Caroline and Tom
This mother/son duo are unlikely travel companions – Tom has travelled, whereas Caroline has never had the opportunity. Caroline wants to prove that she’s more than just ‘mum’, and Tom wants to show her the world through his eyes.
Why did you want to take part in the series?
I never thought I'd travel with my mum, but the fact that I get to see the world with her is just perfect.
Caroline: I saw the South American series and absolutely knew that that was the programme I wanted to do with Thomas. I’ve never applied for anything like this before - I've never done anything like this. I've never done anything out of my comfort zone or ever arranged any travel. I just knew it was made for me, and the perfect person was Thomas. Thomas felt the same. We were made for it, or the programme was made for us.
Tom: Exactly the same as mum, I love travelling – I never thought I'd travel with my mum, but the fact that I get to travel and see the world, and do it with her is just perfect.
Have you picked up any tips from previous series?
Caroline: We’ve brought an alarm clock, because of course you rely on your phone to wake you up. Thomas has brought a journal. He likes to keep a journal along the way and I think that will be fantastic for a reference as well. I brought a little white board because if we can't speak the language, perhaps we can draw something and for hitchhiking and signs of where we want to go possibly.
Also, just because you might not be so good in one leg or two doesn't mean you can't get there in the end. So you don't have to be first all the time. I think it's a little more about the journey, and I don't think I'll be quite as bad if we're not at the forefront because there's still a really good chance. Sometimes things are taken out of your control and you just have to accept that.
Tom: Another thing we've brought are sleeping bags for the buses because we've seen on previous series, they look like they could do with having a blanket of some sort on some of the buses.
How have you prepared for the trip?
Caroline: I started walking and walking really quite seriously - timed walking. Then I joined a gym and got myself really fit and that really helped me mentally. That's helped me prepare a lot more. Thomas is already in a very good place mentally and he's travelled before. He actually stayed with me before this and it's made us closer because we have more of an understanding of our preparation together. So we’ve got ourselves fitter, and in doing so I think it's calmed us down mentally as well.
What are the top three creature comforts you'll struggle to live without?
Tom: Our dog, that would be a big one. Do we say father?
Caroline: We have a beautiful big sofa that i like to collapse in. And food - bacon sandwiches - all food, or the smell of food. Lattes. Everything. Already. I mean, just a few hours and already all i can think about is food.
