Be inspired by our adventurous partners

The around-the-world solo sailor

More people have climbed Everest than have sailed around the world, and even fewer have done it solo. In 2023, Guy Waites completed the 2022 Golden Globe Race – yes, it took 287 days to complete. It’s a race where you cannot use modern technology to navigate and have to train yourself to sleep in short bursts. Guy had to make two stops on the route, once because a heavy storm washed his life raft away. Whilst this disqualified him from the race, he still completed the daring circumnavigation, running out of food days before finishing. Guy Waites is a skipper for our sailing partner WavySail. Their experienced skippers have over 1.5 million ocean miles between them.

Ok, I’m inspired: Sail across the South Atlantic Ocean

The TV presenter-adventurer

Former BBC Blue Peter presenter and Chief Scout Peter Duncan is always up for derring-do. He’s cleaned the face of Big Ben whilst dangling from a rope, attempted to drive across the Irish Sea in an amphibious VW Beetle and, more successfully, driven overland all the way across the world from London to New York. Together with co-founder Alex he runs The Natural Adventure, our partner for inspiring activity holidays that won’t leave you bailing seawater out of a small car.

Ok, I’m inspired: Bulgaria self-guided walking and spa holiday

The man who swam the Amazon

Martin Strel is a multiple Guinness World Record-holder for his swimming feats, which include swimming the length of the Danube, the Mississippi, and from Africa to Europe. Aged 52, he swam the length of the Amazon River, a 5,265km challenge which took 66 days of dodging piranhas and parasites, and which left his entire body covered in subcutaneous larvae. Martin performs his marathon endeavours to raise awareness for water quality and other environmental issues. He set up Strel Swimming Adventure Holidays with his son in 2011; they run our swimming holidays, which take place in Strel’s native Slovenia . Our finance manager, Lyn, is a regular participant.

Ok, I’m inspired: Our swimming holidays

The Camino de Santiago addict

Bronagh Carroll has walked thousands of kilometres of Camino de Santiago through France, Spain and Portugal but her love for pilgrim paths doesn’t stop there. In 2022 her toddler became the youngest Irish person to take part in the famous final 100km from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. Young Leo walked and was pushed in a special trek pram by Bronagh and her partner, to complete a 115km section over ten days. Bronagh Carroll runs Magic Hill Holidays, our partner for Camino holidays, and she’s been kind enough to give us advice for walking the Camino with children.

Ok, I’m inspired: Camino de Santiago family walking holiday

The family who champion elephants and their mahouts

In 2015, Sarah and Felix Blaine performed a daring rescue. They raised money to save two elephants, a mother and daughter, from a tourism camp. Then the Blaine family, including their children, Joe and Natasha, along with volunteers from around the world, walked the elephants over 130km ‘home’. They trekked through the jungle to a place where the elephants could live freely in the wild, a story that made it on to the BBC. The couple were inspired to set up their own business in Thailand after a family holiday revealed how elephants can be mistreated by the tourism industry. They work with Karen indigenous mahouts to run our elephant-watching trips, where you can see elephants where they belong: in the wild.

Ok, I’m inspired: Family community volunteering and elephant watching

The changemaker with an MBE for services to responsible tourism

In 2006 Dr Cheryl Mvula was on holiday in Kenya. She was appalled when she found out that the Maasai villages that she encountered were being exploited by the tourism industry. She obtained funding to work with the Maasai for a year on developing sustainable community-based tourism in five villages. She is the founder the Zambia Primate Project, the High Five Club, and responsible tourism and wildlife conservation consultancy, Tribal Voice Communications. In 2017, she was awarded an MBE for services to responsible tourism, community development and conservation in Africa. As one of our partners, she offers travellers the chance to visit and stay in community-based tourism projects in Africa.

Ok, I’m inspired: Chitimba cultural homestay, Malawi

The person who literally wrote the book on LeJog

The best-known traversal of the UK goes from the most south-westerly point to the most north-easterly point of the mainland: from Land’s End to John o’Groats. Nick Mitchell knows the famous ‘LeJog’ route so well he’s written a book on it. He’s the author of the respected Cicerone Guide to the Land's End to John o'Groats cycle – as well as a guide to cycling the Trans Pennine Trail. He’s completed thousands and thousands of kilometres of long-distance cycle paths. Not yet tired of cycling the length of the UK, Nick leads our cycling trips on the route, providing invaluable support, advice and guidance on a journey that he knows extremely well.

Ok, I’m inspired: Land’s End to John o’Groats cycling trip