No need for an ‘SEO-friendly-keyword-flooded-encyclopedic-breakdown’ of what this bitesize clip from episode 1 is all about. Just invest 3 minutes from your busy schedule and give it a listen.

Share it if you agree. Move your thumbs and choose something else if you don’t. I’m good either way. 

Just as long as the algorithm and the robots aren’t pestering us to optimise engagement, then I’m happy.

Listen to the full opening episode where this clip was taken from HERE on Apple Podcasts. Or listen to it HERE on Spotify.

Keep the dream alive guys, you're enough as you are.

Much love & time-travelling kisses, 

Rich xx

YouTube Channel & Substack Link Coming Soon

Email me with your thoughts about the diary and to get on the mailing list even before the newsletter is ready: [email protected]

This is all still in its embryonic phases of development, so it's great to have to here!

This isn’t the official trailer, but it’s probably the closest thing to one for now. In this bitesize clip from the opening episode I talk about why I’m finally publishing the words I wrote all those years ago. 

You’ll hear how my nephew read a piece of my diary about scuba diving that left a lasting impression on him. 

How I’d managed to capture something he'd felt himself but couldn’t quite put into words. And how his reaction made me wonder who else this might speak to in 2025. 

If you’re curious why someone would share something this old, in the hope that it still means something, grab your headphones and get involved. You can listen to the full opening episode here on Apple Podcasts or here on Spotify.

It’s lovely to have you along for the ride.

Much love & travel blessings,

Rich xx

YouTube Channel & Substack Link Coming Soon

Email me with your thoughts about the diary and to get on the mailing list even before the newsletter is ready: [email protected]

This is all still in its embryonic phases of development, so it's great to have to here!

If you’re new here, check out the opening episode here on Apple Podcasts or here on Spotify, where I explain what this raw, personal, and very much “in the moment” travel diary is all about. Here's a bitesize clip if you haven't got half an hour to spare! Listen on Spotify here if that's your thing. 

These 18 year old memoirs were never written as a polished travel blog. Nor a way to make money or go viral (I don’t think “going viral” was even a thing back in 2007). These words were just me, a 30 year old guy trying to make sense of what he was seeing, who he was, and where the hell he was going next. 

Today’s extract is from the Philippines, back in the day when I was training as a dive master on the island of Malapascua. I talk about pre-dawn beach waits, blood-red sunrises, and diving at Monad Shoal—a place famous for its elusive thresher sharks.

These are incredible creatures with absurdly long tails they actually whip their prey with. This entry is my wide-eyed account of seeing one up close underwater, plus a bit about cleaner wrasse, 'La Niña' rains, and the ridiculous beauty of that part of the world.

Hope you enjoy it. Ring the bell for notifications of the latest episodes, follow and of course rate the show if you like it, or just tell me what you think by email.

Love and blessings,

Rich xx

PS - share it to spread some classic non-AI curated art!

YouTube Channel & Substack Link Coming Soon

Email me with your thoughts about the diary and to get on the mailing list even before the newsletter is ready: [email protected]

This is all still in its embryonic phases of development, so it's great to have to here!

Click HERE to listen to a bitesize clip from this episode. Or HERE if you'd prefer Spotify!

Hi, I'm Richard. 18 years ago, after yet another failed business venture sent me into depression and soul-searching I decided to run away from my troubles in shame and in secret. 

This was 2007. Before smartphones, before Instagram, before travel became an endless feed of staged selfies and 20-second TikTok videos. I poured out my thoughts and experiences onto my Facebook ‘Wall’, a feature they created way before the ‘Status Update’ was even a thing!

In this opening episode, I explain why I'm revisiting the words I wrote all those years ago. How my impostor syndrome convinced me that the world just wasn’t ready for something this unfiltered. 

Fast forward to 2025 and times have changed. We’re all so sick of AI made perfection and dopamine-driven bullshit that NOW is the perfect moment for something so truly authentic. 

No edits, no AI polish, no marketing spin. 

Just the voice of my 30-year-old self trying to figure life out on the road.

Stick around to the end, where I read an extract called "The Delhi Room Con"—a vivid snapshot of arriving in India in the middle of the night, convinced I was too street-smart to get scammed. 

Spoiler: I wasn’t.

If you want to know what travel really felt like back then (when the best thing Steve Jobs had made was the iPod), then get involved.

Leave a comment, rate the show, and share it with anyone who needs to feel good today.

Love and blessings,

Rich xx

YouTube Channel & Substack Link Coming Soon

Email me with your thoughts about the diary and to get on the mailing list even before the newsletter is ready: [email protected]

This is all still in its embryonic phases of development, so it's great to have to here!