Transcript
Speaker: Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the Outdoorsy Educator Podcast. We're doing things a little differently this week and I'm joined by my good friend, Steve Mutum.
Speaker: Steve and I connected years ago over a mutual love of 90s sitcoms and he's even appeared on my other podcast, a friend's rewatch pod called The Purple Door Podcast.
Speaker: Steve and his partner Gemma recently hired a Volkswagen T4 for their first camping trip together and giving them both their first taste of van life.
Speaker: Whether you're a seasoned vanlifer or somebody who thinks this just might be the way to see the world around you, I'm sure you will get as much from this conversation as I did.
Speaker: And on this week's episode of the Outdoorsy Educator podcast, we have a guest with a difference today, my good friend Steve Mutum. Steve has has done lots of traveling, lots of bits and pieces, but recently experienced van camping for the first time. So we're going to relive that trip through this podcast episode. Steve, how are you today?
Speaker: I'm very good. Thank you, Alastair. And thank you for having me join you today to discuss. Yes, and I would say van life. but It's more like a van life holiday, really. It wasn't van life. Camping in a van is very different to van life.
Speaker: um But it's definitely an intriguing way of living. And it was inspiring for this trip. Yeah, and I should tell listeners, Steve and I connected, I don't know even know how many years ago now, let's just say about five years ago, over a mutual love of Frasier, Friends, and other 90s sitcoms. So I'm going to assume there'll be several references dropped in. Listeners can play along and count them, because that will inevitably happen. he guess Guess the quote and guess the show if they pop in, yeah. Right, right. They'll win some kind of fictitious virtual prize if they can identify all the quotes.
Speaker: um Yeah, so why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, you you know, where you've been on holiday before, a little bit your travelling background. Yeah, as we spoke about a little bit before we started the episode here, I've done a bit of travelling lot around Europe, sort of Sweden, Norway, Denmark. I've stayed in hostels. I've stayed on... an army barracks in Luxembourg when I was about 13. I spent a couple of weeks on an army base in Wales, which was a very big experience as a teenager as well doing... basic army training um yeah if you name and i've slept in it basically uh in experiences with hotels hostels army barracks and camping and this was my first uh last week or a few couple of weeks ago now it was my first experience of van camping at vw california camper
Speaker: um Unfortunately, it was modern. I'd love to have been in a split screen from the 50s or 60s. But nowadays, it's a lot easier to hire something that's only a year old and is in brand spanking new condition for a bit of comfort.
Speaker: Yeah, it's one of those things where I'd want the interiors, the stuff under the bonnet to be new, but all the other stuff to be old. Yeah, exactly. Having a reliable engine and gearbox, et cetera, is kind of what you want when it's a van that you're traveling around in for a little bit. um I'd love an old 50s or 60s camper, but ah yeah, just you want it to start when you turn the key. And that was a major thing for a holiday. um But planning it, ah to go on to that, planning it, knowing that you could just... basically turn up at a campsite, travel around, and live in that van for a week was a very, very exciting prospect.
Speaker: That's just fantastic. Yeah, I don't know much about them, you know, these Volkswagen buses, but i know here, yes, split screens are where the money is. Oh, yeah. That's that's what people want, isn't it? those are Yeah, definitely. i mean, this was a 2024, so 2024. Like I say, it's just a grey VW. I think it was a California or a T-Central.
Speaker: a T4 possibly, something like that. um More Europeans will probably know that than any American listeners. um is quite It's quite a common van to see it as a Volkswagen Transporter, but like a people carrier version. So it's got the seats in the back.
