Ahead of his appearance on High Road Low Road, social media star James Kavanagh spoke about his love for travel, his fear of "sunken things", and how one very handsome diving instructor helped him overcome his phobia.
James Kavanagh is known for a number of things: social media stardom, a food truck called Currabinny (which he runs with his boyfriend, William), and a love of all things "gorg".
From designer fashion to decadent spa treatments, Kavanagh is known to embrace luxury and style in all areas of his life, often sharing the details with his 161k Instagram followers.
As of late, the Instagram influencer has been posting snaps from his trips abroad to Kenya, Barbados, Quinta do Lago, Ibiza, and Paris, as well as his staycations in the country's finest hotels including The Shelbourne, The K Club, and Eccles Hotel.
"I'm such a home-bird that I would never live abroad," James tells me over the phone, "I really do like Ireland and I like living here, but I love travelling - I think that will always be in me. William and I don't give Christmas presents, we get each other flights or a hotel stay."
As an avid travel-fan, getting paid to go on holiday seems like a no-brainer, but when it comes to High Road Low Road - a travel series that gives one celeb a five-star getaway and the other a more authentic trip - there's always a risk of missing out on the finer things.
"I didn't get the bougie road," he laughs.
"We went to the airport in the middle of the night - I would never get one of those horrendous flights, I love an afternoon flight - so I was already a bit bedraggled, so then to be handed the Low Road for Lanzarote, I was like, 'ah, Jesus'.
"I remember going there as a kid with my parents, and they love an Irish bar and a cheap hotel, so I just had that memory. I've since gotten bougier in my older age, and I stay in places my parents would never have allowed us to go," he laughs.
"I was bereft that I was going on the low road, while Anna [Daly] was squealing in delight, but to be honest, I was really pleasantly surprised."
While presenter Anna Daly was gifted a trip in her own catamaran and a private "swim up" pool, Kavanagh set off on his own adventure, swimming with sharks and cuddling goats.
"When I'm on holidays, I never really do adventure stuff," he explains. "They had me off-roading, I swam with sharks; I did loads of stuff I wouldn't dream of doing. It was all affordable bits and bobs, and it's actually kind of changed my perspective on how I holiday."
"I mean, I literally went to Adare Manor the following weekend," he admits, laughing, "but I needed to recover!"
The reason he needed to recover from the trip was down to James' submechanophobia, a fear of "sunken things" that was put to the test during his shark dive.
"I don't actually like opening my eyes under water or imagining what's around me, but I just got this wave to overcome the fear, so we went to a diving school. Then I was introduced to my diving instructor who was like something carved from a Greek statue - he was phenomenal. I would watch my episode just to see him."
Holding hands with this instructor under water seemed to help James relax into the experience, which he describes as "incredible".
"We were lowered into this massive tank filled with massive sting rays and baby sharks, you name it. They'd be brushing up against you - I'd usually freak if a bit of seaweed touched me - but I actually had a ball. I felt like I was flying, it was incredible."
To see James and Anna's travels through Lanzarote, watch High Road Low Road back on RTÉ Player now. The next episode will air on Wednesday on RTÉ One.
