I originally wrote this in 2010. Updated 2017. Identifying habits that perhaps hold me back and creating solutions.

Problem: Using technology through boredom for a short term emotional benefit.

Solutions:

• Smarter use of instead of impulsive use.
• Being productive as opposed to busy.
• Better understanding and relevant technology.
• Improving the technology I use. Making it faster, more suitable. Being part of a community of people who use similar technology and sharing ideas, issues and fixes.
• Understanding the pros and cons of use of different technologies.

Problem: Dreaming to escape to somewhere / something better.

Solutions:

• Make the most of the place where I am rather than projecting to escape somewhere else. Embracing the mundane.

Problem: Too many projects.

Solutions:

• Reducing projects, making them real and putting them out in the world.
• Ideas are not all worth pursuing and realising a good idea requires time, dedication and effort.

Problem: Making things too easy and getting complacent.

Solutions:

• Follow your intuition.
• Sticking at the process.
• Do things properly.
• Deal with reality in a realistic way.

In it’s most simple form, filmmaking is story-telling. With a few simple techniques everyone can record and tell compelling stories.

Camera

Care

• It is important to keep the camera in a safe and dry place. I kept mine in a camera bag in a dry bag in the trailer.
• Take a spare battery. I took the standard battery as well as an additional high capacity battery.

How to hold / fix

• Use the strap so you don’t drop it.
• Hold the camera with both hands when you film to keep it steady. Use a tripod where possible.

Light settings

• Use the manual exposure and white balance where possible.
• In low lights use the manual rather than the auto focus to avoid drifting in and out of focus as the sensor
• tries to work in the low light.

Shooting

• Keep the story in mind when shooting. Think of the editor who has to edit the rushes into a story.
• Take plenty of cut away shots which help the editor out.
• If you are involved in an interesting situation and you think it will make a good story, make sure to get an estabilishing shot of the location: for example the restaurant you are sitting in or the person’s house. You can get this whenever is convenient so don’t worry to run out and get the shot and ruin the flow of the story. But if you shoot the story in the day then get the establishing shot in the day too.
• Try to avoid shooting whilst walking.
• Think in terms of 10 second shots if you are filming for an ‘action’ documentary. However, it depends on the style you are going for. Some travel docs might lend themselves to longer shots but have in mind how you will use the shots otherwise you’ll end up with loads of footage and no structure. Then again, rules are there to be broken so be creative.

Interview

• For an interview shoot the person who is talking and make sure they include the question when they answer.
• You can either film yourself asking the question or just get the audio. It is better to use the external mic if you have one to get the best quality audio.

Updated (2/2017) and 2022.

Update 2017. Georidersmtb is no longer operating. I will write a full report of what happened with my experience setting up a mountain bike tour company in Georgia.

Back in 2007 I was travelling by bike and ended up in the Republic of Georgia. Pedalling through Georgia around Christmas 2007, it was a beautiful but unfamiliar place with amazing varied landscape but clearly a lot of poverty and the fall out from a collapsed Soviet system. Shops contained few products. However, after I spent some time in the place I realised hospitality is at the core of their culture. They have a rich history, a grand past and interesting architecture. All these combined with the fantastic mountain and lakes surrounding the city made me realise that it was an relatively unknown gem. I explored the hills by bike and found many trails with other local bikers. I continued travelling but returned to Georgia in 2009. Friends of friends introduced me to local mountain bikers and they showed me many more routes. One friend, Dato, told me he had taken tourists on trips before.

Many former windsurf enthusiasts have now moved to kitesurfing which has grown immensely in popularity in recent years. I was attracted to kitesurfing by the minimalism of the gear compared with windsurfing and so I decided to take some lessons at the Kitesurf Centre at Camber Sands.

The course lasted a few cold windy days and I took the train down to Rye from London and cycled down to the coast to the hut on the beach.

Travelling is often seen as something for the rich. However, over the years travel has got cheaper. The majority of my ‘real’ travel experiences have been the cheapest ones and involved the bare minimal amount of money, living as close to a travelling hobo as possible.

Saving up and generating cash

• Ask nicely for kit that you can test for a company - find the right person who deals with that sort of thing.
• Handle your media and communications - be known for something and use it as a foundation for generating support such as crowdsourcing funding.
• If possible, get yourself featured in high visibility media: news, magazines, documentary, films: use the media of the moment to promote yourself.
• Become a photographer - use it to document the places you go. Take photos of equipment in use and send to the brand. Sell photos to magazines and list on stock photography sites.
• If you are a good writer, write articles for relevant magazines.
• Sell artwork like postcards, and drawings. If you are a good enough musician, can you busk for money?
• Write a blog and sparingly offer paid promotion opportunities.

Take cheap transport

• Bus is probably the cheapest motorised transport followed by train
• In some countries taxis can be affordable
• If you can cycle, then it makes the most sense from a cost perspective
• Hitch hiking is another option

Use free hospitality

• Use Couchsurfing, Be welcome or similar free hospitality sites. Be aware that being a good guest is an art and if you aren’t paying for accommodation you shouldn’t treat it like a hotel
• Sleep in a tent
• Sleep on the deck of boats / on buses / trains. E.g. plan it so that you travel at night where possible
• Ask people for help - if you don’t ask you don’t get
• Be desperate and in need. ‘Stay Hungry’
• Be flexible. Paying for services can make you feel more assured but if you are a guest then you don’t know exactly how things will pan out

Buy, take and carry only what you really need

• Minimise your possession
• Wear long lasting clothes
• Use rechargeable batteries
• Don’t buy maps or guidebooks unless necessary. Guidebooks are heavy and you can usually find maps on the way.

