Currently...

I am balancing a working career as a freelance Project Manager in Rail Franchise procurement, while planning and preparing for an 8 month overland vehicle expedition from London to China and back, through Central Asia.

Currently I’m working part time in rail, which involves planning and preparing bid teams for the next round of rail tenders. I work with clients to implement business improvement activities and refine the bidding process.

The rest of my time is spent planning and preparing for the expedition, which departs in April 2013. This involves route planning, budgeting, vehicle preparation, visa applications, teammate selection and various social media activities to share, and raise the profile of the trip.

Before I escaped...

I have been working fulltime as a freelance Project Manager in the rail industry. My role involves managing bid teams of 50-60 people, to work together and produce high-class tenders for UK rail franchise procurement.

It is intense work with major deadline pressure and I tend to have significant breaks after each contract. I’ve decided to use these periods to pursue a more balanced lifestyle that allows me to participate in a greater range of adventure activities. 

I’ve been working as a freelancer consultant in London for the last 14 years. As with living in most big cities the daily grind eventually wears you down. I discovered the best way for me to recharge was to embark on a significant overseas adventure. I would always arrive back in London prepared to tackle whatever challenges my consulting role might bring.

What this taught me was that more frequent adventure experiences enabled me to maintain my commitment and motivation to my career, while developing my adventurous lifestyle.

My moment of truth...

For years I’ve loved travelling more than working. In the back of my mind I’m always dreaming of exploring the world. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy the challenge of my work. 

A defining moment was while on a bus in Patagonia, Argentina, in December 2010. I realised that my passion for travel and exploring the world meant I needed to modify my approach to my work / lifestyle balance when I returned to London. At this stage I didn’t quite know how this would happen, I just knew I had to do something.

In November 2011 I attended a Royal Geographical Society (RGS) Explore weekend in London. After speaking to several experts in all aspects of expedition planning I was able to further develop and refine my adventure plans for 2013.

Of particular value were the overland expedition professionals who gave me the confidence that my trip was achievable and I was able to commit to my 2013 expedition. 

Planning for it...

Whenever possible I spent many hours researching the trip, speaking to others and refining my own thoughts. In brief, though, I went through the following steps during 2011:

• I decided I wanted to develop a more adventurous lifestyle.
  
• I applied for intern positions to support adventurers or adventure based companies. (This was as much to try new opportunities as well as make some form of commitment to start).
  
• I developed the idea of the Silk Road / great game theme via an overland vehicle journey.
  
• I went to RGS Explore weekend to speak with the experts and committed to my trip.
  
• I set a rough departure date for April / May 2013.
  
• I defined a set of goals for the expedition and set about developing them.
  
• I defined 2012 as the year of adventure preparation and 2013 as the year of adventure.

After researching a variety of funding options I chose a self funding model in order to retain a level of autonomy and not be beholden to any particular funding organisation and their requirements / expectations.

The preparation time has allowed me to acquire, through my own means, sufficient funding for the entire trip.

The worst and best bits...

Already there have been many ups and downs along the journey.

Positives

• Meeting new people and learning about all the great activities that are available for people with a sense of adventure.
  
• There is a fantastic adventure community in the world that is willing to share its knowledge.
  
• Trying some great new activities; triathlon, Stand Up Paddle boarding (SUP)
  
• Learning new skills in blogging, social media, filming and adventure planning and preparation.
  
• Excitement of preparing to travel to new places. Staring at the map gets me excited about the opportunities to come in 2013.
  

Negatives     

• It’s hard to balance preparation and work, when work is busy. The workload for one person is a little mind-boggling at times.
  
• Struggling to find the right people to join the expedition. This has been a challenge in itself. It certainly helps you to have a committed group from the start.
  
• It’s been more expensive than I originally thought it would be.
  
• It can impact your relationships. Be prepared to make compromises.
  

Best advice...

Over the last 18 months I’ve spoken with a growing number of people from the adventure community around the world. The best advice I’ve received so far is:

• Commit to a start date and go for it.
  
• Be flexible with your expectations. Your end goal will change over time.
  
• Talk to the experts. The RGS Explore weekend experts gave me the confidence that my plans were achievable.
  
• Find a mentor or two. There is nothing like having somebody outside the adventure offering critical and practical advice. This helps clarify the processes and milestones along the planning journey.
  

Useful resources and information...

There is a wealth of great resources and information available these days. The following have been a fantastic help to me, and great place to start for anybody interested in a more adventurous life.

• Royal Geographic Society – This is the place to start for adventure exploration. Their resources are second to none.
  
• Explorers Connect Website – Adventure based social network allowing you to find adventures and adventurers.
  
• Other adventurers with a strong Internet presence such as Al Humphreys, Dave Cornthwaite, Tim Moss.
  
• The Overlander Handbook by Chris Scott – A great source of overlanding knowledge and knowhow.
  
• HUBB Website – This is the best forum for sharing ideas and meeting other vehicle and bike travellers.
  
• Lonely Planet – Thorn Tree forum is another useful source for sharing travel information.
  
• Peter Hopkirk’s book – The Great Game on Secret Service in High Asia. This book provides a fascinating insight to the history of Central Asia in the 19^th Century.