I had just finished a particularly good session with my therapist one afternoon in early February—one that probably validated my need for occasional far-flung adventure—and was settled in my car, where I predictably found myself mindlessly scrolling on my Little Screen. Some divine algorithm must have listened-in to my therapy session though, as something actually useful popped to the top of my IG feed. The “Route Beer Ramble," a two day bikepacking adventure from London to Bristol, covering 200km of English countryside that wraps up with a custom-brewed beer and brewery tour.
It was just weeks away.
I quickly glanced at my phone’s calendar—hands shaking just a bit—and did some rough “travel hacking” math to see if I could actually pull it off. It felt like I was getting away with something—sneaking off to Europe for a week of “remote work,” and then bikepacking with 20 complete strangers. But it's these kinds of last-minute trips that serve as a spring of inspiration and creative ju-ju for my soul.