Matt Prior served in the Royal Air Force for six years, has visited over 100 countries and been involved in world record breaking expeditions.
MATT PRIOR spent six years in the Royal Air Force which he attributes heavily to what inspired and enabled him to go on and become the person he is today. He has completed world record breaking expeditions and more recently has formed the ‘Adventure Academy’ which helps people at a crossroads in life find themselves and get inspiration from the great outdoors and all it has to offer.
In this incredibly frank and inspiring interview Matt talks to us about his time in the Air Force and what have been some of his biggest achievements in the world of adventure. His intelligence and thoughtfulness will certainly leave you with food for thought and perhaps give you new ideas about the world and what can be accomplished when you put your mind to it.
To find out more about Matt and the Adventure Academy visit www.mattprior.co.uk.
Matt flying low level in a Royal Air Force Hawk around Scotland.
Could you tell us about life in the Royal Air Force and the lessons you learned while there?
Well it definitely wasn’t your standard 9-5 that’s for sure, and as with all these things it didn’t quite go to plan but I’ve no regrets serving my six years. The best thing for me was the people I got to meet, live and work with. I do struggle sometimes not being surrounded by those people anymore. They were high achievers, very capable, keen on sports and the outdoors and when they said they’d do something they’d do it. Almost all had a ‘can-do’ attitude despite the challenges that faced them which was always admirable and infectious. They’re probably the biggest thing I miss to be honest.
The reason I joined the military was for all the unique experiences you can’t get from normal life. After Officer training and a brief stint with the Tri Service Survival Evasion Resistance and Extraction Unit I flew several different aircraft including Fast Jets all over the UK. I was also able to complete a number of outdoor courses and visited various corners of the globe which are hard to get to by conventional means and so I felt I did quite a bit with my time – but there was definitely more that I wanted to do. Unfortunately it all came to a sudden stop with the government cuts and subsequent redundancy – shit happens as they say. Since then I did what I did when I was 12 and looked at all my options and what made me tick and now I have another ambitious grand plan which is currently underway!
I think the military in general gives you: a good foundation, teaches you a lot of core principles in life, shows you what you’re capable of and shows you how important high standards are.
Looking back I’ve learned that with the right people around you, you can achieve almost anything. For me personally, I’ve learned that I need variety in my life and I’m definitely not a one trick pony. Other things are that perceptions can be very different to realities and that the grass is not always greener. (Whichever side you’re on, there’s always pros and cons with anything you do.) All useful for going forward!
You have travelled to an extensive list of countries. When did your passion for travel begin and what have been some of the highlights of your time on the road?
It began at quite a young age I think. I’ve always been infatuated with those world globes. All the way through school if there was one of those or a map on the wall, the teacher had lost me and my mind was running wild with questions, thoughts and dreams about what goes on in these places. I could never really shake it and as soon as I started to earn my own money as a teenager it started to become accessible and so I started to dabble. I guess it just kept growing from there. The problem is the more you do the more you want to do!
As for highlights, there are many many highlights, too many to mention but here are a few; third world prisons, the different mafias around the world, the pure natural beauty of some of the places and the most importantly the kindness and generosity of the average human being. I love the randomness and unpredictability of a lot of the stuff I do and that is where the appeal lies for me, you never quite know what’s around the next corner!
Matt’s most recent challenge has been The Ice Run which involved circumnavigating a frozen lake in Siberia. After recovering his friend who broke his leg in an accident on day two of the trip. Matt went exploring alone in South America across deserts, the Andes and the Amazon.
Could you tell us about some of your expeditions including ‘The Ice Run’ and ‘It’s On The Meter’ and what has inspired you to take on the challenges?
The Ice Run was the most recent. I was asked by a company called the Adventurists if I’d like to be a pioneer for one of their new ideas which had never been done before. There’s a lake in Siberia that freezes over into an isolated, forgotten wilderness and they wanted to see if it was possible to circumnavigate it on a WWII motorbike and then, if we returned alive, report back on our experience. It was a real challenge, more mechanical than anything else and you’ll see from the pictures it was like being dropped on another planet! We did it in aid of four charities and were supported by GoPro and Klim. We experienced earthquakes, crashes, numerous mechanical defects and survived out on the lake for the duration in temperatures below -30C degrees and winds up to 80mph.
Matt Prior on the Ice Run which was sponsored by GoPro.
The taxi trip was an interesting one, a bit different to the Ice Run. I got a call from one of my friends who had this idea and asked if I could help get it up and running. Unfortunately I was in the Airforce at the time and so couldn’t go but I helped as much as I could anyway. This soon changed when I was made redundant though and I was lucky enough to be able to join them just after India which was ideal as I had done most of what they had done up to this point on previous trips. We took the Taxi through Nepal, into Tibet up to Everest Base Camp, all the way round China, SE Asia and down to Australia which is where the guys met some Russian billionaires who wanted to use the trip as a media tool to launch an app.
