Ted Simon is a British journalist turned author best known for travelling the world twice by motorcycle. Sponsored by The Sunday Times, Simon spent four years travelling the globe on a Triumph motorcycle which he later detailed in his bestseller‘Jupiter’s Travels’.
Twenty-eight years later, at the age of sixty-nine, Simon embarked on a new motorcycle adventure (this time on a BMW) following a similar route as described in his later book, ‘Dreaming of Jupiter’. Simon’s second trip took two and a half years and he discovered that much had changed in the world.
Describing his experience as a journey of self discovery on which ‘you find out what is real and what society has attached to you’; his experience has clearly had a profound impact on his life.Having given a fascinating talk in Stanfords Travel bookstore in Covent Garden, Ted Simon answered some questions for us.
How different was it doing the trip a second time around? Did you prefer either trip over the other?
The main difference, aside from the fact that nothing is ever the same the second time around, was that the world was twice as full of people as it was the first time and this was very apparent immediately. As a result things are choked up and there is a lot of war, strife, misery and crime and just more rubbish around. There was a lot of confusion and muddling of cultures. Nothing could ever match the first trip, the first experience is always the best. If somebody made my second trip as their first trip I’m sure they would have exactly the same sense of amazement.
In all of your travels, what place has had the most profound impression on you as a writer?
Columbia because it is the most beautiful country and the people are wonderful in spite of all the violence. It’s such a surprise to be in a country that has had to live through so much violence and to find out that the people are really friendly, alert and intelligent and just really very nice people and then the countryside itself is just absolutely gorgeous.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in those journeys? Did you ever feel like giving up?
Staying alive really but I overcame that challenge very early on when I came to finally believe that I was probably going to survive. My initial sense of what this journey was about was that it would be very dangerous and that I would be very lucky to survive. It took a few months to overcome that fear. Aside from that fear, none of the things that you would normally expect – I never felt lonely.
Finally are you planning another trip or what’s next for you as an author? Are you planning another book in the near future?
The next book is about a much smaller ride around the UK and maybe I shall write a book about walking around my garden (laughing). Clearly there is no point in going on with the enormous global adventures, I will have to see how it feels.
Author: Clodagh O’ Brien