Live off the land / reduce your living costs

• Borrow hand wash from public toilets - carry around in a drinks bottle and refill.
• Forage for food.
• Buy food before you go or before you come into a touristic / expensive area.
• Drink tap water instead of buying drinks.
• Don’t drink alcohol.
• Don’t use a mobile.
• Avoid all but the cheapest restaurants - eat where the locals eat.
• Be vegetarian.

Last updated 2022

Notes from when I did my mountain bike technical leader course

Climbing

Weight position

Position your weight to keep the front wheel on the ground for effective steering and sufficient traction through the rear wheel. The can require a shift forwards onto the front of the saddle. Pull back rather than up on the handlebars with the elbows bent and tucked in. This helps keep the front wheel on the ground and going straight.

I lived in London for 4 years between 2010 and 2014. London is a great place for walking and cycling. There is a huge amount to explore. Anyone who has been a cyclist in a big city will know how it feels to ride amongst the busy traffic and people on the streets. When I first moved down I applied the following rules and self-help tips.

• Get a bike. A strong frame with semi-slick puncture resistant tyres. Gears are optional.
• Keep the bike well maintained. Keep the chain clean by wiping it with a rag and applying oil infrequently as needed.
• Make sure you are safe on the bike so get a helmet and gloves.
• Learn to fix your bike. Get a puncture repair kit, pump, tyre lever, allen keys - keep in portable repair kit. For extra help find your local bike shop.
• Keep your bike safe. Buy a good lock. D-Locks are best.
• Get a key chain that clips on and holds your keys (incl. bike lock keys).
• Get a rucksack which is comfortable (alternatively install pannier racks and get pannier bags). Keep a waterproof coat in it, bike kit as described above.
• Get an A to Z (for old school navigation), keep it in your bag and ask people for directions.
• Get a large rucksack for shopping trips (alternative - get panniers or a trailer).
• Shop in local grocers, instead of supermarkets where you can. Plenty of opportunities in big cities.
• Don’t run the red lights
• Accept invitations.
• Trust your gut instinct.
• Don’t carry loads of money in your wallet (so you don’t spend it).
• Be friendly.
• Be observant.
• Don’t get caught out in the rain, unless it is on purpose.
• Look up at the sky once in a while (good for remembering you are on planet earth & picking out tall landmarks).
• Be on time.

When travelling almost everyone wants to enjoy a local meal . It’s part of the travelling experience . If you’re not careful you may end up in an expensive, “extremely” tourist oriented place, which may not even represent the local gastronomy.

One of the problems with most review websites is when restaurants go into a positive spiral. They attract more visitors due to their position and those visitors review them again reinforcing the spiral. The result is that you might miss other, more interesting, possibilities.

Free and sharing services have emerged everywhere thanks to the internet allowing an extension of traditional swapping, borrowing and giving practices. Here are some of the services I have researched and used.

Free Stuff

• Freecycle
• Preloved
• Reuse it Network
• 2Recycle
• Gumtree: popular for giveaways and classified sales. Fairly London-centric but very busy
• Freegle: a new breakaway set of groups from ex-Freecycle UK moderators

Swap stuff

• MySkip: a celeb-backed swapping site with photos
• Swapsity: Canada’s #1 Swapping Community
• Swapaskill | a favour for a friend

Free Skills

• Skillsbox - Swapping Skills, Trading Time…
• Skillbound::Registration
• Skillshare
• [Save Money: Don’t pay for skills - swap them! | ](http://www.moneymagpie.com/article/save-money-dont-pay-for-skills-swap-themMoneymagpie - Free tips on Debt, Shopping, Credit Cards and )more!

Free Lectures

• Talks in London, Lectures in London - Talks & Lectures
• Free Lectures
• Free talks and lectures in London - Time Out London
• London Talks | Interesting talks in London

Free Events

• RSA - Upcoming events
• National Gallery
• Free London | Londonist

Others

• www.loanables.com
• craigslist: East Midlands jobs, flats, personals, for sale, services, community and events
• Jobs,Rooms and Links for a Budget life in London | BrokeinLondon
• RecycleNow: an official government site that has a postcode service to locate your nearest recycling

Read more about the ideas behind some of these services

Publishing an ebook is a great way to get your writing out there. You can potentially make some money if you have a following or are willing to create one especially if you have something remarkable to offer.

Write something awesome

• You need to have something to write about.
• It needs to be worth writing about - e.g. it is valuable, you know about it and people want to read it.
• Structure your book with an intro and chapters.
• Consider co-writing to keep your ideas and writing on point.
• Consider the type of layout for the book you are making - e.g. a novel may be purely text focused, where some non-fiction books have images and other kinds of content. If in doubt keep it simple.

Design and layout to set off your content

• Get a professional cover designed.
• Get a professional editor.
• If you have existing contracts for your books, and /or have been published in the past, check you have the rights before you publish.
• Look into Kindle Direct Publish (kdp.Amazon.com), Kobo, Smashwords (allows you access to iBookstore, Nook), Bookbaby is paid and offers packages to format and distribute your book.

Get your work out to the masses

• Format your book with Pandoc to create an ePub, convert it to .mobi with Kindlegen.
• Most independent authors make more profit from ebooks so stick to ebooks unless you have a special reason.
• DIY option - LightningSource. easier DIY option - CreateSpace.
• TheBookDesigner.com for DIY self-printing.
• Market your ebook through social media, mailing list.

The main thing to remember is create a remarkable book.