Published: 29 May 2024
As Race Across the World reaches its thrilling conclusion, catch up with the 2024 finalists to learn about their highs and lows, the lessons they've learned on the journey and what winning the race would mean to them
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Betty and James
What has been the highlight of the experience so far?
James: I think the highlight of the Race so far has been meeting so many people who have helped us throughout and the way that they've wanted to help us rather than just turn us away. As well as meeting local families, trying new cuisines and seeing places that we would never necessarily choose to experience ourselves.
Betty: Yeah, I think definitely the highlight is the people, whether it be the homestays, or the jobs or just the random kindness of people on the streets or on transport. And then I suppose getting to spend time with James and getting to know each other more than we may ever have done.
How do you feel to have made it this far in the race, with just the final leg to complete?
Betty: I think we’d always prepared ourselves to get as far as we can. Given the passport situation, and it being a bit touch and go, we're just grateful to have made it this far and hopefully, our budget allows us to make it to the end!
James: Yeah, we’ve definitely had our moments, haven’t we? But we’re never going to quit. We’re never going to give up. And we’re still in with a shot so, let’s see!
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
James: Challenges so far have been mostly mental, I think. Obviously, we'd never think about quitting and saying that we're just going to give up, but there's been times where we probably could have and it's been tough and you just want to get out of that day and you want to go sleep, or you want some food or whatever. So, I think mentally it’s just staying concentrated, staying switched on.
Betty: I think in terms of a specific situation or time that was challenging, it was definitely the passport situation for me - being stagnant and staying still, and not being sure if we were going to carry on, or if we were going to be sent home.
How has your relationship changed as a result of the show?
Betty: I think what the Race has given us is that understanding of how we are together as adults, obviously as kids we hung out quite a lot, and were forced to spend time together! But as adults, we've not really chosen to do that, so, the Race has helped us understand that a little bit more.
What are your biggest life lessons from the journey so far?
James: I think that you need to travel. I think I always thought and presumed you'd need loads of money and time and people and resources to go out and see and do things. Whereas now we’ve pretty much proved to everyone that you don't have to have a phone and money and all these things to go out and enjoy it. So, I’ve learnt that you can do things on a limited budget and without much in life and there’s always space and room to grow.
Betty: I think I have a couple of life lessons that I took from this. One of them, I think James taught me more than the race did, but it’s to live in the moment a little bit more and appreciate what's in front of you rather than having to forward plan all the time or having to have an answer for everything. It's just about accepting things as they are. And I think the second lesson is that we are more capable than we give ourselves credit for. So, even with all the physical stresses - lack of sleep, lack of food and everything else - we still did it, made it through and I just think we often fixate on what we can't do, what our bodies can’t do or what our minds can't do, and actually, we can do so much more.
Did you surprise yourself during the experience?
Betty: As the show went on I definitely surprised myself. I think you can see, after the passport situation James said, in that episode, “You reacted exactly how I thought you’d react,” but later on, when we got to Sumatra and James really wasn’t enjoying it, I was actually the more upbeat one and that surprised me. Unfortunately, I needed a bit of a kick up the bum to get me there, but I did in the end.
James: I think I was surprised at how little I missed home to start with, I really didn’t miss my phone or anything. And then it switched, and I was surprised that I then started to miss home a lot more. So, I was quite surprised by that change halfway through.
Who do you think is your biggest competition going into the final leg?
James: I think Alfie and Owen, with them being first in first place they have to be the team to catch, but Eugenie and Isabel are ahead as well. So, it's just about making up as much time as possible. Stephen and Viv could be the underdogs; they could surprise a lot of people. But the two ahead of us are the ones to watch out for.
Betty: Yeah, I think Alfie and Owen are definitely our biggest competitors, they’re quite a way ahead of us, so we’ve just got to do what we can to catch up!
What would winning the race mean to you?
Betty: As the race has progressed, and as we've spent more time in these countries and with locals and with each other, I think it's become less about winning.
