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Grand Adventures

Make your adventure happen. Save money. Dream big. Have the Adventure of a lifetime for just £1000
 

I want to encourage people to take a step on from microadventures. Sleeping on hills and swimming in rivers are fabulous things (and I shall certainly continue to bang that drum), but I also want more people to have big adventures. I want to show that you do not need to be a Superman to cycle to the Sahara desert. You do not need to be rich to run to Russia.

Dream Big. Start Small… but Do Start.

So here’s the plan for Grand Adventures (aka on this blog as Adventure1000, its original name):

Start saving today. Save just £20 a week (or whatever amount you can afford), and within a year you’ll have saved £1000 – more than enough money to cycle to the Sahara or run to Russia. (Feel free to substitute £1000 for $1000, €1000 or ¥1000!)

And, whilst your money’s accumulating, I’mm going to teach you all you need to know to turn your adventure from a dream into a reality. There’ll be informative blog posts, inspirational interviews with folk who’ve already made their dream adventures happen, and even £1000 cash to fund someone’s adventure.

Make your adventure happen. Save money. Dream big. Have the Adventure of a lifetime for just £1000 (or $1000 or €1000).

How to Save £1000 Without Really Noticing

  • Start a new bank account. This is the only hassle of the whole plan. And it’s not much of a hassle at all. I set up a new account with Smile in under 15 minutes.
  • Set up a Standing Order from your main bank account to the new account. Each week transfer £20 to the new account. (If you can’t afford £20 a week even after cutting out your daily cup of coffee and a couple of beers here and there then choose a figure you can afford. Just don’t use this as an excuse to do nothing at all.) The important thing is to choose an amount that you can spare without much stress or worry.
  • Persuade a friend to do the same.
  • The hardest part is over. This is such a painless way to raise £1000 of money for your adventure in just one year. Now it is time for the second phase of the scheme:
  • Tell everyone that in one year’s time you are going to cycle to Sweden or run to Romania or hitch-hike to Hanoi.
  • We now have one year to sort out every aspect of the adventure (commitment, equipment, fitness, time off work).

My new book, Grand Adventures, is out now.
It’s designed to help you dream big, plan quick, then go explore.
The book contains interviews and expertise from around 100 adventurers, plus masses of great photos to get you excited.

I would be extremely grateful if you bought a copy here today!

I would also be really thankful if you could share this link on social media with all your friends – http://goo.gl/rIyPHA. It honestly would help me far more than you realise.

Thank you so much!

Grand Adventures Cover

 

Read Comments

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Comments

  1. Great idea.

    Would like to do a mini big adventure with the family my wife 1yr old, 3yr old and 4yr old.

    Thinking and ideas hat on.

    Reply
  2. Wish I could take part on that. But I’m already traveling and living on my savings from last year! =D

    Reply
  3. Jason Posted

    I’m in! Opted to plonk my grand out of the way (and therefore out of mind) in a premium bonds account. You never know!

    Reply
  4. Funnily enough, in 2012, I cycled to the Sahara. I just wanted to tell everyone here that it can definitely be done for less than £1000.

    After cycling through France and getting the ferry from Marseille (£180), 31 days cycling around Tunisia cost me £714.38 – and I certainly wasn’t eating or sleeping particularly cheap – hotels and plenty of food all the way.

    So bon courage everyone – you’ll be amazed how far £1000 will take you, especially with Al’s frugal advice!

    David

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      Hi David,
      That is brilliant to hear about your Sahara trip! Would you be interested in kicking off what I hope will be a series of guest blog posts from people who have done excellent but achievable adventures?
      Let me know if you fancy it.
      And well done on a cool trip,
      Alastair

      Reply
  5. john friedrichs Posted

    2013 saw my longest cycle tour so far,in that I cycled from Richmond Indiana to Lexington,Virginia……675 miles in 13 riding days……Shelter ranged from open fields to the Sheraton Inn and everything in between…….Im 62 ,still work as a selfemployed mason and plan on section riding ‘cross country…….Best time of my life in recent memory,and Im upping the mileage antyeach time I’m going out on tour……..Thanks so much for all you do Al………..Best………John Friedrichs,Lexington,Virginia……USA

    Reply
  6. Already on the way to doing this! Started in November putting away some money for a fat bike and then I’m off to Finland in 2015 to race in the Rovaniemi 150

    Reply
  7. Thanks for the amazing content! You really inspired me to start my adventure planning. I’m planning of walking across Ireland from Dingle to Dublin with a friend. I will have to wait a bit over a year before I can go due to an upcoming deployment, but I cannot wait to go once I return!

    Reply
  8. Sandra (Sandy) Franklin Posted

    Great advice to get people started. My motto is no amount of money can replace living your dreams, so get saving, quit work, and live those dreams. After bringing my children up single handed, I saved hard, got a one year absence of leave from work, and cycled 12.000 miles in 12 months around the world, including time out for kayaking, and trekking. Hardest part about it wasn’t the saving, it was going back to work! Best part about of it, all of it, but cycling off from the front door at the start of such an adventure was a thrill I will never forget.

    Reply
    • Damien Chadwick Posted

      Read your note on Alastair Humphrey’s site…. congratulations on your achievement. I’ll be getting my kids off on their own in a few years and I’m planning to go around the world without gasoline or oil. Current plans are for bike, kayak and sail boat. I’m looking for advice and crew. Thanks for any thoughts you can provide.

      Reply
  9. Tim Hobin Posted

    Just found this site…..and yes £1000 will get you a big adventure….And you can do it for free !!! Ive got rid of the car and now only ride a push bike thus saving £1000 in Tax Mot Insurance never mind the petrol….

    Ive bought a Sevlor inflatable kayak and will fly to India and paddle 1000kms down the sacred river Ganges….though ive got my eyes on a packraft/cycle trip in the near future…

    Reply
    • WoodenSpoonMan Posted

      For Tim Hobin= How can it be done for free? Do you have experience and of how/if it can slow things down?
      What bike do you have for the travel?
      Will you take a head cam?
      1000km down the Ganga! Are you mad?! Let us know your blog/channel to keep up with you mate!
      Chow for now.

      Reply
  10. jędrek Posted

    Great advice but Â¥1000 (yuan) is 120€ and Â¥1000 (yen) is just 7€ 🙂

    Reply
    • Alastair Posted

      Ha! Well observed! I guess it’s a microadventure for Japanese folk then…

      Reply
  11. Alan Hardy Posted

    After a couple of very successful mini cycle tours in the last two years.Nice to Leeds and the Rhine, source to sea. Both well under £1000 I’ve got two planned for this year. First, riding home from Bilbao to Yorkshire in time for the Grand depart then a cycle tour with my two sons, ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, ride around Holland and Belgium and then the ferry back to Hull from Brugge. Maybe not round the world rides but should not cost much more than £1000 for both trips!

    Reply
  12. Great ideas! Love it, I do all my adventures on a budget. I wrote a series of article on this but mine was local adventures for under $50 and winter ones for under $100. You’ve got some awesome stuff, I will be following your advice

    Reply
  13. Love these microadventures. My friend Dylan Hopkinson, an archaeologist, is setting off in April for 3-4 years of cycling / archeologing (@!!!) adventures…

    Reply
  14. I admire your piece of work, thankyou for all the great articles .

    Reply

 
 

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