Bikepacking, Beach Fires & Giving Back Directly - With Tom Williams

Adventure Diaries

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What does it feel like to immersive in the landscape, to meet strangers with no barriers, to carry your home on your back and sleep under the stars? In this recap episode, adventurer and Desert Island Survival founder Tom Williams joins us to explore the raw intimacy of travel, from bike packing the Spanish coastlines to makeshift raft rides down the River Severn.

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Tom’s passion isn’t just for castaway survival—though that’s his day job—it’s for microadventures that anyone can begin. He shares his love for wild kayaking trips, inflatable river journeys, and a recent first-time bike tour across Spain. These aren’t just travel stories. They’re invitations to reconnect with our senses, our surroundings, and the strangers we meet along the way.

And when it comes to giving back, Tom offers a deeply considered pay-it-forward:
GiveDirectly (givedirectly.org), a nonprofit that sends money directly to people living in extreme poverty. No middlemen. No assumptions. Just trust in the agency of those who need it most. In Tom’s words: “They don’t lack motivation. They lack money.”

You don’t need to start with a grand escape. Begin with a weekend. Inflate a kayak. Ride your bike somewhere unknown. Share a meal with strangers. The more personal and low-to-the-ground the adventure, the more it opens you up. And as Tom puts it, “You smell the rosemary, you feel the landscape, and you can eat so much.”

Resources & Guest Links:

• Tom Williams:
  • Instagram: @tomwilliamsalone
  • Website: desertislandsurvival.com
• Referenced Charity:
  • GiveDirectly: givedirectly.org
    • Learn more about the charity model: Doing Good Better by William MacAskill
• Adventure Mentions:
  • Bike tour from Bilbao to Valencia
  • Kayak microadventures in Chile
  • Severn Estuary float trip (inspired by Alastair Humphreys’ microadventure)

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