This weekend the annual Explore conference was held at the Royal Geographical Society in London. It is a weekend that I always enjoy. Before my bike trip Explore gave me the confidence to realise that I wasn’t crazy and that my plan was achievable. Four years later I rode back into London -coincidentally- on the same weekend. I was asked to say a brief few words to the delegates. Wild-haired, bearded and scruffy, I hope that I may have persuaded a couple of people to actually put their daydreams into action. 

Yesterday I was on the panel of the Cycling Expeditions planning seminar, sharing ideas with about 25 people contemplating their own projects. Three people who attended Explore last year are now at the ends of the earth on their own journeys and I read out encouraging notes from them to this year’s delegates (Tom, Andy and Astrid).One thing I enjoy most about Explore is the chance to meet people doing similar things with their lives, and learning from them. Paul had some good advice for me about my blog [making sure that I have a purpose to my postings], and thoughts on how Ben and I can make the most of the brief year that lies ahead before Antarctica. Ben was on the polar panel and also ran a live Skype link chat with Ed in the Amazon rainforest.

I chatted with Rob and Dan about their exciting adventures. Together we encouraged another Dan who plans to leave next year to cycle through Africa. Felicity spoke of the difficulties of making time to sit down and write a book whilst trying to launch a polar expedition. 

This being the RGS, it felt entirely normal for me to picking Charles’ brain about a camel expedition through the Empty Quarter which I am trying to get off the ground. He gave me a 5-page handout titled ‘Travelling with Camels’. 

I spoke to Jon about his plans to swim across the Atlantic Ocean, simultaneously galvanising 100,000 children to go swimming.  Jamie had exciting ideas about using new technology to benefit young people heading off on expeditions. And Martin Hartley gave me a friendly pat on the bum but was too busy to chat. All in all – an interesting day!

If you’re planning any sort of expedition of your own I really recommend you coming along to Explore next year. Hopefully I won’t see you though: we should be in Antarctica by then.