The Mega Transect proper Backing out of my mum’s driveway in Dorking was nowhere near the heart-thumping-in-my-throat, tear-jerker as it was on our motorcycles, destined for the Americas in 2014. Sliding back into the reclinable passenger seat – coffee cup holder on my left, Jase on my right – a heartfelt goodbye was exchanged before […]
21 May-14 Jun 2019 – The Mega Transect’s shakedown: Drenched in Hebridean happiness
A practice run for Cape to Cape Etive Road, Glencoe Time started to slow as we sunk into the Scottish Highlands. Easing our way back into a life on the road, Etive Road near Glencoe pinpointed a trusty camping spot in the area. Studying me for a while, as if I was an artwork with […]
Aug 2018 – May 2019 – Hilux build out: Self-sufficiency for weeks at a time and the final mods (Part 3 of 3)
The Mega Transect expedition: build-out continued Water and Gas A 10-gallon (45-litre) water tank (Front Runner Outfitters), a 4.5-gallon (20-litre) water-purifying jerry can (LifeSaver), for when we are unsure about the purity of our water source. Plus 2.85-gallon (3.9-kilogram) gas bottle for our two ring burner. Refrigeration While our previous means of a fridge […]
Aug 2018 – May 2019 – Toyota Hilux build out: Lockable storage and reliability off-road (Part 2 of 3)
The Mega Transect expedition: build-out continued Drawer, slide and cabinet system A British custom-designed drawer system, gearslide and cabinet solution (Gearmate), has revolutionised our load space. All lockable, the drawers offer up to 330-pounds’ (150-kilograms) load capacity and incredibly, extend 100 per cent, which brings our gear – separated by dividers and on a gripped […]
Aug 2018 – May 2019 – Toyota Hilux build out: A basic but capable 4WD, cooking and sleeping (Part 1 of 3)
The Mega Transect Motorcycle keys hung up for now, it’s a pleasure to share how we took a Toyota 4WD through its transformation. Ignoring the swarm of butterflies celebrating in my stomach, I’m hoping our efforts and choices will reap reward on what we’re calling ‘The Mega Transect’. Possibly help inform a decision you may […]
26 Feb – 20 May 2019 – Making the switch from two wheels to four
After combining our love for diving and photography since childhood, during a decade of experiencing the world below the waterline, a change was eventually overdue. With a lifelong passion for taking pictures still in focus, we hung up the fins and decided on a big one. Long story short, sold our cottage in the country, […]
25 Feb 2019 – Daily Mail feature
Daily Mail feature Our five minutes’ of fun in the Daily Mail Online, 25 February 2019: Couple sell house and quit day jobs to travel 80,000 miles through 21 countries for nearly five years from Argentina to Alaska taking in Antarctica to Prudhoe Bay on trip of a lifetime
1 Aug 2018 – 24 Feb 2019 – Looking back to look forward
What’s the backstory before you left to ride the Americas? Our lives have taken us down many paths. At 19 during uni I met Jason, who was 31, on a Red Sea diving liveaboard in 2000. Since graduating, the pair of us worked regular jobs in between guiding and instructing around the globe for the […]
1 Jun – 31 Jul 2018 – Bittersweet endings
“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon”. Something that Chris McCandless (Into the Wild) wrote in one of his letters to which I can relate pretty well after nigh five years on the road. For him and […]
11-31 May 2018 – Zion, Overland Expo West, fast friendships and finally, the Grand Canyon: poetry in stone
Zion National Park, Utah “Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end.” Edward Whymper nailed it in Scrambles […]