Is This THE Most Relaxing Place In The World? As International Sleep Day Approaches, Visit The Destination That’s Already Sent 15 Million People To

London, 7 March 2019:  Recently-appointed by leading meditation and sleep app, www.calm.com, as the world’s first Sleep Storyteller-in-Residence, travel writer and adventurer, Phoebe Smith, is sending millions of people to sleep with relaxing tales about places that she has visited around the globe.

Arguably the most calm-inducing location of all seems to be Provence in the south of France, the subject of ‘Blue Gold’, Calm’s single most popular sleep story to date.  In it, Phoebe soothingly describes a slow-paced journey through the region’s swathes of lavender fields and tranquil, fortified villages.  Her carefully-crafted meanderings – combined with the velvety tones of narrator Stephen Fry – have resulted in Blue Gold being listened to at bedtime by almost two million people a month – that’s around 15 million listeners who’ve been lulled to sleep already.

As the world’s only ‘extreme sleep adventurer’, Phoebe knows a thing or two about trying to get to sleep in some unlikely locations such as mountain tops, glaciers and inside tree trunks.  However, she sometimes finds it difficult to get to sleep in her own bed, so is happy that her sleep stories – or bedtime stories for grown-ups – are helping other people who struggle to nod off at night

The 17 sleepy audio tales that she has written so far for the Calm app, are designed to help adult listeners to wind down and fall in to a slumber, using a mix of soothing words music and sound effects.

All of the stories have been inspired by calming destinations visited by Phoebe, and include ‘Elephants of Nepal’, based on a scenic safari in Chitwan National Park, narrated by Joanna Lumley; ‘Morocco’s Hidden Forest’, describing Phoebe’s own experience of sleeping wild in the cedar forests of North Africa and the first of her stories that she is narrating herself; and her latest story to be released ‘Stargazing on Stewart Island, New Zealand’ a magical trip Down Under to explore the colourful cosmos from its most breathtaking vantage point, Stewart Island.

2019 marks the 90-year anniversary of The Ghan, an incredible rail adventure through the iconic Outback, recently experienced by Phoebe resulting in her sleep story ‘Crossing Australia by Train’.

The Calm app now offers listeners the choice of 120 sleep stories, which have been listened to in total some 100 million times since their launch two years ago.  A new story is added each week.

A free seven-day trial of Calm is available, after which the annual subscription costs £35.99. For many, it’s a small price to pay for a good night’s sleep.

Ends

For more information on Calm visit www.calm.com

For a blog post on Phoebe Smith visit http://bit.do/eKucz

For pictures, audio & video of Phoebe Smith and her sleep stories: http://bit.do/eKub

For media enquiries: Debra Taylor E: debra@toucanmoon.com M: +44 7956 852197

Notes to Editors

*International Sleep Day takes place on 15^th March 2019

Over a quarter (27%) of Britons sleep poorly on a regular basis, according to research carried out by the Sleep Council; 22% Britons sleep poorly most nights.

Widely thought to have relaxing properties that aid restful sleep, lavender blooms in Provence from late June until early August.  Miles of uniform purple promenades cross the rolling landscape, intersected by myriad walking and cycling paths creating an idyllic backdrop crying out to be explored on foot or by bicycle.  For further information about tour operators offering holidays to this region, contact the Association of Independent Tour Operators, www.aito.com.

Follow the link below to listen to Blue Gold, narrated by Stephen Fry – obviously best tried at bed time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mGifCwig8I

Sleep Stories written by Phoebe Smith and available now on the Calm app:

• Blue Gold – narrated by Stephen Fry – A calming journey through the lavender fields and sleepy villages of Provence
• Elephants of Nepal – narrated by Joanna Lumley – Relax and unwind on a scenic safari in Chitwan National Park, guided by an elephant
• Morocco’s Hidden Forest – the first of Phoebe Smith’s stories to be narrated by her – Phoebe Smith describes her own experience of sleeping wild in the hidden cedar forests of Morocco.
• The Trans-Siberian Railroad – narrated by Erik Braa – Travelling to the farthest reaches of Northern Russia, to take a trip on the longest train ride in the world
• Once Upon a Time in Bavaria – narrated by Anna Acton – An enchanting meander through a Bavarian forest to find the most famous fairy-tale castle in the world
• The River Wild – narrated by Erik Braa – Travelling the famous Mississippi River from sea to source
• The Orient Express – narrated by Erik Braa – A journey through Europe’s majestic mountains and rolling countryside aboard the historic Orient Express
• Wild Sweden – narrated by Alan Sklar – Immersing travel into the wilderness of Sweden’s tranquil forests and fascinating wildlife
• The Wild Ponies of Chincoteague – narrated by Alan Sklar – Travel to the tranquil eastern shores of Virginia and explore the legend behind the famed four-legged residents
• The Jungles of Madagascar – narrated by Larry Davis – Joining a friendly pack of lemurs to explore the sleepy jungles and wildlife wonders of the African island
• A Calm Christmas – narrated by Stephen Lyons – A heartfelt magical journey of a young Christmas tree called Douglas who helps a family rediscover their holiday spirit
• A Love Letter to Africa – narrated by Danai Gurira – Celebrating Calm’s partnership with the RED charity with a journey through Africa to experience the beautiful landscape and dream-inducing sunsets
• An Australian Adventure – narrated by Bindi Irwin – An enchanting adventure from rainforest to reef, exploring tropical Queensland
• Reunion Island – narrated by Aurora De Blas – Exploring the volcanic island known as Reunion, Europe’s most easterly and far-flung outpost, and the island paradise you’ve never heard of…
• Scotland’s Hidden Hideaways – narrated by May Charters – A wander through Scotland’s craggy mountains and tranquil lakes, to discover the magic of the bothies
• Crossing Australia By Train – narrated by Steen Bojsen-Møller – Cosy up aboard The Ghan, one of Australia’s most historic railways, as you take in the breath-taking scenery of the land down under.
• Stargazing on Stewart Island, New Zealand – narrated by Alan Sklar – Embark on a magical trip Down-Under to explore the colourful cosmos from its most breathtaking vantage point, Stewart Island.

About calm.com

Calm.com is the #1 app for meditation and sleep, with over 37 million downloads to date and an average of over to 75,000 new users daily. It was recently named Apple’s 2017 iPhone App of the Year, out of over two million apps, and “Editors’ Choice” on Google Play. It was also ranked by a major recent study of 200,000 iPhone users by the Center for Humane Technology as “the world’s happiest app” – the single app that left users feeling happiest from spending time on it

Calm’s mission is to make the world happier and healthier. Founded in 2012 by British entrepreneurs Michael Acton Smith OBE and Alex Tew, it is best known as a sleep, meditation and mental wellness app, popular on both the App Store and Google Play

The Calm app provides unique audio content that is evolving to tackle some of the biggest mental health challenges of today: stress, anxiety, insomnia and depression. Its most popular feature is a 10-minute meditation called The Daily Calm that discusses a new mindful theme and inspiring thought every morning

Calm uses a “freemium” model. The basic app is free but a paid subscription to Calm Premium accesses over 100 hours of premium content, including an ever-growing library of advanced meditations; over 120 soothing Sleep Stories (the first bed-time stories for grown-ups, now listened to some 100 million times) and sleep music; calming nature scenes and sounds; a breathing tool and Calm Masterclasses taught by world experts.

Access to Calm’s full library of 120+ Sleep Stories, advanced mindfulness programs, a new meditation every day, and a new Calm Masterclass every month, costs £39.99 per annum after a 7-day free trial.