86: How to Make Your Own Microadventures with Alastair Humphreys

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"The most rewarding travel experiences are the ones that are quite difficult and you’re slightly pushing your limits all the time." - Alastair Humphreys

When I first conceived of this show, I was doing some preliminary research and I stumbled upon this trailer for a movie called Into The Empty Quarter in which these two British guys wandered across a barren portion of Earth spanning the width of the Rub Al Khali desert that runs across the Arabian Peninsula. They were doing this for no other reason than to live the adventure of it -- just to chase life.

And today, I get to bring one of those two guys on this podcast.

In 2001, Alastair Humphreys set out on his bike from his home in Yorkshire to pedal the length of each continent. It was an ambitious round-the-world journey that took him four years to complete. When he finally did complete it, he returned home to realize that he'd only taken the first step on a much larger personal quest.

Since then, he's walked across India, been a part of the first return journey from Greenland to the South Pole on foot, rowed across the Atlantic, and canoed through the Yukon. That’s only to name a few of his adventures. It’s now safe to say he’s seen more of this world than most people ever considered possible in one lifetime.

He's also become a fantastic storyteller with seven books about his experiences, the journey for him and how others can be inspired to do the same -- to chase down life. He just released number seven, Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes, in which he makes adventure, by his definition, accessible to everyone.

In this show, we explore his adventures, and then delve into his unique concept of "microadventures," to dispel the notion that you need to travel to far-flung places to find life-changing experience. It is hidden in plain sight, waiting for you in your own backyard.

What We Cover:

How Alastair got into adventures.

Why he pursues adventure as a medium for creating personal stories.

Why he pursues overland travel and “human-powered” travel.

Why he sets a goal for the end of every trip, like following a river or going from coast to coast, or finishing at the sea, as a reward.

What is a Microadventure, and anyone can go on their own

How to overcome the inertia of life to find the rewards that are worth pursuing.

Words from an Explorer:

“’Inertia is what stops so much of life. Take that first tiny step and that gives you momentum.”

Explore Further:

AlastairHumphreys.com

@Al_Humphreys on Twitter

Alastair Humphreys on Facebook

Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes, his book

Into The Empty Quarter - Official HD Trailer from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

Microadventures - the Book from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

Music Credit: Move Slow by Felxprod ft. Jess Abran (Myriad Remix), Intrepid Journey, by Aaron Static

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See you next time!

The post 86: How to Make Your Own Microadventures with Alastair Humphreys appeared first on The Daily Travel Podcast.