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Private Notes
Adventurer Ben visits musician Vanessa Forero, and finds out what took her from her native Yorkshire to life on a remote South American mountainside.
Ben explores the Great Blasket Island off the coast of Ireland, staying with Dan and Emily who are island caretakers on Europe's rugged western frontier. Ben discovers how the couple have adapted to their new lives on the island and what they've achieved while living there. Plus, he experiences fixing a water pump, catching sheep, foraging seaweed and swimming with seals.
Ben travels to an island on Norway's coastline to meet his host Elena, a former Middle East peacekeeper, and experience the hardships of living in the environment. Ben joins Elena and her partner on a mountain climb, before helping them finish their guest house, cleaning a beach, kayaking on frozen waters and gardening in the harsh landscape.
Ben travels to Southeast Asia, meeting entrepreneur Niall who now helps the country's street-dogs after trading in his previous career. The pair explore his self-built dog sanctuary on the island of Koh Samui, where Ben is joined by volunteers and other dog-loving locals to help out with daily chores. Niall and Ben prepare food for the pooches in the sanctuary and across the island, before making dog beds from oil drums and a canine splash-pool.
Ben heads to northern England to stay with a man who traded in his house for a life on the road, travelling the UK and joining a community of full-time nomads who survive off the grid. Ben meets Paul in Lincolnshire on board his 30-year-old converted military truck. They travel to the coastline to stay overnight on the beach, go on a road trip and meet up with Paul's nomadic community. Along the way, Ben is intrigued how such a lifestyle is possible in the UK, with its strict camping laws
Ben visits Sri Lanka to stay with Naveen and Anke at their home in the country's highlands. They discuss why they moved away from civilisation, the struggles they had settling into their new lives and if they mean to entirely sever their ties with the outside world. Ben makes himself useful fixing a burst pipe, rendering walls with cow dung and making supply trips to a town
Ben visits the wilds of central Portugal to meet Luke and Sarah, who gave up their careers to put down roots on a deserted sheep farm. As Ben helps them clear their land, forage acorns for the pet pigs and garden, he learns about the financial and physical troubles they have faced and their wider travelling adventures.
Ben travels to the forests of Chile to meet northern Brit Scott and his young family at their hand-built off-grid cabin in the woods. He learns about the challenges they've faced in their two years of wild living, such as freak floods, forest fires and Scott losing a finger. Ben also sees how nature offers a form of therapy to his anxiety-ridden host.
Ben reconnects with his old British friend Paul Ferber and his family in Thailand. He learns why they left their Cambodian island home since he last saw them, where Paul was raising his own castaway tribe and defending sea-life from the illegal trawler trade. Now, they discuss how his tribe feel about their new jungle home, and whether their long-standing battle with pirates has continued.
