Andrea Motta

When I'm, not at work or travelling, I'm...

Experiencing a whole new world of adventure with my little girl, in the form of playgroups, parks and cafes.

My favourite film is...

Rocky, Rocky 2, Rocky 3, Rocky 4... that's as far as I will go!

On my round the world trip I spent longer than expected in:

Lovely Laos, travelling first north and then south and then north again.

Which place exceeded your expectations on your travels and why?

Antarctica. I boarded the ship in Ushuaia grinning from ear to ear but could not have anticipated what lay ahead. Each day held a new batch of adrenalin pumping, truly thrilling sights, sounds, adventures and wildlife. From elephant seals to albatrosses, king penguin colonies, crazed fur seals and whales to the calving icebergs which passed within metres of the kayak, zodiac and paths on which we wandered.

What are your top 5 must-pack items?

1. Flip flops (unless heading for Brazil where you will buy many!)
2. One decent pair of jeans - you will miss them if you don't
3. Camera with spare memory cards
4. An extra credit card packed separately
5. P20 - once a day sunscreen

What are your top 3 places in the world?

King Penguin colony - Salisbury Plain, South Georgia; Annapurna Base Camp – Nepal; Bagan, Burma

Which is your favourite beach, where is it and why?

Nungwi, Zanzibar Tanzania. I never thought I was a beach person, but after a week's camping safari nothing can beat a fabulous beach - great sunsets, great beach bars for sun-downers, excellent seafood BBQs, diving options - all good.

Which passport stamp are you most proud of?

Port Lockroy – Antarctica.

Where/what would you like to visit?

Bhutan – I want to go trekking in stunning mountains and through remote villages.

What's the best/worst thing you've eaten on your travels?

I have to say I am a partial to BBQ'd chicken hearts.

Have you ever worked abroad? If so explain.

In my student da,ys I spent a summer working at The Great American Country & Western Ho-Down in the Algarve in Portugal. Gingham frocks and line dancing all part of the waitressing job spec! I have since used my waitressing skills around Australia but have left long since left the line dancing behind.

Where is the most depressing place you've found yourself?

An old boat on route to Nias (Indonesian Island), with 150 sea sick locals and many more cockroaches in a storm! After a horrendous, turbulent night the daylight revealed we had anchored just off the coast we were departing from and the journey was yet to begin!

What's the funniest/strangest thing that's happened to you abroad?

My Dad still laughs about the time I called him from Puskar in India, in a panic because the bank in Simla had stolen $500 from my account three weeks after I had taken out money there. As he tried to calm my stress, I mentioned that a 5-legged, holy cow had just stolen an orange from a stall in front of me. He thought it was wonderful, whereas to me at that time it was strangely normal. I expect he helped me out with the cash too until I could sort it with my bank as $500 at that time was a good month or two of travel.

If you had just 24 hours in a big city which one would it be?

Rio de Janeiro.