Why I... seek adventures
"Next, I’m going to visit Chernobyl. I’ve read a lot of things in the news...but you can’t get a proper perspective until you’ve been there yourself and spoken to people."
My travelling started in 2010, just after university. I went off to Australia for about a year, working and saving money, and travelled for six months off the back of that. It’s given me the opportunity to do so many things.
The first big thing I did was skydiving onto a beach in Australia. At the time it felt quite safe; I felt less safe going up in the small plane, which is strange. It’s because when you’re at a height of 1,000ft you can gauge the distance, but when you’re at 12,000ft then you can’t see anything, so you don’t really know what’s coming and you don’t have a perspective. As soon as you get a perspective, it kicks back in again. You’re like, “I’m actually in the sky!”.
There are always more ways you can challenge yourself; I had another chance to skydive in New Zealand, so did that, too. I thought, “why not?”. The adrenaline for this one was much lower, so I wanted to try something different.
I did a 134m bungee jump in New Zealand. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve done. I was trying to play cool because there were people watching, but I think my face probably showed that I was nervous. You stand on the edge, and – “3,2,1” – you’re jumping into the unknown. Even though you know it’s safe, you don’t actually know what’s going to happen next.
It was actually surprisingly smooth, you feel almost like a bird. For a few seconds it’s like you’re almost floating, but then, all of a sudden, the gravity catches up with you very quickly and you’re hurtling towards the ground at quite a pace.
I went white-water rafting at Kaituna waterfall in New Zealand. The current was very strong. You get to a river type thing where you’re at the edge and you’re told that you’re probably going to get thrown out of the boat because the water is going to take you in the dingy and it’s going to flip up.
Last September, I went to La Paz to ride Bolivia’s “Death Road”. It was about a 50km ride, and took around three hours. You get driven up to the top of the hill, and then you ride down an almost spiral staircase-like road with a sheer drop off the edge. It’s the shakiness, rather than the steepness, that makes it challenging. Quite a few people fall off, but I didn’t. At the end of it I had a hole in my hand where the skin had come off even though I was wearing gloves, because of all the friction.
I get a lot of enjoyment from new adventures and challenges – from the build-up, the activity, and after it, as well. It creates a lasting memory. I can recall those stories from New Zealand and Australia like they were a couple of months ago.
Next I’m going to the Ukraine to visit Chernobyl. I’ve read a lot of things in the news about Ukraine, but you can’t get a proper perspective until you’ve been there yourself and spoken to people.
Travelling broadens the mind, gives you some perspective and builds you as a person. No two clients are the same, and I think travelling has helped me learn how to connect and work with them all.