New Lives in the Wild
A new series of New Lives in the Wild begins on Thursday.
Series 21.
Incredible really
It’s rare for a TV travel series to endure for nearly 15 years.
Over that time I have visited more than 150 individuals, couples and families in 100 different countries.
Each one wildly different. What began as a slightly cliched portrait of ‘wild’ folk and their beards has morphed into a more subtle, poignant and dare I say sophisticated look at the different lifestyle choices of people around the world (many of them women without beards)
One of the most surprising reactions I get from people who have watched the series is the notion that you somehow need privilege, money, or both, in order to start a new life in the wild.
While financial resources (like their habitats) vary wildly, the majority had, have and live off very little.
While we have indeed featured comparatively wealthy individuals. They are in the minority.
The majority have very fragile finances. We have covered dozens of stories featuring economic refugees, fleeing the financial pressure of modern life, for a simpler, less costly way of living.
Box van Dee escaped an abusive relationship and financial ruin in a vehicle.
Homeless man Rob, squats between Slab City and an island in Oregon.
Chris Lewis escaped PTSD to live in a tent with his family.
Jordan and Lewis fled Eastbourne and moved to a farm they bought sight unseen in Bulgaria for €2000……..the list goes on and on.
All people way below the average UK financial situation.
So why do so many people, even those super fans who watch the entire series, stillpresume that all those I film with are all privileged?
Maybe it’s because all the people I meet are indeed privileged, just not in conventional financial terms.
It always seems a little reductive to dismiss people according to wealth. Take the first episode in this series as an example.
Ali is one of the more financially secure people I have met.
A war journalist, she settled on an island in Lake Victoria, Uganda
Her finances and connections undoubtedly enabled her to embrace her new wild lifestyle on Bulago island but it is her fortitude, resilience and bravery that have endured.
In contrast, a retired policeman and his wife bought an island next to her but only lasted a year before leaving
The simple Life doesn’t suit us all
Of course money is an enabler but most of those I visit describe themselves as finically ‘poor’ but emotionally ‘rich’
If there is one commonality of all those we film with, it’s confidence, contentment and happiness.
The richness of their lives manifests itself in their lifestyle not in their bank balance.
Many live hand to mouth.
They are wealthy in soul not in readies.
While more the majority of our contributors featured on the series live off less than £6000 a year, what they lack in financial security and privilege, they make up for in emotional riches.
Free from the burden of materialism, they have each curated and designed, beautiful, simple, rich lives that are often bursting with the privilege of the soul.
Brilliant in colour
Take, American Scott as an example.
He had created one of the most beautiful new lives in the wilds of Utah.
He owned a picture postcard (Instagram friendly) cabin on the slip rock.
He had multiple buildings
A car.
beautiful cabin.
A summer outdoor kitchen.
A converted party bus.
In short he had, what I would describe as the perfect life.
And all for less than a few thousand dollars a year. They have zero financial savings or security. They have forfeit insurance and pensions for the immediacy of living for the now, in the moment , rather than for the future.
They are living for the journey not the destination.
A risky lifestyle choice by most standards but they have taken the gamble.
They are brave people, investing not money, but normalcy and society expectations to start again and simplify their lives.
In this series I spend time with Dave.
After losing his wife, he moved to a canal boat near Macclesfield.
His boat was beautiful. Stylish. Sophisticated. Comfortable.
His yearly costs, less than £10K a year with no debt, no mortgage and no job.
No burden. No stress
So back to th question of privilege.
Do you need money to live a successful new life in the wild?
Like everything in life, money creates opportunity and most importantly forges confidence.
And to make the lifestyle changes all the contributors have made, you need a hearty dose of that confidence.
But money is not the sole preventative of embarking on a new lifestyle
As a society we have lost sight of what success looks like and how we quantify it.
We have conflated success with the materialism of finances and money.
For those that have embraced new lives in the wild, success is measured in fuel, water, food, building materials and ultimately lifestyle and happiness.
Which brings me back to privilege.
Why do so many assume that all the people we meet on my series are wealthy?
The reason is that they ARE emotionally wealthy.
They are Billionaires in terms of contentment and happiness. They have fulfilled their dreams. Living the life they want to live rather than conforming to societies expectations
It manifests itself in their contentment
Their happiness.
Free from mortgages, debt, taxes and the financial scaffolding that most of us find ourselves trapped, they have been able to escape and build a life on their own terms, not based on their bank statements.
In a world in which we judge, compare and contrast everything on the metrics of financial success, new lives in the wild, remains a little window into an alternative metric of success.
It’s part of the enduring appeal of the series. An insight into an alternative way of living and looking at life.
The takeaway for me has always been simplicity.
We have all created a complex web of financial slavery into which we are each a prisoner.
The people we meet, have abstained from the pursuit of wealth instead chasing a simpler, humbler, happier lifestyle.You don’t need money to start a new life in the wild.
You need bravery.
New Lives in the Wild returns with a brand new series on Thursday 15th at 9pm on Channel 5 in the UK.
Excited for the new season @Ben Fogle The show inspires our own nomadic lifestyle, which is coming up on 10 years this February.
When people find out that we are a nomadic family, they automatically assume we are very well off, and the conversation usually turns very quickly to finances because I think people can’t understand how we manage to live the lifestyle we do, but the one thing we had to do to achieve it was to sell our home in the UK. So on one hand, I would say we were privileged in that we owned our house to have as an asset, but we gave up the security of having a home base to return to.
I honestly believe if we want something badly enough, we can achieve it and do what is necessary to reach our goal. I’m not saying it’s easy by any means, but it’s down to us. Thank you for all you do to show that living an unconventional life is possible and fulfilling.
Beautiful reasoning Ben - and this depth of research, insight, and genuine connection is undoubtedly one of the reasons your programme has outlived so many others. Long may you - and those who value emotional wealth - continue.