FULL IMMERSION

Ben Fogle gives his top tips for getting the most out of travelling.

1 Pack light

So many people think they need to take everything with them but I pack an overnight bag. Take one pair of shorts, a waterproof jacket, warm top, woolly hat, a good pair of boots, underwear and socks and you’re sorted! Don’t overburden yourself — the more you carry with you, the less immersive you can be. One thing I’ve found is that the lighter weight you are, the lighter headed you are. When you’re in your house and everything is cluttered, sometimes you can’t sleep so well. Once you tidy up and clear up you feel a bit lighter. The same goes for travelling. I think so many people think they need to take lots of things, which is a burden. Lighten what you take and you’ll have a more immersive experience.

2 Immerse yourself

Make sure you have that form of immersion — get to know a local who knows the best restaurant or can even cook for you. Make sure you feel a part of that country, don’t just stay in some big international hotel and eat at some big multi-national corporate restaurant.

3 Live like the locals

as the locals would — even if it’s just for a night. Anyone can do it if they want to.

4 Be culturally sensitive

It’s very important to respect other countries and their culture — you’ll get a lot more out of travel if you do that. Part of the immersive experience is to be culturally sensitive.

5 Switch off

One thing I have noticed is the use of social media while travelling — so many people are so obsessed with getting the photograph and the likes and they disappear out of the moment. My advice would be to save social media for when you’re back home or at the airport. By doing that you actually get to be in the moment — so many people lose the reality as to where they are. No matter how beautiful a country anywhere in the world, as soon as you pick up a phone to go on to social media, you’re leaving that moment. By all means you can do that when you come back, but I think people need to become less of a slave to social media when travelling.

Ben Fogle is a British broadcaster and writer, who has travelled to more than 200 countries around the world. His new series Where the Wild Men Are UK premieres on BBC Knowledge on Monday, February 5, at 8.30pm.