Speaker: um And this one, we were lucky enough to have obviously the kitchen area in it, um a gas stove, a little fridge, um the captain's chair in the front. So the front chair spun round so you could actually face into the back of the van by the front. And yeah, obviously the fold down bed and pop top roof um that would allow sleeping upstairs as well. It did actually say it was sleep four, but I'll tell you one thing, there was two of us and my girlfriend's under five foot. She's four foot, 11 and a half, I think she says. right um and And so she's not the biggest person, but she still managed to knock her head a couple of times moving around in it. But two of us was definitely enough in that fan. and I would not want to have four people in that fan to sleep. Right. I could just imagine you might be able to sleep but do absolutely nothing else. There'd no cooking, cleaning, anything else with four people. It was a bit like camping generally in a tent that you start to learn, one, what you don't need, what you don't want in ah in a small space, but also how to move around. it it was almost like being on a submarine for a day, do you know what mean? like Yeah. shoulder to shoulder occasionally if it was a rainy day you would not have a huge amount of space to sit in there come we we just basically propped the bed up at the back a couple of times and watched a film by sitting with our feet up in the bed but to sit around in it generally yeah I mean it's a van it really is a van this like I say this isn't van life I'm talking about today this is camping in a van very very different a few days away so what prompted you to do this and not go and stay in a hotel somewhere for a couple of nights
Speaker: So we both love the thought of traveling across America one day, even if it's just for a couple of weeks. sort of like I know everyone does the classic Route 66. We thought more, would we go and see an area of Yellowstone? Would we see an area of the Grand Canyon? What if we flew over and spent two weeks there?
Speaker: How far could we travel? And we looked up a load of RVs, sort of hiring. So you'd go to the the airport and you can hire an ah RV. and You don't have to take it back to that airport. You could drop it to another one. Right. um which was then kind of well this is kind of cool idea before we do that should we find out if we actually want to do that so rather than spending thousands jetting across to the usa to do this we thought actually there's a campervan company an hour and a half drive away.
Speaker: Let's go there, hire that for a week, plan a few different locations to travel around in and see, do we actually enjoy this? Is it chaotic? Is it actually a fun way of living for a week or two?
Speaker: So this was like it a toe in the water, you know, it is you'd say, to do we want to do this in a bigger van on a bigger excursion? Well, I say the planning of it was actually quite fun. We actually bought a really old school map. So a proper map, Good, unlike old maps. yeah Yeah, we got a pen, a paper. we We literally put a pin in the map where we were going to go, write this massive, long, big sort of arrow. This is where we're starting. This is where we want to go.
Speaker: Here's some sort of tourist information places we're going to try and visit to. And you'd circle those. How far is to drive from there? Which campsites? And we sort of did a trek from... um UK listeners will know, obviously, where where Norfolk is um in the USA. It's the east side of of um the UK, um the county of Norfolk.
Speaker: And it's not big in consider in comparison sorry to a US state or a US county. But it's two, maybe three hours to drive from east to west coast or east to west of the county. Of county, there's Norfolk, yeah.
Speaker: So for spending a day in one location, traveling to a campsite, getting up the next morning and then traveling to another one, you may be only driving for an hour, which meant we got a nice day out sort of whilst traveling. You had that day to do something and in another village, another town, another city. before getting to a camp the next night and setting up the camp again um and yeah planning it was just great fun you know i mean just sort of looking at where you could go things we haven't seen places we haven't been since we were a child or something like that and going i'd really like to go and see the victorian seaside village of so and so and then just going well let's let's go there then i didn't i haven't been there since i was four i don't really remember you know i mean so let's go there and yeah we just did sort of fun silly things like that really and sort of like relived a bit of nostalgia of
Speaker: what people go to the coastal towns around England Do you what I mean? Like, you know, seeing carousels or seeing amusement parks or um Victorian piers and stuff like that. So that's that's kind of how we started this.
Speaker: And like say, yeah, five days just... just tramping almost you know i mean just throw a bag in the back of the van there's enough gas there's enough water let's go and and yeah we we we knew where we were going to stay but the adventure along the way was what should we do each day um before we get to the next campsite and that was kind of fun I think it's a really good way to spend your time off. like and i'm And I'm just as guilty of this, but I'll talk to friends who, you know I live just outside of Dallas and they're world travelers, they've been all over the place. yeah But there's so much of Dallas and Fort Worth, which is a huge city of a million people next door to it that that we just haven't explored because it's so close, it's almost too easy. You're thinking, I need to go farther away, I need to go here, I need to go... this beach, go to New York, all those things. And all of those are great, but there's something about just exploring closer to home. Oh, have you lost me?
