Levison Wood: Why a packet of cigarettes could save your life

He has had more brushes with death than he cares to remember, but that doesn’t stop 35-year-old explorer Levison Wood from wandering into war-torn countries, meeting gang members, jumping over crocodiles and trekking through treacherous climates.

During his first expedition along the Nile, the former paratrooper faced the constant threats of robbery, dehydration and getting caught in crossfire. One scene in the four-part Channel 4 series Walking the Nile shows him scrambling to the roof of The South Sudan Hotel as you hear the crackle of gunfire. The same expedition saw the unexpected death of 39-year-old American travel and adventure journalist Matt Power, who suffered heat stroke.

But one of the most white-knuckle moments of Wood’s three walking trips so far was the moment he nearly died when his car flew off a cliff in the Himalayas. Roads, Wood tells Telegraph Travel, are the biggest danger while travelling.

“I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve felt my life has been in danger,” he says. “There’s always stuff that you’d expect, there's men with guns, there’s wildlife to contend with, there’s environmental hazards, there’s getting washed away in flash floods.

“But actually the biggest danger always is road traffic accidents. They’re always the boring thing that gets you, and I experienced that first hand with my car accident in Nepal when the brakes failed and we went off a cliff.”

For a few seconds, footage in Walking the Himalayas shows the horrific moment Wood and his crew plummeted 450 feet down the side of the cliff (the equivalent to dropping off the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in London).

He adds: “But also, you know, walking on roads, you’re going to places where road safety isn’t really thought of much. Drunk drivers, crazy drivers... people will just knock you off the road so that’s always the biggest danger.”

According to World Health Organisation figures, some of the world's deadliest driving destinations include Eritrea, Libya and Iraq – all countries that Wood has visited.

He warns that in order to keep safe you need to constantly be aware and keep your eyes peeled for whatever the dangers might be, roads or otherwise. “[It’s about] being diplomatic and not losing your temper, especially with people. And using your experience and your gut instinct to judge the situation on its own merits.”

One of his top tips is to carry around a packet of cigarettes – even if you don't smoke. He says that there are bound to be times on these types of trips where you find yourself in situations with armed guards or rebels, and they usually smoke. “It’s a great way to break the ice,” he claims.

Dangers aside, he’s quick to encourage people to “get up and go for it” if they’re thinking of travelling. But with such a colourful military background and wealth of experience, it could be seen as irresponsible to encourage other travellers to follow in his footsteps, particularly young people and solo female explorers.

“It depends on where you want to go,” he argues. “I wouldn’t say to every young woman travelling alone to go to Egypt, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. But I think there are lots of places that you can travel safely and that takes just a bit of guts to go and do it.”

Wood shrugs off the idea of terror threats and says he doesn’t think people should change their holiday or travel plans in fear of being attacked. He says: “The reality is terrorism happens everywhere. It happens here - quite frequently these days.

“I think it’s a worldwide problem. Obviously don’t take unnecessary risks but at the same time it is important to go to places and see the reality for yourself.”

Levison Wood is a judge for the San Miguel Rich List 2017, a list of 20 ‘life-rich’ individuals and groups who have devoted their lives to pursuing the most valuable of all things - experiences. For more information visit www.sanmiguel.co.uk