Some of the best experiences in life come when you just don’t bother doing much planning. You just have an idea, get your best mate involved, and ‘go for it’. Such is the story behind Long Way Round.

McGregor and Boorman are both actors and bikers. It was McGregor who initially thought of the idea of travelling by motorbike around the world, and suggested it to Boorman. Neither of them really took it very seriously because their diaries were both full of upcoming movie productions and everything else that comes with families and having young children.

So to actually then start it, and pull it off, is pretty incredible. One thing that repeatedly crops up in the book (well, the 193 pages I managed to read in one week) is being told something negative and then simply deciding to do it anyway. And the parts they experienced which terrified them turned out to be cultural misunderstandings where people were actually just trying to welcome them (the heavy use of guns in one country, for example).

It’s a great, and very funny read. The TV program is enjoyable too, but when you watch it after reading the book I can’t help but feel that it is a little bit ‘forced’. McGregor and Boorman just wanted to be two mates riding around the world. Unfortunately, that is a very expensive idea and so to fund it they had to get a TV crew to film it. Which meant it was no longer two mates having a great time. The book is very much an honest account of how they were both feeling. It is the combination of two sets of diary entries rather than a single account. It makes for an excellent take on a journey of a lifetime.

What I really think is an important take-away point is this: massive projects/goals are overwhelming. Nobody can really confidently approach the entirety of something as big as riding a motorbike around the world without needing to break it down into smaller sections. The biggest thing that is overwhelming for most people is the fear of how to solve the many problems a big goal will create. Many of us don’t bother with the things that are high on our wish list because we start to think of all the ‘what ifs’ and barriers in our way. It’s way more comfortable to take the least risky path forwards and compromise our future. Only by normalising the process of taking increasingly bigger things on in life can you begin to gain lifelong confidence to do whatever it is you wish to do. Because at the end of the day, most problems can be solved and the way it works out is often invisible right until the point where you get to it. But you have to get to it to discover it, which can be very uncomfortable as an idea.

Next up: Sailing Alone by Richard J King

Until next week…