Speaker: I lost you, but you're back there now. All right, so we're back. Yeah, I can see you. Almost wherever you live, there's so much to see close to home. So I love that idea of seeing all these things you hadn't seen since you were a child.
Speaker: Well, that that that brings me, not to talk about Frasier, but that does bring me to the point that when Frasier is actually telling Martin, I'm going to take you on holiday, and he says, what where do you want to go? And he says, well, we're American. We should see America. And realises he hasn't seen much of his own country, and that's what he wants to do. And I think sometimes people sort of jet off, even from England, they go, oh, we're going to go to Lanzarotti, we're going to go to Italy, we're going to go to all these places. And you go, have you ever been to that market town there? No, didn't know existed.
Speaker: well yeah Maybe you should try going an hour or two up the road and seeing what that looks like before you start going to other countries. um And I'm pretty pleased I have seen quite a lot of the UK. and and i've I've seen a fair amount Europe. But yeah, again, going backwards.
Speaker: America would be the big challenge for us and that's why we thought we'd start small you know like i' say dip a toe in a little bit of van camping and then see what it's like to buy you know sort of rent maybe a larger not a massive RV we're not going to travel for years um but just something that's home on the road you know mean home is where you park it and in in trailer parks and campsites around let's say maybe Yellowstone for two weeks would be absolutely amazing just to experience that so yeah Yeah, it's I'm very fortunate. I've been there once, but it's been it was not all that long after I moved here. There's this Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons National Park, which yeah it's it's it's the same, but it's like for political reasons or something. It's actually divided into two parks. but The Grand Tetons is just one of my favorite places in the world. It's absolutely stunning. and I think when we get... there
Speaker: was to say, I think when we get to that, the hardest part is going to be we've got two weeks. Where do we go? Right. Like we've got got to centralize ourselves on a certain part before we just go, well, we can drive here and we can drive there. And you go, yeah, that's millions of miles. We're never going to make that. um I don't want to spend the whole two weeks on the road. i want to be actually seeing some stuff. So um it's going to be a lot more planning. um But, yeah, it was a lot of fun. That's that's definitely a review. I'll give it that van camping is a lot of fun. Yeah, it's it's something I don't have much experience in.
Speaker: I go camping in mine for a weekend, but that's been about it. I'm kind of penciling in a trip later this year, I hope, and car camp down to Big Bend National Park, which is way in the middle of nowhere in West Texas. It's it's desert. um But spend, you know and just pack up a car. and do it that way which will be my first kind of multi-night you know in somewhere new somewhere not close to home usually i'm car camping within 30 or 40 miles of my house yeah yeah i'm gonna ask you a question which is flipping this the wrong way i'm gonna ask you the question what's your favorite moment in in say like the day of when you get up out of that car when you've done that car camping what's your favorite moment in that day
Speaker: So I think my favorite thing, I guess it's it's it's all of these little bits put together. But oh when when I wake up in the morning, wherever I am, I always turn the coffee maker on. That's just the thing.
Speaker: But there's something lovely about, A, when you open your eyes, you're seeing trees, yeah you know, straight out the car window. Stepping out the car, you can hear the birds. And then it's, you know instead of having my coffee maker, I just press a button. There's a little bit of work to it. You know, I'm firing up the gas and boiling the water.
Speaker: And there's something very nice about it taking a little more effort. Well, I'm glad you said that because I was about to say exactly the same thing. I think the first cup of tea in the morning when you're camping tastes so much different than if you're at home. There's something about, I don't know if it's because you're drinking it outside. I ah could drink it out outside. Now I could make a tea in the in the kitchen, walk to my back garden and sit out in the sunshine if I wanted to.
