About the author

Tim Moss

Tim Moss has supported over 100 expeditions across all seven continents. He has climbed new mountains, crossed a desert on foot and recently cycled 13,000 miles around the world. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society London and a Guinness World Record Holder. He aims to encourage more people to live adventurously. Read more...

24 Comments

  1. 1

    Daniel Groves

    As someone who has just finished cycling across Europe for charity, I couldn’t agree more with the steps given here. It’s too easy to back down, too easy to be scared (understandably) and never set your foot out the door.

    Tell someone and keep badgering on about it to them. The more people you tell, the more pressure you have to go and get on with. If you can, find a friend who may find it interesting as well. Tell them and keep on at them until they get on-board with the idea, then there’s half the organisation to do, someone to share the experience with, and someone to help you put your foot out the door (while you do the same for them!).

    Reply
  2. 2

    danbybike

    My wife and I plan to ride around North America for a year with our three young children.

    Reply
    1. 2.1

      Tim Moss

      Wow, that was fast! Thanks for sharing Dan. Sounds like quite the undertaking.

      You might like The Database of Long Distance Cycle Journeys

      Let me know if I can help with anything. If not, good luck and let us know how you get on!

      Reply
  3. Pingback: How To Get Ideas and Inspiration For An AdventureThe Next Challenge | The Next Challenge

  4. 3

    Christine Lloyd

    Me and my husband Peter are planning to cycle to China , starting in January. We have told our friends and set a date but whenever I tell anyone I think it sounds crazy and also impossible. They react with awe and a amazement and then I feel slightly embarrassed and say things like -we’ll we haven’t done it yet. I have nightmares that we,ll get as far as Vienna and feel so cold, miserable and tired that we will want to come home but can’t because people will think we are so amazing and we can’t let them down!!
    There, I have confessed to my fears but I also want to say that I am very excited and would like to thank you Tim and Laura for all your inspiration, particularly at the cycle festival this year.
    PS. We are calling our trip The Wall to Wall as we live near Hadrians Wall and will set off from there, and will try and reach the Great Wall of China.

    Reply
    1. 3.1

      Tim Moss

      Hey Christine, thanks for sharing your plan. I love the name!

      I can definitely relate to the embarrassed feeling after telling people our plans. Once we’d set off, we usually just said we were cycling to whatever the next country was. (I wrote an article about it here).

      Best of luck with the rest of your planning. It sounds like you’ve committed and that’s the hardest part!

      Tim.

      Reply
  5. Pingback: How To Get Sponsorship For Your ExpeditionThe Next Challenge | The Next Challenge

  6. 4

    Catherine Edsell

    Hi Tim,

    I am an expedition leader, but up until now have worked for other expedition companies – I now have a burning desire to set up my own company, and provide expeditions for women, particularly mothers who do not often give themselves the permission to go off on an adventure. I have a great idea, but find I’m stalling at the whole business venture side (possibly why I’ve always chosen to work for other people up until now!) I realise this may not be your forte, but if you know of anyone…. Any help gratefully received.

    Catherine

    Reply
    1. 4.1

      Tim Moss

      Hi Catherine,

      Thanks for the message. Sounds like a great idea.

      What exactly is it that you’re stalling with? Finding customers and drumming up business, or the practicalities of setting up and running a business?

      I’d be happy to help if I can. Perhaps easier to email me?

      Thanks,
      Tim.

      Reply
    2. 4.2

      Bex Band

      Hi Catherine
      I love your idea and am really passionate at the moment about getting women inspired for the outdoors! You should join our female adventure group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/404494083232320/
      I run a website called Love Her Wild and would really love to interview you and tell your story if you are interested. If you have set up the company I’d be happy to spread the word amongst our community :)
      Bex

      Reply
  7. 5

    Helene

    A friend and I want to ride from South East Asia back to Europe on horseback. As we are living in Cambodia we don’t need to buy a flight ticket to keep us going – but we bought the horses, which is an almost bigger engagement to the project. We are now contacting the different embassies in order to get more information about crossing borders with horses.

    Reply
    1. 5.1

      Tim Moss

      Buying horses is one hell of a commitment. Good effort!

      Let me know if you have any problems getting information on the border crossings. If I rack my brains I’ll remember some people who have done similar things…

      Reply
  8. 6

    Michael Barrett

    I’m planning a road trip up to the Arctic Circle from Kansas City. Because I’m driving I guess it isn’t much of an adventure, but it is about 3900 miles. I can hop on a plane and fly anywhere in the world, and I have, but it is a little bit like the curtain lowering and a quick scene change. There is no real sense of movement. Driving across land gives you a real sense of how big the world truly is. 800 Kilometers will be on unpaved road and it should be a good trip. Not the level of an expedition, but I’ll get to see Tundra and some animals the aren’t found elsewhere in the world.

