Manu Feildel on travelling the world for 30 days with $20,000

He's known for his scrumptious food and for being one of the nicest reality show judges around but celebrity chef Manu Feildel has taken on one of the biggest challenges of his career.

Inspired by the route Phileas Fogg took in Jules Vern’s famous novel, Around the World in 80 Days, Manu set off on a culinary voyage of his own for his new show Around the World with Manu.

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The much-loved chef tasted and cooked his way through 80 dishes on a budget of $20,000 in 30 days, starting in London, exploring Dubai, India, Hong Kong, Japan and the United States.

Manu spoke with Be about his epic trip of the world and how he survived on his strict budget.

What was it like travelling and eating your way around the world?

Travelling and eating my way around the world has been an incredible journey. It is something that I have dreamed of doing for a long time, so for it to come to fruition, as well as live up to all my expectations is something I’m really grateful for. Plus I’m so excited to be able to share my experiences and of course my new recipes with everyone.

Why were you so interested in travelling the route of Phileas Fogg?

It comes from a love for the book and the idea came to me about 15 years ago. Since reading it I have always wanted to do it myself, but with a special twist. My adventure would be a culinary voyage — cooking, eating, and sharing the food of each amazing destination with the people I met along the way.

How did you go surviving on a budget of $20,000?

Surviving on a budget of $20,000 is achievable. I couldn’t just simply follow the footsteps of Fogg, it needed to be extra challenging. By having a budget of $20,000 I hope to inspire more people to take the challenge and travel within a tight budget too.

I also ensured that I could experience as much as possible by allowing myself to top-up my coffees by washing dishes, cooking meals and even busking, but the rule was that I couldn’t accept travel or money without earning it.

Was 30 days long enough to fit it all in?

I visited London, Dubai, Mumba, Kolkata, Hong Kong, Tokyo and L.A. and I could have had 30 days in each and it still wouldn’t have been enough. But I’ve had the opportunity to develop new recipes, and meet incredible people along the way.

Where was your favourite place you visited?

It’s hard to select a favourite, but my time in Dubai was featured on the show last weekend. I have always stopped over in Dubai but never left the airport. I’ve always loved and used Middle Eastern spices and this trip was a great reminder to use them in more and different ways in my own recipes and daily cooking.

What was the best thing about Dubai?

It’s tough to pick just one, but it was probably the people as they were so welcoming, polite and helpful and all come from different backgrounds. The food was all delicious (except the camel burger perhaps), I love the spices, the array of dishes, one coming after the other like a private mini buffet. The amazing Middle Eastern pastries and the coffee culture was quite a surprise too.

What advice would you have for people looking to travel there?

I would recommend to visit Dubai to everyone. It has something for everyone, for me it was the food, but there is so much else to discover. There’s the desert, the lively nightlife scene, the ultramodern architecture, it’s a city that is constantly changing which means every time you go back there is always something new to see or taste.

If you had to do it again would you do it any differently?

I would have spent more time in each city, I didn’t have enough time to taste all that they had to offer! But then that’s less of a challenge right?

Around the World with Manu airs on 7TWO on Sundays at 7.30PM.

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