Travel Guides

[TV.Cynic]

CASTING FOR TRAVEL GUIDES SERIES 3 IS NOW OPEN

The Nine Network today announced the return of one of Australia’s favourite TV shows, Travel Guides, for a third series – and invited new groups of holidaymakers to apply as travel critics.

Nine’s Head of Content Partnerships and Development, Adrian Swift, said: “Forget TripAdvisor and hours of research on the internet. For the ultimate reviews on Australia’s and the world’s best destinations, our Travel Guides will tell you everything you need to know and a whole lot you don’t.

“They put the fun back into travel, and we’re proud to have the honest, outrageous, hilarious Travel Guides returning to Nine.”

In the third series, many of your favourite Travel Guides will be back, including the Fren family.

The Nine Network is also looking for new groups of holidaymakers to join the next series – people who love to travel, relish new experiences, express their opinions and enjoy having a laugh.

Each week our Travel Guides experience the same international and domestic holidays, review the same accommodation, cuisine and local sights, and then rate their stay out of five stars.

If you are up for the adventure of a lifetime, head to www.travelguidestv.com.au to complete the online application. Applications close at midnight on Sunday, April 22, 2018.

Series three of Travel Guides will begin production later this year.

CASTING FOR TRAVEL GUIDES SERIES 3 IS NOW OPEN: APPLY HERE

[TV.Cynic]

CASTING FOR TRAVEL GUIDES SERIES 3 HAS BEEN EXTENDED

The Nine Network recently announced that Travel Guides will return for a third series, and due to an overwhelming response the closing date for applications to join the show has been extended by one week until midnight on Sunday 29 April.

So far more than 9,000 applications have been received for the latest series, and a large number of applications are still in-progress.

This is the final opportunity to complete and submit an application to become our newest Travel Guides.

In the next series familiar faces like the Fren family will return, and they’re encouraging others to apply for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Mark Fren said: “I can honestly say Travel Guides has been one of the biggest thrills of our lives, allowing us to visit amazing places we never imagined we’d see. It’s definitely the best gig anyone could wish for – after all, who doesn’t like a bunch of free holidays?”

Each week our travel guides experience the same international and domestic holidays, review the same accommodation, cuisine and local sights, and then rate their stay out of five stars.

If you love to travel, relish new experiences, openly express opinions and enjoy having a laugh, head to www.travelguidestv.com.au for more information and to complete the online application.

[JohnsonTV]

Season 3 premieres in February, according to a short promo aired tonight during Australian Open coverage.

[TV.Cynic]

Travel Guides new season is coming to Tuesdays.

It’s the biggest season of Travel Guides yet: more episodes, more frequent flyer miles and more incredible holidays than ever.

Your favourite travellers return: the Fren family, twin cowgirls Stack and Mel, Kevin and Janetta, the Target boys Kev, Dorian and Teng. And now they’re joined by new holiday makers, Melbourne newlyweds Deepesh and Sage.

Each week our Guides explore new destinations at home and overseas including Hawaii, India, Argentina, Israel, Germany, Taiwan and The Philippines. But one person’s idea of paradise can be another’s idea of hell.

These very different groups of ordinary Aussies become travel critics, going on the same week-long holiday – reviewing the cuisine, accommodation and local sights.

Their adventures will leave you in stitches as they deliver candid insights and rate their stay out of five stars.

Narrated by popular Aussie comedian Denise Scott, Travel Guides is produced by Nine.

[TV.Cynic]

NEW HOLIDAY MAKERS JOIN “TRAVEL GUIDES”

Tuesday 5 February

AFTER MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT

Nine’s family favourite holiday program, Travel Guides , returns with more episodes, incredible destinations and two new faces on Tuesday, February 5.

The Fren family are back, along with twin cowgirls Stack and Mel, Kevin and Janetta, the Target boys Kev, Dorian and Teng – and now they’re joined by new holiday makers, the Melbourne newlyweds Deepesh and Sage.

Our five very different groups of ordinary Aussies become intrepid travel critics as they explore new destinations at home and overseas, including Hawaii, India, Argentina, Germany, Taiwan, Israel and The Philippines.

At each location they experience the same week-long holiday, sampling the food and accommodation, taking in the local sights, and ticking off a bucket list of adventures – from the wonderful to the weird and wacky. But each holiday shows that one person’s idea of paradise can be another’s idea of hell, as our Guides leave you in stitches with candid insights, then rate their stay out of five stars.

