By far the most common query and perceived stumbling block for those planning an expedition is how to fund it. This normally manifests in hunting for sponsors and a search for the golden ticket that will allow that to happen. Some expeditions will invariably have high costs and require a large amount of external funding. However, none of my expeditions ever have. As such, I thought it might be useful to pro ...

Back after a brief hiatus whilst in Patagonia, here are half a dozen articles that I’ve read in the last month or so and thought that you might enjoy. I do a similar post each month and have created a new archive page for the Six of the Best series. I was pleased to notice that only one of the websites below has featured on a previous list which suggests that I am still being exposed to some new stuff. Six ...

Ever since I started running The Next Challenge, I have been planning a South Pole expedition to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics. I've been pretty sure for some time that it was not going to happen and now that is quite certain. The simple explanation - and the one I usually give when anyone asks - is that we didn't get the sponsorship (from memory, it would have cost upwards of £200,000). That is a ...

If you want to quit your job and go cycling but it all seems too daunting then first buy a bike, book a plane ticket or draft your resignation letter. If you want to get sponsorship for your expedition but don't know how to go about it then email a company and ask for their help. They'll probably say no if they reply at all but at least you'll have something to build on. If you want to do something a bit mo ...

Below are a few things that I would advise to anyone seeking sponsorship for an expedition. Reading them may not help you get money in the short-term but it will be a step toward going about it in the right way. In the long-term, I believe that you will reap the benefits of your good conduct. And if you don't, at least you'll be a better person for it. Be honest. This shouldn't need writing down. With exped ...

I often receive emails asking for advice on fundraising and finding sponsorship for expeditions and I often find myself thinking the same things: Why do you want a sponsor? Wouldn't you rather be on a cheap expedition than begging someone to fund an expensive one? Have you consider the alternatives? To save me writing a fresh email every time, and so that you can skip to the bottom without feeling rude, I'v ...

I frequently receive emails asking for advice on fundraising and finding sponsorship for expeditions and I often find myself writing down the same things. To save us both time, here are a few general pieces of advice for pitching an idea to sponsors. If you read them and would still like some help then please feel free to email me. There is no easy solution. At least, not that I know about otherwise I'd hav ...

Ever wondered if you could make a career out of expeditions, using adventure to generate money to pay the bills and fund the next trip? It's an aspiration held by many but I think there's still a slight air of mystery about how you could actually go about it. Thankfully we have some advice from Felicity Aston who has worked her way into just this sort of position. Felicity last year led a group of eight wom ...

What is The 100 Club? A collection of cheap and simple expeditions for people who are low on money, short on time and lacking in expertise. Why? It is my firm belief that adventures are available to everyone and specifically that money is not a prerequisite for having one, nor time, nor expertise. I set out to test and demonstrate this idea last year by giving myself a £100 budget for a week-long adventure. ...

Would you give two minutes of your time to help me get to the South Pole? I have been short-listed for a British Airways 'Great Briton' Award. If I get enough votes then they will provide me and my team mates with flights to South America to begin our journey to the Pole. As you may know, I am organising an expedition to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics. On my team are: Olympian Derek Redmond Paralymp ...

The rickshaw I used to cycle 1000 miles from the Highlands back to London is being auctioned for charity this week.It may be pending Guinness World Record status but it is, in my books, already the stuff of legend having been pushed so hard, so far and so fast.It's fully functioning and ready to roll. It started at 99p and all the money will go to Special Olympics Great Britain.Please put your bids in and p ...

As you may know, myself and my friend Laura have been running the length of every Tube line in London over the course of the year. We've run 8 out of the 12 lines so far, covering 134 miles of track, 179 miles of actual running, passing 162 Tube stations and through 24 London Boroughs. On Saturday we ran 35 miles along the District Line from Upminster to Richmond and it took us 7.5 hours. Our final run will ...