A new adventure awaits…

So, it’s decided then. In 2014, we’re hitching from Alaska to Argentina.

By that time, it will have been five years since Will and I returned from the hitch and, while London life has been a blast, nothing competes with life on the road.

Two years, then, to plan and prepare for a 20,000-mile journey that we reckon will take us anywhere between six months and a year.

Oh, and when I say ‘us’, that’s an open invitation, with the prospect of making this a mammoth hitchhiking race (see chapters 13-15 of The Rule of Thumb for a glimpse of what that might look like), but at the moment it’s just me and the wife.

My old hitching partner Will hasn’t rejected the idea out of hand – it was our idea, after all, and he shook on it! – but he’s been rather busy lately… Yes, that’s right, he’s got himself a girlfriend.

Still, I haven’t given up on him entirely. Two years is a long time and I’ll make sure I pepper him continuously with cheap jibes about how he’ll regret it for ever, and the like.

So far, the best excuse he’s come up with is that his girlfriend is asthmatic, and that doesn’t quite cut it for me.

Anyway, for all those (non-asthmatics) who might be interested, the thought is simple: we will abide by the same rules as before (never pay for transport; never refuse and offer) and leave around Jan/Feb 2014, with the only scheduled stop being Brazil around the time of the World Cup… Sound good?

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An anniversary approaches…

The Rule of Thumb is to celebrate its first anniversary next month with a day of talks and book signings at the Waterstones in Chiswick, London.

It’s been quite a year, with ups and downs a plenty and promotional events galore, and it is about time I thanked you all for supporting my venture and buying the book.

Without your support, the rather all-consuming task of writing, editing and publishing a book would no doubt have engulfed me.

So thank you all, loyal friends, and please pop down to the Waterstones at 220-226 Chiswick High Road on Saturday November 19, from 11am-3pm, to hear again the story of our grand adventure across the breadth of Europe and Asia, The Rule of Thumb.

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New date(s) for the diary

Hello and apologies for my lack of communication of late… I suppose I’ve been too busy enjoying that rare experience of British summer sunshine.

A few new dates for the diary…

1. Al Humphreys has just been in touch to ask me to speak at the next Night of Adventure in October. A great event, raising money for Hope & Homes For Children, this one will be in Bristol on October 17 (we think). You can listen to the talk I did at the last one here.

2. An unconfirmed approaching speaking engagement at the Waterstones in Chiswick, potentially followed by another at the High Street Kensington store, after both kindly agreed to stock The Rule of Thumb!

That’s all for now. Other than that, I can reveal that I did complete the London Marathon and it was a gruesome affair. Video here, but comes with a health warning… Off to Wimbledon tomorrow to see some real athletes compete.

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Welcome to The Rule of Thumb…

Hello, and welcome to The Rule of Thumb – a website dedicated to the celebration of hitchhiking.

If you’re new to the site, please check out the about page to find out more about mine and Will Jackson’s hitchhike from England to Malaysia, or go here to buy a copy of my book about it – in PDF or in hard copy.

Some dates for the diary:

1. Wanderlust Travel Competition – Visit wanderlust.co.uk before February 16 for your chance to win a free copy of The Rule of Thumb and to see my extensive interview.

2. Night of Adventure – On March 15 I will be one of 10 guest speakers at a charity-fundraising event in Leicester Square for Hope & Homes for Children. Click here for more information or to buy tickets.

3. Royal Society for Asian Affairs – On April 8 I will be talking about the hitch at the East India Club in St. James’s Square for the RSAA.

4. London Marathon – On April 17 I will run for 26 miles through the streets of London, dressed in Afghani clothing. Please sponsor me here

That’s all for now folks. Hope you enjoyed your visit and please feel free to read Chapter 1 here to see what all the fuss is about…

If you’re really bored, you can also catch up on my blogs (which begin at the bottom of this page), visit the gallery for photos of the trip, check out the latest book review, or read an exclusive extract posted on political website, www.the-vibe.co.uk

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Then came Asia – a whole new world…

I suppose it stands to reason that there would be a certain “je ne sais quoi” about the largest Continent on earth, comprising 48 countries as it does, and boasting a whopping 30% of the world’s land mass. (Yes, I had to look that up).

And naturally it is this aspect – Asia’s glorious diversity – that most appeals to me, having sampled a relatively small fraction of the Continent during ‘the hitch’, particularly enjoying a cumulative four months spent in the super-hospitable Muslim nations of Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“A guest is a friend of God,” we were told by a Mr. Farshi - just one of many benevolent hosts during five weeks in Iran - and boy do they uphold this sacred adage!

Hitchhiking becomes stupendously easy in countries such as Turkey or Iran, where friendly natives need a reason not to stop in what is a wonderfully contradictory logic to that which prevails in the West.

