Neil Bennion's Blog

Phew, that’s that out the way. *Dusts off hands*

So how was your 2020? Mine was actually very productive albeit with added ennui. But I did at least manage to see and experience some fairly interesting things. And I’m going to share them with you, because:

(1) There’s probably at least one thing in here of interest or value to you.

(2) I like the idea of a personal reminder that this year really did happen.

So here we go…

The best travel-orientated things

Before everything changed ...

How was your 2020? Mine was very productive with added ennui. But I did at least manage to see and experience some interesting things, so I thought I’d round them up, both because:

(1) There should be at least one thing in here of interest or value to you.

(2) I like the idea of a personal reminder that this year actually existed.

So here we go…

The best travel-orientated things

Before everything changed everywhere, I was actually out in Mexico and the USA, having fled Europe’s op...

This week, my friend Alexander Woolley joins me to discuss Ukraine, and in particular the historic Black Sea port of Odessa.

We cover various topics, including:

Is it ‘Ukraine’ or ‘The Ukraine’ and the whole ‘correcting people on how they pronounce a country’ thing.On being squashed between other countries (see also: Poland)The wonderful city of Odessa The Potemkin stairs (or are they steps?) Going to the opera / theatre (including tips)Speaking the language – or not (and indeed which one?)...

In this episode I share my experience of learning to ride a motorbike (well, scooter) on the mean streets of Bali. Okay, so not exactly mean, but pretty freaking hectic for sure.

I talk about:

The 4 big reasons I was avoiding riding a scooter What prompted me to just go for it The learning process The speed pact I made with myself Filling up with petrolThe infamous Canggu shortcut Riding in the rainThe single most amazing place I visited Insurance, driving licenses and other necessitiesM...

In this episode I talk to Johnny Parsons from England who, together with his family, emigrated from his adopted home of Yorkshire to the Peruvian capital of Lima.

We talk about:

Why they left the UK and moved to PeruAdapting to LimaTravelling solo versus travelling as a familyTeaching English as a Foreign LanguageHis daily commuteThe incident that made him think twice about biking round LimaWhat he does in his spare timePeruvian food – and the need to tread carefully when talking about other...

In this episode I talk about my recent time in that most instagrammable of places – the Indonesian island (province, even) of Bali.

I’ll be talking about

The message I send to the future me every winterWhy BaliFirst impressions of UbudWhat can make it hard to acclimatiseThe hipster-surfer town of CangguBali as a vegan paradiseThe chain of islands that made my own trip so worth itHow Bali is dealing with the problem of washed-up plasticTips for your own trip to Bali Listen / Watch

You can list...

In this, the first episode, I talk about how I left the comfortable corporate life behind to go on a life-changing trip, and how this changed things for good, whether I liked it or not.

We cover a lot of ground, including:

The epicness of your first big tripThe personal growth that comes from travelReverse culture shock and re-acclimatising back homeHow travel expands your mind beyond its elastic limit (and how this is both a blessing and a curse)Meeting people on the roadStagnancy and los...

In this, the first episode, I talk about how I left the comfortable corporate life behind to go on a life-changing trip, and how this changed things for good, whether I liked it or not.

We cover a lot of ground, including:

The epicness of your first big tripThe personal growth that comes from travelReverse culture shock and re-acclimatising back homeHow travel expands your mind beyond its elastic limit (and how this is both a blessing and a curse)Meeting people on the roadStagnancy and losing...

When I’m cooped up in a city centre I often yearn to go to place out in the wilds to get some work done. It’s especially the case when I’m a on particularly unproductive run.

It seems like a panacea. If only I was in some rough-hewn log cabin in Poland’s Tatra mountains I could probably bash out a book in a week. Maybe two books, even.

Yet when I finally did get to that kind of place, I found it didn’t work for me the way I expected.

I happened on the perfect (or rather ‘perfect’) writer’s re...

The inaugural episode of the Wandering Desk Podcast. Listen and discover exactly why you’re wasting your time – and mine – by doing exactly that.

What is the difference between a coffice, stroffice, and the different types of hoffice? Am I recording a flodcast? And by telling you my plans up front am I just publicly expressing my own naivety and excessive optimism?

All these ideas and more needn’t be discussed but will be, and in painful depth.

The post Podcast #0 – Let’s all waste each othe...