Step by Step by Simon Reeve [Book Review]

Some of you might be familiar with Simon Reeve from one of many BBC Travel shows he’s presented over the years. Whether it was his first back in 2003 (Meet the Stans) or his most recent (The Americas with Simon Reeve) from 2019. Or maybe it was one of the 19 shows he’s filmed in between. What many of you may not know is that Reeve scraped an education and was a truant in school. Yet somehow, he ended up writing a book about terrorism (pre 9/11). Then turned to a career presenting travelogues.

His book ‘Step by Step’ traces the story of his life and some of his best travel tales to date. From a brush with death (Malaria) to some of the lowest lows of his teenage years we see the story of how a boy becomes a man. In a very open way, we get to learn how Simon became Simon. How he grew into himself.

His book focuses on pivotal moments in his life, the things that changed him and shaped him. There’s a serious skill and self-understanding to be able to pick out these moments. I also found it really brave to tell such stories to a complete stranger. He balances his own experiences and feelings with those of the people he meets.

What is Step by Step all about?

Step by Step documents Reeve’s journey through life. From the childhood that shaped him to landing his first job as a journalist. For Reeve that first job became the making of him. With enthusiasm abound he soaked up every piece of journalistic knowledge he could. Climbing through the ranks he earned their trust.

His natural curiosity for the world shone through even at this early stage in his career. A perfect quality for a budding investigative journalist. But soon, Reeve would take a big step to embark on an unusual journey.

Investigative journalism and weapons of mass destruction

As a young 20 something, he had an ambition to write about terrorism. Sparked by a story he was investigating in the paper Reeve felt there was more to say and to uncover. Over the next 6 years, he found himself in some scary situations. Perhaps naivety and inexperience helped him keep going where others would not. His memoir looks back on his research for the book and questions some of the decisions. Should a young white man be meeting terrorists with no backup? But all in the name of a good story.

The result was a book about terrorism and Osama Bin Laden two years before the 9/11 attacks. He didn’t exactly predict the attacks. But his research led him to understand the world was about to meet a new breed of terrorism. Weapons of mass destruction.

In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Reeve found himself thrown into a world as an expert. An expert on this new form of terrorism. He appeared on global news stories to shed light on what could have led to such a devastating attack.

From terror to travel

Terrorism aside, most of us know and love Reeve for his travel. We know how he mixes facts, culture and personal experience out on the road and onto our TVs. Reading about his work into investigative journalism, and especially terrorism, is certainly not the picture I had in mind for the chap I’d seen on TV.

After an unusual career background Reeve soon burst onto the scene presenting Travelogues. Through friends of friends, Reeve found himself at the BBC ready for an interview. Only there did he discover the BBC had already been researching him. They thought he was presenter material. A few conversations later and he found himself agreeing to present for the first time. An unexpected turn of events but one that would change him forever.

Reeve’s journeys with the BBC took him through some of the world’s most remarkable countries, places and landscapes. It saw him experience first-hand:

• the terror of live minefields
• the intimidation of the KGB
• war-torn countries killing each other with machetes, guns or anything they could get their hands on.

Reeve would travel across mountains, through jungle, deserts and oceans. He would experience the places many of us may not even dream of. The places so remote or deep in conflict that we’d be unlikely to rank them high on our list of holiday destinations.

But Reeve was willing to do it all. That curiosity from a young age never. Now it just oozes out on our TV screens, or through his book. He uses this curiosity to tell us the history of a place or a country. But also, he tells it in such a way we feel a connection to what he’s talking about. It’s not just on the TV but it’s something that affects us, right there in our living rooms. Reeve shows us how other people, all over the world, have overcome impossible challenges. They’ve done this step by step.

Three travel-centric themes in Step by Step

Looking back on the book three themes stood out. I suspect I saw these three themes because they reinforce beliefs of my own. I guess they’re also many of the reasons I love to travel. So maybe I’m a bit biased when I lay these out. But I also think they say something about the man who wrote the book. They say something about his personal journey through life. It’s about how travel has shown Reeve more than the world itself.

1. Travel brings knowledge and learning

What better way to broaden the mind than through travel. Bringing history to life has a way of making it far more engaging than sitting reading it in a textbook. Doing your research is important don’t get me wrong. Doing it first allows you to truly appreciate the places you see.

2. Travel brings acceptance of other cultures

Seeing how other people live first-hand is a window into their lives. You can see how culture is formed and how it is lived. You may not agree with some cultures. But walking the streets you can at least understand how it came to be.

3. Travel brings perspective

Every country is unique and you can’t help but compare to your own. Whether the difference in what you see is good or bad, it certainly makes you think. It makes you appreciate what you have — your health, your freedom, your free speech. Nothing helps remind you how lucky you are, than by meeting someone whose luck was different. By meeting someone who just happened to be born in a country that doesn’t offer those fundamental things. It helps remind you, you’re one of the lucky ones.

My Reflection on Step by Step

Travel is a journey and to me, it’s all about the adventure of that journey. Reading Reeve’s book was like watching him go on that journey.

But it also made me think how different Reeve’s life could have been. The same for many other young boys and girls. Many of them, in this country or another, don’t get the chance to get out of the rut they find themselves in. Many young children leave school with little education and fall into bad places. It saddens me that someone like Reeve, with this curious mind, never got nurtured in school. It was only on landing a job as a journalist that his true skills — including grit and determination — had a chance to fully form and shine.

It makes me hope that Sage Adventures blog can be everything I hope it to be. That it can inspire people to make life their own. It can inspire you to find your own adventures and journeys. It can inspire you to make sure you are everything you hope to be in life.

Originally posted on Sage Adventures travel & wellness lifestyle blog: www.sageadventres.co.uk.