Red Deer’s Abra Atkison will be bringing the world with her as she travels through Thailand.
Atkison, 31, was recently named one of two hosts for Tan Your Mind 2: Thailand, a web series from Outpost Magazine.
For the web series, the two hosts will backpack around the country for about two weeks starting in early November.
After a long application process, Atkison said she wasn’t sure she would be named a host.
“I was ready for a let down,” she said. “When they told me I won, I totally did a double take … and I started shaking, I almost puked and my parents started crying.”
A friend in B.C., where she’s originally from, told Atkison about the casting call for Tan Your Mind 2 after seeing it posted on Facebook.
Applicants had to make a video to explain why they should host the show.
“I saw other video applications and everyone was explaining where they’ve been and why they should be picked based on their travelling experience and I wanted to take a different approach,” said Atkison.
Atkison, who moved to Red Deer last summer, decided to have “silly reasons” for why she should host the show. Some of these reasons include that she likes to eat stir-fry and doesn’t wear a lot of makeup, so she wouldn’t be “melting in the heat.”
After a couple more videos and an interview with Outpost, Atkison was named one of the show’s hosts - the second host is Jess Abran from Montreal.
Atkison said she wants this season to be a little less serious than the first.
“I want to put a little more humour into it,” she said. “I want to joke with the locals a little more than they did in season one. I’ve done some research on the people in Thailand and I’ve read that they’re really friendly.”
Atkison has travelled a lot, including eight trips to Mexico and two to Hawaii. But this will be her first time in Southeast Asia, which has her a little nervous, she said.
“I’m not the most outdoorsy person - I’ll go camping and fishing - but I don’t know how I’ll do backpacking in Thailand. It’s going to be funny for people to see this blonde girl and pop her in the jungle,” she said.
She’s particularly excited to try the food in Thailand, she said.
“Food is my passion,” she said. “I’m always trying foreign recipes and I love spicy food. If it isn’t burning my face off, I don’t want to eat it.”
Atkison said she’s also excited to interact with the locals and touch an elephant. Getting away from the snow for a bit is a nice bonus, she added.
To follow Atkison’s journey head to www.tanyourmind.com or follow Outpost Magazine on Facebook.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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