I was in South America at the time on a motorbike as I’d left before the Australia segment trying to work out what I was going to do with my life and after some discussion I was informed that the trip was going to continue despite already breaking two world records and that they were off around the US. I jumped at the chance and cut the motorbike trip short knowing I could go back and do that at a later date. As you can imagine it was awesome!
In terms of inspiration for these trips, I wouldn’t say there was anything in particular apart from being on a bit of a mission to make the absolute most of the time we have on this planet as I’m very aware that it’s not long! I’m also curious about all sorts of different things, I think this is the main driver rather than anything specific that has inspired me.
Matt exploring in Indonesia with the Adventure Academy.
You hold the world record for the highest place reached in a taxi. What did that involve and are you confident of holding onto the record for a while?
Well as you may have guessed, it involved going somewhere quite high, 17,143ft to be more specific, it was over a high pass in Tibet which is actually quite a bit higher than Everest Base Camp. It was ambitious as we weren’t sure if the taxi which had half a million miles on it before we left would have the legs but she did well and when we eventually got up there, we were all a little surprised that we’d actually made it! There was a lot of smoke coming out the back but all in all quite remarkable. With regards to anyone breaking it in the future, it’s possible but I’m not sure there are many places around the world you could physically go in a London taxi that are higher than that – good luck trying though!
Which charities have benefited from your expeditions and how important are they to you personally?
I can’t go into them all as there’s quite a long list but I’ll mention a few which are particularly important to me. Leonard Cheshire was a charity which helps the disabled and my Grandpa was heavily involved with helping them financially, by designing products which made their lives easier and driving minibuses for them. After he passed away I said I would help continue his work where I could. I’ve done a few things to support them in the past few years.
Another is Help For Heroes due to my military connections. It’s a real shame that our own government can’t help our veterans after the sacrifices they have made but it just shows how many good people there are out there and how when they all come together what can be achieved.
I’ve also supported Plan UK, they help kids who I have a soft spot for and set up sustainable projects that can be run by the locals with no external help and that’s what I like about them. They provide opportunity without people being dependant. I have more planned to support these guys in the future.
Matt pictured in front of a volcano.
Could you tell us some more about the Matt Prior Adventure Academy and its aims and purpose?
It’s a culmination of many ideas all rolled into one to try to combat the standard excuses you get with adventures, big ideas or dreams and help to actually make these things happen. The idea is to help show people what they are capable of and what benefits adventure can bring to their life.
The aim is to take people who are either bored with life, stuck in a rut, going through hard times or just a bit lost and need a leg up and give them an introduction to adventure from conception to completion while actually on an adventure and having several once-in-a-lifetime experiences all in under one week. With the bottom line being to help people achieve whatever it is they want to achieve.
The week long courses based out in Indonesia includes: active volcanoes, motorbikes, hidden villages, waterfalls, trekking, hot springs as well as practical advice on how to get everything up and running and what needs to be considered when embarking on any adventures.
It was launched at the Adventure Travel Show in London and received an overwhelming response. Since then interest has grown daily and I’ve been contacted by all sorts from professors with connections to NASA to business owners to people who just have a dream and need a hand making it happen. It’s great to be part of something that has never been done before and is constantly evolving.
If you could sum up your message to others who are inspired by what you do in no more than 15 words what would those words be?
Go for your dreams, follow your curiosity, do what makes you happy and don’t give-up.
Matt is dedicated to helping people see what they are capable of in life and introducing them to adventure.
Do you have any exciting plans for the rest of the year and are there any expeditions in the pipeline?
For the rest of the year I’m concentrating on running the remaining Adventure Academy courses and preparing for an upgrade with my flying job. It’s tricky running two careers/passions alongside each other and so sometimes there’s a bit of compromise as you can’t do all that you’d like to do which is a tad frustrating.
Adventure wise I have two big plans in the pipeline which involve some of the worlds biggest brands and the continent of Africa. If one of them in particular goes ahead you’ll definitely hear about it in the near future! It’s exciting going for big ambitious plans but at the same time you have to be careful saying too much too early. I have had a few ambitious plans that have fallen through but the more you do this sort of stuff the more you realise this is just how it is unfortunately. It’s generally funding or genuine safety concerns that are the main reasons things get pulled.
In the future with the Adventure Academy, I plan to start working with the top decision makers of the world and more of the worlds less fortunate, disadvantaged people and run alternate courses using adventure as the medium to benefit both groups. This is what I really want to do and where I think I can offer the most value.
To find out more about Matt and the Adventure Academy visit www.mattprior.co.uk.
