I simply adore this man and have been a fan for many years now. Having read his previous book Step By Step, I wasn’t sure if he was able to equal it, but he does just that and more, following him into the next stage of his life and travels. Simon shares what his unique experiences and encounters have taught him, and the deeper lessons he draws from joy and raw grief in his personal life, from desperate struggles with his own fertility and head health, from wise friends, fatherhood, inspiring villagers, brave fighters, his beloved dogs, and a thoughtful Indian sadhu. Because Anya and I had conflicting priorities, I suggested we used a 0-10 point system that I often use to help quantify mine and others’ beliefs and desires. Say we’re filming in South America and have 60 seconds to decide whether to join a drugs raid with local police: I ask everyone to make a snap judgment for how positive they feel about proceeding. Whether out on location, or sat in the living room, I use the same method. The higher you score a statement, the more you agree. We played the game. She was enthusiastic, but I needed children more than her. I recognised the physical suffering of both IVF and a potential pregnancy (and the rest of it) for her. In return, she recognised fatherhood was a necessity for me. We decided to give it a shot. Having a conversation with my son – now 10 years old – about what to include was scary. He has strong opinions. I was worried something I’d written would upset or embarrass him. Thankfully, he was up for sharing. I found talking to him cathartic, too.

Journeys to Impossible Places : In Life and Every Adventure

I set out to “proof read” this series to see if it would be appropriate for my 10-year-old son. I was concerned that the elements may be too mature for him, even though it states it was for ages 9-16… Simons own vulnerability and candidness about his struggles I find particularly endearing and raw. He does not possess a stuffy privileged view of the world, and his travels convey his real honest enthusiasm for both the world, and the people around it. He comes across eager to seize every, and any, opportunity to learn about other cultures to our own, and give a voice to the marginalised. The accounts of his travels are addictive. They are at times dangerous but also humorous - played in-part by the people he meets - however, they also call into question the way we are treating our planet. He inspires me to travel more and seek out even more of an authentic experience. Women used to give birth vertically (using gravity to help them) until male doctors changed the practice for their own comfortIn his 2018 autobiography, Step by Step, which detailed his formative years, Simon revealed he wasn’t born to a family of adventurers, and didn’t board a plane until he was an adult. In Journeys to Impossible Places , best-selling author and presenter Simon Reeve reveals the inside story of his most astonishing adventures and experiences, around the planet and close to home.

Simon Reeve explores the Lake District in his new series

I hadn’t realised there was a value in sharing in life’s stories before I wrote the first volume. People reacted so warmly and so beautifully, so I had no hesitation sharing these stories of struggling to create a little bit of life myself because that was the biggest impossible journey of my recent existence, and I couldn’t really talk about my life without that. He also embraces more typical tourist pursuits, such as climbing Scafell, England’s highest peak, and staying in the YHA Skiddaw Bunkhouse, one of the remotest hostels in Britain, but his favourite experience was sampling the icy pleasures of Buttermere with wild swimming advocate Sara Barnes, who also highlights the devastating impact of New Zealand Pygmyweed at Derwent Water.

About Stanfords

In Journeys to Impossible Places, best-selling author and presenter Simon Reeve reveals the inside story of his most astonishing adventures and experiences, around the planet and close to home. He was rebellious, drinking too much and failing exams, and by the age of 17 found himself standing on a bridge staring “into the final abyss”, but he struggled on and slowly began to transform his life. He got a job in the post room of a newspaper where a curious mindset and can-do attitude was soon noticed, and he was promoted to researcher, and then writer, specialising in organised crime and terrorism. If I’m not, then what we’re shooting isn’t strong enough quite frankly. I need to have my buttons tweaked and my preconceptions affected, definitely. That’s a really important part of the programmes. So, research goes on beforehand, sometimes for many months, but the interactions with people aren’t scripted. We just have to try and get the best we can out of every situation, so nobody’s time is wasted, least of all the viewers.’ Like its predecessor, it is a story of Reeve’s personal life and travels, but this is primarily focussed on the filming of his Tropic of Cancer and Indian Ocean series. Reading about Reeve’s travels was fascinating, as it felt that by this point in his career he had become more confident as a documentary maker as he gained further experience.