Explorer Benedict Allen on what he’s learnt from his adventures

In the fourth episode of Books of My Life season two, host Hareth Al Bustani interviews British writer and explorer Benedict Allen.

The real-life Indiana Jones, Allen has nearly died nine times, adventuring everywhere from the Amazon to the Arctic. Keen to minimise his impact on local communities and surroundings, he never takes any GPS equipment and builds local expeditions from the ground wherever he goes.

Allen has also written a dozen books documenting his exploits.

He recalls being inspired by the stories of Dr David Livingstone, Peter Matthiessen and Wilfred Thesiger, people he says had a dream and were prepared to take risks to make it come true.