Category: Articles & Essays
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Some thoughts, as the Beer Can Stove video goes viral
At the time of writing, the video above has been played 1,311,131 times. Needless to say, when Armen and I popped out to buy a couple of cans of Kozel for this film, we were not expecting this to happen. It’s been fun to watch the statistics over the last few days. It’s also been interesting to ruminate on why content ‘goes viral’ — internet shorthand for a shedload of people seeing something online in a short space of time. What it boils down to, I think, is simple, resonant ideas put into easily shareable form, plus a dice-roll. The dice… Continue reading →
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A Rather Open Update-Rant on the Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Janapar
No, I’m not selling anything. I know almost everyone who reads this blog has seen Janapar now. I’d just like to share a selection of the more interesting, challenging and downright bizarre things that have happened since we released the film one year ago. The first thing that happened, at 9am on November 27th 2012, was that most of you bought Janapar and watched it. We received a lot of fantastic feedback and took a strong first step towards paying off the (considerable) costs of the film (no, we haven’t finished doing that yet). The second thing that happened, a few days… Continue reading →
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We Were Not Born Talented, Brave & Fearless
There’s one important thing to understand about adversity: You can’t prevent it. It is a consequence of life on Earth over which you have no control. You might choose to stave off situations of adversity — bad weather, hunger, lack of shelter, indecision, getting lost, and in general being way out of your comfort zone — simply by staying at home. But your comfort zone will become stagnant. You will, through inaction, have created a situation of existential adversity. Out on the road, when your daily routine is grounded in the immediate and present and tangible, your problems will follow… Continue reading →
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What the heck am I supposed to do now?
Bulgaria. Autumn. I roll to a halt beside Andy. “Mate,” he says. “We have a problem. A really big problem.” I look down. There’s a six-inch crack along the rim of his rear wheel and the inner tube is bulging horribly from the gaping maw. We are only 3 months into our round-the-world bike ride. What the heck are we supposed to do now? Continue reading →
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How To Free Your Inner Adventurer
There are, broadly speaking, two categories of Big Adventure. Category One is the “blank slate” journey. It begins with a wholesome hatred of present circumstances; an acknowledgement of the stagantion of the protagonist’s life. This loathing catalyses a full-bodied response: burn each and every bridge, dispose of all tangible reminders thereof, and bugger off into the sunset. The desire never to be seen or heard of again is strong, and few concessions will have been made. And there is absolutely, definitely, no plan whatsoever to return. This is a fresh start. A blank slate. Category Two is the “life on hold”… Continue reading →
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Everything Will Be Fine. Here’s Proof.
Today’s guest post is from former English teacher Jamie Bowlby-Whiting, whose success adventuring on an absurdly low budget has made even my best attempts feel decadent. He’s developed two core principles for his adventures: 1. impossible is nothing, and 2. everything will be fine (until it isn’t). This story reminds me so very strongly of that first carefree summer I spent crossing Europe in 2007 (particularly the ever-popular Eastern European arrest), and so it’s not without a little pang of nostalgia that I publish this post. Take it away, Jamie… A few months ago, I found myself working as an English teacher at a… Continue reading →
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What Exactly Is It That Stops You Following Your Dreams?
This is a guest post by Fraser Baillie, who last month took the giant leap of jacking it all in and hitting the road. Today he shares some retrospective thoughts, 3,000 miles from home at the far end of Europe, about the turning point that made his dream into the reality he now lives every day. What Stops You From Following Your Dreams? The single thing that made a difference for me that day — about 19 months ago now — was a subtle change in belief. Continue reading →
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Cycling East with Alex Gandy: At the foot of the Pamir Highway
Today’s article comes from Alex Gandy, who just six months ago began cycling east (hence the title of his blog) from Istanbul. Half a year after taking the plunge, he’d like to share a few lessons from the open road, direct to you from a smoky internet cafe in downtown Dushanbe… Compressing life down into what you can fit onto a bicycle has the remarkable ability to de-clutter. Camping gear, clothes, food and water, some cash and maybe a few luxuries is as much as anyone would ever want to drag up a hill. With just the necessities, life becomes very simple. Just me,… Continue reading →
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Why I got a 9‑to‑5 job after attending the World Domination Summit
I did not escape the rat race. I didn’t even make it to the start. The odds had been stacked against me since birth. Always the outsider at school. Rubbish at teamwork as a student. Ditched by my cycling partner a few months into a round-the-world bicycle trip (which incidentally kicked off this blog 7 years ago). In my mid-twenties I took a giant leap, compromising my personal freedom as a bicycle-mounted vagabond in the hope of something better: I got married. Some supposed this meant I would become a responsible adult and get a real job too. But the career, mortgage and fixed… Continue reading →
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The Surprising Truth About Cycling Across A Continent
Yesterday, Tim & Laura Moss went for a bike ride. They set off from Tim’s place near London and pedalled across the Surrey Hills for a few pleasant hours beneath glorious sunshine. In the evening, they stopped riding and pitched camp. This morning, they got up, had breakfast, and packed away their tent. (Or so I assume. They might well be having a lie-in.) Imagine they’re now cycling back to Tim’s place. Some would call what they’ve done a #microadventure. Others, an S24O. Most of us wouldn’t bother with silly buzzwords and would just call it a bike ride with a… Continue reading →