To start the new travel season, Tamina Kallert takes the audience to the sunny Costa Blanca “From Alicante to Valencia” (April 30, 8:15 p.m., WDR television). In the programme “Småland – Unterwegs in Bullerbü” (4 June), she follows in the footsteps of Pippi Longstocking and Michel from Lönneberga and gives valuable tips for a family holiday in Sweden. She travels in Italy “From Ravenna to Parma” (2.7.), does a 3-country bike tour on the “Via Claudia Augusta” (30.7.), explores the “Salzkammergut” (17.9.) and climbs the mountains in “Hiking on La Gomera” (12.11.). One of the highlights of the year is the beautiful hike in the “Dolomites” on 13 August, for which the WDR Funkhausorchester – after last year’s “Norway” audience success – will once again record the specially composed film music.
Daniel Aßmann is on the road with the bike “From Borkum to the Ems” (21.5.), conquers “Rügen on foot” (9.7.) and goes to Malta (27.8.). Judith Rakers travels to Lake Garda (6.8.), to Cornwall (3.9.) and hikes on the Rheinsteig (5.11.).
Ramon Babazadeh travels along the Croatian Adriatic coast (23.7.), through Saxon Switzerland (10.9.) and the Odenwald (1.10.). All presenters can also be seen at any time in the ARD Mediathek.
For almost 20 years, Tamina Kallert has been presenting the travel show “Wunderschön” on WDR – with unbroken enthusiasm and passion for her “dream job”. On April 30, 2023, she will open this year’s summer season with a trip to the southeast of Spain: She will sail “From Alicante to Valencia” (8:15 p.m., WDR television), visit well-known places on the Costa Blanca and discover lesser-known places inland.
We are pleased that the popular presenter was available to answer some questions:
On 4 June, you will take the audience to Småland and walk in the footsteps of Astrid Lindgren. Which other destinations with children would you recommend for a family holiday this year? The North Sea and Baltic Sea always work. You don’t have to fly, you can get there easily by train or car. Three personal tips: Texel with its miles of sandy beaches, Spiekeroog, a car-free island, ideal for families with small children, and Rügen, where you can also discover a lot on foot. Menorca, Mallorca’s little sister, is also family-friendly : not so crowded, with flat beaches, moderate hiking trails and hotels specially designed for families with small children. If you like it more adventurous and sporty and want to go a little further away, I recommend the Canary Islands, where you can discover the hinterland in addition to a beach holiday. I was just on La Gomera for “Wunderschön”, for me the most pristine island of the archipelago, but more for older children: magnificent vegetation, challenging hiking trails through volcanic landscapes and only a few black beaches.
You travel a lot for work. Do you like to take it easy on vacation and enjoy the days at the beach? Or are your legs always tingling? Professional travel and private holidays are two pairs of boots. On my professional travels, I discover the world for the viewers, the days are tightly timed and full of adventures. On vacation, I look forward all the more to relaxation and deceleration. As a family, we always revote on how it suits everyone best. The children are also growing up and their needs are changing. Whether it’s Lake Constance or through Italy in a motorhome – I’m excited to see what’s to come.
Last year, her book “And then the sea comes into view” was published. A feeling that brings back memories of my childhood when I went to the south of France by car every year. What is the book about? We often took the VW bus to the Mediterranean or the Atlantic. The rrrraaack when the sliding door of the VW bus slams shut is one of my earliest childhood memories. And the sea stands for holidays, longing and horizons. In my second book, I talk about new travel experiences, exciting encounters with people, inspiring life plans and take a look behind the scenes of the filming of my travel shows. It has become a very personal book again, in which I also report on my crises and setbacks. At the same time, I would like to encourage people to set out anew and to discover the world with an open mind, joie de vivre and optimism.
Is there a country that you still want to travel to and are there destinations that you visit again and again? Some countries in South America are still missing from my travel list, especially Costa Rica I would like to discover. Friends are in Japan right now and send exciting pictures, but China, for example, is less appealing to me as a travel destination. I am always enthusiastic about Italy, especially where the Alpine and Mediterranean meet. Norway is a country of longing that I have already been able to travel to twice. This great and powerful nature, this vastness, the fjords with their towering, steep mountains, the majestic waterfalls – I feel very small and humble as a human being. By the way, on July 16, the beautiful journey through “Norway’s West. From the Sognefjord to Bergen”. And of course, Switzerland is a country of the heart, because that’s where my two children were born.
As a travel journalist, it is inevitable that you think about the topic of climate change. Personally, I have already taken a few flights with my wife and children. Nevertheless, you do get a guilty conscience. How do you personally deal with this?
Climate change concerns me both professionally and privately. Over-tourism, sustainability and the question of how to be a good traveller are regular topics in the editorial office. In my family, for example, air travel is hotly debated, and to this day we have not taken any long-distance trips. It is a constant struggle.
How do you think travel will change in the next 15-20 years?
Travelling is and remains a primal longing of man. But the framework conditions will continue to change. Travel is tending to become more expensive again, and the travel industry is forced to invest more in climate-neutral sustainable offerings. The fact is: With climate change, innocence is gone and more and more people are thinking about what they can still reconcile with their conscience. But it is also a fact that traveling makes you more tolerant, broadens your horizons and can have a formative effect on your personal development. On my travels, I have experienced again and again that there is much more that unites than divides in the world. A comforting realization.
