Currently...

Myself and a friend are cycling from London to Sydney, leaving in April 2010. The 18,000 mile ride will take approximately 18 months and I will be raising money for Brain Tumour Research. Further information on the adventure is available on our website.

Having graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Business Management, I jumped on the bandwagon and migrated south for the bright lights of the Big Smoke to start making some money.

I worked with a specialist IT recruitment consultancy for 18 months, although itchy feet and a growing feeling of 'there must be more to it than this?' got the better of me and I moved to Dubai for a year allured by beaches, sun and tax-free living!

Despite having a great time, I continually carried a sense of dissatisfaction in not doing what I had wanted to do since leaving university - a self supported bicycle adventure across the planet!

My moment of truth...

For about five years I'd been dreaming of doing this, and finally worked up the courage to go ahead with it!

The decider for me was reading Al Humphreys book 'Mood for Future Joys'. It made the dream seem like it could genuinely be turned into a reality, because he is a normal guy whom I could relate to on a number of levels. He grabbed a crazy, seemingly ridiculous idea by the proverbial balls and went for it.

Planning for it...

There's a lot to do for a trip like this, including route planning, visas, fitness training, saving cash, buying equipment etc.

In addition to some money I saved from my time working in Dubai, I did a variety of jobs to reach my budget target whilst living at home to keep costs down as much as possible.

It's amazing how much you can save when you have a specific goal and you adhere to a very cheap living regime! As well as a number of gardening jobs in my hometown, I finished painting a large country house (pretty much every surface inside!) and I started a 3 month contract role with a private bank in Birmingham!

The worst and best bits...

Worst: Probably making the decision to actually go for it. Loosening the grip on the so-called certainties of the world and to finally stop making excuses is probably the hardest thing to do!

Best: The permanent excitement I have about the adventure, and the feeling of content I get for doing something I truly want to do for the right reasons.

Best advice...

Go for it. Admittedly, these are stolen words from Henry David Thoreau's book 'Walden'. Although slightly cheesy, fairly profound: 'If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.'

Useful resources and information...

The highlights are:

Books:

• 'Moods for Future Joys' and 'Thunder and Sunshine'
• Rob Lilwall - 'Cycling home from Siberia'
• Rolf Potts - 'Vagabonding'
• Stephen Lord - 'Adventure Cycle Touring Handbook'

Websites:

• www.alastairhumphreys.com
• www.petergostelow.com
• www.worldtravellers.dk

Events:

• 'Explore 2009'

DVD's:

• Free Wheels East