In the whirlwind of preparations and personal new journeys, it's easy to slip away from the core, important reasons we are embarking on such an adventure.
Environmental sustainability is something I have become increasingly more aware of as I've travelled from the UK to India, South-East Asia to Australasia, there is a wide variety of lessons to learn.
When I first set off on my travels with Laura in November 2007, we were both very much absorbed in "our experience" and it's safe to say we rinsed everything there was to rinse, every last drop from our travels. We travelled very far on a tiny budget which meant sleeping in the cheapest, most cockroach infested places (including snuggling up on the floor of Mumbai train station), we ate the delicious local food and got on crazy buses instead of planes and didn't drink and party ourselves around the world. We learnt so much about different cultures and history of all the countries that we were lucky enough to visit. We both went on personal journeys but very much a journey together, which, as you can imagine, formed an unbreakable bond between us. But I think I can speak for the both of us that after travelling for a while, you step out of the bubble and start becoming more of a conscious traveller.It was a little while into my travels that I learnt about Ecotourism and it really helped me to be an Eco traveller. Ecotourism (Ecological Tourism) is responsible travel to fragile, pristine and usually protected areas (but to be honest, I think that includes everywhere). It strives to be low impact and small scale and educates the traveller, provides funds for ecological conservation; and directly benefits the economic development and political empowerment of local communities at the same time as respecting and human rights. Ecotourism is important so that future generations may experience aspects of the environment relatively untouched by human intervention.
As a traveller you become increasingly aware of how much of an impact you have, as one of the millions who travel every year. It is clearly a vicious circle between communities relying on tourism and the damage that tourism does to a place. Not only physical damage but the attitude you have has an enormous affect on the people you meet. Fellow travellers as well as locals. I was saddened to meet locals in the majority, if not all the countries I visited who felt bitter towards tourists. For many different reasons but for valid reasons. Sometimes a town had gained a reputation for all good party town so attracted drunken yob behaviour, sometimes the tourist couldn't grasp the concept that you can't always have all the home comforts but still demanded them and sometimes the town just grew too quickly to accommodate for the increasing tourists.
I found myself saying often "wow, this place is amazing, I would have loved to see it 10 years ago". Now that we are all a little more aware of the impact our actions as a traveller has on the environment and the planet as a whole, I believe we can keep changes to a minimum so that in 10 years time, the adventurers of that day can see what we see now.
As a trekking fan I was already very aware of the problems caused by the constant use of the trails and keeping to the trail to prevent tracks widening was always something I took seriously. When I arrived in Australia and went on an Eco Boat Tour on the South West coast, I was shocked to learn about Dieback. Dieback was a disease being spread by trekkers/walkers, as well as animals and was killing Australia's amazing wild flower. There is a similar case in New Zealand, which Shalane and I learnt about when we walked the Hillary Trail. Dieback in that area is killing a large amount of Kauri trees and we were required to scrape and spray our boots at the beginning and end of each new track. Luckily there is a prevention in place and in both New Zealand and Australia, there are already cases of the dead areas returning to it's beautiful, natural state. 
Even before I reached Australia we were becoming aware of the necessities surrounding well trodden paths. Laura and I were both surprised when we visited the Taman Negara to find the oldest tropical rain forest in the world with wooden board ways and steps. I had expectations of a wild Forest with paths you need to scramble up.Having learnt a few things along my travelling ways, it completely and utterly shocked me to find out some people still carried on their lives littering and not mastering the most simple things such as common sense! When sharing a lift with a few others in Australia, one passenger shamelessly wound his window down and threw a beer bottle into the hedge, and that wasn't the end of it. People would have a BBQ and not take their rubbish away, they would drop wrappers on the floor a few metres from the bin. I am not saying that I've never littered of course. When I was younger and wasn't so aware of the affects it had on the environment, I was "too cool" to pick up my rubbish. My belief in Karma also assisted in cancelling out that bad habit.
I was often pleasantly surprised at times too! I remember feeling a warn fuzzy feeling when I was hanging around with some friends in Australia. They were lads, for any English person reading this you'll know what I mean. Cool, laid back and blokey. They all smoked but after every cigarette they would ensure the butt went in the bin, even if it meant getting up walking 5 minutes and coming all the way back. If we ever camped over night anywhere, they would check the whole area the next morning for the smallest of butts. It really impressed me and it always made me think - "if only everyone did that".That's what it all comes down to in my eyes. We are each one of a huge circle of travellers. That circle increases every year and I would encourage anybody to travel for the life experience it brings. If each and every one of us was aware of the knock on effect our actions have, not only on the environment but on the people we meet there would be a substantial difference.
I've learnt as much from fellow travellers caring about their actions than I have about them caring very little. If you are one of the traveller to care, you will gradually create awareness to everyone you meet and you will no longer be the minority. You are never too cool to care!
Our Te Araroa adventure is also an attempt to promote women's adventure travel. You will see newspapers and magazines full of stories about men completely amazing adventures but you rarely see stories about females. When you research further you will find that women do go out there and do amazing things but you just don't really hear about it as much. The truth is, male or female there are many of us that at one point in our lives have said the words "oh, I'd love to do that" and never even begin to look into it. I am definitely one of those people. I only ever did anything great if somebody booked it for me and picked me up from my doorstep. I also look at some of these incredible adventurers and convince myself that some people are just born with the motivation and determination to go out and do it! This probably isn't true but basically became my excuse.
I have never been snowboarding and I don't have a crazy extreme sport as a hobby and I am not a repeat conqueror of all things adventure. But, for once in my life, I heard of something that made me think "I want to do that" and this time there are no excuses!
For anybody who has a slight desire to do something similar, something outside you comfort zone, something that excites you but feels unreachable then just go for it! My advice is honestly, honestly, if I can do it, anyone can. I'm 6 ft tall, they don't make trekking trousers to fit people like me, I'm boney in the exact place my bad sits on my hips and shoulders, I'm flat footed and I'm just not built for carrying 25 kgs but I'll give it a go! There are so much advice on the Internet, there are forums, fellow travellers and general support and absolutely no more excuses! Release your inner adventurer.
Of course I am not forgetting the Indigo Foundation. Their Soloman Islands project is our focus and AUD $10,000 is our goal. In reaching this goal we will fun the whole project for 2 more years. Visit the Indigo Foundation page for more details and help out if you can.
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