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horizons. You can either plan it meticulously like a
military operation or go off-piste and see where you
end up. There are plenty of travel books, blogs and
magazines to inspire your trip. For me I used to
escape my desk and fly to different locations to
sample the culture, wonders of the world and often to
play sport (rugby).
Don’t worry if you don’t know many people when you
start, it is incredible how many people you will meet
through travelling, bizarrely often people from just
down the road. “Small world but of course we
wouldn’t want to paint it”! Al Humphreys used his
bike to follow his dream of cycling round the world
and now encourages people to try micro adventures,
more manageable trips.
Big journeys
One of my most incredible moments was seeing
Africa from the Spanish mainland whilst cycling and
kayaking from London to Marrakech, another
continent under my own steam. Some lands and
places capture our hearts like the Yukon in Canada
and Alaska, which are very special wilderness areas.
A journey is something that changes us, it’s often
tough, it emerges us in the task and of course when
we look back we feel a sense of satisfaction of how far
Canoeing the River Yukon
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we have come. This is also a useful metaphor for life!
In Britain there are 15 National Trails and 15 National
Parks which offer the feeling of exploring and seeing
beautiful landscapes and wildlife.
Learning new skills and activities
Learning a new skill or activity for your adventure is
really exciting and fulfilling. Over the years I have
completed different safety and leadership courses for
kayaking and canoeing, each one proving that
everyday is a learning day. Courses could include
mountain leader skills, paddling courses or even
wilderness first aid. Again you get to meet new
people and join a positive community of like minded
people. BAMbassador Squash Falconer learnt to ride
a motorbike at an early age and then paraglide and
climb and put the whole lot together for her Mont
Blanc expedition.
Visiting iconic and historic
locations
I absolutely love visiting iconic locations that link us
to our past and historic moments in time. I am
preparing to head back to the Yukon for the fourth
time which was the scene of the Gold Rush in 1898
where ordinary people went to seek their fortune and