My Home Vitality
Introduction to guest:
Gavin Boyter is an author and adventure runner who, most recently, completed a 3,400 kilometre (2,300 mile) run across Europe, from Paris to Istanbul, along one of the world’s most famous railway lines, the Orient Express.
There are many tips and resources included in this podcast for long-term travel, running, becoming an author and generally embracing life.
More from Gavin:
Key quotes and takeaways from the show:
“You can’t really prepare for running all day every day, you just have to trust and understand that your body will adapt.”
It cost around £10k – £14k for a 5-month trip across Europe in a camper van (including the purchase and development of the van, which was £8k, although Gavin got a good deal on a van which he converted himself).
4 ways of developing a camper van for long-term travel:
- Buy a fully fitted campervan.
- Buy a van and get a company to put in ready-made furniture for you.
- Buy a van and fit “flatpack” furniture yourself.
- Buy a van and create and fit everything yourself.
Get a GPS communicator!!!
Be aware of feral dogs in Romania!
Never go to bed on an argument! It’s great for creative ideas but not disagreements. You’re just going to wake up with added resentment and your subconscious has had time to reinforce the issue.
If you feel angry or frustrated, breathe and count to ten (or go for a walk) and then you’ll usually find the feelings have died.
6,000 – 8,000 Calories per day!
If Gavin were to do another challenge, he wouldn’t worry about social media. “I wouldn’t do that in future, I’d just take the picture and forget about it.” “If you’re going to do that sort of project and social media is important, get someone else to do it.”
“If I were to do it again, I would force myself to be a morning person, to get up with the sun, [because] I operate better in the morning and it gives you more time with your support person […] You can also break-down the day, with more rest time, if that suits you.”
Get to know a place by going off the beaten track.
When you travel you will be surprised by how supportive, friendly and cohesive everyone is.
We have vast reservoirs of resilience that you’ve never really drawn on unless you do something extreme or out of the ordinary. You have so much in you, more than you would ever imagine!
Are you a planner or pantser? (writing styles).
Google Maps is not that detailed in Eastern Europe.
“Absolute dogged perseverance has got me through these adventures and getting published as an author.”
Believe in yourself! You’re good at something!
Wi-Fi signals are surprisingly good across Europe.
Question of the day:
“How does someone decide that they are going to run the Orient?”
Links to podcast sites:
The full podcast:
Related episode:
For more travel advice and how much it costs to travel in USA and East Asia, listen to our podcast with Rolf Potts:
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Show notes:
- 00:00 – Overall show introduction.
- 00:44 – Finding your purpose and getting things done in life – mhvpath.com.
- 02:45 – Introduction to today’s show.
- 04:30 – Hello from London!
- 05:20 – Why Gavin decided to run the Orient Express route.
- 12:55 – How Gavin prepared for the adventure, timescales and costs.
- 17:12 – How to build your own camper van for long-term travel.
- 25:00 – The challenges Gavin faced running across Europe.
- 32:21 – How Gavin dealt with vehicle breakdowns in Europe.
- 36:36 – Gavin’s lessons from long periods alone.
- 38:47 – Feral dogs in Romania.
- 41:53 – What Gavin carried whilst he was running.
- 44:05 – Gavin’s misadventure in Scotland.
- 51:20 – Would Gavin recommend survival courses and tips for adventurers?
- 53:17 – The impact of the trip on Gavin’s relationship with his girlfriend.
- 58:39 – Gavin’s evening routine after each running day.
- 01:03:30 – Liquids Gavin consumed during running days.
- 01:04:40 – Gavin’s interaction with locals on his journey?
- 01:09:11 – Was running good for seeing places?
- 01:12:52 – The main lessons that Gavin learned from running across Europe?
- 01:15:20 – Did Gavin see the train and what was the best station?
- 01:17:37 – Gavin’s creative process and what’s in “Running the Orient”.
- 01:24:40 – More orienteering and map advice from Gavin.
- 01:30:25 – Principles and life lessons that Gavin lives by.
- 01:31:21 – Resources that Gavin gifts, recommends or refers back to.
- 01:34:55 – Gavin’s final thoughts, where to find him and his future adventure plans.
- 01:39:58 – How Gavin found Wi-Fi during the trip.
- 01:41:02 – Where to find more, next week’s guest and mhvpath.com.
People and resources mentioned:
In alphabetical order:
- Ceaușescu (Romanian politician)
- Charlie Plumb
- Dean Karnazes
- Dean Stott
- Downhill From Here b Gavin Boyter
- Garmin SE+ Satellite tracker
- Gavin Boyter’s Unforeseen Tales
- Haynes Manual – Build a camper van for £1,000
- Patrick McKeown
- Rolf Potts
- Running For My Life by Jordan Wylie
- Running For My Life by Rachel Ann Cullen
- Running the Orient by Gavin Boyter
- Scott Jurek
- The Breathing Cure by Patrick McKeown
- The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown
- The Road to Sparta by Dean Karnazes
- The Runner by Marcus Torgeby
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
- Wild
