From the Wander Cave
August 2026
The Wander Cave
Most people think an expedition begins when you step onto a plane.
I don’t.
For me, the journey starts months before—with maps spread across the desk, notebooks full of ideas, route changes scribbled in the margins, gear lists that seem to grow by the day and, if I’m honest, far too many cups of coffee.
That’s where this story really begins.
Long before passports are stamped or hiking boots touch dusty trails, there’s another journey quietly unfolding behind the scenes. It’s a journey of imagination, planning, research, excitement and, occasionally, complete confusion. It’s where a simple idea slowly transforms into something real.
This is the part most people never see.
When you watch a travel documentary or scroll through someone’s adventure online, you’re usually dropped into the middle of the story. They’re already standing on a mountain pass, wandering through a jungle or watching the sun disappear over a distant horizon.
But none of those moments happen by accident.
Every adventure begins with a decision.
A question.
A map opened for the hundredth time.
A route that changes again because you’ve discovered somewhere you simply can’t miss.
For me, those moments are every bit as exciting as the expedition itself.
Welcome to the Wander Cave
The place where all of this happens is what I’ve affectionately started calling The Wander Cave.
It’s nothing glamorous.
It’s not a sleek office overlooking mountains or a polished travel studio filled with expensive equipment.
It’s simply my little space at the end of the garden.
A desk.
A laptop.
A growing collection of maps.
Notebooks full of ideas.
Travel guides with pages folded over and highlighted.
A camera waiting for its next adventure.
And, usually, a mug of coffee never too far away.
This is where Expedition 2027 is being built.
One evening at a time.
Why I’m Writing This Journal
Originally, I planned to begin writing once I actually left home.
It seemed to make sense.
After all, that’s when the adventure really starts… isn’t it?
Then I realised something.
The adventure had already started.
I found myself spending evenings researching border crossings, comparing hiking routes, watching weather patterns, reading expedition reports and learning about places I’d barely heard of a few months earlier.
Some nights I’d be excited beyond words.
Other evenings I’d completely rethink my route.
Sometimes I’d discover somewhere new and immediately rearrange everything I’d already planned.
Without really noticing, I was already travelling.
Not physically.
But mentally.
The journey had quietly begun months before I’d even packed my backpack.
That’s when I realised these moments deserved to be documented too.
What You’ll Find Here
This journal isn’t going to be a polished guide telling you how everything should be done.
Instead, it’s a record of the journey as it happens.
The successes.
The mistakes.
The doubts.
The unexpected discoveries.
Some entries might be about choosing the right backpack.
Others might be about planning a route through Central America.
There’ll be evenings spent comparing maps, researching remote villages, working out budgets, testing camping gear and wondering whether I’ve forgotten something important.
I’ll probably write about:
- Planning routes across Central America.
- Learning enough Spanish to have real conversations.
- Choosing and testing gear.
- Backpack trials.
- Camera equipment.
- Travel photography.
- Budget planning.
- Health and vaccinations.
- Border crossings and visas.
- Wild camping research.
- Books that inspire me.
- Maps that completely change my plans.
- Unexpected detours before I’ve even left home.
- Training walks.
- Coffee-fuelled evenings in the Wander Cave.
- Moments of excitement.
- Moments of doubt.
- The countless tiny decisions that eventually become one enormous adventure.
Not every post will be dramatic.
Many won’t.
But together they’ll tell the complete story.
Why Share It?
Because I know I’m not the only person who’s dreamed about setting off on a big adventure.
Maybe you’re already planning your own.
Maybe you’re still wondering whether you ever could.
Or maybe you simply enjoy following other people’s journeys from the comfort of your favourite chair.
Wherever you fit into that picture, I hope you’ll find something here that encourages you to keep exploring.
If this journal manages to inspire just one person to take that first step—whether that’s booking a train ticket, buying a backpack or simply opening a map—then it’ll have been worth writing.
Expedition 2027
The destination is Central America.
The departure date is January 2027.
There’s still plenty to do before then.
Plenty to learn.
Plenty to prepare.
And, undoubtedly, plenty to get wrong along the way.
But that’s all part of the adventure.
This journal isn’t about pretending I have everything figured out.
Quite the opposite.
It’s about sharing the process honestly.
The route changes.
The excitement.
The uncertainty.
The evenings when everything seems to come together.
And the mornings when I realise I’ve overlooked something obvious.
Because that’s what real adventure looks like.
Messy.
Unpredictable.
And wonderfully human.
Come Along for the Journey
In a year’s time, I hope I’ll be writing these entries from mountain villages, jungle campsites, quiet cafés and places I can’t yet imagine.
For now, though, every story begins here.
In the Wander Cave.
With another notebook.
Another map.
Another mug of coffee.
And another small step towards the biggest journey of my life.
Thanks for being here from the very beginning.
I have a feeling it’s going to be quite an adventure.