BAMLife Issue 2 | Page 30

Shop online at bambooclothing.co.uk horizons. You can either plan it meticulously like a military operation or go off-piste and see where you end up. There are plenty of travel books, blogs and magazines to inspire your trip. For me I used to escape my desk and fly to different locations to sample the culture, wonders of the world and often to play sport (rugby). Don’t worry if you don’t know many people when you start, it is incredible how many people you will meet through travelling, bizarrely often people from just down the road. “Small world but of course we wouldn’t want to paint it”! Al Humphreys used his bike to follow his dream of cycling round the world and now encourages people to try micro adventures, more manageable trips. Big journeys One of my most incredible moments was seeing Africa from the Spanish mainland whilst cycling and kayaking from London to Marrakech, another continent under my own steam. Some lands and places capture our hearts like the Yukon in Canada and Alaska, which are very special wilderness areas. A journey is something that changes us, it’s often tough, it emerges us in the task and of course when we look back we feel a sense of satisfaction of how far Canoeing the River Yukon 30 we have come. This is also a useful metaphor for life! In Britain there are 15 National Trails and 15 National Parks which offer the feeling of exploring and seeing beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Learning new skills and activities Learning a new skill or activity for your adventure is really exciting and fulfilling. Over the years I have completed different safety and leadership courses for kayaking and canoeing, each one proving that everyday is a learning day. Courses could include mountain leader skills, paddling courses or even wilderness first aid. Again you get to meet new people and join a positive community of like minded people. BAMbassador Squash Falconer learnt to ride a motorbike at an early age and then paraglide and climb and put the whole lot together for her Mont Blanc expedition. Visiting iconic and historic locations I absolutely love visiting iconic locations that link us to our past and historic moments in time. I am preparing to head back to the Yukon for the fourth time which was the scene of the Gold Rush in 1898 where ordinary people went to seek their fortune and