World traveler Asha Gill is one of the co-hosts of the TV series Lonely Planet: Six Degrees which airs on the Discovery Travel and Living Channel. The former Channel V host tells us about what she’s seen, what she’s eaten and what she’s learned from her wordly travels.

I’m c**p at looking toward the future. When I was really young I wanted to be a hairdresser. Then I thought I would go into architecture. I’m one of those people who looks blankly at you when you ask about the future.

I was filming in an arena in India. I was wearing a skirt and people put their hands up my skirt and touched my ass.

I went ballistic. They wouldn’t let me out. I was ready to have a fistfight with these a**holes...

It is really hard to say no to certain things. I find it really hard to say no to a lot of the things that I do to support NGOs and stuff. I can choose to sit on the couch, but I can’t get over the guilt.

Living out of a suitcase after a while does your head in. You miss out on birthdays and Christmas.

It won’t be this way forever. I am where I am at this moment in time because this is where I’m supposed to be.

I’m not good at keeping things alive—not even plants. I’ve got to start learning to grow things properly or at least stop killing things.

As a general rule for life, it’s quite rare for reality to exceed your expectations.

Everything moves so quickly, and you need to slow down and ask yourself, “What am I running for?”

Buying stuff I don’t need is hardly gratifying. Buying striped socks, however, is different. I just can’t get enough of them.

In Buenos Aires, I saw the demonstrations of the “Mothers of the Disappeared.” It was a really raw moment. These women never give up hope even though the missing children remain missing.

In Istanbul, the government postal services went on strike. They wanted their uniforms created by a fashion designer—and that was listed as a non-negotiable term.

People who follow their own style are cool. I like
Angelina Jolie’s style. From head to toe, she is yelling,
“I don’t care!”

Hosting a game show is totally uncool. And yes, I have done it.

I’m one of the most unfashionable people ever on TV. I pretty much wear the same thing every day.

Rudeness often stems from mindlessness.

The world pisses me off. Or is it just the news?

I think a lot of people hold on to opinions just because they want to stay in their comfort zone.

It is funny that a change in opinion makes one a hypocrite. People do change. Saying “I don’t think that anymore” is not a crime.

Be tolerant and open to opinions. That’s important.

The more I travel, the more I come to think chaos theory is working on a human level. Everything is interrelated in a huge web—and there is no way you can work everything out.

Knowing your limits keeps you from going insane.

Falling into a food coma makes me happy. We have a feeding ritual once a week where we eat and eat and eat.
When packing, never take anything more than you have to. You don’t need as much as you think.

Chinese oil and Po Chai Pills are my bodyguards.

Get an orange suitcase. The color is theft-proof.

Advertisement

Leave a Comment