Raising Outside Kids in A Digital World - Henry Brydon (We Are Explorers)

🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps *Adventure Diaries* reach more listeners. Thank you. Today's guest is Henry Brydon — adventurer, writer, and founder of We Are Explorers (Australia's biggest adventure publication) and Outside Kids (a platform for dads raising adventurous children). In this episode, Henry shares his epic two-year, 38,000km bicycle journey from London to Sydney through 30 countries — including Central Asia in minus 30°C temperatures and the Middle East during the Arab Spring, all on a $5/day budget. He unpacks what the trip taught him, how it shaped his mission to raise adventurous kids, and why "good friction" matters for children growing up in a world full of digital distractions. This is great conversation and even more so for fathers **Guest Links** - Outside Kids: https://outsidekids.co.uk - We Are Explorers: https://www.weareexplorers.co - Henry Brydon Instagram Chapters 00:00 —"Let's go to Beijing" 00:56 — Welcome to the Adventure Diaries Podcast 02:31 — Meet Henry Brydon of Outside Kids & We Are Explorers 03:26 — Growing up in Shrewsbury & the road trip that sparked it all 07:22 — From Dubai recruiter to London–Sydney by bike</title> 10:16 — The route: Europe → Balkans → Middle East → Asia 11:28 — Kurdistan in midwinter & the kindness of strangers 12:56 — Arab Spring, Syria, Iraq & shifting world views 16:54 — Iran, Tehran couch-surfing & Indonesia highlights 19:15 — Arriving in Sydney & meeting Susie on day one 22:35 — Lessons from the trip: agency, self-belief, comfort with uncertainty 27:20 — Founding We Are Explorers 39:13 — Why he launched Outside Kids 43:22 — Dads, rough-and-tumble & writing with humor 47:26 — "Good friction": building resilience through discomfort 50:35 — Shared family memories & making the most of time with kids 54:46 — Advice for parents new to the outdoors (start small, geocaching, litter-picking adventures) 1:01:32 — Off-grid cabin trips & digital detox with "Brick" 1:05:11 — Upcoming dads & kids camp-out (June) 1:06:35 — Pay It Forward: Marcus Skeet (The Whole Boy) 1:08:50 — Call to Adventure: Tasmania & the Franklin River 1:10:27 — 10 Fire-Round Questions 1:17:51 — Wrap-up & where to find Henry Send us Fan Mail Support the show **Thanks For Listening.** If you enjoyed this episode, please **leave a comment and subscribe** for more exciting content. Please visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO  For more authentic stories of Adventure Exploration and the natural world The **Adventure Diaries Podcas**t also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering