Speedy Boarding with Michael Young
The writer and illustrator of Life Crumbs talks Norway, visiting the outback and AI travel robots
Welcome back to Speedy Boarding, a bi-weekly series on Not That You Asked that is great news for those of you who are getting sick of me. That’s because it’s a series where I ask some of my favourite writers on Substack eight quick-ish questions about travel. So, the vast majority of the words you’re about to read weren’t written by me but by someone else.
This week the questions are being answered by Michael Young of Life Crumbs.
Michael is a writer and illustrator who spends a lot of time observing and wondering about things, which he then attempts to present in a thoughtful and funny way via his newsletter Life Crumbs. In between serious bouts of itchy feet, which have been helped by travelling the world whenever possible, and also an over-the-counter topical cream, he resides in his home state of Western Australia with his wife.
I really enjoy how Michael’s post go to places you don’t always expect. I particularly liked his recent post about connecting with another couple in an improbably named bar.
Okay, let’s get to the questions.
Where is the best place you’ve ever been and why?
This might very well be a recency bias thing but I have to say Norway. I spent a month there in 2023 and despite building up this image in my head of how great it would be, it still blew me away. It’s just the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Everywhere you get these rolling green hills, incredible forests and lakes, but then the most dramatic, bleak landscapes which are equally as stunning. Throw in the fact that the people are friendly and welcoming and how much the government looks after its citizens, it was honestly hard to find fault.
Perhaps the only blemish, and I’m aware I’m really clutching at straws here, would be that Norwegians seem to have a very lax attitude towards the presence of wasps. They seemed to be a constant menace but no one ever seemed fazed. On one occasion I was trying to eat a pastry in a bakery and was chased around by a wasp for two or three minutes, only to get bemused looks from the other customers. Eventually one lady told me that “the more you wave your hands, the angrier it will get,” as if I may have just been playing with the wasp and winding it up like you might do with the family dog. I couldn’t believe it. As I said though, only a minor blemish.
Where is the place you most want to visit?
Alongside seeing more of my own country (Australia), I would love to explore the U.S. Probably as part of a road trip. There’s just something so exciting about a road trip and that particular kind of buzz you get in the morning when you’re setting off somewhere new again. Not knowing what you might see that day and what your end destination will be like. And because the U.S. is a classic road trip kind of place, along with all the amazing national parks there as well, I think it would be a perfect combo.
Who's your dream travel companion?
Assuming I can't say my wife (who is my actual dream travel companion), maybe some kind of special AI travel robot that could check me in everywhere, carry all my luggage, provide directions, translate things and generally solve all my travel woes. The only downside would be that it would know everything and so that could potentially get on my nerves. There's nothing worse than a know-it-all travel companion.
Great news! I'm going to buy you a hat. The catch is that you have to wear this hat on every future travel trip at all times. What kind of hat would you like?
Well firstly, thank you for the hat. That's very kind of you. Secondly, I'm not a big hat guy and so if we were to go shopping for one together, you'd probably get really frustrated because I would try on lots of hats and take a long time to settle on one and it would almost certainly lead to you yelling at me and regretting that you ever offered to buy me a hat. So, with all that said, I think the safest option would be to go with a hat that has no brim and is made entirely of my own hair, so when I wear the hat it just looks like my own head. Albeit slightly larger.
Where is the place you never want to go back to?
There's a town in the north of Western Australia that my wife and I stopped in for one night on our way to visit the gorges in Karijini National Park. It's a mining town with not a lot going on, not particularly attractive to the eye and also a bit rough. So, a great combo. Somehow we managed to book an Airbnb in the dodgy part of town, which was surprising to me mostly because having a dodgy part of town suggests there is a part of town which isn't dodgy, which I found hard to believe after having spent some time there. In the end, everything was fine though and the only really minor thing that happened was that the people in the house down the street decided to have a party outside the front of their house, and then light a car on fire, and then the police turned up. That was pretty much it though. The next morning, we got up early, checked our bodies for knife wounds, and then left, never to return again.
You've been given a million pounds to live your best life in one destination for a year. The problem is - you're trapped there and can't leave for the year. Where would you go?
I wouldn't choose a big city like New York because a million pounds might only get me a few months before I'm broke again, so I would go for something out in nature. Perhaps I would ask Richard Branson if I could rent a bungalow on his island for a year. I imagine he's probably out and about most of the time too so I'd probably get the place to myself, so it'd be lovely and quiet. Bit of hiking, reading, riding jet skis. Everything you need really.
How do you decide where to visit next?
Quite often it's a case of paying attention to what feels the most exciting, and the most unknown and different. Budget and logistics also play a part too, but I think that can be a wonderful constraint to have. For instance, this year my wife and I aren't planning on any big overseas trips. We're staying local to Western Australia, so this has led to us deciding to stay at a sheep station in the outback, up in the north of the state. Originally it would have never made any big travel lists had I been asked to write one out, but having discovered this place - the beautiful landscape and everything there is to see - I'm incredibly excited about it. I would have probably never stumbled on it had I not had those constraints and done the research.
And finally, what's the one thing you never leave home without when travelling?
I love a pair of shorts. Especially a pair of swim shorts. This is probably the Western Australian coming out in me, but I always need to have a few pairs of shorts with me for lounging around in when I'm at my accommodation. Or popping over to the supermarket. And occasionally when picking up dinner. And very often when I'm going for a walk. Basically, I wear shorts a lot. Even when it's slightly too cold. I really hate to be that guy, but I've come to accept it.
A huge thanks to Michael Young for agreeing to be part of Speedy Boarding. If you liked this post please do consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to Not That You Asked. Paid subscribers get two free travel guides a month for just £4.99, which is way cheaper than Netflix. If £4.99 is a bit steep in this economy there’s a 50% off forever sale on at the moment to celebrate two years of Not That You Asked.
The next Speedy Boarding will drop on the 21st of March, next up is Andrei Atanasov!
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Chuffed to be a part of the series. Thanks, Tom!
Life Crumbs is great and Michael's wonderful quirkiness comes shining through. Especially if you're a wasp.