Suicide survivor currently attempting an 80 country, 50,000 mile world cycling challenge.

www.tartanexplorer.com

Leaving on the 26th May 2016. I'm attempting to cycle 50,000 miles around the world. My route takes me from my home in Scotland through Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South America and then North America.

On the 26th May 2015, after a long and painful battle with depression, I finally gave up hope and chose what I believed was my last remaining option.

Suicide.

Miraculously I survived.

I knew how lucky I had been and I realised that I had been given a 2nd chance.

I knew I had to do something big and I believed that it was now my duty to tell the world my story and embark on a huge challenge that would inspire those who had suffered whilst also raising awareness of mental health issues.

So I decided I was going to cycle around the world.

This is the story of one boy’s journey to happiness.

A spiritual journey of self discovery.

A pilgrimage that helps me find inner peace and a sense of meaning and purpose in the world.

I left Scotland on the 26th May 2016, the 1 year anniversary of my failed suicide attempt, to act as a symbol of hope to those still struggling.

Prior to this challenge I wasn’t a cyclist.

I’d never cycled a bike since riding around my neighbourhood as a kid.

I was just a boy in a lot of pain who left home with nothing but a bike, the few things he had left and very little money.

But what I did have was a commitment to finding happiness. Alongside a burning desire to uncover the answer’s to life’s big questions.

I'm doing all of this as The Tartan Explorer.

www.tartanexplorer.com

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I'm on Couchsurfing to meet people from different countries and cultures and who may be interested in hosting me in exchange of me sharing stories and having deep and meaningful conversations about life :)

I'm a very open minded and friendly guy. I'm looking forward to meeting people of all cultures and finding out what their countries are really like. Not what we see in the media. I'm particularly looking forward to cycling through "dangerous" countries so I can meet the real people and share their stories with the world.

I look forward to meeting all of the wonderful people I'm going to meet on this adventure <3

Interests

‌• Mental Health
‌•Suicide Prevention
‌•Cycling
‌•Travel
‌•Food
‌•Culture
‌•Sports
‌•Exercise
‌•Meeting New People
‌•Socialising
‌•Entrepreneurship
‌•Business
‌•Marketing
‌•Social Media
‌•Digital Marketing
‌•Blogging
‌•Vlogging
‌•Reading

‌

• dining
• politics
• socializing
• cycling
• history
• travel
• current events
• happiness
• mental health

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm love reading non fiction books. Especially books on personal development, mindset, business, marketing and sprituality.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Since launching the Tartan Explorer in November 2015. 7 people have messages me to say that because I shared my story they decided not to commit suicide.

7 lives saved so far.

This is only the beginning.

Teach, Learn, Share

I see myself as a student of the world and I'm constantly trying to learn as much as I can to be the best version of myself.

I'm very excited to meet people of different cultures and learn more about their countries and ways of life.

I'm also looking forward to sharing my own experiences and learnings with other people.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I can share the journey so far on my world cycling adventure. I'll have so many amazing stories and tales from the road and I'd love nothing more than to share these over some nice home cooked food.

I hope to be able to share some of my knowledge and learnings over my short 24 year life.

I'd love to share my experiences in mental health in the hope that it could also maybe help someone who has suffered like I have.

Also happy to help out around the house or with any chores or tasks in the house in return for me being hosted.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Scotland