World

Where: Nepal, Singapore, Japan, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Galapagos, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil
When: March to July 2017
Duration: 97 days
Tour operators: Various

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Summary

Over the last 20+ years I have met fascinating people and seen amazing sights across the world, however most of these trips were fitted in around work and annual leave. I decided I wanted to take a more substantial break and at the end of March 2017 I went on an exciting trip of a lifetime.

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The route

What I got up to

• took in the sights of the Himalayas on a trek with Xtreme Everest
• enjoyed home-cooked meals at my cousin’s in Singapore
• rode the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) and attempted to learn the art of meditation at a zen monastery in Japan
• explored active volcanoes and went on a 2.5km zip-lining experience in Nicaragua
• visited the equator in Ecuador
• volunteered with kids in the Galapagos teaching music and English [read my travel story]
• watched a tango show and had a tango lesson in Buenos Aires
• had fun working on a farm in Uruguay cattle ranching [read my travel story]
• was awed by the great Iguassu Falls in Argentina
• relaxed on beautiful beaches in Brazil, finally making it to Rio to see Christ the Redeemer at sunset before boarding my plane back to London

My inspiration

I first started thinking about having a Grand Adventure back in January 2016. My life was comfortable, I enjoyed my job and had great colleagues, amazing friends, and a multitude of interests.

However, for a while I had been feeling restless and an increasing need to challenge myself but wasn’t sure how. One cold rainy, evening while reading a book by a popular explorer, inspiration stuck and I knew what I had to do: I would take a career break and go on an adventure!

How I planned my trip

Everywhere I visited and every activity I did had a significance, and it took me a while to work out what I was going to do and how it all fitted together.

I started a blog to share how I came up with my ideas, and how chance meetings with friends gave me inspiration. Each blog post was a mini-story and describes the trials and tribulations that come with planning such an involved trip. The posts aren’t available at the present time they are being developed.

A special mention …

My first stop was Nepal to take part in a special 10th Anniversary Trek to Everest Base Camp with an organisation called Xtreme Everest.

Their medical research aims to improve outcomes for people who become critically ill, and the majority of the work they were doing in Nepal was examining the effects of hypoxia on the human body.

They are a charity and rely on donations for funding, and part of my trip preparation included raising funds to contribute towards this valuable research. I was featured in two articles on the Xtreme Everest website, published in February 2017 and September 2018, and would like to thank everyone who donated!

Book me for a talk

If you would like to hear more about the trek (and the medical experiments I was subjected to!) – or you just want to see pictures of Yaks and long-drop toilets, please book me for a talk.