Monty Don

Explicit content warning

11/12/24 • 61 min

1 Listener

Today's guest is truly beloved figure in British television - someone who many of us feel we already know so well - Monty Don.

For over two decades, Monty has been the heart and soul of BBC’s Gardeners’ World, inspiring millions to embrace the joys and therapeutic benefits of gardening. His connection to nature has taken him all over the globe, all in search of the profound ways that different cultures engage with the land.

Alongside Gardeners’ World, Monty has brought us stunning travel series like Around the World in 80 Gardens, Monty Don’s Italian Gardens, Adriatic Gardens and most recently, Spanish Gardens. This latest series, which is accompanied by a beautiful book, delves into the country’s breathtaking historic and contemporary landscapes, from Moorish-inspired patios to vibrant urban greens paces, revealing the depth and diversity of Spanish garden design.

It was also fascinating to hear about Monty’s journey to TV stardom, and how he had a completely different and hugely successful career in the fashion world, before, somewhat by chance, getting a new break into gardening and TV.

From the gardens that stole his heart to the wild landscapes that left a lasting impression, here are Monty's travel diaries.

Destination Recap:

Leominster, Herefordshire, England
The Black Mountains, Wales
Hydra, Greece
Budleigh Salterton, Devon, England
Mevagissey, Cornwall
Provence, France
London, England
Annapurna, Nepal
Native Tree Fern Forests, New Zealand
The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
Iran
Chile
Japan
Summer Palace, Beijing, China
Galicia, Spain
Ninfa Gardens, Italy
Wollerton Hall, Shropshire, England
Finland through Eastern Europe to Trieste

Spanish Gardens by Monty Don and Derry Moore, BBC Books, £39.99 out now.

*COMPETITION* Head to my Instagram, @hollyrubenstein, for a chance to win a 3 night full board stay at one of the Maldives’ most luxurious hotels, Kuda Villingili. Good Luck!

With thanks to Skyscanner - The full travel trends 2025 report is available on Skyscanner app/site and of course you can always look for your 2025 trip whether it’s flights, hotels or car hire on Skyscanner too.

And to Airbnb - Your home could be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.co.uk/host.

Thanks so much for listening today. If you'd like to hear more from the podcast don’t forget to hit subscribe, or if you use Apple Podcasts to press follow so that a new episode lands in your podcast app each week. If you want to be the first find out who is joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok - I’d love to hear from you.

And if you can't want until then remember there’s the first 12 seasons to catch up on, that's over 125 episodes to keep you busy there. Don't forget that all the destinations mentioned by my guests are included in the episode show notes here on your podcast app, and listed on my website, thetraveldiariespodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is truly beloved figure in British television - someone who many of us feel we already know so well - Monty Don.

From the gardens that stole his heart to the wild landscapes that left a lasting impression, here are Monty's travel diaries.

Destination Recap:

Leominster, Herefordshire, England
The Black Mountains, Wales
Hydra, Greece
Budleigh Salterton, Devon, England
Mevagissey, Cornwall
Provence, France
London, England
Annapurna, Nepal
Native Tree Fern Forests, New Zealand
The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil
Iran
Chile
Japan
Summer Palace, Beijing, China
Galicia, Spain
Ninfa Gardens, Italy
Wollerton Hall, Shropshire, England
Finland through Eastern Europe to Trieste

Spanish Gardens by Monty Don and Derry Moore, BBC Books, £39.99 out now.

*COMPETITION* Head to my Instagram, @hollyrubenstein, for a chance to win a 3 night full board stay at one of the Maldives’ most luxurious hotels, Kuda Villingili. Good Luck!

And to Airbnb - Your home could be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.co.uk/host.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Olivia Hammond, Content Creator - Family Travel Special

Welcome to this season's Family Travel Special. Having been thrust into the world of family travel a couple of years with the arrival of my daughter, I quickly realised that it’s an area that there could be a lot more helpful information about, it’s a huge market and I was scouring the internet for destinations and hotels that weren’t your typical all inclusive family resorts, and I really struggled. So I decided to integrate these into the travel diaries podcast lineup, to hopefully give you some travel inspiration, destination ideas, tips and tricks for travelling with children.

And today, I’m joined by a very special guest who knows a thing or two about that. Olivia Hammond and I first met in our antenatal bump and baby group in South West London, and we were very lucky, we had such a lovely group and we became friends. When her gorgeous boy, Beau, arrived in November 2022, Olivia began documenting her daily life and travels on TikTok and Instagram, and almost immediately her honest and relatable videos led her to become one of the uk’s leading content creators in her field, with videos amassing hundreds of millions of views. It has been an astonishingly fast ascent to mum-fluencer stardom, but it’s no surprise to me because I think everyone can relate to her videos, they’re so watchable.