    Reply
    1. 6.1

      Tim Moss

      Hi Michael,

      Thanks for sharing your plans. A 4,000 mile drive to the Arctic sounds like one hell of an adventure to me!

      I can relate to the ‘quick scene change’ of flying. It feels like teleporting and doesn’t give you time to appreciate the transition.

      Best of luck with the journey.

      Tim.

      Reply
  9. 7

    Marcell Claassen

    I’m planning my Trans-Patagonia expedition which will be packrafting the whole geographic limits of Patagonia; from northern Nequén in Argentina via just east of Puerto Montt in Chile and Puerto Williams in the south below Ushuaia. A “cool” 8,000km, I will in the next few months be making contact with the National Parks authorities of both Chile and Argentina as well as their tourism and immigration authorities.
    Writing proposals for charities to support and possible support/sponsorship is my next big ‘work’ – the route is as sorted as it will ever be haha
    Thanks for having the resources here that I can always come back to and get some more fire and motivation again for the list of chores.

    Reply
    1. 7.1

      Tim Moss

      That’s quite an expedition Marcell! Thanks for sharing it. Best of luck and do let me know if I can help with anything.

      Reply
  10. 8

    Kelly

    Hi Tim,

    I’m planning an around the world by Unicycle adventure starting in 2019. I had to learn to ride the bloody thing first. I still have a few skills to master (freemounting, gutters) but at least I’m up and riding now :)

    Ed Pratt beat me to the start line, as he is currently on that journey, but after chatting with Sarah Outen recently, she suggested I pick some countries I’m interested in visiting, which might make the route different to Ed’s trip. I’m thinking a bit of free range riding through Mongolia over the Eastern side of my trip, but not locked into any route as yet.

    I bought your cycle touring book and it’s been helpful, thanks :)

    Reply
    1. 8.1

      Tim Moss

      Hey Kelly,

      Thanks for sharing your plans. That’s a big idea!

      Congratulations on getting started: I am sure that learning to ride one will have been the hard part. As anyone who has done a long bike trip will know, it’s not that hard once you’ve started.

      Best of luck with your plans and do let me know if I can help with anything.

      All the best,
      Tim.

      Reply
  11. 9

    Rodrigo Álvarez

    Hi Tim

    My brother and I are planing on going to climb to the south of Chile for a month or more on december 2018, opening lots of new routes in a place called Cochamo ( also called the 2nd yosemite).

    Thank you for all your tips and advices, a
    Specially the ones about sponsorships.

    Reply
    1. 9.1

      Tim Moss

      Thanks Rodrigo. Climbing in southern Chile sounds ace. Have fun!

      Reply
  12. 10

    Lee Stork

    Hi Tim,

    I have been wanting to see the National Parks for a long time. I am 69 years young. I have written out a progressively better route more than 8 times. I have a page on facebook and have done some free advertising on meetups. I have over 100 people that have expressed some level of interest. This is a budget adventure. We will camp for free most nights. I want 9 other participants to go with me. This is for safety and for more fun. Along the way we will cycle, camp, cook, eat, hike, and canoe. I have decided what specific camping areas we will stay each night. We will drive no more than 4 hours on driving days. That way even on the driving days we have about 4 hours for fun activities. Thanks for what you are doing.

    Reply
    1. 10.1

      Tim Moss

      Great plan Lee. I hope it goes well.

      Reply
  13. 11

    Newton Ford

    Hi Tim,

    Totally agree with the advice above; I’m 54, 135kg but physically active. I’ve been mulling an idea for a life changing challenge for some time and this summer I told my wife of the desire. I have since come up with a proposal and have announced it to friends on a sports car forum, one has committed to join me for the whole adventure and others want to join for parts plus a commitment for a support vehicle. The more I talked about it the more real it very quickly became!

    The idea is to train and work on weight and fitness to enable a sea kayak trip from Purfleet/Dartford, down the Thames, an assisted crossing of the Channel and to take the Somme canal into France, via the river and canal network to the Mediterranean and finish in St Tropez. A little over 1,000 miles of canoeing! It is planned for September 2020 and I have been amazed how quickly the planning has taken place, I haven’t canoed for around 25 years and my colleague has very little experience. First step is to get in some boats at a local club level and pool work and this (2019) summer to do some Scottish Island touring with an organised outfit. Plenty to do and massive hurdles to get over but life is for living not a practice!

    Reply
  14. 12

    [email protected]

    Buy some cheap poster board and create a goal poster with pictures of what you want. Define as many details as you can, break it down into steps and post it where you will see it all the time. Start taking action because time is ticking and no one is going to do it for you.

    Reply

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