Grand Adventures. Alastair Humphreys

paralysed when pushing my wheelchair around the hospital grounds was a big adventure (no joke) – kind of a mini-expedition. When I’ve felt really daunted by a forthcoming adventure, I find it helpful to write down all my fears of likely problems. Then I try to think of one thing I can do, no matter how small or silly it might seem, to make myself feel more optimistic. For example, on the expedition skiing across the Greenland ice cap, I bought a fish-tank thermometer which has two temperature gauges, so that I could keep an eye on the temperature of my foot and my hip [as I have no feeling there, I cannot know if they are becoming cold], and reduce the risk of getting frostbite. I also carried a rape alarm in case we met polar bears as I understood they don’t like loud noises and I felt the most vulnerable of the team. Maybe they were crazy solutions, but they built my confidence, helped me overcome some fears and therefore made the whole adventure seem just a bit less daunting.

      Many of the people I spoke to are serial adventurers – they’ve been doing this stuff for years and may even be able to make a living out of what they do. But everyone has to begin somewhere. We were all novices once. If you have not done a big trip before, don’t be disheartened or feel that you need to limit your ambitions. Many, if not most, of the people I’ve chatted to in this book had very little idea what they were getting themselves into at the beginning. If you have the nerve to begin, the nous to learn and the capacity to persevere, you’ll probably achieve whatever journey you set your mind to.

      NIC CONNER

      CYCLED TO JAPAN ON £1,000

      The year before I went to cycle a bit of the Ridgeway – that was one overnight – but that was my only experience. It was quite a spur-of-the-moment thing to do. I like my sport, but I wouldn’t call myself athletic. I certainly carry a bit of weight. You know, I have love handles, I like drinking beer, I quite like a burger now and then. I wouldn’t say I have a nutritionist or am out at 5am every morning training.

      INGRID, SEAN AND KATE TOMLINSON

      CYCLED THE AMERICAS

      Other than buying the bikes and trailers and our tickets, we pretty much made up the rest as we went along. I think with a trip like this there’s only so much preparation you can do. If you waited until you were 100 per cent ready, and had researched everything you needed to know, you would probably never set off! We didn’t have enough money to buy fancy cycling gear. When we first packed the trailers and pannier bags (in Inuvik itself!) we realised that we were hopelessly overloaded and had to give half our gear away.

      © Ingrid and Sean Tomlinson

      © Archie Leeming

      TEGAN PHILLIPS

      CYCLED THROUGH SPAIN AND AFRICA

      I had no experience, no GPS, no set route, no sense of direction, no foresight and no coordination, which meant that I spent more time than not with absolutely no idea where I was. I fell off my bike at least once a day. I was attacked by wasps and thorn bushes and stationary poles. We never spent more than one night in any place. We camped under bridges, on private property (with permission), on private property (without permission), with friends of friends of friends, with people who just happened to be there when we couldn’t go on any more. But in the end I turned up in Alicante, which shows that if I can do it then anyone can. All you really need to do is this: Cycle. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

      MATT EVANS

      TRAVELLED OVERLAND FROM THE UK TO SAIGON

      I guess that if I was giving anyone advice on how to make the trip of a lifetime happen, it would be to take a deep breath and do something concrete that means it has to happen. We can all talk about what we want to do and make it sound convincing, but until you’ve actually passed a tipping point to make it happen – something that can’t be undone – then it’s all just dreams and window-shopping. Personally, I find dreams unfulfilling and window-shopping frustrating. So, take the plunge. Do something permanent and immovable. Once you’ve done that, you’ll find a way to make the rest fall into place.

      OLLY WHITTLE

      PADDLED THE MEKONG AND CROSSED FROZEN LAKE BAIKAL ON FOOT

      I set out utterly bricking it. I had pretty much no canoeing experience. I hadn’t been able to find a life vest and I had no idea if my canoe was river-worthy. It felt pretty unstable and it leaked more than I thought it should do. But I had half an old plastic carton to bail it out with – which later also served as a urinal on the go. The feeling of saying ‘here goes nothing!’ impossible to replicate back at home in our normal, sanitised, risk-free lives.

      JAMIE BUNCHUK

      LIVED WITH INDIGENOUS HUNTERS IN TAJIKISTAN AND MONGOLIA

      The single most practical thing a person can do to make an adventure happen is to book their flights to that country. Then you’re committed; everything else you’ll just have to work out and hopefully get right. Don’t wait for everything to be nailed down to the last detail before you commit, because an adventure can never be completely planned. At some point you’re just going to have to jump into the deep end. Book the trip and you’ve already made the leap.