Your Travel Guides are:

The Fren Family: Mark (57), Cathy (55), Jonathon (27) and Victoria (25). These endearing bargain hunters run a German café in Newcastle, NSW. The Frens will stop at nothing to bag an upgrade and always find the funny side of any holiday disaster. They are willing to try anything at least once, and never afraid to speak their mind.

Kevin (61) and Janetta (67), the discerning holiday snobs. These married, jet-setting retirees seek out the finest accommodation, food and wine, and hate settling for anything second-rate.

Stack (29) and Mel (29), identical twin cowgirls from country NSW. Although a little wary when it comes to venturing anywhere beyond the Outback, they are prepared to give anything a crack. These competitive rodeo ropers are used to roughing it and not easily impressed by fancy holidays.

Kev (26), Dorian (22) and Teng (22), the three amigos who worked together at Target. Their combined Chinese, Greek and Vietnamese heritage gives them a unique take on the world. These budget travellers are smart slackers who are ready to leave the comforts of life at home with their parents to explore the world.

Deepesh (41) and Sage (39), who met online four years ago through the dating site RSVP and married in 2017. They share a love of adrenaline activities and consider themselves to be adventurous travellers. Avid photographers, oil painters and nature lovers, they are eager to see the world together. Deepesh is well travelled, while Sage has been to fewer countries.

Narrated by Aussie comedian Denise Scott , Travel Guides is produced in Australia by the Nine Network.

[TV.Cynic]

Based on above, looks like Murder, Lies and Alibis is out of Tuesday night.

[JohnsonTV]

Or it is possible Murder, Lies and Alibis is pushed back to 10pm on the Tuesday.

[TV.Cynic]

CRUISING THROUGH EUROPE: WILL IT FINALLY BE A 5 OUT OF 5 FOR OUR GUIDES?

Tuesday 12 February at 9.00pm

Next week our Travel Guides embark on a spectacular European cruise spanning three countries along the Danube River, sailing through Germany, Austria and Hungary. From chocolate box towns to the jaw-dropping scenery, it’s an overdose of culture, musical history and style. But is a Euro river trip really all that exciting?

On Tuesday, February 12, at 9.00pm on Nine and 9Now, our Guides jump aboard APT’s luxury ship, the Amareina , in the town of Regensburg, a perfectly preserved medieval time capsule in the heart of Germany’s most traditional region, Bavaria. That’s where locals like to dance the polka, which our Guides attempt with varying degrees of success.

Our travel teams then arrive in Austria, where they dust off their play clothes made of curtains and take a Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg. The Mirabell Gardens are the perfect backdrop to wonderful childhood memories – these are the gardens where the multi-award-winning movie The Sound of Music was filmed.

The next stop offers a lazy cruise or an energetic bike ride along the banks of the Danube to Durnstein. One of the Target Boys struggles with his bike, but Stack and Mel are missing the wild outdoors and thoroughly embrace the bike ride, even if it means a few saddle sores.

Overnight, our Travel Guides’ river cruiser docks in the Austrian capital Vienna, home of the schnitzel. They tour the city on what Austrians call a fiaka – a beautiful horse-drawn carriage. But not everyone is comfortable sitting behind a horse.

The final stop on the posh river cruise is Hungary, where the Guides make landfall in the capital Budapest. Here they enjoy some mind-blowing local cuisine from the Central Market Hall and visit the hottest attraction in town, the 100-year-old Szechenyi thermal baths – there’s nothing Hungarians like more.

After a week of cruising down the Danube will this journey be our Guides’ once in a lifetime experience or fail to meet expectations? For one group of travelers, it will be their first ever five-star review.

[RegionalTV]

How does this show film? Are all the travellers at the same location at the same time?

[TV.Cynic]

I would say yes. The weather is always the same - there are some episodes where it rains on one day and location for all the travellers.

[NRN11]

How do they not cross paths then?

[TV.Cynic]

They must. It’s just produced so they aren’t seen in the same shot.

[Tom_TV7]

Am I correct in saying that this is just like Gogglebox, except it’s a travel and lifestyle edition? At least that’s what it looks like from what I’ve seen anyway.

[JBar]

It’s more like a Do It Yourself Getaway.

[JBar]

@TV.Cynic

I would say yes. The weather is always the same - there are some episodes where it rains on one day and location for all the travellers.

Look, I haven’t watched much of it. But I did see one episode where they were in a boutique hotel and it looked they had all stayed in the same room. So I wondered whether they went to stay there, one after the other, and the crew remain there for a couple of weeks and filmed them all there.