Speaker: But it still wouldn't be the same as when you wake up. And it's kind of, even when we went, it was warm. um is something about maybe the dampness outside or the fact that you're literally outside that second you wake up, you open a door, you're outside and you go, really want a nice warm drink. And you sit there and and the sun feels different. The air feels different. Everything smells different.
Speaker: You could do this at home by stepping outside, but it's different when you wake up camping. that that yeah That first tea, that first hot drink or that last drink at night or something, just that moment before you close the door or zip the tent shut yeah feels so much different to anything else.
Speaker: yeah and again it's love it or hate it there's a lot of people who probably go camping and you go oh it's horrible everything's damp and the sun and they just don't feel the same about it maybe that's my appreciation for outside is different from other people's but yeah just i knew that you'd probably feel the same on that that yeah just that that first sip of a drink in the morning go yep this is it and i've got whatever i want to do today That's it. So sitting back in my camping chair, just watching birds flutter around and things. It's like, this is this is what the way we're supposed to live is what always think. This is it. It's very, it's almost prehistoric. It's not, like and you know what I mean? You just feel like you are going back to the roots of being human and not having technology, yeah even though we now take technology with us.
Speaker: the signal is not as good or something like that. And you think, I haven't got to watch TV tonight. I can just sit here and have a drink and just chill out. And it doesn't matter. Time just disappears. Time is not a concept anymore. It's just, it's gone when you're camping. Yeah. and that' That's the thing. Yeah. And i love that about that is like when I'm at home, I usually go to bed about the same time when I'm out camping. I go to bed when the sun goes down.
Speaker: Yeah, and you get up when the sun comes up. You just go, oh, the sun's up. Yeah, I can hear birds. I better get up. No idea what time it is, but it doesn't matter. I'm starting my day. And, it it yeah, it just feels like nature resets you, doesn't it? sort of puts you back to, well, i'm I'm relying on the sun to do that rather than going, my alarm's gone off. I better get up and go to work. Yeah. And I know that you could do that in a hotel. You could switch the clock off or whatever, you know I But it's still not the same. and You've got those different creature comforts around you that,
Speaker: give you that comfort, whereas discomfort in a campsite or whatever is so different. Yeah, there's something, what's it called, circadian rhythm, right? When you're kind of back back to nature. no I'm i right there with you. And it yeah, it just resets me. And I find as well, like if I'm going to watch a movie or something at a campsite, I'm not like, yeah I'm one of those people and I'm super guilty of it. If we're watching a television show, I'll be on my phone at the same time.
Speaker: Like suddenly suddenly i have two screens on the go. You can't get enough of them, can you? Yeah, it's just ridiculous. But when I'm out camping, I do find that you just, all right, let's put a movie on and sit back. And my job is to keep the fire going. And that's it.
Speaker: And like you say, you did it's weird. If you told me now, could I walk to the shop and get a bottle of water? go, oh, well, I can. And I do actually drink bottled water all the time. um The water supply here is fine, but the water in bottles is actually nicer. um And you could say to me now, can I go a short walk to the shop and get a bottle of water? And I I can't be bothered. I'll go and get one when I go out tomorrow. camping you need water in the camper van well i've got to go like a caravan or anything like that i've got to go and get the fresh water so i've got literally to take take the uh container go all all the way down the campsite fill it up i love that i actually really really enjoyed the idea of we've run out of water i'll go i'll go yeah it's a really sad thing but you go oh i feel like i'm hunting gathering do you know i me go right the water Coming back with the container on your shoulder and pounding your chest. Yeah. Yeah. So I didn't go and get it. I got it from a tap.
