5. The Bet

Sara questions whether there is no place like home or if she should keep travelling?
Award-winning travel writer Sara Wheeler has spent a lifetime journeying pole to pole, visiting far-flung places and immersing herself in different cultures — sharing her adventures, and the occasional funny encounter, along the way.

But as she gets older and travel is no longer the novelty it once was, she asks herself a question-could it be time to unpack her bags and stay put?

There are a lot of things to consider. In a time when the personal choice to hop on a plane is considered to be harmful to the environment, when many parts of the world have already been picked over and explored, and as the trials of lugging luggage and navigating congested airports loom large, could staying home actually outweigh the desire to see new places?

Taking inspiration from other writers, explorers and travellers throughout history, Sara starts a conversation with herself- should she stay or should she go?

In this final episode in her series, Sara Wheeler wrestles with the question of whether there is no place like home or if she should keep travelling? Revealing her own motives for travel, she explores how even the darker side of travel, can offer us insight into other cultures, our humanity and ultimately, the human condition.

Written and narrated by Sara Wheeler
Producer, Lisa Lipman
Editor, Kirsten Lass
Sound editor, Maia Miller-Lewis
Sound engineer and mix, Jon Calver
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4