We love walking. Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. And the longer you spend walking, the longer you get to spend thinking, too. Adventurer Leon McCarron says his brain works best at three miles an hour. We caught up with him this week to talk about that - and about how when a trail is made properly, a hiker should be able to experience it in the same way they would read a book.
Elsewhere, it's all-weather packing tips and just really, really nice pictures of planet Earth, because who can ever get enough of those?
Plus, a little teaser for a very, very exciting new launch in Guatemala.
Leon McCarron is a Northern Irish storyteller and adventurer, known for “seeking out stories of humanity and nuance in parts of the world that are often demonised or misunderstood by Western media”. He's travelled the Holy Land, Iraqi Kurdistan, Kosovo and Armenia on foot, and walked the length of China. Recently, he's become involved with the creation of long-distance hiking trails in lesser-visited parts of the world. For the latest in our 'Adventure Open Mic' series, Leon explains how a trail is a form of storytelling, and how to create one...
So you’ve booked a big adventure. One that’s going to see you cross the Sahara, go trekking around the highest mountains in the world in Nepal, raft through Europe, tackle the Arctic tundra, with a bit of wild camping and Atlantic surfing in between. In today’s world, it’s quite possible to access multiple climates in one day, let alone one trip. So how do you pack for that? We made a handy guide to exactly that.
Beautiful landscapes. Humans have had an obsession with a good view since time began. You can imagine Neanderthal man looking out of his cave and thinking, “Ah, what a lovely view, time to smash some rocks together.” Here, we explore and celebrate the range of different beautiful landscapes around the world, and what makes them special.
It is dark. Dark when you wake up. Dark when you go to work. Dark in the office, because the lights are broken. Your boss has lit seven candles to try and remedy the situation but unsurprisingly, it is still dark. There are three bats hanging above your computer. In the corner, an ancient spirit has risen - the kind which can only exist in the mortal world in a place drained of morale - and it appears to be trying to put some sort of curse on Geoff from accounts. You open up your laptop, and it shines bright, as it loads up the Much Better Adventures homepage. You navigate to our calendar of last-minute adventures, which leave right away, and book yourself a trip back into the light...
Oh wow. Look at that headline. Look at that photograph. That, dear reader, is a volcano. To be specific, it's the Volcan de Fuego, which you'll get stunning views of on our latest adventure - while hiking the Acatenango volcano nearby. You'll also trek Tajumulco, the highest peak in Central America, visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Antigua and conquer five stunning volcano summits. The launch date is next week. Keep your eyes peeled on your inbox for first dibs.
Want to work with us? If I were you, I'd want to work with us. But then again, I may be bias, given that I already work for us. But look at us! Up there. Round that campfire. That's us. What a lovely evening that was. And you could be toasting marshmallows with us at the next one, because we're hiring. We're after an evening and weekend travel sales & customer happiness specialist. Check out the details here.
"Kayaking along the fjord in the rain!" - Much Better Adventurer Jemma. Rain gets a bit of a bad wrap, doesn't it? Some other travel companies might not have highlighted this photo for that reason. It's not sunny. There isn't a child with a skipping rope on the banks of the fjord, or a woman and a man pointing into the distance dramatically while they wait on the photo being taken. We say when it comes to rain, there's still adventures to be had. If you're kayaking on a fjord, for example, it's not so bad. Look at them clouds. That mist. That ambience. It's beautiful. Spots now available to join our fjord-kayaking adventures in Norway from April 2020 onwards! Might rain. Might not.
Literally every morsel that passed Rob Greenfield’s lips in the last year, he either grew in his gardens or he went out into nature and harvested. Find out how he did it, why he did it, how he feels about it, and what he hopes to achieve from it, over on BrightVibes.
See you on one soon!
From Alex, Sam, Guy and the Much Better Team