Benedict Allen is an explorer, adventurer, author and television presenter who finds himself in Dubai for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature with sessions on both Feb 4th and 5th.  

He tells Sonal about his expedition style that centers around immersing himself first with the local, indigenous people where he learns certain tools to survive, before setting off on a solo journey, without back up - so no phones, and no GPS through places like the Amazon rainforest, the Gobi desert, and the Arctic. 

It's a style that has landed him in some pretty life threatening situations.