You might have a backpack slung over your shoulder and partake in full-moon parties, beer festivals and booze cruises, but you ain’t sleeping in a room packed with smelly backpackers. Why would you?! Fresh sheets and cold beers doesn’t mean you're soft, it means you’re smart. Your sense of exploration burns brightly and is a beacon for others to follow.

 

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CELEBRITY

 If you were a celebrity adventurer you’d be … Michael Palin!

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Ex-Monty Python Michael Palin became an accidental traveler when he accepted an offer to go around the world in 80 days. That journey was to change his life. As Palin says: ‘It transformed me from being a very silly person to being a very silly explorer.’

 

Next up was a 50,000 mile, 245-day trip around the Pacific rim taking in 18 countries, 89 cities, 33 trains, 37 ships and 16 helicopters. Since then, Michael Palin has traveled the globe seeking out unique experiences and capturing the character of a place through his documentaries and books.

 

Like Michael, you have an insatiable curiosity and will go out of your way to find that unique travel experience - whether triumphant or disastrous. And yes, you’ll stay in that grass hut on the plains of Kenya, but the next night you’ll be sipping G&Ts on the verandah of a nice hotel.

https://www.themichaelpalin.com/ 

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DO

 Visit Olympic Gold Medal Skier Tommy Moe’s Luxury Alaskan Lodge 

Tordrillo Mountain Lodge is a remote, multi-sport, luxury lodge in the heart of the Tordrillo Range where outdoor adventures by day give way to world-class accommodations at night. Whether you’re carving fresh tracks on a remote mountain or finding a quiet corner on the deck to take it all in, the trip of a lifetime begins here.

https://www.tordrillomountainlodge.com/ 

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READ 

Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia by Shafik Meghji

Blending travel writing, history and reportage, Crossed off the Map: Travels in Bolivia journeys from the Andes to the Amazon to explore Bolivia’s turbulent past and contemporary challenges. It tells the story of the country’s profound and unexpected influence on the wider world over the last 500 years – fragments of history largely forgotten beyond its borders. Once home to one of the wealthiest cities on Earth, Bolivia kickstarted globalisation, helped to power Europe’s economic growth and trigger dynastic collapse in China, and played host to everyone from Che Guevara to Butch Cassidy.

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In its pages, award-winning journalist and travel writer Shafik Meghji illuminates the dramatic landscapes, distinct cultures and diverse peoples of a country that – in the words of one interviewee – ‘was the building block of the modern world, but is now lost in time’.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VHCBMKR/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 

 

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WATCH

Diving the Titanic with Deep Sea Explorer Rory Golden 

Watch explorers dive to the vast depths of the Atlantic Ocean to the wreckage of the world-famous ship, the Titanic. 

https://oceangateexpeditions.com/video-gallery

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LISTEN

Land of the Thunder Dragon: Exploring Bhutan with British Travel Writer of the Year Emma Thomson

Cut off from the rest of the world until 1974, and surrounded by virtually impenetrable Himalayan peaks on all sides, Bhutan has remained culturally intact for centuries. Bhutan is, perhaps, the most enlightened country on Earth, and when we visit some of that wisdom and inspiration become a part of us too. 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5HTEnSBF0INg4UCsSjfR1h?si=be1090d0a3044298 

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This quiz was brought to you by the Armchair Explorer podcast. If you want to find out more about the adventure, movie, book, and podcast episode recommended above, check out the show for immersive documentary episodes about each one of these true stories. It’s free, we never share your information, and don’t worry: we want your ears, not your wallet. https://linktr.ee/armchairexplorerpodcast