clothes shops at the airports are always fantastic because they’ve always got sales o and they’ve also got really modern stuff.  People think oh it’s the airport, it’s just leftover stuff, they do have the most trendy stuff there as well, at reduced prices, and you often get swimming trunks 2 for 1, I mean there’s all sorts of things to get there.  And there’s designer shops, especially in Terminal 5 at the moment, there’s beautiful, beautiful shops, there’s a Ted Baker in almost every single terminal, so I think it’s worth having a look to see what’s there

S: Yes.  I always – because I usually travel with my son, I take – especially if I’m going on a long haul flight and I’m going to Australia in a couple of week’s time, those portable DVD players, and you get really good deals, so I buy things like that, and CDs, I always buy things like that, because it’s a good place to go and it’s not so much a case I’ve forgotten, it’s a case of I know I can get it there, and I’ve got time, I make sure I had time and I can get it there, so –

H: Ok.  Well ignoring the viewers’ questions and straying to my own personal interest territory – Tokyo, I’ve never been there.  The summation of my knowledge of Tokyo comes to Lost in Translation

J: Ok

H: What can you tell me about Tokyo?

J: It’s very different to what you’re imagining it’s going to be

H: Right

J: It’s very trendy, well it’s a mixture, it’s an eclectic mix isn’t it, it’s traditional and modern.  The fashion out there is completely off the wall.  If you want to wear kind of a fancy dress suit you can do.  Anything goes out there.  There are huge shopping malls, but things aren’t cheap, things are really, really expensive.  They do have supermarket shopping, and they have 100 – under 100 Yen shops or something like that.  Uniqlo which is like Japan’s version to Gap, so it’s fantastic if you want to go out there and buy sweatshirts and t-shirts and basics, but for fashionable items and designer clothes it’s really expensive, but they have the biggest shopping malls you’ve ever seen

S: And also is Milo too tall?

J: Oh yes how tall are you?

H: I’m 6’2 ½

J: Too tall

S: Too tall

J: Over 5’8 if you’re a man and if you’re a plus size lady, you won’t find anything out there

H: Right pretty much bring my own clothes out there

J: Everything yes

H: And I’ll just have to compete with the Japanese, in fashion terms, on my own!

J: Yes but anything goes, anything goes really, the more outrageous, the more outlandish the better

H: Yes I noticed that also about Japanese tourists when they come here

J: Yes exactly

H: It’s just crazy, anything goes – hair, clothes.  What about Sydney, in terms of fashion, in terms of shopping?

S: Well one of the reasons why we like Sydney is because everyone’s so relaxed

J: Yes

S: I was mentioning about the t-shirts and the shorts, unless you know the places to go to

J: No no

S: Where everyone is dressed up to the nines, but it – you know even at the posh restaurants and the posh hotels, it’s very relaxed, and I like – I love that lack of pretention.  Like there’s some places that we mentioned like Milan where you’ve got to come off the plane looking the bees’ knees.  In Sydney it doesn’t matter, everyone is so relaxed and you can just enjoy yourself and be yourself

J: And sort of dressing p there is like tailored shorts rather than the shorts you wear on the beach, and polo shirts, the three buttons and little collar, and that’s dressed up, you know

H: So smart casual –

J: Well not even smart casual

S: No

J: It’s just casual really. The difference between wrinkled old shorts you’d wear on the beach and kind of a tailored pair of shorts you’d wear in the summer

S: And a hat

J: You must always have a hat, yes

H: Tailored but casual

J: Yes if you like

H: I’ve got another question, I’ve got another question.  This is from Amy Turner and she’s saying “my husband always looks scruffy on holiday, bless him. What are your top tips for being comfortable and stylish as a man?”  I think you’ve kind of answered it a little bit

J: Yes yes but the other thing that’s very important is don’t fold his clothes, roll his clothes

S: Scrunch

J: You know don’t scrunch men’s clothes, women’s clothes you can scrunch

S: I’m a scruncher

J: I mean obviously you scrunched your jumper before you came in this morning because it’s that kind of look isn’t it.  It’s basically roll the clothes rather than fold them and when you get them out the suitcase you don’t need to press them all

H: Alright, ok.  I’ll remember that for myself as well

J: Yes

H: It’s kind of help for me too

J: And also if you get there and you see things are creased then all you have to do is run the shower, shut the window and hang them in the bathroom for an hour or so – or not even that long – but with the steam going all the creases will drop out

S: Is linen – because I want to know this – is linen a good idea or a bad idea?

J: Linen looks fabulous once you’ve got there but don’t wear it to travel in because it’s really – you’ll like it because it’s all scrunched up, but the moment you sit down in your seat it’s completely creased, you’ve got your creases all over it

S: Yes

J: And the creases in the elbow.  Now linen isn’t supposed to look completely pressed, but if you sit in an airplane for two hours you’re going to look a right mess when you get off, but it’s very good to have when you’re there, like in Madrid and Milan, a man in – the typical outfit for a man in Madrid is white linen trousers, a blue cardigan with a zip up here and a big collar, and then really, really expensive looking shoes

H: Ok

S: That sounds nice

H: Ok.  I’m going to put you o the spot here right, working in fashion, working in culture, expense, everything – one destination above the others that we’re covering.  What’s your favourite destination out of the six that we’re dealing with in the podcast?

J: Out of the six?

H: Out of the six

J: Oh I was going to say Ethiopia was my favourite destination.  New York has to be my favourite destination out of the six

H: Why?

J: Just because I’ve really – I used to live there, and it’s sort of like going home, I just think it’s fantastic

S: And I – out of the destinations that we’ve done I still would say Sydney, simply because it is very laid back, the weather is wonderful, and it is outdoors.  It’s one of those places that’s a city but it doesn’t feel like a city. It’s small enough and it’s flat enough to be able to walk around, and you do feel you’re close to the sea, it’s in the harbour, you can get out really really quickly, the food is wonderful and it’s very young.  And even if you’re not young, I’m not young, you’re young, you’re young, I’m not young, you can – you feel young.  And that’s good, after that long journey to feel young after that long journey, that’s pretty good going

H: Lovely.  Thank you so much, now remember you can get all this information in the pods.  Thank you very much for joining us, Sarah and John.  For more information right here and to download the podcasts what you have to do is go to baa.com/travel.  Everything you need is going to be on there.  And remember it’s better to travel as a local than travel as a tourist, and that’s what this is all about.  So once again thank you very much Sarah Tucker, John Scott, thank you very much for all your questions.  I’ve been Milo McCabe, keep yourself tuned, we’re going to have another important broadcast very shortly.  Bye bye

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