Obviously, it'd be nice to win a bit of money, but it's not the ‘be-all and end-all’. I think the experience that we've had and the people that we've met, and the things we've done are worth way more than winning ever could. I think obviously, it would be a nice little cherry on top. But more than anything we just want to complete it.
James: We always said from the start that we wanted to complete. So, to get to this point, let's just hope we can get to the end. Of course, winning would be nice but as Betty said, it's one of those things that it's not been on our minds really until now, with the last few days until we get to Lombok.
Would you recommend the experience/would you do it again?
James: I’d 100% do it again. I think there's so many positives that outweigh the negative things that would just make me want to do it again. Now if I did it again, I would know what to do and what not to do. And yes, I would definitely recommend it as well. I think it's one of the things that you would just never think about ever doing. You’re not going to choose to go out there with no money and no phone and do it yourself. So why not be challenged into doing it and try it?
Betty: 1,000,000% I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity. And yes, I would definitely do it again. Hopefully, taking on the lessons that we've learned. I think wherever the next series is or whoever does it next, you can't really ever quite prepare yourself for how it's going to be. But I would like to think that we would learn from our mistakes and be pretty good at it again.
Eugenie and Isabel
What has been the highlight of the experience so far?
Eugenie: For me, I think the highlight was the homestays and staying with the families. And the floating village in Cambodia, it was absolutely amazing just seeing how close they were as a family and community. I didn’t even know places like that existed. Also working on the rice paddies, it’s not something I’d done before. Even though it was hot, and we were sweating. It was really hard work, with the bonus of a pedicure from the mud! I just absolutely loved working there and the Captain was so lovely and welcoming.
Isabel: I loved the floating village too. The highlight for me was the generosity of the locals and their willingness to help us and share their culture. Work wise, I just didn’t enjoy the rice paddy farm! I think for me, it was doing jobs I’d never done before. I’ve only ever worked in healthcare, as a carer or in the lab, so working in the restaurant or working on the pomelo farm was so fun and different. I didn’t even know pomelos existed, let alone how they were grown, which was really cool. I think Malaysia was my favourite country – it was so diverse, with so many religions and different languages in one place.
Eugenie: I also loved the waterfall. I did so much belly laughing there, you know when you belly laugh till you cry? Going to the falls, spending time with Isabel and just really belly laughing and enjoying it.
How do you feel to have made it this far in the race, with just the final leg to complete?
Eugenie: I remember when we got to check point two and I was thinking, ‘oh my goodness, we've got another six of these’. I just couldn't see the wood for the trees as to when we were going to get to the end of this and was thinking ‘what have I done?’ But then we got to checkpoint four, we were halfway through and I was actually amazed at the fact that we'd made it. So, then I thought, we're going to get to the end. We're going to make sure we get to the end and we're going to win and that thought process was helped by making up all that time at checkpoint seven.
Isabel: Yeah, given how rocky it was at times I didn’t think we’d make it this far, let alone make up so much time. We’ve definitely learnt a lot about ourselves and each other along the way. It’s shown a lot through the fact we were able to power through and actually be more decisive about a route to make up the time. It’s a really good motivator for going forward into the final leg.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Isabel: Underestimating the pressures of travelling, let alone on a budget, let alone with each other. I don’t think I thought about what it would be like being with mum 24/7.
Eugenie: The fact is, it's not a natural situation, spending 24/7 mother and daughter.
Isabel: But that was the point. I think the race highlighted a lot of things that we needed to discuss with one another to try to move forward with our relationship. I’d bottled a lot of stuff up and it feels like we’ve made steps to address more emotional things.
Eugenie: Exactly! It took some time but I think she was able to recognise my limits and that we are different ages and that there are things that I can’t do as quickly. Just having a bit more patience with me.
How has your relationship changed as a result of the show?
