Everyday Aussies become travel critics in new reality show Travel Guides

FOR Bankstown’s Rifai family, a holiday is all about meticulous planning, five-star hotels and chauffeurs. So how will they go on tonight’s new reality show Travel Guides?

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FOR Bankstown’s Rifai family, a holiday is all about meticulous planning, five-star hotels in Dubai and chauffeurs.

So leaving their travel plans up to the producers of Channel 9’s new reality show Travel Guides, which airs at 9pm tonight, wasn’t an easy sell.

Rifai family Dean, Jo, Sam and Robbie star in Channel 9’s new reality show Travel Guides.

Six groups of ordinary Australians take on the role of travel critics in a series of free week-long international and domestic trips. If the promos are anything to go by, one person’s idea of a paradise can quickly turn into another’s living hell.

That was exactly what the local family of four feared most boarding the plane for their first mystery trip, mum Jo Rifai said. “I don’t like other people planning the holiday. I like to be in control of where I am, what I’m doing, what country it is.”

“Spiritual backpackers” Matt Peters and Monni Willimsen. Photo: Jamie Hanson

“There was one time when we went to a destination and we had really crappy accommodation and my husband didn’t want to stay there so we ended up renting our own place. One of the boys was like ‘nuh, I’m not staying here, I’ll just sleep in the car’.”

Mrs Rifai, her husband Sam — who works in construction — and sons Dean, 22, and Robbie, 16, are portrayed as fussy “big spenders”.

Flight attendants Chrissy, Mon and Kath.

There are also twin cowgirls, glamorous flight attendants, grumpy “holiday snobs”, holiday bargain hunters and nomadic “spiritual backpackers”.

Mrs Rifai said the family had broadened their perspectives about travelling.

“When my husband went bungee jumping it was something I thought he would never think of doing. So it was good for someone to just say ‘hey look you should do this’,” she said.

She said the close-knit family, who embark on family holidays four times a year, often disagreed but enjoyed each other’s company.