Episode 18 - Mike Laird: Path Less Trodden

Travel Bubble

This episode is with adventurer, explorer, travel writer and film maker Mike Laird. Originally from Scotland, he has been to over 100 countries and boasts a varied CV around the world from war photographer to scuba instructor and English teacher.

Mike gave up his office job in Surrey, England in the late 90s to appear in the ground-breaking BBC series Castaway - which saw a group of thirty-six people tasked with building and living in a community on the remote Scottish island of Taransay. Since then, Mike has racked up an impressive list of accomplishments from cycling 4000km solo in Australia to being 1 of only 2 people to have ever skied both the North Pole (600km) and the surface of Lake Baikal in Russia (640km).

This episode of Travel Bubble touches on some areas of his fascinating life since then, including photographing individuals from Miss World, British Prime Ministers and snipers in Beirut, as well as the extraordinary journey he undertook to obtain Ministry of Defence, International Security Assistance Force, UN and NATO press passes.
Did we mention that he’s also a Fellow of Royal Geographical Society and a Trustee of the Scientific Exploration Society?

Mike’s Travel Bubble choices includes a country that has so many islands it would take you over 50 years to visit them all if you went to one a day, a country he has battled for nearly six years to get a permit to do an adventure like no other in, and explains the many ways gaffer tape can get you out of a sticky situation.
You can find all about joining Mike on his Baikal by visiting - http://www.crossingbaikal.com/

Mike’s personal website is - http://www.jockandthebeanstalk.com/

He can be found on Instagram as: @michaelpaullaird
As usual, more information about Mike’s choices are below.
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Country No.1: Russia
Activity: Go to a banya (sauna) in Karelia
Food: Khachapuri and reindeer meat with cranberries
Anything else/links….

Bering Strait

Country No.2: Indonesia
Activity: Manggis Garden, Bali
Food: Nasi Goreng and tempe

Country No. 3: Peru
Activity: Sit in the bar carriage on a train journey. Stay with a local on an island off Lake Titicaca
Food: Lomo saltado, Ceviche

Wildcard: Sudan

Top Travel Tip – It’s important what you pack in your bag – take a roll of gaffer tape

Best Souvenir: an Oosig – whale penis bone from Alaska

Travel Bubble Film Club

A Time for Drunken Horses Iran (2000)

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