Every chapter of a new quest brings me happiness: from plotting a trip – whether it’s to the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire or the empty quarter in Oman, finding somewhere unusual to stay, buying the gear needed to escape urban life and be in the wild, and knowing that I’ll have the chance to reconnect with nature and rediscover the intuition to trust the earth and her ancient ways. Then there’s the buzz in the moment: of being somewhere new, meeting different people, exploring unfamiliar cultures, crazy smells, exotic food, pushing me out of my comfort zone. (It’s proven that doing new things opens up neural pathways that keep our minds young, fresh and active – tick!) and once home, the after-effect: a bank of experiences that can be plugged in, to replay the wonder, adrenaline or peace of travels past. Some of my ‘greatest hits’ include cruising over the Wadi Rum in a hot air balloon at sunrise, spotting pink dolphins in the Colombian amazon at sunset, night diving with manta rays in the Maldives.