Feb 4, 2020#FlightFree2020: Travel Blogging And The Multiplier EffectThere’s an elephant in the room with my #FlightFree2020 pledge. My work is tied inextricably to the international travel industry, which in turn relies heavily on flying. In other words, if I continue to do my job well, I will increase overall aviation emissions — whether or not I myself…Flying2 min read
Jan 15, 2020#FlightFree2020: About The Time I Travelled The World Flight-Free For 4 Years (And Nobody Cared)My Flight Free 2020 pledge hasn’t come out of nowhere. Call it a rekindling of a long-forgotten conviction that the example I set might actually matter. Because we are all participants, now, in this huge and never-ending conversation we call global society. Our impact is measured in terms of the number of people paying attention when we open our mouths — or our laptops — to say something. As my audience has grown over 13 years…7 min read
Jan 1, 2020#FlightFree2020: Can Flight-Free Living & Adventure Travel Really Coexist? Let’s Find OutToday, on this day of New Year’s Resolutions, I pledge to join the Flight Free UK campaign. Between now and the 1st of January 2021, I will not take a single flight. I’ve joined the campaign because, as a long-time advocate of adventurous travel and exploration, I can no longer…7 min read
Jan 7, 2019Five Of Armenia’s Most Spectacular Monastery HikesMany of Armenia’s most famous Christian monasteries are dramatically situated amid towering cliffs or on precipitous mountainsides with panoramic views across the rugged landscapes of the Lesser Caucasus. In ancient times, accessing these centres of study and worship required the laborious construction of steep footpaths and rock-hewn steps from neighbouring…Travel15 min read
Dec 19, 2018The Geghama Mountains: Exploring Armenia’s Volcanic BackcountryThe Geghama Mountains are an imposing chain of volcanic domes that bisects Armenia from north to south. For most of the year they are impenetrable due to a thick layer of snow. But come June, as snow starts to melt, the country’s tent-dwelling Yezidi nomads drive their cattle from lowland…Travel10 min read
Dec 12, 2018How I Added ‘Guidebook Author’ To My List Of So-Called ProfessionsPublication day is a milestone for any writer, and the new Bradt Travel Guide to Armenia, whose 5th edition I’ve co-authored, is shipping now. But — given that until now I’ve seen travel writing mainly as a hobby — how did I manage to add ‘guidebook author’ to my growing…Armenia6 min read
Nov 14, 201810 Illustrated Tips For Improving Your Expedition Photography No EndLast weekend I flew to London for the annual Explore expedition planning conference at the Royal Geographical Society (the one chance I get to catch up with a lot of people I wish I saw more often). On the Sunday I joined the expedition photography workshop to share my thoughts…Photography11 min read
Oct 9, 20185 Ancient Monasteries In Armenia’s Dilijan National Park (And How To Find Them)The experience of exploring Armenia on foot is characterised by three things: an abundance of breath-taking landscapes, being invited in by locals to drink homemade oghi (vodka), and stumbling upon at least one ancient church or monastery per day. Dilijan National Park — part of the forested northeastern province of…Travel8 min read
Jun 29, 2018What’s Really The Difference Between Bikepacking & Cycle Touring?Over the last few years we have seen the rise of a new sub-discipline of bicycle travel. It’s called ‘bikepacking’, and it’s become such a hit that almost every mainstream bike manufacturer now produces at least one ‘adventure bike’ or ‘bikepacking rig’, or includes the word in their marketing spiel…Cycling13 min read
Mar 27, 2017The Best Way To See The World Is On A Bicycle, And Here’s WhyWhen you get into a car, or onto a train or plane or bus — even when you leave the house on foot — you almost always do it with the intention of arriving somewhere. …Travel4 min read