Against the Odds by Alastair Humphreys

Alastair Humphreys is an adventurer and author.  In his latest book, he sheds light on adventurers who overcame struggles during their journeys or adventures.  We recently sent some questions to him about his own adventures and his writing!
Q1:  What made you want to highlight adventurers and explorers to a younger audience?

My career as an adventurer began when I was a young boy, sitting on the bedroom floor with my back against the warm radiator. I loved reading books and these became my secret opening into the world of explorers and their incredible journeys. Reading these stories of daring men and women and the amazing places they visited made me daydream that one day I might do something similar. 

Now that I have been lucky enough to have my own adventures – cycling around the world, crossing the Atlantic Ocean by both sailing boat and rowing boat, walking across southern India amongst them – I wanted to highlight some adventurers and explorers to a younger audience so that more people might be inspired to dream of travelling the world. 

 
Q2:  What can readers learn from these incredible people?

Adventures gave me a growth mindset and taught me to be more self-confident, to solve problems, to communicate with people, and to accept that things don’t always go to plan. I have learned how people live in different parts of the world and experienced the kindness of strangers everywhere – from people rich and poor, and all different races and religions. Adventure is the best education I have ever had. 

The characters I wrote about in Against the Odds teach us another important lesson: that things in life do not always go to plan. Sometimes things go wrong. Sometimes we try hard and still fail. Sometimes we dream of going one way but end up in a completely different place. And all these things are OK, because we see that the adventurers in my book all have fantastic experiences and their rewards are even sweeter for achieving them the hard way. 

 
Q3:  How did you narrow down your list of people to include and was there anyone you would have loved to include but couldn’t for this book?

My first book, Great Adventurers, showcased 20 adventurers who had inspired my own journeys: they were my personal heroes and I wanted to share them with a wider audience. For Against the Odds I narrowed down the list of people to include by only telling the stories of people whose experiences involved overcoming struggles – both on their journeys and in their lives. 

Some of my favourite characters include Jeanne Baret, a French botanist who was forbidden to sail on French naval journeys because she was a woman. So she dressed up as a man, called herself Jean, and tricked everyone on her way to being the first woman to travel round the world.

I also liked the story of Karen Darke, a keen climber who was paralysed in an accident. Her story of overcoming many difficulties to not only tackle many incredible expeditions, but also to win gold at the Paralympic Games is inspiring. 

I hope these characters will make readers dream of having adventures of their own. 

Q4:  What tips would you offer anyone wanting to become an adventurer or explorer?  Is there a good starting point for readers?
Anyone wanting to become an adventurer can start today, wherever they live, with whatever skills and equipment they already have. You don’t need to be rich or super-strong to explore the town or countryside where you live. Within a mile of your home will be places that you have never been before, streets that you have never run down, or trees that you have not climbed. When you discover these new places, you are becoming an explorer! 

All you need is curiosity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to begin today. Get the local map for where you live and see what discoveries you can make in your neighbourhood. 

 
Q5:  Did you have a favourite adventurer in this book or in Great Adventurers?
Emile Leray, an adventurous Frenchman who set out to drive across the Sahara desert, crashed his car, and then built a crazy motorbike out of the wreckage in order to escape to safety!
 
Q6:  What has been a highlight for your own adventuring career?
Some of the highlights of my adventuring career include watching the moon rise as I camped by the Great Wall of China, seeing dolphins leap from the waves as I rowed the Atlantic, or watching the northern lights swirl above my tent in the Arctic night. I am lucky to have seen these things. But I also loved discovering a small stream close to my home where I can cool off on hot days, watching buzzards circling over my local woods, or climbing a nearby hill to watch the sun set. You do not need lots of money to do these things, nor do you need to be an expert explorer. You just need to choose that you want to live a little bit more adventurously, and to begin today. 
Q7: The illustrations give the book a graphic novel feel and this is such a popular style at the moment.  What were your thoughts when these were presented to you?
One thing I’ve enjoyed about this whole project is that I have no artistic skill at all. So I have enjoyed being out of my comfort zone and trusting people who are good at things to do those things well.
 
Q8:  Are there plans for more children’s books from you?
Yes, definitely! I’m writing a sequel to The Girl Who Rowed the Ocean at the moment…
Against the Odds by Alastair Humphreys is out now, published by Templar Books