Featured Image Credit: Josh Cahill / YouTube
Some YouTubers have made it their mission to explore the wonders of the world, and one creator endured an intense journey lasting 14 days in order to reach the world's most remote island, and the secrets he found was certainly worth the effort.
Between abandoned and 'cursed' hospitals near Venice and cities designed to copy American life in China, there is a veritable treasure trove of wonders that you can find on YouTube thanks to dedicated explorers documenting their travels.
They allow you to see and virtually visit areas that most people would never get the chance to in their life, and there are often an abundance of mysteries and secrets that become uncovered in the process.
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Airline and aviation creator Josh Cahill is known for these types of videos, alongside fascinating plane stories, and he decided to ditch the air for a lengthy boat journey when making his way over to Tristan da Cunha — the world's most remote island.
It was first discovered back in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha, but eventually became a sovereign state of the United Kingdom. Its main island is just 38 square miles (98 square kilometers) in size, with an estimated population of no more than around 250.
Most of its residents were forced to evacuate the island in 1961 when Queen Mary's Peak – the volcano close to the island's main settlement – erupted. 264 people in total fled to the United Kingdom, but within just two years 99 percent made their return, having struggled to adjust to the busier lifestyle.
Any form of immigration to Tristan da Cunha is impossible unless you have existing familial relations, and it's therefore understandably difficult to make your way there as a visitor.
Josh Cahill was aiming to take a boat that departs from Cape Town, yet that only departs around four or five times a year and is reserved exclusively for active residents. Instead, he sailed from Ushuia – the world's most sourthern city – in a journey that took fourteen days in total.
Upon getting to the island he managed to have a conversation with Conrad Glass: Tristan da Cunha's Chief Islander and the only police officer for a number of years now.
He revealed that while he's never had to arrest anyone during his 37 years in the role, he has issued a number of speeding warnings and revoked the driving licenses of some residents. Issues with people getting a bit too drunk are the main concern of his job too.
When questioned about the island's future, Glass expressed that Tristan da Cunha needs to change in order to survive, as there are a number of issues that could grow significantly over the coming years.
"People will stay here, but they have to make some drastic changes to their way of life," he argued, "because with an aging population and workforce that's getting smaller, there's going to be more work, so there's going to be more pressure on people of a working age."
He suggested that the proposition of bringing outsiders onto the island is one of the main ways that these issues can be addressed, but understandably that comes with some friction that challenges the notion of the island itself.
"They need to arrive in the real world, definitely," Glass said about the island's residents, "because they're not going to live in the 20th century [...] you have to move forward."
