I’m Andrew Benfield…

A very curious traveller, writer and broadcaster. Over twenty years ago, feeling that I didn’t quite belong, I left my home in England to go to see the world. And somehow I’ve never quite made it back.

Let me bring you along on my adventures as I discover breathtaking place, remarkable people, and maybe just a whole new way of seeing and being along the way.

Oh, and just so you know, I also have a little thing about yetis… For my full story, including what this ‘Particular Bear’ business is all about, please see here 🙏.

Yeti

Yeti is a 10-episode, BBC podcast and radio show that sees my friend Richard and I adventuring across the Himalayas in search of the truth behind this legendary creature - and soon discovering we’ve bitten off far more than we can chew.

Find Out More →

Quickies

A Slap-Up Good Shrine

The Bangkok place of worship that promises to save your body as well as your soul. Just so long as you don’t mind getting slapped about a bit.

No Reservations

Man without a plan - what happens when you set out on the road without a clue where you’re going.

Published in Nikkei Asia in April 2023

Magical Medicine?

How magic mushrooms changed my mind.

Published in Nikkei Asia in August 2025

Enter the Dragon

Discovering both dragons and hobbits in a single adventure!

Published in Nikkei Asia in July 2025

Getting to the Point

Why are thousands of people in Malaysia skewering their own flesh in the name of happiness?

Published in Nikkei Asia in April 2025

Basket Cases

Just why on earth have Vietnamese fishermen taken to putting to sea in oversize baskets?

Published in Nikkei Asia in January 2024

For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow?

London’s Royal Geographical Society meets the Tibetan Memorial Hall of Anti-British…

Flight Shaming

Getting from Bangkok to Singapore: can the train really beat the plane? I decide to find out.

Published in Nikkei Asia in July 2023

Everyone Has a Little Book in Them…

“Everyone has a little book in them and, in most cases, that is exactly where it should stay” - but what if you’re just desperate to get it out? Here’s how to do it.

Cultural Appreciation

What’s really yours anyway? Why many national icons might not be quite as exclusive as you think.

Published in Nikkei Asia in December 2021

Happy Beginnings

Fancy a prison massage, anyone?

Published in Nikkei Asia in April 2021