So when thinking about who would be a good guest for this episode, Olivia was the obvious choice. She has been far more intrepid than me when it comes to travelling as a family. You’ll hear she flew to the other side of the world when Beau was just a month old, she’s flown with him countless times to Europe, the Caribbean, taken him travelling all around Sri Lanka and even camped with him at Glastonbury. And now, since we recorded this episode, beau has a beautiful little sister, called Lila, and Lila is about to embark on her first trip abroad, at only a few weeks old too.

I hope this episode shows you that whatever age or stage, travel is not off limits with a family.

Olivia's Destination Recap:

Costa Rica
Algarve, Portugal

Holly:

Vila Vita Parc, Algarve, Portugal

Olivia

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Ella, Sri Lanka
Udawalawa, Sri Lanka
Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka
Antonio’s, Algarve, Portugal
Sr Frango’s, Algarve, Portugal
Olhão, Algarve, Portugal
Ilha do Farol, Algarve, Portugal
Ilha Deserta, Algarve, Portugal
Ilha Armona, Algarve, Portugal
Fuerteventura, Spain
Cape Town, South Africa
Nicaragua

You can follow all of Olivia’s adventures on her Instagram which is Olivia_Hammond and her TikTok is OliviaClaireM.

Thanks so much for listening today. If you'd like to hear more from the podcast don’t forget to hit subscribe so that a new episode lands in your podcast app each week. If you want to be the first find out who is joining me on next week’s episode, follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok. If you can't want until then remember there’s the first 12 seasons to catch up on. Don't forget that all the destinations mentioned by my guests are listed on my website, thetraveldiariespodcast.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Sandi Toksvig

Welcome back to The Travel Diaries podcast! I’m your host, Holly Rubenstein, and I’m so thrilled to be back with you for the first of three Christmas specials to bring bit of festive sparkle to your holiday season. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be bringing you conversations with some truly wonderful guests, and who better to start us off than the brilliant Sandi Toksvig?

Sandi is a comedian, writer, broadcaster, actor, activist, and, of course, a beloved TV presenter. You’ll know her from QI, where she made history as the first female host of a major British TV quiz show, from Channel 4’s Extraordinary Escapes, and from The Great British Bake Off.

Beyond her TV roles, Sandi has written numerous books, been a vocal advocate for equality and LGBTQ+ rights, and has a passion for adventure. Born in Copenhagen to a father who was a foreign correspondent, she spent her childhood living across the globe, from the African bush to NYC, sparking a lifelong love of travel. Her travel diaries today take us from the rivers of Africa to the Arctic Circle, the jungles of Costa Rica to her beloved Denmark —Sandi’s travels are as fascinating and varied as she is.

Sandi Claus Is Coming to Town is a family-friendly LGBTQ+ Christmas show hosted by national treasure, Sandi Toksvig. It’s taking place at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 18 December (tickets from royalalberthall.com)

Destination Recap:

Copenhagen, Denmark
Zimbabwe
Zambezi River, Africa
Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark
Pacuare Lodge, Costa Rica
Lofoten Islands, Norway
Henningsvær, Lofoten, Norway
Sudan
Copenhagen, Denmark:
Host Restaurant
Restaurant Grøften /Tivoli Gardens
The Round Tower
The Kissing Bench
Eilean Sionnach, Scotland
Wolf Lodge, Norway
Nebraska, USA
The Oregon Trail, USA
Aarhus, Denmark
Villa Provence, Aarhus, Denmark
Sydney, Australia
Japan

With thanks to the Langham Hotel for hosting the interview.

*COMPETITION* Win a luxury 4-night stay for two at the newly refurbished Shangri-La Le Touessrok in sunny Mauritius. For details on how to enter, head to my Instagram @hollyrubenstein. The competition closes on December 30th. Good luck.

With thanks to Bibury Farm Barns in the Cotswolds. These barns are perfection—there are five in total ranging from 3 - 5 beds, each thoughtfully designed and beautifully styled. The location is ideal, right in the heart of the Cotswolds, making it a fantastic base for exploring this stunning part of the country. We loved revisiting charming villages like Bibury, Burford, and Stow-on-the-Wold, with their honey-coloured stone buildings and rich history. But it was the little moments back at the barn that made it truly special: mornings by the fire, countryside walks straight from the door, late-night hot tub soaks, and that deep, peaceful quiet you only find in the countryside.

If you want to be the first find out who is joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok - I’d love to hear from you. And if you can't want until then remember there’s the first 13 seasons to catch up on, that's over 140 episodes to keep you busy there.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.