Isabel: I don't think it's drastically changed since the race, but I feel like there's like a bit more understanding on both of our ends. I think mum had a lot of assumptions about me, like with my emotions and confidence and you still sort of do. But I feel like we're slowly getting there and getting better. Because I felt like there was this assumption that I wasn't capable and I was a bit shy. But I don't think Mum fully understood why before all of this.
Eugenie: It's when you're ready to share everything with me. But I’m hoping we can find the time to have more moments to do that with one another going forward.
What are your biggest life lessons from the journey so far?
Eugenie: Well, life lessons for me, it's given me the travel bug! I do want to live my life more, I want to travel more whenever I get the opportunity, any invites - I’ll be going! It’s just about being more adventurous and not just continuing with the mundane. It's about living your life, it’s about living your life every day. Things come at you, go for it and do it. Rather than planning in a year's time, in two years’ time, in five years’ time. There might not be a five years’ time or a two years’ time. So, live your life now!
Isabel: I think I’ve learnt how to start actually trying to take things in more, and soak it all up. I feel like I have come quite far on the journey of navigating life and dealing with my anxiety and confidence issues. It’s been a big leap for me, I know I can come across as negative but I’ve been so in my head about a lot of things, always thinking the worst and it’s been a big leap for me.
Eugenie: I didn’t realise until we started this, how much it had affected her. It’s sad really, but I’m learning how she’s really bottled up those emotions and it hasn’t helped with our relationship.
Did you surprise yourself during the experience?
Isabel: I think in terms of interacting with locals, I surprised myself because I thought I’d find it a lot more difficult. But then I realised I had to get over myself and do it, otherwise we’d be stuck! Oh and the shorts, I never wear shorts and show my scars but again that was out the window with the heat! I really had to get over myself.
Eugenie: In that sense, I consider myself quite a people person in terms of socialising, so I don't think there were many surprises. I’m just surprised we managed it this far with our heavy rucksacks. And the lack of food and sleep!
Who do you think is your biggest competition going into the final leg?
Isabel: Alfie and Owen!
Eugenie: Yeah, from the get-go. I think after the first checkpoint I always thought it was going to be the boys. From then on and the way things have panned out I just thought they were the ones to watch right from the start. And then again, checkpoint seven, the way things worked out and the fact we've actually caught up with them, they’re the ones to beat. We’ve just got to keep our heads in it and stay focused.
What would winning the race mean to you?
Isabel: For me, I think it's more about completion and having done it together. I’ve proved to myself already that I am capable and that means a lot to me. But ultimately mum and I have memories that are just ours and that means so much. But also, we do just want to win!
Eugenie: We are competitive, very competitive. We wanted to win right from the start, and I think we’ve had loads of experiences, seen some spectacular scenes, but at the same time, we're competitive and we do want to win and win together.
Would you recommend the experience/would you do it again?
Eugenie: I would do it again. It’s hard and challenging but it’s an opportunity. Why would you not?
Isabel: I would say exactly the same thing. I think it was one of those things where you can't predict what you're going to get out of the journey and I think we both got different things out of it and also got some of the same things out of it too. All positive though. So yeah, I would recommend it. However, I would say don’t have expectations, that ruined it for me a bit at the start. I expected mum and I would open up to each other loads straight away and was a bit bitter about that. But I’d definitely do it again with a bit more money, and lighter backpacks! It’s one of those experiences I’ll never forget!
Eugenie: And I think I really should have watched it properly before doing it!
Alfie and Owen
What has been the highlight of the experience so far?
Alfie: I think leg six was a big highlight for us, being able to come in 24 hours ahead and also the things that we did on that leg and the people we met. Malaysia was probably one of our favourite countries, but Koh Phi Phi…
Owen: Koh Phi Phi tops everything! As much as it is a holiday destination, it was definitely the best checkpoint by far.
How do you feel to have made it this far in the race, with just the final leg to complete?
Owen: Well, we said absolute priority was getting to the end and then anything else would be a bonus. And we’ve now only got one leg left, so…
Alfie: We knew as soon as we got through the elimination leg that our aim was to win but absolute minimum is just to finish.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Alfie: We’re so hungry!
