20 Questions to ask yourself
Note from Scott: I’m honored to present the following article from Alastair Humphreys. He was National Geographic Adventurer of the Year back in 2012, has written a slew of great books, and is generally a great guy. Long ago, I asked Al for some advice about bicycling in Africa, and it was some of the most succinct and accurate advice that I’ve ever gotten: “The terrain is easier, but everything else is harder.” I’ve enjoyed watching Al mature through the years as an adventurer, so I highly recommend — I say this rarely — that you give him a follow. Check out Alastair Humphreys’ website, particularly the newsletter or podcast section.
In this article, we discuss questions that are becoming evermore important as we consider our impact on the world. I’d like to add one distinction: these questions not only apply to adventures but also to explorations and even vacations. All three share travel, an exploration of the world and ideas, personal growth, and surprises. My simple definitions are:
- Exploration: Discovering new information.
- Adventure: Discovering yourself.
- Vacation: Instead of “recreation,” think of it as “re-creating” yourself.
I’ve written more about this distinction here: What is an adventure?
How to add purpose to your adventures
The venerable Royal Geographical Society, like me, is interested in adding ‘Purpose’ to the fun, personally-fulfilling, character-building world of expeditions and adventures. Indeed, back in my more hellfire and head for the horizon days, I used to get a bit frustrated with the wonderful Shane Winser politely chiding me for a lack of purpose to my rollickingly enjoyable trips.
While the intention sounds good, what exactly does it mean to add purpose to our adventures?
I sat outside a cafe, one cold afternoon, and chatted about this with Tom Allen (adventurer, trail builder, and now the Society’s new Expeditions and Fieldwork Manager). We realised that we both had lots of questions, but not many answers yet.
So I suggested to Tom that rather than writing an article about the answers, he might prefer just to pose some questions for us all to mull over. How will the RGS, with nearly 200 years of glorious expeditions under its belt, tackle the challenges the planet is facing now, whilst also embracing all the good stuff involved in sending people off into the world’s wild places?
Here, then, is a list of questions for us all to mull over:
Why: Purpose & Problem Solving
- How does your adventure add value to the world (on top of your own personal development, enlightenment, etc.)?
- What problem is your adventure highlighting, and what solutions have you come up with?
- Are there gaps in existing knowledge or awareness that your adventure aims to address? How will your work contribute meaningfully to filling those gaps?
- How does your adventure align with global frameworks, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and which specific goals does it address?
- And perhaps most ruthlessly… is going on an adventure really the best way to address your question or problem, or would another approach actually be more effective?
Is going on an adventure really the best way to address your question or problem, or would another approach actually be more effective?
Who: Credentials & Personal Stakes
- What makes you sufficiently qualified to answer these questions or solve these problems?
- How can you be reasonably sure someone else hasn’t done a better job of tackling this issue?
- Are you sure you aren’t just tacking on a cause to justify a glorified holiday?
- What personal assumptions or biases are you bringing to this adventure, and how are you prepared to challenge them?
How: Logistics, Data & Execution
- What new knowledge, insights, or data will your adventure generate, and how will it be shared with others (e.g., the public, policymakers, academics)?
- Do you have a plan for outreach, such as talks, educational programs, or publications, that will maximize the positive impact of your experience?
- Does your project tie into larger conservation or societal initiatives, and how will you connect with those already working on similar issues, and how will you ensure that your actions are truly in alignment?
- How will you measure and evaluate the outcomes of your adventure, both for yourself and for those impacted by it?
- Will you provide transparent reporting on the successes, challenges, and learnings from your expedition?
Consequences: Impact & Sustainability
- How will the planetary benefits of you going on this adventure outweigh the risks and costs, and how are you going to calculate it?
- How will you engage communities, both locally and globally, to amplify the message of your adventure?
- How are you minimizing the environmental and social impact of your expedition, and what steps are you taking to make it as sustainable as possible?
- Have you considered how your presence might affect the local community, environment, or wildlife, and how are you addressing potential negative impacts?
Legacy: The Long-Tail Effect
- How will you ensure your adventure/expedition has a lasting effect? Put another way, how does your effort fit into the longer timeline of the issue?
- What legacy do you hope to leave behind, and how do you envision others building upon your work in the future? Whose legacy are you building on, and how are you respecting it?
Visit Alastair Humphrey’s website to sign up for a newsletter or just browse all the amazing adventures.
In this old story, Alastair summarizes his bicycle ride around the world.
If you like pondering these ideas, I recommend on of my favorite articles: The unexpected benefits of travel.
