Race Across The World 2026

[LindorDoubleChoc]

Hooray!

This is back for another series, starting Thursday.

I just googled very quickly and they set off from Sicily and end the race in northern Mongolia - sounds interesting.

I don't know anything else about it at this point, but thought that we should have a thread ready and waiting.

I think he can see he’s upright though. I’m expecting a background story soon that will explain why he is controlling himself like that.

We enjoyed it again, my son called the brother a fun sponge when he said he didn’t understand the value in holidays 😂

I thought Puja's covid story was very moving, the stress that medics were under, and her bringing the infection home which killed her Dad. Very sad.
That was the start to her medical career. Very tough.

Mark is starting to enjoy himself more.

I'm really enjoying the improved information for the viewers re. the routes taken and everyone's position relative to each other in this series. I feel absolutely certain they read and took notes on our thread last year!

And now I want to go to Turkiye! I've always felt daunted by it's size before and wouldn't really know where to start. I'm not a fan of intense heat or AI holidays so will need to do a bit of research. If anyone on the thread has any recommendations re. Turkiye I'd be very grateful to hear them.

I love the cousins and love their friendship and am really sorry to see them go. But that decision to go backwards on their journey was rather odd, I suppose borne out of panic. It felt awful watching them reassuring themselves that they would not be last.

Having said that, I don't think I would have wanted any of the other pairs to go either. DH seems to have really taken against Mark (?) and Margot. He thinks they don't get on well and a big argument is brewing. He says they admitted they didn't like each other much in the first episode. Is that true?

The balloons - stunning! But that place must sadly now be rammed with tourists all the time, we definitely saw a beautifully upgraded version of what it might really be like. Please excuse the cynic in me!

Mark and Margo never got on, until her sister Julia, Mark's wife, became ill with terminal cancer. They both nursed her and Margo suported Mark, as I understand it. So they're not natural friends, but have been bonded by Julia's illness and death, I think.

I thought Katie wanted to go on a balloon ride? Maybe there wasn't time. She enjoyed seeing them, anyway.

I’m really enjoying this series. I have been looking at holidays to Istanbul and Cappadocia before this. It’s been added to my bucket list since a friend went (but did it differently and was out of my budget) I’ve currently shortlisted a 10 day guided tour to include Ephesus and Troy as well , staying in a cave hotel in Cappadocia.
The balloon is very expensive and tbh not something I’d want to do but would love to see them whilst there.

Doing a balloon ride I expect would be massively outside their budget.

Agree with all of this (but not with your DH!)

Didn't the Emms say they wanted to do this because Julia had wanted them to be friends and they wanted it too but weren't natural friends, so thought this might be a way of seeing each other out of their natural habitat, and in a different way.

Yes

Turkey is my favourite country. I’ll be visiting for the 10th time soon.

Even then I’ve never been to cappadocia or Halfeti. To add to the list! It’s so vast and so many gorgeous spots. Great food, lovely people

The balloon ride was horrendously expensive when I did it over 15 years ago so there's no way they could have done it on the budget.

Just checked: well over €200 per person.

Yeah, I didn't know that. Just an observation.

I've only been to Turkey (as it was) once. Was a bit too hot for us, in June!
Kalkan was a fabulous small resort with.lots of restaurants and no overwhelming AI hotels.

We went to kalkan in early June a couple of years ago, beautiful place but wow it was so hot! Early 40s by the end of our week there .. we went that time of year thinking it would be much cooler. Couldn’t really explore in that heat.

@MyballsareSandy2015 same. I thought June would be pleasant. When watching the programme I kept thinking, I hope its spring when they are running with rucksack. And producers must ask them to take off hats and sunnies. Those poor ginger folk (Harrison and the girl with her dad)

They went in September and October 2025. There is a van following them with a medic on board, anyway.

I didn’t really appreciate that Türkiye was so big! It really is huge isn’t it! And I definitely want to go. My teen would like to see all the cats!

It’s definitely a future holiday destination for us I think.

I liked the boys even more this episode - their realisation that they needed to buckle down and just hammer out the miles was brilliant. And I thought their appreciation of the opportunity for them was good.

I am enjoying Mark and Margo and their relationship changing from carers to perhaps friends.

Katie and Harrison. Oh he is so uptight! And he knows it. But I think he also doesn’t want to be - he is letting Katie have some influence. For anyone with any kind of chaotic or insecure history control is safety. Control keeps things predictable and reliable. I think he wants to let go and is doing it as best he can but of course there is nowhere he can retreat to - everything is forward. So very little opportunity to regroup and balance. That’s a lot to deal with.

Molly and Andrew are getting more screen time now so I hope we learn more about who they are. Although the irony of a geography teacher who hasn’t travelled isn’t lost on us! I liked it when Andrew and Mark were geeking out together at the sights!

I’m sad we lost Puja and Roshni but yeah, that decision to go back was mad! You’re in Istanbul. There will be transport links.

i always notice the lack of hats

Maybe Andrew didn't have much money to travel when he was younger.

I think I read an interview with him where he said he didn’t have much money and then life moved on. He’s younger than I thought, so perhaps “settled down” quite early.

Yes, so it's nice that he can travel now, and with his daughter. She won't have too many chances in the next few years.

I agree with all of this!

And as a ginger myself, I notice the lack of hats too!