Kris Actual Fluency Podcast, episode 50, season finale with Benny Lewis.
All right everyone, welcome back to episode 50 of the Actual Fluency Podcast. This is the big one. This the Goliath episode, it's the season finale of of season one. And I'm so excited to be here. In a way I'm also a little bit sad that the first season is ending because it feels like we're quitting in a way, but don't worry, we're coming back in just four weeks time. We'll be back with the the next season. And the next season is going to be so amazing. I've got so many great plans. And thanks to you guys for your support on the IndieGoGo campaign. Um there's now funds available to upgrade the equipment, to make the experience a lot better, and overall just produce a better podcast. So I'm super grateful for that. Thank you for those people who sent in emails, nice comments, retweets, shared it on Facebook, everywhere, you know, you guys are the best and you are the reason that I keep doing this every single week. So I have to thank you because you are the reason that I can keep doing it.
Today I've got a very special episode, episode 50. And you might think, well, it's the last episode of season one, so you probably got, you know, five, 10 guests planned and, you know, you're going to do a lot of wacky stuff. But I, you know, I thought about doing that, but I think that there's no reason to do that. The only person that I really wanted to get on the podcast when I started the podcast was Benny Lewis actually, because he was one of my big inspirations for starting the website, for getting into language learning to begin with. And his blog, Fluent in Three Months, provided me with so much inspiration and motivation that I just knew that I had to have him on the first season of the podcast.
But of course, back then I didn't know there was only going to be, I I didn't know it was going to be seasoned, but I just wanted to have him on. And I I sort of did have him on for episode 17, but it was kind of like Lauren, his girlfriend's episode, we were talking about her learning and how he was a coach and and and stuff. So, this episode is kind of a special one for me. It's very dear to me to talk to Benny. I met him in Berlin, and he's a an incredible guy. And he's just like you see in his videos, or you can read through his his blog posts. That's exactly who Benny Lewis is. So, I'm super excited to have Benny on and I'm not going to keep talking too long for this introduction this time. Um, but that's that's basically it.
And, oh yeah, an important thing. If you have any kind of feedback or suggestions, it could be guests, or if you have anything that you think could be better for the upcoming season two, now is a perfect time to get in touch. So go to afpodcast.com, and at the top you'll see a 'send me a message' button. And I'd love to hear from you because now there's a little break before the next season begins. It's a natural time for me to to improve the show in every single aspect. And one of the improvements would definitely be less me talking in the beginning, because I tend to ramble. And I'm also fearing this is going to be a bit of a ramble.
But anyway, I just wanted to introduce today's episode. And again, thank you for allowing me to be in your ears every Friday. And I hope that your language learning is going well. I'd still like to hear from you guys how your language learning is going. Do use that same contact me button there, and uh send me what you're working on, how it's been going the last year. I mean 50 episodes, that's about a year. So um, you know, we've been doing this for a year, and how far have you come? What have you been doing? Um, but enough of that. It's time for the final, the final interview of season season one. Season 50 is going to take a while, but it's the final interview of season one. And it's with probably the most famous polyglot of them all. So I hope you're as excited as I am about this, and I'll see you again March 20th for season two. And here he is, Benny Lewis.
All right guys, today is a very special episode. I've got with me one of the few guests that really don't require an introduction, but I'm going to give him one anyway. Benny Lewis is of course the author of the Fluent in 3 Months blog and book, and he's been traveling the world for over 10 years, learning over 12 languages. Benny, how are you doing today?
Benny Lewis I'm keeping busy and I'm very happy to be on. Thanks for having me for this uh special episode.
Kris Yes, indeed, it's a very special episode, it's the episode 50, the last episode of the first season. And where are you actually calling from?
Benny Lewis Um today I'm talking to you from Melbourne, Australia, down under.
Kris Oh, fantastic. So while we're enjoying the grayness and rain and cold of Europe, you're enjoying the sunny Melbourne.
Benny Lewis That's right, yeah. And on top of that, I'm enjoying being in one place for a month, cuz uh for pretty much all of last year, I was on my book tour, moving around all the time. Whereas now I got a lovely nice uh apartment that I'm just staying in for 30 entire days, which for me is a very, very long time, actually.