Whereas in Europe one could reasonably expect to wait an hour (or more) for a lift, in countries like Turkey and Iran, a wait of twenty minutes would constitute abject failure!

This isn’t to say that Will and I didn’t have our struggles along the way, but you’ll just have to read the book to find out about them…

Buy your copy of The Rule of Thumb here, or visit wanderlust.co.uk before February 16 for your chance to win a complimentary copy.

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First up was the challenge of Europe…

A lot of people think hitchhiking in Europe (especially in England) is a thing of the past, and in some ways I suppose they’re right.

Gone are the days when hitching was just another way of getting around - no matter who you were, or where you were going.

In came the days of suspicion, fear, and the fundamental rule of never talking to strangers.

But where’s the fun in that?

Cooping oneself up in one’s own little world – safe, secure, and free from the danger of that dodgy-looking bloke over there – might be the safest place to be, but surely it is also the loneliest and least exciting.

The first question most people ask me about the book is why on earth Will and I decided to do this marathon hitch from England to Malaysia in the first place.

Well, I suppose that it had something to do with our adventurous spirits, and a desire to challenge this ridiculous Western culture, whereby everyone keeps themselves to themselves, and even families living two doors apart won’t speak to each other.

Sound interesting/familiar?

Check out Chapter 1 and see how we got on during the first leg of our adventure – from Salisbury to Spain, and then back up through France towards Italy

And if you like that, you can buy your own copy of The Rule of Thumb here

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It started with a hitchhike…

‘Tis true, The Rule of Thumb would never have come into being were it not for the random decision to do something a little bit out of the ordinary.

As I put it in Chapter 1, “it came upon a Sunday lunch”, in April 2008, when Will Jackson and I were dining with the uber-hopsitable Gill family and just so happened to come up with the idea of driving to India…

The problem was, we didn’t have a car… Issue.

Hitchhiking seemed the only reasonable solution for this crisis, but then came the troubling realisation that my beloved Jo – from whom I would be separated for goodness knows how long – was likely to be in Malaysia around Christmas time, and this seemed as good a destination as any.

And so it was that on July 11th 2008, the day after my graduation from Nottingham University, Will and I departed England’s green and pleasant land on a journey that would see us cross Europe, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh – and a number of other countries – with the vain hope that we might one day reach Malaysia, without spending a penny on transport…

I suppose you’ll just have to read The Rule of Thumb to see how we got on…

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Before the blog there was a book…

Due to popular/Nishi’s demand, I have decided to fill you in on the eighteen months that preceded The Rule of Thumb‘s long-awaited release…

Where to begin?

…Well, I suppose the first thing to say is this: writing a book is not easy.

Perhaps this seems rather an obvious statement, but for some reason I was under the illusion that, for the most part, the actual writing of the book would be an enjoyable experience.

I was wrong.

This isn’t to say I didn’t have the occasional moment when I considered that what I was writing probably wasn’t all complete rubbish. Yet, my overriding emotions were those of hopelessness and, to a certain extent, embarrassment that I had even decided to undertake the task in the first place…

It helped to know the story in itself was probably good enough to justify the writing of a book – after all, it isn’t every day that someone hitchhikes from England to Malaysia…

But the problem was that it was me, and not Shakespeare, in charge of the writing…

Nevertheless, with a little grit and determination - plus a good dollop of cheerleading from close friends - on November 10 The Rule of Thumb was spawned.

And wouldn’t you agree that the world is now a better place because of it?

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In the beginning a blog was made… (part 2)

So, having been informed by my reliable friend, Thomas Aldridge, that my last blog informed the world of precisely nothing, I have decided to do a second almost before you’ve even had the chance to see the first…

The only problem is that I now find myself unable to think of even one original thought of which to inform the world. Does anyone else find this a problem?

Perhaps, instead, I will tell you of my favourite occurence today, which was this: while stepping onto a tube at Goldhawk Road, a pigeon made way for me, having (presumably) travelled from Hammersmith to save his legs…

I can only aspire to follow in his footsteps…

For all The Rule of Thumb fans, you might also notice the similarities between said pigeon and a dear friend of Will and mine from Iran. (See p154-155)

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In the beginning a blog was made…

And so, two weeks on from the long-awaited release of The Rule of Thumb, author Steve Dew-Jones (is it wrong to discuss oneself in the third person?) has decided to start a blog…

To be quite honest, Steve (still going with it) hasn’t quite worked out the purpose behind said blog just yet, but I’m sure this will evolve in time.

For now, let me commend The Rule of Thumb to you (surely commending one’s own book is definitely wrong) as a book for anyone who likes travelling and might be interested in a no-holes-barred account of a hitchhike from England to Malaysia.

Enjoy…

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