Hamish Blake and Andy Lee were a couple of single blokes just rounding 30 years old when they first took their show on the road in 2011 with Hamish & Andy’s Gap Year.

Now they’re back at it, traversing North America for three-part series Hamish & Andy’s Perfect Holiday.

This time there’s a twist, with each in charge of the other’s itinerary on alternating days.

In the decade since their first TV adventure, Blake has had two kids— son Sonny, 5, and daughter Rudy, 2 with wife Zöe Foster Blake, and Lee has been dating model Rebecca Harding on and off since 2015.

So, what felt different about their travel-size tomfoolery at this life stage?

“Strangely nothing. That’s what was so peculiar about it,” Lee, 38, tells The New Daily.

“We were wondering if we were still up for the same thing, but it just felt familiar. Surprising each other gave a new sense of energy to the trip.”

Did you ever think almost a decade later you’d still be traveling the world and getting up to mischief with your best mate? 

Absolutely not. We thought Gap Year was a stretch for 30-year-olds because usually people take them when they’re 19. This time I did think when organising some things for Hamish, ‘Well, I’ve got to take into account the wellbeing of not only him but also a wife, a couple of other little humans’.

Do you have a bit of a Peter Pan thing going on and that’s why you’re not in a rush for marriage and kids?

Oh, right! I hadn’t really thought about it. I certainly don’t feel like I’m getting too old for it, that’s for sure. I feel like I’ve got plenty of time for all of that.

Is there anything Hamish could set up for you that you wouldn’t do?

We made a pact that we’d do anything. There were times when I wondered whether Hamish had thought about something but didn’t go through with it, just because we know each other so well.

We’re pretty confident that anything that we’d pick the other would enjoy, maybe not at the time, but they’d look back and think, ‘Yeah, I guess we’re better off for doing that’.

Which do you prefer – humiliation or danger?

Danger. I know that’s silly and that’s probably my ego but the humiliation kind of grinds me, only because Hamish seems to be having so much fun in those moments. With the dangerous ones, generally he’s just as scared as I am so it feels a little bit more balanced.

Sure you want to do this? Hamish and Andy kitted out for action. Photo: Nine

Where did you go on your last real holiday?

I went to watch the cricket in England in August. It was unbelievable. It was as dangerous on my body as Perfect Holiday because of the amount of full-strength drinks that the British like to consume during a day’s cricket.

I went three days back to back with my brother and my dad and when I said, ‘Should we go to a fourth?’ I could see in my dad’s eyes the answer was, ‘No, no we shouldn’t. We may never recover’.

What’s the closest thing you’ve had to a perfect holiday?

Strangely, the show was the perfect holiday, because we are doing things you would never do with your partner. If I were to say to Bec, ‘Hey you’re going to try the hottest chilli in the world,’ she would say, ‘No I’m not, and why are we here?’ And I would respect that.

I mean, the amount of work we put into this holiday is definitely more than I’ve put into any other holiday. Preparing the activities each day and making them as fun as possible for your best friend is just a dream.

Lee and Rebecca Harding in the Balearic Islands in August. Photo: Instagram

I kept thinking, if I just said to Bec, ‘Hey, we’re going to try and take down a casino these holidays’ or ‘We’re going to go and find Big Foot,’ she’d say, ‘No, we’re going to sit on a beach and read our books’. And she’d be right.

On your real holidays, are you more laid back or adventurous?

Laid back for sure. I love playing sport and watching sport, and then I balance that with chilling out with Bec and exploring different places but at a more leisurely pace. Straight after I went to the cricket, Bec and I went to Spain – Barcelona, Ibiza and Formentera. It was just beautiful.

Do you tend to plan your holidays or wing it? 

A little bit of planning, but we like exploring. Bec and I love hiking and particularly for Bec, she wants to see things that you can’t find in a book or online, so as soon as we get to a place we try to ask locals to find a special spot you might not be able to google.

Is there a destination on your bucket list?

I’d love to check out Antarctica, and there’s got to be a number of places through the Middle East that’d be worth exploring at the right time.

If there’s a second season, where would you like to explore with Hamish? 

Great question. To be honest, I don’t really care. I just want to go on another one.

Lee and Harding do Formentera. Photo: Instagram

Do you have any holidays of your own planned now? 

Nothing at this stage. Bec and I will pick something out in the new year. I don’t know why anyone would go away from November to February. I love this time of year in Australia. It’s just the best.

Hamish & Andy’s Perfect Holiday premieres on Nine on November 17.