20 Apr Digital Detox Heroes #3: Adventurer Al Humphreys
We’re excited to introduce our third Digital Detox Hero takeover on Instagram! Our Digital Detox Heroes series introduces friends of Time To Log off who perfectly embody the screen balanced lifestyle. We’re letting each of our Heroes take over Time To Log Off’s Instagram feed to share three fantastic digital detox inspired shots. They will also be explaining why it’s important for them to enjoy some time away from screens.
Meet adventurer, author and motivational speaker Al Humphreys, Digital Detox Hero #3
source: alastairhumphreys.com
The first instalment of our Digital Detox Heroes series introduced award-winning travel writer Emily Luxton and her concept of ‘deep travel’. We then featured Sarah Graveling from Franklyn and Vincent to talk about mindfulness in the garden. For our third takeover, we turn to Al Humphreys, National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year in 2012.
Al has enjoyed countless adventures and expeditions in over 80 countries worldwide. After graduating University he set off on a four-year cycle around the world. During his trip, he covered 46,000 miles, 60 countries and 5 continents. Since then, he has run six marathons through the Sahara desert, busked his way around Spain, canoed 500 miles down the Yukon river and crossed Iceland by foot and packcraft – just to name a few. A keen writer and photographer, he’s also written nine books and given countless motivational speeches.
source: alastairhumphreys.com
Pioneering ‘microadventures’
Al clearly has an affinity for the outdoors, something we love to see at Time To Log Off. But why have we chosen him as our third Digital Detox Hero? Well, he understands that cycling across the world isn’t for everyone, but Al believes that we can all incorporate adventure into our busy lives. His pioneering ‘microadventures’ concept are “small and achievable, for normal people with real lives”. He reminds us that between our 9 to 5 jobs there are 16 hours left over – perfect for a small adventure that needn’t involve travelling far! In addition to his ‘Microadventures‘ book, his blog shares helpful advice on embarking on your own microadventure – from location inspiration, a kit list and tips on sleeping safely in the wild.
What are the benefits of exploring somewhere new and setting up camp for the night? In an interview, Al says: “In that brief little space, you’ve had a proper adventure: you’ve gained wilderness experience, you’ve done something you’ve never done before, and you’ve challenged yourself.” And this is exactly why Al is our latest Digital Detox Hero. He encourages us all to switch off and leave our screen-dominated, 24:7 connected lifestyles behind. And in that process, in reconnecting with nature and spending some time without the constant noise of notifications, you find yourself again.
Al takes over our Instagram
To accompany the shots we’re sharing from Al on our Instagram, he summarises microadventures as “short, simple, local, cheap – yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding.”
And he gives some examples of microadventures we could all try out: “Follow a river to its source. Take a train or a bus to a new town, spend the day there and cycle back. After work, go wild camping and stargazing and then in the morning, watch the sunrise before heading back to the office. Doing so will offer new perspectives to a familiar place”.
Follow our Digital Detox Heroes series
It’s hard not to feel inspired after reading about Al’s mission to make us all into microadventurers! You can follow his takeover and our entire Digital Detox Heroes series on our Instagram @timetologoff. We’ve still got more Digital Detox Heroes to introduce you to!
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