Speaker: Do you know mean? Right. I wasn't going down to the river or anything. But it was just something about supplying that to the to the homestead almost as a camper van. Yeah. You just kind of think, actually, i quite like going and getting that. like you say that first whistle on the kettle in the morning knowing you've lit the gas and you haven't just literally switched it on you've had to plumb it in as such and sort of make sure the pipes on and things like that you think actually i've created this i've you know you haven't stopped you know made fire but you have do you mean you've had to do that little bit extra work and you sort of get that reward like that first sip of tea and you go i did this i went and got that water and i i actually i i connected the gas i did that
Speaker: It's not push button and do button. It's I did this. I created this. It's so satisfying. yeah Look at what I made. i actually think that's part of what the camping that I did was so nice that I actually really enjoyed doing these really, really simple little things that, like I say, if I was at home and you said to do it, I'd go, I can't be bothered. I don't want to do that. mind So that is another thing that I really, really enjoyed about this experience. um It's just so different, isn't it? it's It's not hotel. It's not someone waiting on a Yeah, I still like those comforts, you know, going to a hotel and someone bringing you something is nice. of course, yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: But there is a lot of satisfaction in creating something. And we actually had some really good meals. um For only having two stoves, we still managed to have sausages, mash and gravy.
Speaker: And I find that really amazing because we actually didn't have a potato masher. We used a fork in a pan. man that was The effort that took. And again, that meal was really nice considering. And we had veg. I was like, we only had two pans, but somehow she managed to literally swap pans over sort of somehow to make everything heat at the same time. like, yeah, we've created a meal out of this.
Speaker: Yeah, that's just going to taste so much better. Yeah, it was just again, it was just it was good fun to go what should we have? And you see other people going, oh, we could just pop to the clubhouse on the campsite or we could go out for dinner. and We were like, no, we're actually going to cook in this camp event. We're going to use it for everything we can.
Speaker: i love that. And doing stuff like that, I mean, washing up's a bit painful. Again, you've got to take a bucket of your washing up back down to somewhere to wash it. but I didn't mind. But again, ask me to wash up at home. I go, oh, I did that tomorrow morning. yeah a camp in a camper van i will point out you cannot do that you have to wash it up that night there is no space there is no space and much like your car camping if you use a pot or a cup you think i better not leave that till tomorrow it's going to smell in the car i don't want that i need to so again teaches you actually i do need to put things away i can't just rely on i'll do it tomorrow even though i've got the time i'm on holiday i need to actually get this done um And it becomes part of your day, which, again, I found really fun. I know that listeners might go, really? He finds that fun? Get out more. um But there was a little bit to it.
Speaker: There was just nice little things um that just felt so much more pleasant to do camping that they do at home. Yeah, it's it's like I've done several like multi-day hikes where I've gone 100 miles over a week.
Speaker: And it's like I couldn't wait to get up and start walking in the morning. Whereas he's here, you know yeah, I'll go for walks, but sometimes you just can't be bothered. there you go I've got the car. i've got Yeah, I've got the car. Might as well. I can just drive the three miles, wherever it drive the two miles. It's no problem. But there, there's something so satisfying. But you know what? The next campsite's 10 miles down the road, 12 miles down the road. I'm walking there with everything I need on my back. And it's stuff it it's just so satisfying to do.
Speaker: Yeah, i love it. Yeah. um I wrote a little list of questions and i was I was curious because I do this every single time. Doesn't matter how many times I'm car camping, camping or hiking. Was there anything you packed that you thought you would need that you never used?
Speaker: um Something I packed that I didn't need. Yeah. um I think we probably used, I think I probably took too many clothes. I think I thought I was going to change, but I think it was a case of I've taken three, pairs two pairs of trainers.
Speaker: you what I mean? I'm thinking, am I going to wear a second pair? Like, do need a second pair trainers? So there is things like that that I think I probably could have cut down on. Yeah. I don't think we took anything that we didn't need. I think there was times I thought, oh, should we have brought this with us? And then thought, no, I didn't need it. You know i never thought about it afterwards. So it seems that before I packed, I was thinking, should I take extra? um That they never needed. But no, I think.
