Five Days In South India
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) Laura has been bugging me to talk about our trip to India earlier this year for a while, and because Past Me was always intending to pod it, they did travel diary voice recordings on a near-daily basis to provide a basic framework, or in fact to just use as the pod. Anyway, the trip was across a little of Southern India, starting in Kochi and taking in the Kerala Backwaters, an overnight train, and the two temple-centric cities of Madurai and Thanjavur. This had us visiting the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Due to the nature of the recordings, quality cannot be guaranteed to be...
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Do You Remember The First Time?
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) This episode is the first example of something new I'm going to develop - storytelling vignettes. Three or four little pieces, connected only by the vaguest of theme, telling little stories about my travel past that are too short for a full episode. Over time I hope they'll develop and become much more 'storylike' rather than what feel like 5-10 minute podcast extracts. The three vignettes this time are: * My first international backpacking adventure (1994) * My first backpacker hostel experience (2012 or maybe not) * My first flight (1986) . As always, if you have anything to say...
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How Not To Run An UltraMarathon
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) This episode (a bit delayed) is all about the Ultramarathon I entered and attempted in May 2025. It is, very much, an example of 'I do these things so you don't have to'. Topics discussed in this episode are: * Why I thought about doing an Ultra-Marathon * What *is* an ultra-marathon anyway? * How I trained for my ultra, and how you *should* train for an ultra * Obligatory kit to take on an ultra, and why you need it * How I felt running the first half of the ultra * () * How I felt running the second half of the ultra * How I physically felt having finished the ultra * Food and...
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"Tourist or Traveller": a chat with Amanda Kendle
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) A month or so ago, Amanda Kendle had a natter with me, so she could make an episode of her Thoughtful Travel Podcast. Now that's gone live, I'm using the same interview to make my own version. We chatted for about 100 minutes in total - both our episodes are edited highlights! The discussion we had was a general one around travel, framed by a Buzzfeed quiz she found online. Because we're both Gen-X and still surf the web like it's 2007. But we used the questions to delve (a great word, sadly much maligned) deeper into the subjects raised. Topics discussed in this episode are: *...
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Comfort Zones, or: "Their 'Nope' Might Be Your Tuesday"
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) So, this podcast is all about comfort zones, primarily but not exclusively, in travel. I look at what they are, why people stay in them, how you can break them comfortably, and talk about times I've broken my own comfort zones, with both good and bad outcomes. Because that's what makes good travel experiences, right? Topics discussed in this episode are: * The British Guild of Travel Writers AGM * Standing on a stage, barefoot and vulnerable, reading teenage diaries * What is a comfort zone? * Language and culture are comfort zones to many * Personal Identity * Don't you just love...
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Maldives on a Budget
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) In March 2025, me and my travel buddy Laura surprisingly went to Maldives for four nights. Given I'm a budget backpacker who can't swim and gets bored easily, we figured it would make a great concept for a podcast. Very few people think of Maldives as a budget backpacker destination, and we thought we'd talk about how we managed to visit without spending the world. Topics discussed in this episode are: * Why on earth would I go to Maldives * Maldives is small, flat, hot, and ... full of Russians? * Budget travel around Maldives * - mainly on the beach * Budget accommodation in...
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Festivals (Music and Beer)
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) This podcast is on Festivals, and as we're coming up to the season where people are likely planning their summer, this feels quite pertinent. It came off the back of my episode from last year about Travelling For Music, where I got a couple of contribs that made me think a dedicated episode on festivals would be a good idea. Topics discussed in this episode are: * The weather in 2012 * The delights of camping * My history of attenting festivals (, , ) * Music festivals in town centres * Local beer festivals * The Great British Beer Festival * Volunteering at festivals * The...
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In which I realise why Paraguay has few guidebooks dedicated to it
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) This episode details the second half of my 2-week backpacking trip around South America in October 2024 - this one covers Iguzau Falls and Paraguay. Because everyone wants to go to Paraguay. Topics discussed in this episode are: * Admin caused by a lost phone * The Jesuit Ruins of Argentina and Paraguay * The German influence of SE Paraguay * Iguazu Falls (both sides) * Ciudad del Este and the absence of the Brazil border * Asunción is interesting (derog.) . As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me...
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Tango In The Night
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) This episode details the first half of my 2-week backpacking trip around South America in October 2024 - this one covers Uruguay and Buenos Aires. The rest of the trip will follow in my next episode. My voice doesn't really sound that great today, and I'm not quite sure why. Topics discussed in this episode are: * I went to Chester to meet my mother! * Why did I go to South America? * First impressions of Montevideo * The old town, the promenade, and the street market * My accommodation in Montevideo * Uruguayan cash flow issues * Colonia del Sacramento * San Telmo and the pub that...
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Luxury Travel
Travel Tales From Beyond The Brochure
Hello :) This episode is about Luxury Travel. This isn't a topic that comes naturally to barefoot backpackers in general, but sometimes even we put on our metaphorical shoes and drink free champagne. Topics discussed in this episode are: * Running Training & Rate of Percieved Exertion * Future potential backpacking trips * What it means to be a 'barefoot' backpacker * Flying business class on Air Europa from South America * Short-haul business class travel isn't really worth it * Flying business class on Emirates from Sri Lanka is * We need a middle ground option - like a train * First...
info_outlineHello :)
Well, this is an unusual episode in several ways, but the main one is the relative lack of personal updates and housekeeping. If you want to know what I’ve been up to this past month, now would be a great time to sign up to my monthly Newsletter, deets below!
Now, I’m aware I don’t talk about my background or my family much, save for the occasional regular subtweet to my my mother. But anyway. A couple of years after I was born, my mother re-married. And Gary, the chap she married, had an interesting job – he was a refrigeration engineer in the Merchant Navy. While he’s long since left that role (he had some twenty-five years since doing the same role for a large supermarket chain specialising in frozen foods), this was how I first knew him, and thus may have been a childhood influence on my travels.
And it occurred to me, after I’d done a few of my podcasts, that it would make an interesting episode – it’s travel-related, it’s a historic snapshot of a life that’s very different now, and above all, it’s not something I think many of you would necessarily know about. I certainly didn’t know a lot about it growing up, and as you’ll hear, there’s probably some reasons for that. So a couple of years ago I went to visit, took my laptop and microphone, and set about interviewing him all about his life and his adventures. The full 2hr 11min interview is available on my Patreon, along with some images of the ships he served on.
Note he has a strong accent and a slightly fluid way of speaking. This did not help the transcription.
Topics discussed include:
* What is the Merchant Navy and why he joined
* Seasickness and bad weather
* What problems could occur en route
* How big the ships he served on were, and how they were structured
* What the working life was life, and who he served with
* Food and drink on board
* How he'd pass the time on long journeys
* Shore leave and visiting off-brochure places
* The Merchant Navy now
A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.
As always, if you have anything to say about the topic, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I have a newsletter with extra content, and where I'll be mentioning future podcast episodes if you want to make your own contribution.
I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.
Until next time, bye for now. :)