I want to encourage people to take a step on from microadventures. Sleeping on hills and swimming in rivers are fabulous things (and I shall certainly continue to bang that drum), but I also want more people to have big adventures. I want to show that you do not need to be a Superman to cycle to the Sahara desert. You do not need to be rich to run to Russia.

Dream Big. Start Small… but Do Start.

So here’s the plan for Grand Adventures (aka on this blog as Adventure1000, its original name):

Start saving today. Save just £20 a week (or whatever amount you can afford), and within a year you’ll have saved £1000 – more than enough money to cycle to the Sahara or run to Russia. (Feel free to substitute £1000 for $1000, â‚¬1000 or ¥1000!)

And, whilst your money’s accumulating, I’mm going to teach you all you need to know to turn your adventure from a dream into a reality. There’ll be informative blog posts, inspirational interviews with folk who’ve already made their dream adventures happen, and even £1000 cash to fund someone’s adventure.

Make your adventure happen. Save money. Dream big. Have the Adventure of a lifetime for just £1000 (or $1000 or â‚¬1000).

How to Save £1000 Without Really Noticing

Start a new bank account. This is the only hassle of the whole plan. And it’s not much of a hassle at all. I set up a new account with Smile in under 15 minutes.

Set up a Standing Order from your main bank account to the new account. Each week transfer £20 to the new account. (If you can’t afford £20 a week even after cutting out your daily cup of coffee and a couple of beers here and there then choose a figure you can afford. Just don’t use this as an excuse to do nothing at all.) The important thing is to choose an amount that you can spare without much stress or worry.

Persuade a friend to do the same.

The hardest part is over. This is such a painless way to raise £1000 of money for your adventure in just one year. Now it is time for the second phase of the scheme:

Tell everyone that in one year’s time you are going to cycle to Sweden or run to Romania or hitch-hike to Hanoi.

We now have one year to sort out every aspect of the adventure (commitment, equipment, fitness, time off work).