MY JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME
How Simon became one of Wales’ biggest online stars
AFTER dropping out of university twice and leaving a job as an estate agent, Simon Wilson now makes a living travelling the world on adventures for his YouTube channel.
He has been viewed by millions of people with popular videos that include sneaking into the Oscars, visiting the seven wonders of the world and travelling across North Korea.
While it is a vocation that Simon himself describes as out of the ordinary, he says he is currently living his dream in a job that he wouldn’t want to change.
The vlogger describes the journey that took him from his life in Wrexham to become a YouTube star.
“I used to be an estate agent before this but to be honest it didn’t go too well. It wasn’t a terrible job but I just wasn’t getting what I wanted out of it,” Simon, 29, said.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted at that point so I just thought to myself, ‘you know what, I’m going to leave this and go travelling’. I had never really travelled before and I didn’t have a penny to my name, but somehow I managed to get around America and Thailand for three months and absolutely loved it.
“On one of my trips I picked up the camera and started to film myself and it all sort of spiralled from there. There were a few videos where I would sneak into events such as the Oscars in Los Angeles, or the McGregor vs Mayweather fight in Vegas, and it just got such a good response that I decided to carry on.
“I was doing this sort of stuff anyway so the only difference now is that I’m filming it.”
Simon now has 661,000 subscribers on his channel since uploading his first video in January 2017. It showed him taking part in a series of adventures in some of the world’s most exotic and dangerous locations.
His most popular video has gained more than three million views to date, with a challenge that saw him drive from Liverpool to Madrid in a £40 car for the 2019 Champions League final. He is also known for taking part in “no money challenges” where he spends days on end in places such as Bangkok and Dubai without any money.
For Simon, however, he says the true highlight is not the amount of travelling he does, but meeting a wide variety of people along the way.
“I’ve been all over the world at this point and I absolutely love meeting and working with new people more than anything. For that reason I would have to say my favourite trip was in North Korea. I don’t usually get nervous but there was definitely a part of me that was thinking, I might not be coming home after this one, which is a little bit crazy.
“I travelled right across the country and in the end the experience I had was absolutely amazing. It was a beautiful place and for me to get the opportunity to interact with people from such a different part of the world was very humbling.
“When you think of North Korea, people automatically assume it’s this super dangerous and terrifying place, but that wasn’t what I found. In fact the local people I met were so friendly and welcoming that I’ve actually made plans to go back.
“You should never judge a book by it’s cover, and if a normal guy like me from Wrexham can go to these far-flung places and engage with people, then it shows we’re not all that different.
“Of course I am known for getting in some tricky situations, so my poor mum does get very worried about me, though after a couple years of doing it I think she is starting to get a little bit better each time.”
And it isn’t all fun for Simon who splits his hectic schedule between travelling, filming and managing the complicated business aspect of his popular channel.
Like most YouTube stars Simon earns his money through a series of sponsorship deals and ad revenues and currently leads a team of six staff at his office in Manchester where hours of work are put in.
“It’s very time-consuming and there’s definitely a lot more that goes into the videos than people realise,” he said.
“Obviously we have to make and edit the videos but there’s a whole range of things behind the scenes, such as promoting the brand, sharing the content across platforms, and even just coming up with ideas.
“There’s a full-time job filming, and another managing the business in the office. All of that aside I am living my dream at the moment, and if it wasn’t for YouTube I dread to think what I’d be doing now.
“My message to anybody would be that you can do the same thing as well, and anything is achievable if you put your mind to it.
“Hopefully people can watch my videos and realise that you only live once, so why not book that trip or holiday you’ve been wanting to go on, and really just enjoy your life to the fullest.”