Owen: So hungry! Food has definitely been a big challenge and operating on not great sleep, particularly on night buses, the Bukit Tinggi one was horrendous.
Alfie: And then we had the two from Bengkulu, that took about 17/18 hours. I mean, some of the buses we did were just awful.
How has your relationship changed as a result of the show?
Owen: Literally, hasn’t changed at all.
Alfie: No, think everyone gets a bit upset about this. But there is genuinely no sort of crazy development arc or anything like that. The only thing that might have happened is we might walk out hating each other. But that hasn’t happened so far!
Owen: We went in as best mates and will be coming out as best mates!
What are your biggest life lessons from the journey so far?
Owen: Definitely putting more trust into people. Before the race, we would have never gone up and asked as many people as we have for help. But we’ve realised that 80% of the time they're going to want to help out, even if there's nothing in it for them. So I have learnt to just have a bit more faith in the kindness of people.
Alfie: I think it's also just such a typical Western traveller thing to say, but obviously, we've just been through Sumatra, and on the face of it, for a Westerner, it does seem really daunting because it's not what we're used to, you know and very different to home, but the people are still the same. Everyone is cut from the same cloth in that sense. So, even though they didn't speak our language, and maybe they do live slightly differently to us, they've still got the same personal side of it. So even in Sumatra, we were massively helped. We got the same amount of help in Sumatra as we did, if not more, than when we were in Japan, which just shows that a place’s standing in the world actually bears no judgement on the people in it at all.
Did you surprise yourself during the experience?
Owen: I think I was a lot calmer; I knew I’d be calm throughout it but I stayed a lot calmer than I thought I would. I kind of impressed myself in that sense. I set myself the goal of not losing my head and keeping my head in the game, and that's what I did throughout! I didn't get too annoyed or worried or anything, so just keeping calm, that surprised me.
Alfie: I actually can't believe how much of the race, for want of a better phrase, just absolutely rattled me. I just can't believe how race-focused I was. I knew I was competitive, but I didn't realise that it would cause me to be so grumpy all the time! A good example is the start of leg six, all I could think about was getting through the leg. We're going through amazing places like Thailand and Malaysia and all I wanted to do is just get to the next point. I did not dream that I’d be that race-focused. I think obviously now for the final leg, that's not going to change because there's a target in mind now, and everyone wants to get there. But I think that would be the only regret, that I didn't for the first six legs just chill out a bit!
Who do you think is your biggest competition going into the final leg?
Alfie: Eugenie and Isabel.
Owen: They’ve been right on our tail, from leg one they’ve been our biggest rivals and that hasn't really changed.
What would winning the race mean to you?
Alfie: For me, the winning side of it is nothing to do with the money because frankly, I think eight weeks of this much stress… I think I could earn £10k in a much more calm, more zen way! But it's all to do with just wanting to be the best at whatever we do and just knowing that this is once in a lifetime and for me to make the most of that we have to come out as the winners. That's what it's always been about for me. And I think that's why it's taken me by storm so much is because I know that this is once in a lifetime.
Owen: For me, it's the same sort of thing. It's nice to come out of it with the experiences, but also to be able to say that we won! Having that kind of tangible reward almost. Not the money necessarily, but just knowing you've won. Having that title would be quite nice!
Would you recommend the experience/would you do it again?
Alfie: I think I would definitely do it again.
Owen: I would do it, but I'd be quite sceptical because I'm very aware of all the rough times that we had, especially Alfie! So, it would require a lot of thought, but I think knowing us, we wouldn't be able to say no, would we?
Alfie: And in terms of recommending it to other people, I think you can't know how difficult it is until you're on it. But it also is once in a lifetime. So, I would never, I genuinely don't think I could ever say to someone don't do it, because it is incredibly rewarding. But don’t think it’s a holiday!
Owen: Don’t underestimate it. Don’t think it’s easy. None of it is easy.
