{"id":17268,"date":"2018-11-12T13:18:17","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T13:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flashpacknew.wpengine.com\/?p=17268"},"modified":"2019-12-11T15:55:31","modified_gmt":"2019-12-11T15:55:31","slug":"levison-wood-solo-travel-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.flashpack.com\/us\/solo\/travel\/levison-wood-solo-travel-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"Explorer Levison Wood on the pull of solo travel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Need solo travel inspiration? As he completes his latest epic voyage across the Middle East, Flash Pack catches up with journalist, photographer and extreme adventurer Levison Wood<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that Levison Wood doesn\u2019t have the average day job.<\/p>\n

The seasoned explorer is pining for downtime on a tropical beach after his latest five-month expedition \u2013 a 5,000-mile, 13 country circumnavigation of the Arabian peninsula.<\/p>\n

Wood travelled by foot, camel and hitchhiking for the ambitious feat, documented in his latest book, Arabia<\/em><\/a> (it will also be shown in a documentary<\/a> airing early next year.).<\/p>\n

Following in the footsteps of greats such as Lawrence of Arabia and Wilfred Thesiger, Wood journeyed mostly alone across the Middle East from Yemen to Syria and Iraq.<\/p>\n

His aim? To capture a side of the region beyond the negative headlines we’re so familiar with.<\/p>\n

A different take on the Middle East<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really goes all the way back to 2003,\u201d explains Wood, on the motivation behind his latest voyage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was a student, me and a mate went on a holiday backpacking around Egypt. This was the summer that the Iraq war had happened, and it was quite an interesting time to be there due to various circumstances. I ended up going to Baghdad and found myself having to hitchhike through Iraq in the aftermath of the war. It left an impression on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Solo travel fuels this major happiness habit<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Wood has visited the region since \u2013 most notably Afghanistan when he served on tours in the British Army \u2013 but his return was for more than nostalgic reasons: \u201cI thought \u2018why not go to the Middle East and try and do what I\u2019ve done with other journeys, and challenge a few stereotypes and preconceived ideas about the region?\u2019<\/p>\n

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\n“The area is usually in the press for negative reasons,” he adds. “Obviously a lot has happened since I was there in 2003 \u2013 the disintegration of Iraq, the rise of ISIS, and Israel and Palestine is always a bit messy. But seeing how it has evolved was fascinating, and trying to document that was part of the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike Wood’s previous expeditions this decade, which include walking the Nile, the length of the Himalayas and crossing Madagascar on foot, his circumnavigation of the Arabian peninsula was \u201cby any means\u201d.<\/p>\n

Read more: Life as a Flash Pack adventure architect<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

But the emphasis was still on travelling slow, and copying how local people got around in any given region: whether that was by donkey, walking or hitching a lift.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that you interact and talk to people,\u201d says Wood. \u201cA lot of times, if you travel on a bus or in a taxi, you only meet people who are used to meeting foreigners. You don\u2019t really have a choice if you\u2019re on foot or you\u2019re hitchhiking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Embracing solo travel<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Wood has always been driven by a strong sense of wanderlust; he caught the travelling bug young.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very lucky that my parents took me on holiday to Greece when I was about four,” he says. “It was those early childhood memories that inspired me to want to see more of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: “How I learnt to embrace solo travel as a man”<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

His first solo travelling experience came about when he did the standard pre-university gap year trip aged 18 \u2013 \u201cAustralia, Thailand, all the usual places\u201d \u2013 and that hunger for exploration hasn\u2019t diminished since.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re a young backpacker, your interests might be slightly different \u2013 just going out and having a bit of fun,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I love the freedom of the road, and that\u2019s what I still aspire to.<\/p>\n

“Even at the age of 36, I\u2019d love to go and do a backpacking trip; just go in a certain direction and see what happens. I think there\u2019s something liberating about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Although his adventurous spirit remains as strong as ever, there is the sense that the years on the road have made Wood wiser. He’s stared down a fair few dramas in his time, from breaking his arm when his car went over a cliff in Nepal, to being shot at by ISIS.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy concept of risk has changed,” he says.<\/p>\n

Read more: Tired of Tinder? Stop dating and just connect with people<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

“I suppose I was quite reckless when I was 19. But I\u2019ve got more of an understanding of what the real risks are. Often the real risks are getting in a dodgy car with crap brakes.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s not necessarily getting shot up by ISIS that is the dangerous thing. It\u2019s actually the more boring bits that can do you in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking the adventure plunge<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean Wood thinks that travelling the world should be restricted to seasoned explorers like himself \u2013 far from it. His advice to anyone toying with the idea of solo expedition is to just go ahead and do it.<\/p>\n

Read more: How to quit the rat race and follow your dreams<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think half the battle is just getting around to saying \u2018this is what I\u2019m doing,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cSo I\u2019d just say, do it. If you\u2019re travelling around, you stay in different places and you meet different and more people. You\u2019re forced to interact, and, as a result, you come away with more memories and more friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He also recommends packing light: \u201cwith a couple of changes of clothes, a camera, a credit card and a toothbrush, you can pretty much get away with anything really!\u201d<\/p>\n

Wood’s other tip is that, if it\u2019s your first time going alone, then South East Asia is a good place to ease yourself into it: \u201cIt\u2019s really easy, there\u2019s a great quality of life and travel, and there\u2019s a good backpacking culture around, so you\u2019re going to meet a lot of interesting people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beers on the beach<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nBut what do you do if you\u2019re a globe-trotting man that has seen it all? Where can you possibly go?<\/p>\n

\u201cOn my most recent journey, Lebanon was a real highlight \u2013 it was my first time in the country, and I\u2019d love to spend some more time there, maybe skiing in the winter,\u201d Wood says. \u201cAnd then hopefully, when the war finally finishes, back to Syria, because it\u2019s got so much to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Want a career break? Don’t overthink it<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In terms of his next big trek though, nothing is set in stone. \u201cThere are a few places I want to visit,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I want to go somewhere I can have a beer on the beach first.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the year he\u2019s had, we think he\u2019s earned it.<\/p>\n

Images: Levison Wood\/Instagram<\/a>, Simon Buxton, Flash Pack<\/em><\/p>\n

Levison Wood’s latest book Arabia: A Journey through the Heart of the Middle East<\/a>, is out now. He stayed at\u00a0Rotana Hotels and Resorts<\/a> throughout his Middle Eastern adventure<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Want to test your mettle for solo escape? Try these adventures<\/strong><\/p>\n

Come canyoning in the Wadi Mujib<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"experiences\"<\/p>\n

Haul yourself over giant rocks and glide down waterfalls with a day’s canyoning in the Wadi Mujib. Plus, hike a back door route to Petra and camp out in the Wadi Rum with a sunrise camel ride.<\/p>\n

Count me in<\/a><\/p>\n

Hike through the Himalayan foothills<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Nepal<\/p>\n

Climb through the ancient Sherpa foothills in the shadow of Everest, following an off-radar route up to the viewpoint at Farak Ri, at 5,000 metres. Celebrate with an al fresco champagne breakfast.<\/p>\n

Take me there<\/a><\/p>\n

White-water raft the Chilean rapids<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tackle churning rapids on the\u00a0Petrohu\u00e9 River, in the heart Chile’s volcanic landscape. Knock back sundowners in the Atacama Desert and hike through Torres del Paine National Park.<\/p>\n

Bring it on<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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