The Business Travel Magazine December/January 2018/19

TALKING TRAVEL
Gigging the globe
ZOE LYONS
Angela Sara West talks to multi-award-winning comedian, Zoe Lyons, about cracking up
as a castaway on Survivor and her laughable life on the world’s comedy circuit
On the comedy circuit, she’s shared
the bill with Robin Williams, and
when not Live At The Apollo,
she’s on our screens or airwaves alongside
Alan Davies, Frank Skinner, Dara O’Briain,
John Bishop or Jason Manford.
We’ve also watched the Mock The Week
regular win Celebrity Mastermind and learn
useful life lessons during her castaway
experience for the first series of Survivor.
“I loved the sea and got quite good at spear
fishing. I learned that, with practice, I was able
to hold my breath for ages… and that ‘hell’ is
other people,” says Lyons.
Time on the remote Malaysian island of
Pulau Tiga pushed this quick-witted comic to
her physical and mental limits, leaving her
most unamused. “The low points were hunger,
bugs and rats… lots and lots of rats. So much
of anything like that is mind over matter. I
absolutely started to unravel by the end. There
was one night when I started to hear voices –
that’s when I knew I’d probably had enough.”
The side-splitting stand-up survived to take
the world’s stages by storm. International
tours have seen her exporting laughter around
the globe. “I have gigged all over Australia and
New Zealand, the Middle East, the Far East and
lots of places in Europe,” she says.
Her time Down Under, where she has gigged
in nearly every state, particularly stood out for
her. “I loved touring Australia. It’s just the
vastness of the place and the variety of
landscapes.” Her tour took in a few remote
outback towns. “We were basically the only
people there who weren’t working the mines.”
Currently chortling her way around Britain
on her UK tour, it’s a different hotel three or
four nights a week, and she is particularly
looking forward to a good laugh up north:
“I’m especially excited about Cumbria. I haven’t
spent much time in that part of the country.”
The Irish funny girl recently revisited her
roots for her Radio 4 series Zoe Lyons: Passport
Paddy. “We went from Cork through County
Tipperary and Waterford to Dunmore East,
where I grew up. We finished in Dublin, where
we recorded a little gig. It was a lot of fun and
bizarre to go back to my old school. The
memories came flooding back,” says Lyons.
My travels these days
entirely focus on
scuba diving. I’m planning
next year’s trip to Baja, to dive
in the sea of Cortez”
Lyons also enjoyed a trip to Jamaica this year,
to film a TUI advert and share stories with
fellow comedian Mark Watson. “The whole
experience was so much fun. Working with
Mark was hilarious. It was a dream job.”
Recently she has been cooking up a storm as
a contestant on this year’s Celebrity Masterchef,
making the semi-finals. And she favours local
cuisine on her travels. “I love food so much
and always try to seek out something
authentic wherever I am. Markets are always
good, particularly if they also serve hot food.
I ate myself stupid in Madrid,” she laughs.
As for restaurants, she says a certain Swiss
eatery – The Kronenhalle in Zürich, with its
legendary bar – offers the real feel-good
factor. She also knows the best bar for a spot
of stand-up… and singing. “The Tug Bar in
Wasilla, Alaska. I spent the funniest night of my
life there singing karaoke with my wife and
brother.” As for culture and a warm welcome,
she recommends Amsterdam. “I love the art
and adore the people.”
A big fan of British Airways, she never flies
without her noise-cancelling headphones. Her
top travel tip? “Pack light; you won’t wear half
the stuff you take anyway,” she says.
When back in Blighty, culture vulture Lyons
heads to London for a break, theatre visit and
restaurant exploration. Back in her home town
of Brighton, she lives a mere stone’s throw
away from her favourite place to chill. “I love
walking my dog on the beach every day. I
never tire of looking at the sea.”
Overseas, you’ll find her mainly underwater,
putting her new-found breath-holding skills to
good use. “My travels abroad these days
almost entirely focus on scuba diving. I’m now
planning next year’s trip to Baja, to dive in the
sea of Cortez.” You’ll sometimes also spot her
up a snowy peak too. “I love being outside and
am mad about skiing. The last few trips have
been to Austria. France is great, but some
places are so expensive these days you need
to take out a mortgage for lunch!”
Brexit is no laughing matter, so she’s taking it
seriously. How will it impact on travel? “We just
don’t know, but I have taken the precaution
of getting an Irish passport. Travelling for
business might become more complicated if
you need a visa for every trip to Europe.”
The best thing about her business travels? “It
opens your eyes to nature, to politics, and to
other human beings. It’s no lie to say that my
passport is my most precious possession.”
48 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com