FOR a Victorian couple accustomed to country living, Kevin and Janetta Moloney have had to get used to being recognised in the streets.
The retirees are appearing in the top-ranking television show Travel Guides, airing on Channel 9 on Monday nights.
After appearing in Series One there was “no question, when they invited us back, we jumped at it in a heartbeat”.
The show turns five very different groups of ordinary Australians into travel critics. In each episode they go on the same week-long holiday, in Australia or abroad, sampling the food, accommodation and local sights before delivering a no-holds-barred review.
Kevin said the show’s fans love its honesty and the fact that it is not scripted like other travel shows. “We speak our minds and say exactly what we think. You’ll find what one likes, the other hates.”
The couple, who are seasoned travellers, have been described on the show as “holiday snobs” because when they travel they demand the best.
However, on Travel Guides the couple have to take what they’re given, learning only of their destination at the airport and only finding out each morning what the day holds.
“Really there are no negatives,” Kevin said. “We love it. We’ve never had so much fun on a holiday!”
This is despite the fact that spontaneity hasn’t previously figured in their travel plans.
They normally travel business class and research places to ensure they only experience the best. If the quality or service isn’t up to scratch they will not hesitate to complain. “We don’t suffer in silence” is their catchphrase.
Kevin and Janetta don’t have children, so visiting family holiday spots is definitely not on their agenda. They also don’t like camping, but are happy to sleep under the stars, providing they are the five stars of a luxury hotel.
However, on Series One they did camp in the outback (no, they didn’t become converts) and stayed at a $35 a night hotel in Asia – “We loved it”.
As well as travelling for a good part of 2017, Kevin found time to write The Last Australian Childhood (New Holland Publishers), 40 vignettes about growing up in suburban Glen Waverley, an outer Melbourne suburb, in the 1960s.
