Running To – Not Running Away

ESCAPE TO VICTORY

Jonny Bealby's amazing story of travel, book writing and the events that led to him starting up an adventure travel company, all began with a tragedy.

When Jonny was 26, travelling through Kashmir, his life path took an unsuspected turn when his then soulmate/girlfriend died in his arms. Jonny was knocked sideways. So, while all his friends were getting married and embarking on a more conventional path through life, he was off riding solo on a motorbike through Africa.

His adventures across some of the most amazing and hazardous parts of the globe have inspired many others to travel and through investing energy in his travel company, he's found a calling that has brought both fulfilment and success.

In interviews with Jonny, he talks about his adventures and the inspiration taken from his many travels which inspired him to write books and in turn, how writing led on to making a TV show - things he believed, as a dyslexic, he'd never be good at doing. 

All the time he was moving further away from the path his friends were taking. By crossing continents on his own, often through dangerous parts of the world, everyone believed he was running away. And yet, when he returned to Kashmir, the very place forming the start of his altered path, he realised with his newfound success in the adventure travel industry, that he'd been running towards his calling all this time and not away from it.

Isolated Living

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL

Living the dream can be tough - especially if that dream's to get away from the rat race. Cutting ourselves off from the safety and comforts of modern living to be at one with nature in far away lands, takes a special kind of resolve. 

Living in the UK, within a major city like London with food readily available on the doorstep and where the protection from emergency services gives us a greater sense of security and the belief we can live without fear, leaves us more worry-free time to get on with doing what we enjoy. But it could also be said that the illusion of city security stops us taking risks and takes away the very essence of what truly makes us feel alive. 

Opting for a riskier path is something a select group of families have gone for in exchange for a daily life full of adventure, by escaping to the wild. They have chosen to live in potentially dangerous parts of the world - gaining a level of freedom that we, in our developed cities, do not have. 

One thread that I observed while watching Ken Mcloud's documentaries, was how passionate the men were to have found meaningful purpose in their daily lives. The women were also complimentary of their chosen paths but nowhere near as much as the men - and likely spoke more in terms of their commitment to the cause in support of their partner, relationship and greater good of the family. 

Having a protector/provider role and a use for the fight/flight mechanism other than avoiding a drunk down the pub on a Saturday night or sticking up some shelves in the kitchen with the man-drill just doesn't cut it, so I can appreciate the extremes some guys are going to, often somewhat selfishly and at the expense of isolation from other friends and family. There needs to be more middle ground - meaningful, self-sustained living options available closer to home. With the rise of new trends in self-builds, off-grid and sustainable living, maybe we'll see more of these kind of living options closer to home and without the need for such isolation extremism.