Speaker: That's a boring answer, but I don't think we took anything we didn't need. I think we packed just right. Yeah, yeah we ah you said i sort of i say an old saying. I've just heard a few times that you pack your fears. you know Some do say if you're scared of you know getting bitten by something, you're going to pack too much, you know too many first aid kit supplies. Or if you're scared about running out of water, you're actually going to pack... too much so it's too heavy so it's kind of made me re-evaluate what I got like three of like I look through my camping stuff and I've got like seven lighters and it's like I've got a ferro like two lighters would be plenty and I do have a backup like I'm feeling that the majority of adults who go on holiday probably never have any issue with going to the toilet whilst they're not sitting on the toilet But I can almost always guarantee that every adult, if they're going away for three days, takes 12 pairs of underwear. Because you go, well, I might need one for that day. And you think, in all the years of my life, I've never had this issue at work, at home, anything else. yeah But when I go camping, you never know.
Speaker: And even when you go to a hotel, you go, well, I'm going up for seven nights. Well, definitely need 49 pairs of underwear because i need I need at least seven a day, right? Yeah. And you think you don't use seven a day, but when you go on holiday, you always think, yeah, I better take extra. How many pairs of socks do you need for five days? Well, I'll take 10.
Speaker: Why? Right. Why? Hiking, I get that. You might get wet feet if you haven't got time. Do you know what I mean? Right. But people always, I find everyone seems to always overpack underwear and socks when they go to any place. I have no explanation for that.
Speaker: No, and it's without a doubt true. Kate and I joke about that. Even when we go back to Scotland and stuff like we're literally staying at my parents' house and there's a washing machine. With a washing machine. I mean, every pair she owns because she's like, you know, why leave any here? Why leave it to chance? You never know. You never Yeah, it is the running joke because I will pack, you know, one per day, you know, and she looks at me like I've lost my mind.
Speaker: Yeah, I'm sure he wears more at home. No, no, no, just one a day. One a day, you know, post-shower, I get a new fresh pair, and, you know, and it just it absolutely boggles her that I'm not bringing them by the bucket load. That's That's just, yeah, I think that's a universal truth, isn't it, people pack? Yeah. Either, my experience, is far too many, or you've got people on the other end who are going hiking for two weeks, and they're like, I've got three pairs, I wanted to keep the weight of my pack down. Yeah.
Speaker: I get it, but... you know yeah much My nephew, not my oldest nephew, my middle nephew, so he's well, he's a teenager now, but this was a couple of years ago, I think he went to Europe ah with his high school and he seemed to come back with pretty much the same amount of clean underwear that my sister sent him with. yeah um So they're pretty sure he didn't change when he was there for two or three days. um he even came back with the same salad in a Tupperware that he took with him. um that That was for the journey there, but they're pretty sure he didn't eat that because it looked exactly the same, but a bit more moldy three days later when it came back. But yeah, she was like, did you actually open your bag at all? and he was like, yeah.
Speaker: was like, but all your clothes and your underwear is clean. None of your toothpaste or anything has been used and the salad is still packed in there, but you definitely opened your bag. So um not everyone goes by that. He has learned since in the last couple of years, but yeah, he was um maybe a little bit roughing it when he went to ah Europe for a couple of nights. Right. Lesson learned is maybe the people around him that would suffer the most in that situation situation. Yeah, he seemed fine. Yeah, he didn't have a problem with it.
Speaker: So what future travel plan? You mentioned coming over to this side, of you know coming to the States you know one day. That would be a bigger plan. Yeah, it's a big plan. The the the next trip we're thinking about is actually ah March. We may take the Eurostarch, the train, go from London and maybe go to either, I think, is it Bruges? I think maybe it comes out in Belgium somewhere. Or I think it's also Amsterdam or Paris. But we did think about one of those locations. I think we might hit Bruges.
Speaker: yeah So that's that's slightly penciled in. In fact, I'm off work for the next five days. We might try and invest in what we're doing there and actually yeah put down a deposit and jump ready to...