Stephen and Viv
What has been the highlight of the experience so far?
Viv: I think for me, the highlight was Thailand. I absolutely loved Thailand. I loved the pink dolphins. I love what that represented. It just seemed to flow a little bit more in Thailand and the people were so friendly.
Stephen: Ah yes, there’s a warmth about it. I think for me also, Cambodia strangely, but in a bizarre way. It was a much more sombre memory but the emotional tie to that bloke we met who showed us the bat caves and the killing caves. Oh, it was just traumatic but so, so lovely, such a nice guy.
How do you feel to have made it this far in the race, with just the final leg to complete?
Viv: We’re pretty proud of ourselves, that we've got to leg seven and there's only one more leg to go. I think we've done all right actually!
Stephen: Oh, yeah. I think I was feeling quite unwell from Sumatra onwards, so that did affect my performance, but I’m still very excited and we’re still driven, still really chasing. I think even though we recognise we were not at our best in Jakarta we’re still optimistic.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Viv: Oh, I think comfort zone levels. We've never train-ed, let alone slept on a train. We've never travelled via bus, let alone slept on a bus. So curling up and trying to sleep on a stiflingly hot train, that was so noisy, and disorientating. That was quite tough, really. And then not only doing that but having to go straight to work afterwards. You’d get off a 12 or 16-hour train, and then had to go to work for six hours in the blistering heat. That's quite challenging!
Stephen: I think Sumatra was a challenge for me, and it was eye-openingly different in so many ways. It was just so far away from what we're used to. I think that was challenging for me, because I wasn't eating very well, I wasn't feeling very well and despite all that you're also trying to be positive and encourage each other.
What are your biggest life lessons from the journey so far?
Stephen: I think it’s just that we can. Sometimes you sort of self-defeat, you talk yourself out of things but actually we’re more prepared to have a go rather than settle for something less.
Viv: I think also you get used to nice hotels or a nice apartment, but I think we’ve found that we can actually rough it a little bit more than we ever thought. And so, for our next holiday we’re planning something slightly different where we’ll be more on the move and get an RV and travel around rather than going to a destination and just staying there. And what’s the worst that can happen? We get lost? We end up sleeping in the van, perhaps in a place when we shouldn’t!
Did you surprise yourself during the experience?
Stephen: I think the biggest thing that surprised me is how little food you need to survive and cope on. I couldn't believe how little we were eating and I genuinely didn't feel, apart from when I was ill, didn’t feel tired or weak or hungry. But other than that, I think deep down I knew we were capable. So I didn't have any worries or doubts about whether we were going to be able to do it. I also wanted Viv to recognise how good she really is and that she puts herself down too much.
Viv: I think I was a bit surprised by our competitive nature, we’re used to playing a lot of sports, but within that I don't actually care if I win or lose but I think our competitive spirit did kick in a bit on the race and we are so determined to finish, weren’t we? And just determined just to do our best and to try our hardest.
Who do you think is your biggest competition going into the final leg?
Viv: It’s got to be Alfie and Owen. And Isabel and Eugenie. They seem to really be able to make up time!
What would winning mean to you?
Stephen: I think the thrill. Pride and achievement.
Viv: I think the kudos of coming first, I think it would be the cherry on the icing on the cake. I think finishing it is the icing on the cake, and the winning is the cherry.
Would you recommend the experience? Would you do it again?
Viv: We would yes.
Stephen: Definitely.
Viv: But you really must pick your partner carefully, you’ve got to be able to live with them for eight weeks.
Stephen: Would you do it with someone else? Would you compete against me with someone else?
Viv: No, I wouldn’t. Right, from the beginning. Stephen said that he could do it with anybody. He could do it with any of his children, he could do it with just anybody. I was interchangeable in other words! But I only said that I could do it with Stephen. And I think having nearly done it, he now says that he would only have done it with me.
Stephen: I think you’re the best person for me to have done it with, without a doubt, because we know each other so well and we rely on each other so much.
