Recently, I was nominated for and award (see below) which asks you about the blogs that you read yourself. It occurred to me that I don’t really read many new blogs. I rarely check up on people’s blogs regularly and a lot of the blogs I read are for education rather than entertainment.

I guess I was a bit disappointed in myself.

Instead, I thought I’d share with you the blogs (and equivalents) I have and do read occasionally – and most importantly what I use them for.

Blogs for Adventures

I should say again, that these aren’t blogs I’m saying “Go out there and read right now”. They’re just blogs I’ve read, either once or lots, that you might find interesting. I certainly don’t agree with everything I read either!

For Other People’s Adventures

• Anna McNuff – not a very frequent poster, but a hilarious read when she does
• Challenge Sophie – heading off into less adventure-y waters, but old stuff is good.
• Tough Girl Podcast – great for listening to at work… 😉

For Adventure as a Career

• Alastair Humphreys – I love reading about his blog posts about writing
• Andy Kirkpatrick – some stuff goes over my head, others are gems. Also read this about climbing Everest.
• Business of Adventure – Nice pointers and overviews of some topics
• Dave Cornthwaite – for reassurance that it’ll be alright. Start here.

For Digital Marketing Skills

I could write for a long time about this. I’m going to be adding more about this to my blog soon (and why wannabe adventurers should care), but for now a few places to start:

• Tim Ferris – for interviews with interesting people and passive income advice. Some people find him annoying.
• Seth Godin – for weird and novel mini-blogs
• Read this about the power of true fans
• Russel Brunson’s way of teaching sales funnels is great if you can look beyond the sales-y speak. Try this for size.

Where This Post Came From

I was very flattered that Lizzie Wake nominated me for an award. You might have seen the Leibster Award floating around the internet – it’s designed as a way to find new bloggers. If you get nominated, you have to answer some questions, then pick 5 more bloggers and ask them questions. I’ve been blogging for well over 2 years now (on this blog) and don’t think I quite fit into the criteria for continuing the award. However, I’m honoured that I’m one of Lizzie’s favourite blogs and I love answering questions! So here’s what she asked me…

1. What prompted you to start blogging?

I love writing. I guess I also like giving my opinion and sharing stories from my life in a way that might help people. I’ve always found writing cathartic and when I graduated from university I seriously needed some catharsis. I came home like it had all been a bad dream and was left, for the first time in my life, with the entire world in front of me and no direction.

2. Describe, briefly, your dream venture.

Going to assume this means venture as in expedition….

Flipping hell this is difficult…

Ok I have always had a little bit of an obsession with the Incas (and Egyptians but I’m not a fan of desert). So, I guess a dream expedition would be to go to the Andes and hunt out the Incas. Or more specifically head off to somewhere around about Bolivia and hunt out the lost city of the Incas (yep, that’s El Dorado). Not because of gold or treasure or anything like that, but just out of curiosity and fascination.

I found a book in Pete’s Eats recently by Ross Salmon, who was a chap who did just that. Turns out he lived near me and, unfortunately, died a few years ago. Such is the curse of being a writer Emily would like to contact… If anyone, by any chance, knows about his work I’d love to read more of it. Google is drawing up short. Or about the Cornish man who reckoned he’d solved the mathematical Incan hieroglyphs – because, heck, I’ll always be a mathematician at heart.

3. Who is your favourite writer or poet, and why?

Poet: Rudyard Kipling
Why:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster,
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make a heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

A poem to live by.

4. Travelling on a budget? Or in luxury?

Budget. I always feel out of place in anything slightly fancy when I’m travelling. I’d be much happier sitting on the floor, covered in bike grease…

5. Camera or iPhone?

Camera. I mean, I don’t even have a smart phone.

6. If you could invite anyone – past, present or fictional – to share your campfire, who would it be, and why?

Gandalf. But only if he was in the mood for talking.

7. What has been your most scary challenge?

This is quite difficult. I’ve done some scary things, but they were always a small part of a bigger challenge. I’ve camped in a few thunderstorms, which was pretty scary. I’ve also led a group along a knife-edge in white out in the mountains of Scotland – even more alarming because it was June.

Perhaps what should have been most scary was almost being killed by a sheep on a via ferrata above Innsbruck. It was trapped on a ledge above us and panicking – kicking down loose rocks and scree. The via ferrata was very busy, so we were essentially stuck in a queue, attached to a wire with nowhere to go. The people in front shuffled up to make space and I jumped. A large rock hit my bag, instead of me. But because I didn’t see it fall, everyone else was more worried than me…

8. If you could pick a map of anywhere in the world, which map would you choose, and why?

Cheating, but: I would pick a map that showed/marked all of the unclimbed peaks and unexplored areas. Then get cracking!

9. What is the oddest piece of (outer) clothing you’ve ever worn?

Ever, ever… Erm… Trying to think through all the university fancy dress parties… I guess, in keeping with the theme of my blog, we used to have a university tradition of doing the Christmas walk in black tie. So yes, I’ve scrambled up Gordale Scar in a frock.

10. Training shoes? Or boots? (Contentious, I know!).

Boots. Not contentious in my book – unless I’ve misunderstood the question.

11. If you could take a fantasy creature with you on your travels what would it be?

Um… I don’t often find use for fantasy creatures on my travels, but perhaps a dragon or a Simurgh for avoiding airports.

Some Questions For YOU!

So if I were nominating someone blogs for the Leibster Award, I’d have to come up with 11 questions for them to answer. Instead, I’d like to ask you some instead. Yes, you. I’d love to get to know some of you readers and I bet half of you have a blog of your own.

Please comment below:

1. Your blog (if you have one) and what it’s about.
2. What bits of this blog you do you like most? / Why do you like this blog?
3. What’s your favourite flavour of ice cream?

I look forward to reading them 🙂