Speaker: Well, that's another form of train travel, isn't it? Rather than taking a plane or a boat over to Europe, we can now get a train. So we might try that. Yeah, I did that two years ago. i think we went to Utrecht just outside of Amsterdam. Yeah. And by the time I've flown home, the last thing I wanted to do was get on a plane. So now I'm going to work this out quickly. I got the train from my parents' house to the middle of Glasgow. Glasgow to London, walked from King's Cross to Euston, got the train to Amsterdam. and The one time goes through Bruges, then got out there and got the train to Utrecht. So, yeah, it was just four trains and ah and a little walk in between. but it was a great experience. act I mean, it was it was a bit delayed and things like that. But yeah I would take it over going to an airport. Any day of the week. I'm currently train-wise about half an hour outside of London, Liverpool Street. So if I got a train now, um I'd literally to be in Europe within two hours, possibly. Yeah, i mean it's crazy.
Speaker: So, yeah, that's quite an exciting thing. And obviously, no no car to take. And then we could literally just take a couple of bags, get on the train, zip zip into London and zip across, um which is why that then came across as a bit more. ma We could get a plane. and We would think about going to Milan.
Speaker: um and obviously getting a plane across to that ah to Italy but this now seems like it might be our next trip so we're we're thinking of that yeah loved it we spent a day or two in Belgium and then the rest of the time sort of dotting around Holland and went to Luxembourg all on the train and it was just the best like we really did have a fantastic time um All right. So as you know, at the end of this podcast, I've got three questions for you. And yeah, just thinking holistically, just thinking sort big picture of your life, what success looks like to you?
Speaker: um it doesn't look like what i do for a career because i'm a postal worker and that is not what class as a career and a lot of people tell me off for saying that like that you but you do that okay but it's not a career so ah but when i've heard people answer this on this podcast before i've always thought wow you've got really interesting answers to that um my answer probably isn't going to be that interesting um so everyone's probably just switched off now so don't need to say right that's right we just end it here so that's the Yeah, done.
Speaker: Finished recording. um No, i think success, a lot of people measure it on things like money, um career, and I know that you very well established in your career. um i actually think it's more based on happiness. I think if you've led a happy, healthy life, I think that's more success than anything could now give. And I had, as you know, and I'm not going to go into it in massive detail, had a hideous relationship for a long time prior to the one I'm in now.
Speaker: um And I think spending a decade actually being anxious, overwhelmed, unhappy, and basically it sounds like I'm trying to to get sympathy here being a victim.
Speaker: um Now not being in that makes me appreciate life in a different way. So it's... I feel successful now that I'm happy and and that's a massive difference. So I definitely say happiness in life is is the biggest success you can get. If you're happy, then you have you've succeeded because there's a lot of people out there that aren't happy at all. Yeah, and a lot of people with a lot of money will tell you that it didn't get them the happiness they thought of. Yeah, I mean, I've always thought when people say, can money buy you happiness? No, it can't. It can make life a lot easier if you've not got any worries of because you're financially saying, yes, it makes life easier. it doesn't necessarily bring you happiness because there's a lot of crap that comes with it. Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
Speaker: So yeah, that and that, that, and like I said, health, um, I'm lucky to be, so i'd say 99% healthy. Um, and to get into your forties and not have any major health issues or scares, you know, that, that to me is, uh, definitely, i feel like I've been successful getting this far and not having anything bad happen. So I'd say that's my success so far. Yeah. I love it. um um All right. and This one I'm really interested because you and I have talked books many a time, but the most impactful book on your life.
Speaker: um if I ah mostly read books to do with, as you are well aware, sitcoms, 90s trivia, sitcoms. um Ask me a question on most 90s sitcoms, I probably know the answer from either reading the online or in a book or watching the TV show millions of times over and over and over. um I do love J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, but I wouldn't say that's had an impact on me. It's just I love the book. um Whether I should or not, I know it's controversial ah would say I love that book. right um Many would say I don't know why because the themes inside aren't exactly lovable at times. um
Speaker: The book actually, i think you read it. and I sent you Vex King's book, didn't I? Not ah not an actual copy of it. um I believe I sent you the link to listen to the audio book, I believe. And I'm going to find the title of it because I can never remember it.
