• How to Write for Magazines

    February 8, 2017

    Excerpt from RGS Expedition Handbook 35 WRITING FOR MAGAZINES Miranda Haines 06 RGS Expedition Handbk 4/3/04 3:54 pm Page 401SELLING YOUR PIECE Mind the gap: dealing with the media Strangely, and most editors moan about this, it has been very difficult to ?nd reliable professional expeditions to write a good, relevant, interesting piece that stands out from the pile.Undoubtedly, both sides are missing something here. It is always worth remembering that we both want the same thing: a good and visually exiting result in print that readers will enjoy and come back for more.

    Tags: Writing

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  • Advice for Cycle Touring in Zanzibar, Africa from Seasoned Expert Pete Gostelow

    February 8, 2017

    What is the best time of the year to go? Anytime. Tanzania has a wet season from March-May and short rains October. It’s hottest in Jan/Feb. Rainy season has never restricted my travels here. What is the best flight / way to get there. Are there any obvious directions to cycle on from there? You can’t fly direct to Dar es Salaam from UK. Emirates/Turkish are possibly cheapest (about £450-500 for return from London).

    Tags: PeterGostelowAfricaCycle touring

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  • 30 Things Mountain Biking has Taught Me About Life

    February 8, 2017

    Good writers have often used sport as a metaphor for life. Preparation wins races. Keep your gear clean. Gear isn’t everything. Don’t ride tired or hungry if you can help it. Relax. Stay loose. Go with the flow. Balance is first among the virtues; momentum is second. Ensure traction by digging in. The fun starts when you push the limits. He who dares… Sometimes speed is your friend. Sometimes, the best way past an obstacle is to fly straight over it.

    Tags: LifeAdviceMountain biking

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  • How to Get Sponsorship: Company Sponsorship Email Template

    February 8, 2017

    Back in 2006 when I had the idea to go on a cycle tour, it was my idea, and no one else’s. I thought, that I alone would take my bike, escape from the everyday drone of my life in England and find excitement and bliss. Great. The reason I had the idea was due to a whole range of factors, not least, many pub conversations about such things with friends, a long term love of cycling and the support from different people that had given me the space to be able to create the conditions to leave.

    Tags: SponsorshipExpedition

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  • Between Worlds - Cycle Touring in Asia

    February 8, 2017

    Between Worlds chronicles a real journey of discovery from the harsh winter of Georgia to the wilds of Mongolia by bicycle. A lone ride which began in Tbilisi and continued through Armenia, Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal ending in Mongolia. It is one man’s exploration of place and space, full of detailed architectural observations which question the nature of the spaces we inhabit and encourage consideration of the profound effects of architecture on our thoughts and habits.

    Tags: bookadventurecycle-touring

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  • Weave of the Ride - A Book About Cycle Touring Across Europe

    February 7, 2017

    In my early twenties, one hot summer day seen through an office window, I felt as if I should be getting out on my bike more. A flippant message to a best mate, “I’m going to cycle round the world”. Would it become reality? We decided to cycle around the world and follow the horizon to the end. After a year of preparation, with no experience of travelling or any idea of what to expect, we followed the compass East from our hometown hoping a journey of a lifetime for which no planning could have prepared us.

    Tags: PrintingIndieBookDesign

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  • The Only Man to Cycle from Stoke Albany to Kathmandu

    February 7, 2017

    Bumper edition of my 2 books including the journey from England to the Caucasus, solo ride round India and Nepal and further adventuring in Mongolia. Newly edited and updated with a new cover design. Buy The Only Man to Cycle from Stoke Albany to Kathmandu on Amazon

    Tags: Book

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  • How to design an Indie book

    February 6, 2017

    Use your imagination beforehand and try to understand what is the most effective thing to do. Do research on other books in existence. Simple will be the way to go. Know your paper, print and finishing. There is no ‘correct’ way to do anything. Advice by: Luce Choules

    Tags: PrintingIndieBookDesign

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  • How does Cold Water Swimming Make You Feel?

    February 6, 2017

    You know that you have told yourself that you are going to do it. You have set up this self challenge that means that any time there is an opportunity you have to do it. The others have mentioned how you are mad, but you know that you will get up early and go outdoors with your shorts, hat and towel and brave the conditions. There is always the possibility that you might back out so there is a constant little nagging motivation.

    Tags: Wild swimmingCold waterSwimming

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  • Permaculture  in The Republic of Georgia

    February 6, 2017

    I met Roland Chatwin, in Tbilisi in 2015 who at the time was setting up a cooperative & permaculture project in Kakheti, a region of Georgia. He was in Tbilisi short-term teaching, cooking, biking and wild-gardening/foraging. He was eager to network with any other projects, isolated enthusiasts, NGO’s etc to spread the word and share ideas. I met up with him at the old hippodrome, where he and a friend showed me an area which they had been gardening and were intending to expand the plot over time.

    Tags: GardeningPermacultureFarmingTbilisiGeorgia

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  • Who was Sir Francis Younghusband?

    February 5, 2017

    David Klein, a mountain climber, from Hungary, who we stayed with on the original Ride Earth bike tour, bought up Francis Younghusband as a British figure that he respected. He mentioned it in passing, but I wondered - who was this guy? An Explorer Younghusband was a noted figure and explorer in British India, born in 1863. In 1886-1887, on leave from his regiment he made an expedition through Manchuria, crossing the Gobi Desert and pioneering a route from Kashgar and India through the uncharted Mustagh Pass.

    Tags: AdventurerFrancisYounghusband

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  • How to market an ebook?

    February 5, 2017

    Very little joy from hours of spamming journalists Any media coverage I have got has proved so unproductive at selling books/makingmoney/opening doors that it has not encouraged me to make many more future efforts. In other words the only (small) success any of my books have had is through growing organically. Having said all that, books like Mark Beaumont’s give powerful proof of how successful marketing / hype can lead to massive sales.

    Tags: PublishGrowingOrganicEbookBook

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