A globetrotter and former councillor encouraged people to experience 'the unexpected' while travelling to see how varied the world is.
Tony Reid, who was a councillor for nearly 40 years, travels the world and said despite nearly being killed several times, he prefers the 'craziness' of certain countries to those which are 'manicured'.
He took on many councillor roles, including mayor of Prudhoe and chairman of Northumberland County Council, during his career.
Tony, who is now 75, quit working at the council in 2017 and has since travelled around the world for between nine to 10 months of the year, before spending intermittent months back in Newcastle and completing cycling trips around the UK.
READ MORE: Tony honoured for 20 years’ work as chairman of pension fund panel
Before retiring, Tony's full-time job was in the engineering department at Newcastle Airport.
One way he travels is by bike and he said he does this to keep himself fit and to experience more of the country he's visiting.
His normal routine is to travel to Asia in September including India, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and the Philippines, where he stays for approximately six months and usually returns to Newcastle in April for a month.
He then visits the United States and Canada for several months and often cycles across the continent, for example from Vancouver to Mexico, which he has done twice.
Sharing some travelling stories, Tony said: "I had been in Asia for six months and I came back to England last year, on March 30. I was in Newcastle for several days and I started cycling from Newcastle to Tynemouth, and I got hit by a car in North Shields. I woke up in hospital with cracked ribs, concussed and badly bruised.
"So last year I was out of circulation for three months because I had to use a walking stick. Then after I recovered, I cycled around England, from Cambridge to Bristol via the south coast and then went to the USA and Canada."
The trips he enjoys most are to countries like India. "I like the craziness of India and I normally spend three months there. There's corruption, religion, superstition, the people are wonderful, there's pollution - it makes an interesting experience. I prefer a rich experience rather than, say, the luxury of going to Singapore. The crazier it is, the more interesting it is."
However, it doesn't come without its dangers.
"I've nearly been killed a couple of times, but I prefer the craziness compared to a country that's manicured."
The closest time he was nearly killed was in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2016.
"I like my cappuccino, so I stopped at a Starbucks and had a cappuccino. I left the Starbucks and flew from Jakarta to Dubai. When I got to Dubai, the television was broadcasting about a terrorist attack in Jakarta. When I looked at the screen, I recognised the place."
Terrorists had launched a bomb and gun attack on the Starbucks Tony had visited several hours prior.
The second time, Tony was cycling in India and went around a bend in the road. He was going to a coffee shop but it was closed, so he cycled back the way he came.
"Ten or 15 minutes later, I went past the same spot and I saw there were two people who had been killed on the road. A wagon came around the bend and hit two people on their bikes and I missed it. You could say it's an occupational hazard for a traveller when you're going around developing nations.
"You've just got to have your wits about you, and sometimes it just fails," he said.
He was also arrested while in the province of Gujarat, India, for photographing in the Alang Ship Breaking Yard without a permit.
It is claimed to be the world's largest shipbreaking yard and has been featured in documentaries exposing the lack of environmental or safety restrictions to protect workers from toxic substances and hazards.
"I was engrossed in taking photographs and someone tapped me on the shoulder. I got arrested because they said I needed a permit to photograph the ships. They made me delete the photos and left me with one or two, but they weren't interesting."
Tony said there is an assumption that travelling like this is expensive, but he said he often saves money while visiting countries like Indonesia and India.
"Apart from the airfare and insurance, normally I save money. When I've been away for six months, I've got more money when I return than when I set out. No one should be intimidated by the cost of it."
He encouraged anyone to travel and experience the world for what it is rather than going on a package holiday.
"Sometimes people have been cocooned and they want to go abroad on a package, but I would say go and travel and come across the unexpected. Sometimes the things you see aren't good, but it demonstrates how varied the world is," Tony said.
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