How to travel to challenging countries and hard to reach places

Any type of travel can pose a challenge, especially if you aren't used to being on the road. From cancelled flights, lost bags, medical emergencies and closed borders, there are many ways that travel can be tough, even for the most hardened explorer. But what about travelling to extremely challenging destinations, conflict areas and closed-off countries, is this even possible? How do you even begin planning an epic adventure to hard-to-reach places? This is where travel companies like Untamed Borders can help.   Formed in 2008 by professional fixers, supporting journalists wanting to reach often inaccessible and difficult areas, Untamed Borders specialises in travel to some of the most challenging and inaccessible countries on earth: from the Middle East to East Africa, Central Asia and the Caucasus. In this episode, we talk to the founder of Untamed Borders, James Wilcox about how travellers can get out of their comfort zone, how you can visit hard-to-reach places and why he rejects the term extreme tourism. For more information about Untamed Borders and the types of adventure trips they offer, head to their website – untamedborders.com  Huge thanks to our season 6 sponsors, Trip Mapper – a web and mobile app for travellers who love to design their own unforgettable travel experiences. Remember to visit tripmapper.co/travelgoals and use the coupon code TRAVELGOALS, to get 20% off an annual Trip plus subscription and start planning your next one-of-a-kind adventure! *** Hi, I'm your podcast host Portia Jones, [nickname Pip Jones] and I'm a freelance travel journalist, podcaster and newsletter writer. I've travelled extensively around the world and I'm available for hire for travel journalism and podcasting. You can see my online travel journalism portfolio here.  Are you a destination or travel brand that wants to sponsor the Travel Goals Podcast? Email me to discuss sponsorship and advertising opportunities on Travel Goals.  Make sure to connect with me online as well, I'm @travelgoalspod and @pip_says on Twitter and @pipsays and @travelgoalspodcast on Instagram. Enjoy the podcast!