Where I will share CONVERSATIONS WITH TRAVELLERS BY LAND, SEA AND BEYOND
Greetings and salutations — or as we say here in Tasmania, Australia, g’day!
I am excited to invite you to join me on this new adventure. This is the very first episode of my podcast, Travel With Us a While: Conversations with Travellers by Land, Sea, Air and Beyond.
In my first episode, I introduce myself, share a bit of my story, and tell you what this podcast is all about.
So far, I’ve recorded four wonderful conversations with travellers who’ve each seen the world in their own unique way — and the best part is, they have given me permission to use their stunning photographs.
I have written accompanying blog posts about each of their journeys. If you’d like to listen to their episodes and see their beautiful images, you’ll find links in the show notes and on my blog.
Growing Up a Traveller
My love of travel began when I was very young. I grew up in a small town called Selukwe — now known as Sherugwi — in what was then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.
Our family of five — Mum, Dad (Joan and Frank), my two brothers Robin and Brian, and me — were always exploring. My parents had a wonderful rapport with the local community, especially the Madalas, the older and wiser men who knew the stories and special places of the land. They’d tell my dad about secret caves, sacred hills, or forgotten rivers, and off we’d go — all packed into our little Morris Minor Traveller, eager to explore.
One trip I’ll never forget was when we visited a huge cave that once hid a hundred head of cattle during tribal raids. On another, we went to the Zambezi River, where Arab dhows once tied up while sailing inland to capture people for the slave trade. It was a haunting place, and I remember feeling so sad — until Dad, ever the entertainer, distracted us by pulling an egg from his pocket and announcing he was going to cook it on the hot rocks.
We didn’t believe him, but sure enough, he did — grit and all! It was a funny, gritty little meal that pulled us right back into laughter and reminded us that even the saddest places can hold space for small, shared joys.
Road Trips, Sand Dunes, and Seaside Adventures
Our family loved camping and fishing. Every long weekend we’d head off into the bush to rivers, lakes, pools and caves. Annually we would travel to Mozambique. We travelled in convoy — our Morris Minor with its trailer and our uncle’s Volvo sedan — pulling along tents, kitchen boxes that folded into tables, tinned and dried food plus all sorts of ingenious camping gear.
We spent six glorious weeks exploring the coast of Mozambique — long before GPS or Google Maps. We’d stand on hills, look for tracks between lagoons, let down the tyres, and dig our way to hidden beaches. I remember the magic of Zavora and the Inharimme Reef, where seven coral reefs stretched out into turquoise shallows. We snorkelled, fished, and played, timing our return to shore before the surf pounded in.
We met wonderful people too — including a Portuguese family who became dear friends. Their daughter even joined our adventures on later trips! Read more about that in my blog https://bronhogan.com/memories-of-mozambique/
The Wanderlust Years
Once I was old enough and had worked for a year, my parents gave me permission to start travelling on my own — and I did just that.
I worked in Botswana, helping to build a photographic safari camp in The Okavango Swamps. Later, I found my way to Cape Town and beyond. I wanted to see and do everything — to live fully and experience all kinds of work and travel.
Life eventually took me to Namibia, where I discovered the magic hidden beneath sand dunes — caves, hills, and colours beyond imagination. After losing my husband, I returned to Cape Town with my children, then eventually met an Australian man and moved to Australia 34 years ago.
Despite all the years here, my voice still carries that African lilt — and I quite like that.
Learning to Sail on a Shoestring
Some years later, my partner (whom I met through the dating app RSVP, much to my children’s amusement) introduced me to sailing. I’d never been on an ocean going yacht before, let alone lived on one!
He taught me everything — port, starboard, bow, stern — all new words to me at the time. We set sail on a modest 10-metre yacht named Nichola and spent six and a half years sailing the South Pacific. We visited New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, and cruised around the east coast of Australia and Tasmania.
We travelled simply and on a tight budget — catching rainwater, making do, and learning along the way. I had to give up my beloved Nikon camera (too risky with both hands full on a rocking boat!) and learned instead to photograph life at sea with a small underwater camera strapped to my wrist.
That journey eventually became the inspiration for my book, Shoestring Sailors: South Pacific Adventure, which will be released very soon.
The Adventures Continue
When COVID hit, our sailing adventures paused — but not for long. After restrictions eased, we helped deliver friends’ yacht back to New Caledonia, where we explored again by sea and by land, camping and discovering hidden corners of the islands.
Travel, for me, has never been about ticking boxes — it’s about connection, story, and the unexpected beauty that unfolds when you follow curiosity. Link to blogs about that adventure are https://bronhogan.com/returning-sv-no-soucy-to-new-caledonia-part-1/ & https://bronhogan.com/returning-no-soucy-to-new-caledonia-part-2/
Conversations that Inspire
That’s what Travel With Us a While is all about — sharing stories that spark adventure in others.
So far, I’ve chatted with:
- Penny Smith who has travelled over 600,000 kilometres around Australia in a trusty Toyota Avalon called Bluey.
https://bronhogan.com/podcast-guest-penny-smiths-adventures-with-bluey/ - Sheryl Lunt who travels with two cats across land and sea — yes, even on the ferry to mainland Australia! https://bronhogan.com/travelling-with-cats-and-chasing-adventure-a-conversation-with-sheryl-lund/
- Lee Cutler shares her inspiring journey leading 150 Australian students to Turkey, exploring history, culture, and the moving 150th dawn service at Gallipoli.
https://bronhogan.com/a-journey-to-gallipoli-lees-story-of-travel-teaching-and-remembrance/ - Nigel Fotheringham who organises The Gold Coast Sports Flying Club’s trips around outback Australia as well as volunteers his aircraft and time for Angel Air. https://bronhogan.com/flying-the-outback-with-nigel-fotheringham/
Each guest brings a new way of seeing the world.
Because that’s what travel does — it shifts your perspective, opens your heart, and sometimes even helps you find where you truly belong.
Join the Conversation
When travellers gather — around a campfire, in a caravan park, or at sea during sundowners — stories flow.
We share where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and the places worth discovering.
That’s the spirit I want for this podcast and blog: a community of curious souls who love to explore, listen, and be inspired.
So if you have a travel story — whether by air, sea, land or beyond — I’d love to hear from you. Reach out through the show notes or comments, and perhaps you’ll be my next guest.
Thank you for reading and for joining me on this adventure.
Let’s keep sharing stories. Let’s keep travelling — even if it’s just for a while.
