Five Questions for Alastair Humphreys
Alastair Humphreys has cycled around the world, sailed the Atlantic, canoed the Yukon, walked through India and rowed to France. He leaves people with the distinct impression there’s not much he can’t do – and he reminds us that there’s not much we can’t do. Alastair now makes his living as an adventurer, author and motivational speaker.
BICIKLO: Your 4-year, 46,000-mile cycling trip around the world has been described as “the first great adventure of the new millennium”. There are easier and faster ways to travel the world, so why did you choose the bicycle?
ALASTAIR: It is cheap, simple and physically challenging. It helps you meet local people and is slow enough to really experience the place you are visiting.
BICIKLO: Is there one non-essential item you couldn’t have done without?
ALASTAIR: Two. My Leatherman and my Therma-rest.
BICIKLO: You’ve recently said that micro-adventures can jump-start the soul and achieve many of the same things as a long expedition. What constitutes a micro-adventure?
ALASTAIR: You do not need to fly to the other side of the planet to undertake an expedition. You do not need to be an elite athlete, expertly trained or rich to have an adventure. Adventure is a state of mind. I believe that adventure is about stretching yourself – mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability. If that is true, then adventure is all around us, at all times. Adventure is accessible to normal people, in normal places, in short segments of time and without having to spend much money.
BICIKLO: You say that you’re not a cyclist. What would you call yourself?
ALASTAIR: A traveler. An adventurer. A curious person.
BICIKLO: What are your recommendations for people wanting a cycling holiday?
ALASTAIR: Lots of Europe was gorgeous, notably the Danube River. Also the Garden Route of South Africa, the Carreterra Austral in southern Chile, the coast of California, Kyrgyzstan and the Yorkshire Dales.
Read all about Alastair’s adventures at www.alastairhumphreys.com. You can read about his trip around the world by bike and buy his books ‘Moods of Future Joys’ and ‘Ten Lessons from the Road’ at www.alastairhumphreys.com/adventures/roundtheworldbybike/