Simon Reeve on the world's last great wildernesses
From Denmark to Istanbul, presenter and author Simon Reeve has a passion for travelling with 120 countries visited – and counting.
In the past year I've visited...
...about 20 countries and I’ve been lucky enough to have been to more than 120 in total. But it’s not the number that counts; you can go to some places a dozen times and have totally different experiences.
A holiday for me is being at home in Devon
So no wonder millions of people flood into the region in summer. I love the countryside, there are still hedgerows and people are still willing to stop and chat. The internet’s awful but, as a county, it’s unbeatable.
Devon's best beaches
My wife is half Danish
So we visit Denmark often. It’s one of the best-run countries in the world and the Danes regularly top the list of happy residents. They have quite a British approach to optimism, so you can ask them how they are and they’ll say: “Ahhh well, it could be worse. The sky hasn’t fallen in.” If they wake up and they’re still alive, they’re generally pretty jolly about it.
Parts of Australia are among the last great wildernesses...
...and I travelled to the Kimberley in Western Australia with a scientist who explores remote places to find venomous creatures such as snakes and box jellyfish. There was a moment when we were surrounded by crocodiles and snakes and I was holding a box jellyfish – the most venomous creature on Earth. I suddenly thought: “If something goes wrong here, it could be catastrophic.”
Spending time with a tribe...
...on the Colombian-Brazil border was special when I was travelling round the equator in a very remote part of the western Amazon and this tribe had never met a white person. There were old people there who had never seen a foreigner. They had a monument to the centre of the world, which they worshipped – so they were ecstatic when we confirmed to them, using a GPS gadget, that they literally were at the centre of the world.
I love India...
But if you're going there, take the train as driving on Indian roads is a proper white-knuckle experience. I was in the front of a car once and there was a coach coming down the wrong side of a dual carriageway towards us. We were having to play chicken with these other vehicles. I was terrified.
Argentina is the most beautiful country I've been to
Patagonia is breathtaking; the mountains on the east side of the Andes are glorious. It’s a combination of the best of Norway and Montana – open plains with jagged mountains and cowboys herding cattle. It’s a superb mix of landscapes and sights.
I'm a sucker for infinity pools...
...particularly the one at the Sun Moon Lake Hotel in Taiwan, which also has a great restaurant.
Istanbul is like nowhere else that I have been to
That mix of history and modernity, of east and west, is unique. It has great food, amazing views, an incredible position on the Bosporus – with every culture and civilisation seemingly represented.
The worst food I've eaten on a plane was...
...an apple and an egg on a former Soviet Union airline. When working for the BBC I get to travel with British Airways most of the time. I love them but, sadly, don’t get a lot of love back. They’ve downgraded me on my points card, from silver to bronze – which is quite humiliating!
Don't confuse Somaliland with Somalia
It’s a country in the Horn of Africa with a proper democracy, women in parliament, traffic lights, hotels, beautiful beaches at the mouth of the Red Sea, inspiring locals, lots of quirky humour and the finest Neolithic rock paintings in Africa. I’ve no doubt that one day it will be an extremely popular destination.
In the bag | Simon Reeve's favourite travel accessories
My muscles almost atrophied...
...at the Mardan Palace Hotel in Turkey when I was taken to my room by gondola and, when I went to close a door, a butler insisted on closing it for me and turning on any lights. It was non-stop pampering.
Don't try to make travel more bearable; make it more memorable
Embrace all the opportunities. We’re living in the golden age of travel and anybody who is not out there enjoying it is, quite frankly, wasting their life. Take more risks. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Eat crazy local food, drink in local bars, do things your grandparents or their grandparents wouldn’t necessarily approve of. Rack up some amazing memories.
NZ best country
There are dozens more places I'd like to visit...
...Japan, New Zealand, Scandinavia, West Africa and Central America being a few of them. I can’t get enough…
Interview by Nick McGrath
An Audience with Simon Reeve tours in the UK from Sept 17 to Nov 28, and March 29 to April 9 2019. For information and tickets, call 0844 888 9991 or see simonreeve.co.uk
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