Training in winter is never easy, but this year, the added complication of COVID has made getting out in the hills extra hard. Finally, this weekend, after months of delays and cancellations, myself and a friend ventured to Wales to get some training in.
Under UK guidelines, physical training like this is allowed if you gain permission and follow restrictions. So, I waited for the ‘go-ahead’, gathered a friend and headed out to camp in the Brecons for the night. The virus meant not only dates, times, and location of the trip were affected, but so were the number of people who could come, and which friends felt they were up for struggles and hardships of ruthless winter training. Despite the challenges, I was overjoyed to finally have the opportunity to be out in nature again, doing what I love most.

Well, what a year 2020 has been for international travel and explorers like myself.
Unsurprisingly, the travel and tourism industry has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. It put a halt in so many people’s travel plans, including my own. After many cancellation emails later, I’ve come to accept 2020 was just not the year for international travel. Though it has been disappointing in many ways, 2020 has inspired me to get my head down and make plans for my future trips in the year to come.

So. I am officially an author. I never thought I would say that, but after 9 months of writing, persistence and hard work, I have finally published my first book. It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud to say ‘The Essequibo River’ is now available to purchase on Amazon.

I’m never home for long before I start to feel the urge to go on another adventure. Planning an expedition is a lot of work. These are some of the things that I consider when choosing my next big adventure and prepare for it.

REVIEW: How the SPOT Gen 3 GPS connected me to loved ones on my latest adventure better than ever
My adventures take me beyond the realms of mobile data service. And certainly outside the bounds of a Wi-Fi hotspot. So when I’m travelling, a satellite GPS tracker is an essential part of my kit for maintaining vital communication, wherever I am in the world.

How a cycling novice faced down hypothermia, a crash, and torrential weather on a 1000 mile cycle expedition from the UK to Northern Spain

During these stay-at-home times, our 'normal' stress-busting routines are no longer obtainable. As new COVID-19 cases continued to spread rapidly in the UK and globally, we were requested to stay at home to stop the spread.

How is the Covid-19 global pandemic impacting travel plans? Is Coronavirus killing tourism? Travel plan inspiration for UK adventures post lockdown.

Travelling from Jurado in Colombia to Jaque in Panama is a logistical nightmare and there is only one known way which is a trusted means by the authorities and now myself having experienced it first hand with a number of locals.

I landed in Bahia Solano with the intention of staying no more than a week and a point at where I could head further north into Jurado to begin my crossing into Panama. By any means, I could.