Me

Stories and lessons from travel, volunteering and personal growth

I write about the trips that changed how I see things, the charity campaigns I have been part of, and the principles I keep coming back to. Nothing technical here — that side of the work lives over in Projects.

ExperienceTravelVolunteeringWisdom

Discovering London

3 min read

Five days in London around a 20,000-person convention at the O2: planning ahead, getting around on the Tube, and the views worth the detour.

Understanding courage and how to build self confidence

4 min read

Courage is needed for seconds, not for a lifetime. How to weigh the pain of discipline against the pain of regret, and build confidence by acting first.

Toubkal summit ascension

3 min read

Climbing Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak at 4,167 metres: the gear, the refuge, the final push, and what it really costs to reach the summit.

Discovering Hawai

4 min read

Thirty hours of travel to Oahu for a company convention: busy Waikiki, the quiet side of the island, and the conversations that made the trip memorable.

Timichi charity campaign

3 min read

Strapped to the roof of a 4x4 up the Atlas Mountains to Timichi, filming the year's largest campaign as volunteers carried aid to families door to door.

Tizi Noucheg charity campaign

3 min read

Nineteen tons of donations, six cars and two trucks into the Ourika Valley: delivering aid to Tizi Noucheg and the welcome that met us at the top.

Itzer charity campaign

3 min read

Driving through the snow to Itzer, a village between Azrou and Midelt still rebuilding after 2008, and what a child's hug teaches you about gratitude.

Dubai Sky Diving

4 min read

A first tandem skydive over Dubai Marina: the briefing at Skydive Dubai, the moment the door opens, and the strange calm that arrives after the freefall.

Scuba Diving in Atlantis Dubai

3 min read

Diving The Lost Chambers at Atlantis, Dubai — the training beforehand, sharks and rays a metre away, and why 40 minutes in that aquarium is worth the trip.

Discovering Essaouira

5 min read

A one-day guide to Essaouira, Morocco's calmest coastal town: the road from Marrakesh, grilled seafood at the port, the medina and sunset on the ramparts.