Bettany Hughes has been a fixture on British television for more than two decades. The 56-year-old historian and television host has particular expertise in antiquity and is a sought-after lecturer. You have written several bestselling books, from the first …Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore—to its most recent, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: an extraordinary new journey through history’s greatest treasuresout April 23rd.
Hughes lives in London but spends much of the year abroad, covering around 75,000 miles in the air. His favorite airline is Sri Lankan Airlines, a legacy from when he was filming a show centered on the ancient Buddhist world. “We had many delayed flights and every time there was a delayed flight, they helped us with a delicious cup of ginger tea in a silver teapot,” he says. “Even when I flew Economy, they took care of me.”
Here are some hard-earned tricks that Hughes has learned during his treks everywhere from the deserts of Turkey to the forested areas of Cambodia.
Never apologize for double packaging.
I always pack two suitcases, even if that means there’s an excess to pay. They will have either identical things in each, or almost a copy, a kind of mirrored suitcases. That means 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 I traveled alone to Italy, to be in the Alps with someone I had just met on the beach that summer.
I was so petrified of ending up there and being some kind of burden. That’s when I started double-packing: two tiny, identical suitcases. Last October, I made a student mistake by traveling to Trieste, Italy, to give a public lecture. “For once,” I thought, “I’ll get a bag. What could go wrong?” And Lufthansa lost it. It meant I was stuck with no makeup and no clothes. It turned up four or five weeks later, but I’d learned my lesson.
Try these two tricks if you’re worried about crawling insects.
When I was researching not only Angkor Wat but also Angkor Thom, which is behind Angkor Wat, and a little more remote, I was really going into the wilderness, where the tree roots are thigh high and you’re cutting yourself through the bushes. I had a guide with me and I 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 pocket.” He was a lemon. He said, “I promise you won’t get bitten.”
Whether it’s true or not, I now always carry at least a slice with me. It means that at the end of long journeys I often find myself with a slightly shriveled slice of lemon in my pocket. I also wear Clarks desert boots, which go high enough on your leg that you won’t get bitten. I’m just above the ankle snake bite level.
Do you want an insider guide to Athens or Istanbul? This is the need to know.
The way to experience Istanbul is by boat, because the city is full of water. You can hop on a ferry that goes from one end of the Bosphorus to the other or cross it, that classic thing: travel from Asia to Europe for less than a dollar on a ferry. And go to Athens and walk along Adrianou Street, which is the main pedestrian street, and look to the left. You will actually see the Oath Stone where Socrates was tried. Also on the other side, almost directly opposite, is the painted stoa from which we get the word “Stoics”.
Follow this protocol whenever you plan to take photos.
Never forget that you are a guest in someone else’s country. This is always my position when you arrive: you are a guest, you are lucky to be there and you have to earn the respect of your host. Whatever you’re filming, whether it’s a camera or an iPhone or whatever, respect the location and make sure you have permission.
And I don’t mean legal permission, but consent from the people you’re with. Make eye contact, make friends. Always say, “Is it okay if I take a photo?” I was filming on the Jordanian-Lebanese border and we sat in a bar full of Hezbollah. We didn’t realize it and it could have been very complicated. 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 proceed. If we had rushed and taken the lead, without taking our time, it could have ended very badly.
Go here for an alternative to the overcrowded excavations of Pompeii.
The Turkish-Syrian border boasts some of the richest archaeological finds, spanning 12,000 years of human history. There is a place called Zeugma, an ancient Roman-occupied city, founded soon after the time of Alexander the Great, and an incredibly wealthy border town. It was on the border of what was then the Persian Empire. The level of detail in the mosaics that have been discovered is simply extraordinary; there are levels of conservation as good as those of Pompeii.
A quick way to check the safety of a new place? Trust your animal instinct.
I do a “stray animal check” when I land somewhere I’ve never been before. I always check how friendly the dogs and cats are. If they cower, then you know people aren’t treating them well and you need to be clear-headed. If dogs are incredibly friendly, then it is a good sign, because it shows that people are kind to them. I just returned from Georgia, Caucasus, and I can’t tell you how friendly the dogs were. They were like emotional support dogs.
Two precious souvenirs to buy in each destination.
Wherever I have traveled in the world, I will always buy a scarf and a jar of honey. If anyone knows my plans, I basically always have a suitcase full of scarves. I’ve found that wherever you go, they are a sunshade, they can dry your sweat, they can keep you warm, and they can work as a tourniquet if you get into trouble. So I have this amazing selection of scarves that I carry with me, from Indian bazaars, from Istanbul souks, from Albanian villages. They are definitely not Hermès, but they have their own authenticity and honesty.
And I have an archaeological collection of honey in my kitchen, an entire side wall. I came back with saffron honey from Azerbaijan. As a historian, I know that honey sometimes lasts for centuries. I will never in my entire life be able to use up the supply of honey I have, because I literally bring it back from every single place I’ve been.
Two Greek islands deserve a special trip.
I love the Greek islands. You expect them to be amazing, but Icaria is so beautiful. It’s where Icarus supposedly died when he fell to the ground, and it’s almost completely pristine. There are fresh water springs; there aren’t many cars. There is a man called Honey Ulysses who travels by boat collecting fresh honey from bees. It is a truly dream island. And go to Naxos, another Greek island, where much of the marble to build Greek sculptures came from. But there they were extracting a sculpture, probably Dionysus or Bacchus, the god of wine, and they stopped the flow in the middle of the mountain: a half-finished statue. The chisel marks can still be seen.