We are seven weeks into our expedition, taking us from the UK to Bhutan through eighteen countries. After spending five weeks in Denmark, we only have until the 13th June to get to Russia which is when our visa entry starts. I’m currently sitting on a train to Warsaw, after spending a few days in Poznan for my Birthday. It’s going to be a quick city stop before we head across to Lithuania, hire a car and explore the countryside.
When I came up with the idea of this trip two years ago, I had been looking at trips and expeditions on the Explorers Connect website, dreaming about going on an Adventure that I would talk about for years to come.
I found out that according to the World Happiness Report at the time that Copenhagen was the happiest place to live, and Bhutan was the first country to base government decisions on Gross National Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Product. By travelling between both countries I wanted to immerse myself in each country I visit, looking at the subjective wellbeing of the people I met.
There is growing global interest in happiness and subjective well-being as primary indicators of the quality of human development and it’s a subject that really interests me. The world is a safe place, despite what the papers may tell us. It's full of peoples from all different backgrounds, religions and races that all just want one thing, Happiness.
I think fear of other religions and cultures is often used as a political tool and it’s up to all of us to encourage Happiness locally and internationally to create stability and peace in our lives. Adventure is not just about learning about yourself, but about how you can become someone that contribute to create a better world.
I expect the trip to take at least another eight months, while we are restricted with visa entry limitations through Russia, Mongolia and China, once we hit South East Asia I’m hoping to allow more time in each country to meet people and better understand them. We are keeping our website and social media channels up to date with our progress, and reaching out to other adventure seekers to join us or recommend areas and people to visit.
We’ve already met an incredible Artist in Copenhagen this way, and have already received invitations from people we’ve never met in Finland, Russia and China.
I would love for people to follow our journey at betternotstop.com and get in touch if they have any thoughts, ideas or tips on our journey.