Speaker: He has actually got a new book coming out, Vex King. He's got You Can't Please Everyone, which I um i like the sound of that. The premise of that, yeah. The book is actually recommended. You did send it to me and the name has escaped to me. It was recommended to me a couple of years ago, and it's Good Vibes, Good Life by Vex King. And it's basically how self, he's he's written on the front of the book, how self-love is the key to unlocking your greatness. And i'll tell you one thing, for ah a really easy to listen to or to read book, um just ways of overcoming, like again, for people in life, overcoming anxiety, overcoming anxiety,
Speaker: you know, work struggles and stuff of that, just how to live and be a bit happier. And there's certain things I, when I first heard the book, I thought, am I going to get into this? Because I think, as I said to you, the word hippie claptrap came to mind. life Is it, is it a bit, am I into self-love? Do i believe this? And I was in a bit of a place at the time. um Again, but before this, you know, that was at the end of the last relationship, actually. So I was in a state,
Speaker: And this book did help. you know what mean? There was a lot of things that i actually thought, actually, that's changed my perspective on that. And I don't need to worry about that. And I can, you know, when people say, put your worries in a red balloon and watch them float away. And saw that and you think, can I get into that? And I started listening to this book. I thought, actually, it makes so much sense.
Speaker: Do you know what mean? And am I allowed to swear on this podcast? Please, yes. Right. So someone once said to me, and I don't think it was Vex King in the book, but someone said to me, you can only give a certain amount of fucks a day. And if you work out that you've got two fucks to give that day and you use them by half past nine in the morning, the rest of the day, have to be carefree.
Speaker: Do you what mean? I can give a fuck about what I'm paying for milk in the morning, or I can give a fuck about someone saying something to me when I first got into work. But for the rest of the day, i cannot get stressed about anything. I just have to accept it.
Speaker: Don't worry about it. Just get through your day. So give yourself a certain amount of fucks to give that day, and the rest of the day is yours. And that came to me, and I thought, yeah, that's brilliant, actually. I can't i don't think it came from that book, but, again, that's something – in that book that that's the sort thing it teaches you. So that's why, that book probably had a massive impact on it. That was a very long way and long-winded way of giving you an answer. But if anyone's ever heard me on a podcast before, that was quite short. Right.
Speaker: No, I think that was tremendous. I've been looking forward to asking you this question, your final one, which I'm tweaking a little bit just because ah is of who you are. ill see No pressure then. No pressure. You set up your next camping trip with Gemma. You've got you've got the Volkswagen ready to go. It's filled up and Gemma suddenly can't go.
Speaker: And you get to take one 90s sitcom character. Not the actor or the actress, but the character themselves on a week-long trip bouncing around the UK somewhere. Who are you taking with you?
Speaker: Hmm. And I'm putting you on the spot. yeah Do you know what? I mean, I know that... you're going to think probably, well, there's a good there's a good chance I'm going to pick Matthew Perry as Chandler in Friends. yes Let's face it, Chandler's amazing. yeah um There's a good chance you'd think I might take someone like Martin from Frasier. That was my first thought, yeah.
Speaker: But I'm going to go right out, and it's still going to be someone you're going to think it's me. I'm going to go with Michael Flaherty from Spin City, played by Michael J. Fox. Of course. That didn't even cross my mind, but of course. Yeah. Because Mike is basically Michael J. Fox. he but I think he still plays himself. He's very him. He's a really fun guy. he loves basketball. he roller skates around. You know, he loves his music. He's a joker. But he's also highly intelligent. Great conversation. So, yeah, if I had to go with someone, it's going to be Mike.
Speaker: That's a great answer. Steve, this has been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much, man, for joining me today. Yeah, thanks for having me on, mate. It's great to see you. And you.
Speaker: Thank you again to this week's guest and I hope today's episode was as enjoyable for you as it was for me and perhaps even inspired your next adventure. If you did enjoy the show, please be sure to subscribe, leave a review or follow us wherever you get your podcasts. You can find more information at theoutdoorsyeducator.com or follow us on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook. Until next time, thank you so much for listening to The Outdoorsy Educator Podcast.
