4. Their Hearts Were Hot

Can extraordinary stories from past women travellers unlock Sara’s motives for travel?

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 fourth episode, Sara wonders about her own motives for travel. She looks to female travellers from the past who packed their bags and crossed continents, including a religious pilgrimage in Syria, for economic redemption in Russia and in attempts to secure a husband in India. Then Sara meets an American woman with the most tremendous fortitude she’s ever encountered…

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