Bear Grylls

Travel and exploration have always been a quintessential part of being British. Travel is in our blood; it fuels our diversity and it makes us a nation of pioneers. A lot of us were raised on stories of early explorers and their spirit of endeavour. Many of those stories were about pushing boundaries and exploring the unexplored, always going that little bit further. That spirit of adventure reminds us that, as humans, we are at our best when we look beyond ourselves: when we don’t judge people by their looks, creed or race, but are open to change and to challenge and to pushing ourselves beyond what is familiar – beyond what is comfortable. That’s why an unoicial motto of the British special forces is: ‘Always a little further’. I remember that when I’m travelling. Those four words have oten helped me push on through discomfort, pain and fear. And they’ve opened the door to so many incredible adventures. The pages of this 10th-anniversary issue of Lonely Planet magazine are full of advice for some great adventures – take as much of it on-board as you can, and then just go. That’s the magic. Plan a little, but be open to surprises. That’s oten where the fun, spontaneous stuf happens: of the beaten track. And that’s where Lonely Planet magazine has thrived over its irst decade: we do things diferently. And we equip you to be ready to go whenever adventure calls… and always that little bit further.