Bettany Hughes has been a fixture on British television for more than two decades. The 56-year-old historian and television presenter has particular expertise in antiquity and is a sought-after lecturer. She has written several bestsellers, from her first…Helen of Troy: goddess, princess, whore—To her youngest, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: An extraordinary new journey through history’s greatest treasureswill be released on April 23rd.
Hughes lives in London but spends much of the year abroad, flying about 75,000 miles in the air. Her favorite airline is Sri Lankan Airlines, a legacy from when she filmed a show focused on the ancient Buddhist world. “We had a lot of delayed flights and every time there was a delayed flight they would help with a nice pot of ginger tea in a silver teapot,” she says. “Even when I flew economy class, they took care of me.”
Here are some hard-earned hacks Hughes learned while wandering from the deserts of Turkey to the backwoods of Cambodia.
Never apologize for double packing.
I always pack two suitcases, even if that means I have to pay a deductible. They each contain either identical things or almost a copy, something like mirror cases. This means that if you lose one, you still have enough clothes. I traveled alone for the first time when I was 15. I had never been abroad before and traveled to Italy alone to be in the Alps with someone I met on the beach that summer.
I was so scared of the idea of ending up there and being some sort of liability. Then I started double packing: two tiny, identical suitcases. I made a schoolgirl mistake last October when I traveled to Trieste, Italy to give a public lecture. “For once,” I thought, “I’ll take a bag. What could go wrong?” And Lufthansa lost it. It meant I was stuck without my makeup and clothes. Four or five weeks later it showed up, but I had learned my lesson.
Try these two tricks if you’re afraid of creepy crawlies.
When I was researching not only Angkor Wat, but also Angkor Thom – which is behind Angkor Wat and a little further away – I really went into the wilderness, where the tree roots come almost up to your thighs and you hack their way through that bushes. I had a guide with me and admitted that the only two things I’m afraid of in life are the dark and snakes. He said, “Don’t worry, look what I have in my bag.” It was a lemon. He said, “I promise you won’t get bitten.”
Whether that’s true or not, I always carry at least one piece of it with me now. However, this means that at the end of long trips I often end up with a slightly shriveled slice of lemon in my pocket. I also wear desert boots from Clarks that go up just high enough on the leg so you don’t get bitten. They are just above ankle snakebite level.
Want an insider travel guide to Athens or Istanbul? You have to know that.
The best way to explore Istanbul is by boat, as the city is criss-crossed by water. You can take a ferry that goes from one end of the Bosphorus to the other or across it, the classic: travel by ferry from Asia to Europe for less than a dollar. Go to Athens, walk along Adrianou Street, the main pedestrian street, and look to the left. You will actually see the oath stone where Socrates was tried. On the other side, almost directly opposite, is the painted Stoa, from which the word “Stoic” comes.
Follow this protocol whenever you want to capture images.
Never forget that you are a guest in someone else’s country. This is always my attitude when you arrive: you are a guest, you are lucky to be there and you have to earn the respect of your host. No matter what you’re filming with, be it a camera, an iPhone or whatever, respect the location and make sure you have permission.
And by that I don’t mean legal permission, but rather the consent of the people you’re with. Make eye contact, make friends. Do you always say, “Is it okay if I take a photo?” I was filming on the Jordanian-Lebanese border and we sat down in a cafe that was full of Hezbollah members. We weren’t aware of this and it could have been very sticky. But the fact that we took the time to explain what we were doing – that I was doing something about the history of Mars, the god of war – allowed us to move on. If we had just gone and taken over without taking the time, it could have ended very badly.
Here you will find an alternative to the crowded excavations of Pompeii.
The Turkish-Syrian border has some of the richest archaeological finds from 12,000 years of human history. There is a place calledzeugma, an ancient city that was occupied by the Romans shortly after the time of Alexander the Great and is an incredibly rich border town. It was on the border of what was then the Persian Empire. The level of detail of the mosaics discovered there is simply extraordinary; There are levels of preservation as good as Pompeii.
A quick way to sensorily check the safety of a new place? Rely on animal instinct.
I do a “stray pet check” when I end up somewhere I’ve never been before. I always look at how friendly the dogs and cats are. If they cower, you know people aren’t treating them well and you need to keep your cool. If the dogs are incredibly friendly, that’s a good sign because it shows that people are friendly to them. I just got back from Georgia in the Caucasus and I can’t tell you how friendly the dogs were. They were like emotional support dogs.
Two worthwhile souvenirs that can be purchased in any travel destination.
Wherever I have traveled in the world, I will always buy a scarf and a pot of honey. If anyone knows my programs: I always have a suitcase full of scarves with me. I’ve found that they can act as a sunscreen wherever you travel, wipe away sweat, keep you warm, and act as a tourniquet if you get in trouble. That’s why I have this extraordinary selection of scarves that I carry with me, from Indian bazaars, souks in Istanbul and Albanian villages. They are definitely not Hermès, but they stand out with their own authenticity and honesty.
And I have an archaeological honey collection in my kitchen – a whole side wall. I came back from Azerbaijan with saffron honey. As a historian, I know that honey can sometimes last for centuries. I still can’t manage to use up the honey supplies I have because I literally bring it from every single place I’ve been.
Two Greek islands that are worth a special trip.
I love the Greek islands. You expect them to be great, but Ikaria is so beautiful. This is where Icarus is said to have died when he fell to the ground and is almost completely untouched. There are freshwater springs; There aren’t many cars. There is a man named Odysseus of Honey who travels around in boats collecting fresh honey from the bees. It’s a pretty dreamy island. And go to Naxos, another Greek island from which much of the marble used to build Greek sculptures came. But there they were dismantling a sculpture, probably Dionysus or Bacchus, the god of wine, and they stopped in the middle of the river on the mountainside – a half-finished statue. The chisel marks can still be seen.