[The.Kent]

The Bologna episode from season 2 is a good indication they all travel the same time. They’re all waiting in the street to catch a glimpse of the visiting Pope, which obviously had to occur on the same day. You never see 2 families in the same shots though.

[TV.Cynic]

Here’s some caps from an earlier episode where you can see 2 teams in the one shot.

This is the Fren Family

And this is Matt and Moni with the Frans’ in the background

This is the Rifai family

And the airline stewards

Who can be seen in the background

[TV.Cynic]

TAIWAN

TUESDAY 19 FEBRUARY AT 9.00PM

Next week on Travel Guides your favourite holiday critics venture to Taiwan – a trip that prompts laughter, tears, and in one case, fainting.

Escaping to their quirkiest destination yet, the guides begin their journey in the kooky capital, Taipei, home to seven million people.

After checking into the Chinese-style Grand Hotel they head to the city’s landmark tower Taipei 101 , which stands more than 500 metres high. Our guides attempt to take in the dizzying heights of its 101 storeys.

As night falls, it’s time for sensory overload in the city’s beating neon heart, the Ximending district. The Target Boys all decide to get their first tattoo, but it ends in disaster. And newlyweds Deepesh and Sage experience a far dodgier “couples massage” than they ever expected.

Then it’s off to experience one of Taiwan’s strangest and most popular pastimes, our guides try their hand at urban shrimping. In their quest for a seafood bounty, one guide experiences a nasty accident.

There’s even more kookiness around the corner – a visit to (would you believe it) Taipei’s Modern Toilet Restaurant. The toilet-themed menu leaves our guides absolutely gob smacked. Will it leave a bad taste in their mouth?

To flush the city out of their system, our travellers take the fast train two hours south to the magnificent Taroko National Park, where soaring mountains and deep marble gorges are the backdrop to their stay in a traditional hotel owned by the local indigenous tribe.

For their next adventure they go hiking in Taiwan’s greatest natural wonder, the Taroko Gorge, where they traverse the valley with glorious views but despise the confronting encounters with bats.

On the final day of their seven-day Taiwan trip, the guides visit some of Taipei’s animal cafes, dining with feline friends and even alpacas, leaving them delighted and dismayed.

Taiwan provides first-time encounters, random expeditions and bizarre experiences, from the bustling city to the tranquil countryside that’s a sight to behold. But what do our Travel Guides rate it out of five stars?

[Chris]

@NRN11

How do they not cross paths then?

If you watched Tuesday’s episode you would have seen that there was a moment where one of the couples referenced overhearing the Fren family singing the Sound of Music songs in Salsberg.

[TV.Cynic]

India

TUESDAY 5 MARCH AT 9.00PM

Next week our intrepid travellers spend seven days touring India’s Royal State of Rajasthan, where the colours, culture and chaos delight, excite and surprise, Travel Guides, Tuesday at 9.00pm on Nine.

Arriving in Rajasthan’s capital, Jaipur our guides take an exhilarating journey through The Pink City (Jaipur). Twins Stack and Mel are stupefied when they learn locals worship cows - for them this is inconceivable.

Our guides are treated to a royal welcoming ceremony at the Taj Rambagh Palace. This jewel of Jaipur has played gracious host to many illustrious guests, including Prince Charles, Diana and Jackie O, once home to the Maharaja (King) of Jaipur - even natives Deepesh and Sage are spellbound by this architectural masterpiece with its elegance personified.

In the evening the guides trawl through the crowded food markets for some authentic street grub. The Target Boys discover Rajasthani dishes are rich and spicy, they entertain the locals with their King Kong attempts trying the eye-wateringly hot delicacies.

Our guides leave the hustle and bustle behind and head 6 hours west, arriving in Bishnoi village. Imagine their shock when they’re asked to participate in what’s introduced as an opium tasting ceremony.

On the fringe of the great Thar Desert is Jodhpur - the Blue City. Amazed by its beauty, our guides check in to one of the world’s best and most opulent hotels - the Taj Umaid Bhawan Palace, which is still home to the local King and a famously extravagant celebrity wedding hot spot.

From there it’s a chaotic tuk-tuk ride downtown to a local favourite, the Sardar market. This market sells more than just fruit and veg. Cathy and Victoria Fren soak up the vibe and celebrate with a spiritual henna tattoo, startled by what wanders by.

On their last day in India our Travel Guides get a farewell dose of the royal treatment at the palace. But will regal Rajasthan get the thumbs up? Tune in on Tuesday, March 5, at 9.00pm on Nine and 9Now to find out.