Sheona focuses on TV race

And few would consider Romania or Ghana a travel-list must.

Yet former Robigana resident Sheona McKenna considers herself lucky to be seeing both these and other countries experiencing social and political unrest.

For she is one of only eight candidates selected from 20,000 applicants to compete in the second series of ABC-TV's Race Around The World.

"The larger number was whittled down to 1200, then eventually 35 who were interviewed.

Then 13 were selected to go to Sydney in February to learn camera and film skills at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School," said 23-year-old Ms McKenna, a former Launceston College and Victorian College of the Arts student.

"I was still hanging in there when they said that only eight would be chosen and I was lucky enough to be one," she said.

Ms McKenna said that the series producers had given successful travel applicants a $6000 Panasonic camera, free flights, some extra money "and then told (us) to go for it".

Which means, as Ms McKenna admits, sending herself to some "pretty scary places where you're strictly on your own".

"I've heard of people having their gear stolen and being arrested and so on but I hope to get through with a lot of common sense and a bit of humour.

"As for a film plotline, she says she intends anchoring her work around a central character in each country visited.

"Travellers are expected to edit their work before sending it back to Sydney," said Ms McKenna, who leaves the State next Friday for Vietnam, which she considers a good entry point for overseas travel.

"You know, when I said I wanted to go to Haiti, which has had its share of unrest, a Foreign Affairs man said: 'What the heck do you want to go there for?"'The second Race Around The World series starts on ABC-TV on June 8 at 9.30pm.