Kris Wow, that must be so interesting though. Can you maybe go a little bit deeper into that? How many I said 10 years or over 10 years traveling?
Benny Lewis Yeah, it's been it's been 12 years at this stage. Right. Constantly on the road, no base. Uh so it's a very, very different lifestyle.
Kris But how do you not get I wouldn't say bored of it, because obviously there's lots of challenges, but are you not hungry for that stability of a base by now?
Benny Lewis Oh, yes, absolutely. But one the reason I've been able to keep it up as long as I have is language learning. I've met, I've met a lot of long-term travelers who reached their limit at maybe three, four or five years because if you speak English and go to another country, you will have the exact same experience over and over again. You'll find the same kind of people in new castles and you find the same kind of people in the English expat community. But if you're speaking the local language, your your cultural experience is going to be astoundingly different. So that's kind of kept me on my toes as long as it has.
Having said that, there is a a limit. So I um of course now I'm traveling with uh my girlfriend Lauren and we've kind of figured that next week or next year, we're going to slow it down a little bit. I mean, we'll still always travel, but uh we want to at least have somewhere to um to call a base, you know?
Kris Right. And of course, a lot of people get inspired by this way of life. Um I was personally inspired by it for for a while. And what I realized was that I I I just couldn't do it. I'm too uh comfortable, you know? So so I'm I'm I'm more better off just getting a an apartment somewhere in a a country that has nice airline connections and just just staying in a country for a month or however long I want to and then always having that home to go home to. Uh I guess you I mean you make it look very uh, you know, exciting and glamorous. And for most people it probably would be. But I guess there's a tiny fine print there that it's not for everyone, I suppose.
Benny Lewis No, no. There's loads of problems with this lifestyle. I've I've blogged about it that the constant travel has uh has many downsides. Um and I like I said, I'm actually even even just for 30 days, I'm relieved to have to be in the one place. And I'll definitely look forward to actually owning furniture and and instead of always having to travel with a laptop, cuz a a laptop is great, but I I do a lot of high-power stuff. So I actually have to buy a new laptop every year because I wear out my laptop so much. Whereas that wouldn't it wouldn't happen with a desktop, cuz desktops are um are more versatile, more powerful, they don't have to cram the space in, they don't have to have a tiny fan. I I actually have literally melted some of my computers. I've used them so much. So but I've no choice because I'm traveling. I can't I can't buy a desktop. So uh there's all these little things.
And and then there's of course the sense of community, cuz when you move on, you don't get to um you you will get I do have long-term friends and there'll be people I'll be seeing at the Polyglot Gathering that I look forward to seeing again. And there are other events and other communities that I do get to see uh who travel a lot. But ultimately, um when you live in the one place, you are part of a community. And that is uh so I've considered the last 12 years to be an education, helping me for a longer-term lifestyle.
Kris Right. And for a traveler who's seen so much, how do you choose a a place to live?
Benny Lewis Oh, that's easy. We've decided we're going to move to Antarctica for um with a long term. You know, that way we we don't well when I announce it on the blog, then nobody's going to complain to me that um I haven't uh you know, that I've been biased towards one continent.
Kris Right. Well, you need to see Yeah, you need to see them all, that's right. Obviously we'll um we'll uh come to that decision logically and like uh thinking uh weighing all the pros and cons, you know?
Kris Fantastic. And of course a big part of the Fluent in 3 Months blog or experience almost, I mean it's not just a blog, let's be honest, has been encouraging language learners and it's something that you've been sort of doing from day one almost. Um what do you say?
Benny Lewis Yeah, that's right. So it doesn't really have to be about the travel as you as people would have seen last year, uh a lot of people told me their favorite project was Lauren's Esperanto project. And um that one we were traveling, like I was on my UK book tour at the time, but the travel aspect of it was kind of irrelevant, just that we were showing her progress and then we ended it in the Polyglot Gathering. So this is why I can definitely tell people the language learning aspect of the blog will continue uh forever if I have any say in it.
Kris All right. Yes, yeah, I remember there was some confusion, or maybe not confusion, but some people said that,
