Incomprehensible dialects, terrible weather, a grim industrial backwater - these are phrases traditionally used to describe the Northern stretches of England. This Globe Trekker puts an end to the myth, as we follow traveller Judith Jones through Yorkshire and Northumberland. Her journey begins in rural Suffolk, continues on to the university city of Cambridge, Sheffield, Bradford and York. Her journey concludes on a boat to the Farne Island, the ancient sanctuary of the monk Saint Cuthbert and a present sanctuary to the puffin.

After international sanctions were lifted in 2012, Myanmar has been put to the top of travel destination lists and it has quickly become the hot new place to visit. Closed off to the world for centuries, this is a fascinating country which is as warm and welcoming as the ruling military junta were harsh and oppressive. Megan McCormick dives in to the heart of the country to get the low down. Schwedagon Pagoda with MeganMegan starts her journey in Yangon where she explores the juxtaposition of modern life and Myanmar’s colonial past, so prominent throughout the country that some people still refer to it as Burma. She finds out more from Yangon Heritage Trust founder, Thant Myint-U. Before she leaves this city, she can’t resist the pull of the glittering Shwedagon Pagoda, the most revered Buddhist temple in the country. Flying to the centre of the country, she visits popular Inle Lake where she discovers just how diverse the country really is. Contrary to popular belief, the Padaung women Megan meets don’t seem to mind at all that they are being paid to draw in the tourists… provided foreigners actually respect their choice. Next, she heads north to the town of Hsipaw where she visits a Shan Palace and uncovers a tribal rivalry dating back centuries. Chatting to the current resident, Fern, she realises that people still bear scars from the recent dictatorship. Megan takes a bumpy train journey to Mandalay, stopping briefly at the British hill station of Pyin-oo-Lwin. In Mandalay she discovers a city devastated by WW2 and reinvented by the Chinese. Getting to the cultural heart of this city, Megan visits the golden Mahamuni Buddha, tries her hand at the dying art of puppetry and opts for evening entertainment in the form of the Moustache Brothers, only to realise that the recent politics of this country pervades everything, even comedy. Mindat-Munn-women-with-Megan-McCormickLeaving Mandalay Megan heads far from the main tourist destinati

Sexy, passionate and sophisticated, Buenos Aires is one of South America’s most alluring cities and the perfect place for Globe Trekker newcomer Judith Jones to find her feet…or should we say Tango heels!

In this Globetrekker special, Zay Harding treks along five of Australia’s greatest hikes, which showcases the country’s incredible landscape, nature and pioneering history.

Megan McCormick tours Japan. She starts the journey in Kyoto, where activities include browsing a flea market, meditating with a Buddhist monk and being entertained by geishas at a banquet. She also visits the Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine and the Toji Buddhist Temple. Later, she travels to Osaka, where she spends time at a cat café and the Kidzania theme park; and visits Iga-Ueno, which is best known as the home of the ninja. She concludes the tour with sailing trip to the remote island of Sado.

In this Globe Trekker Special, Zay Harding travels across Northern France and Belgium, visiting key World War One locations on the Western Front.

Most people descend upon the Cote D’Azur in search of sun, sea, fine wine and fine dining but the Riviera isn’t just a holiday destination for sun-worshippers. The region also presents the traveller with an extraordinary art trail once touched by the greatest artists of the modern era: Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Paul Signac, Pierre Bonnard, Fernand Leger, Marc Chagall and even the avant garde poet, Jean Cocteau all made the French Riviera their home. The most remarkable fact is that it is here that they produced some of the masterworks which changed the face of art as we know it.

Part 1 of 2. Globe Trekker presenter Judith Jones takes us through story of the English building and shows us how it came to be. It’s a journey from the birth of early Christian settlements to the creation of the baroque mansion in the 17th century; of how a Romanesque church became a cathedral, and how a castle became the Englishman’s home.

Conclusion. An architectural tour of England. Included: Queen's House in Greenwich; Christopher Wren's Church of Magnus the Martyr and St. Paul's Cathedral in London; the urban townhomes of Bath; and Osterley House in Middlesex. Also: Hammerwood Lodge in East Sussex; Saltaire in Yorkshire; Trafalgar Square; Buckingham Palace; and the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.

Zay Harding explores the colonial history of the State of Victoria in Australia.

Meat eating contests in Texas; sausages in India; Paris, France, and the South Pacific; Africa.