If you're in need of some travel inspo, look no further than professional adventurer Pip Stewart.
The self-proclaimed hippy has traveled all over the world and accomplished some incredible feats; she cycled from Malaysia to London, went on a 3,000 mile cycle, boat and plane journey exploring Brazil and Peru to raise awareness of the environmental issues in the region and, this year, she teamed up with fellow adventurers Laura Bingham and Ness Knight to take on a world first – paddling the entire length of The Essequibo, South America's third largest river.
Pip was in Ireland to launch AIB's Everyday Rewards and we took the opportunity to ask her for her top travel tips.
As job titles go, 'adventurer' is pretty cool - when did you get a taste for adventure?
I've always just loved it, ever since I was really little. I think my first word, apparently, was 'garden', but I don't know how much of that my parents are making up.
I was born in Germany and moved around a lot as a kid so I had a very peripatetic life from a young age, and I think that bug for travel has just stayed with me throughout my adult years.
Is there someone in your life who you look up to when it comes to travelling the world or having a sense of adventure?
Oh my gosh - what a question! Simon Reeves. I love his career. If I could have a career anywhere near as amazing as his, I would be very happy. Or David Attenborough. I mean, the man is a legend - no more needs to be said about him.
A lot of students in Ireland are applying to college courses at the moment - what advice would you give to a young person who wants to pursue a job that's a little 'off the grid'?
Think outside the box. I tried for ages to get into traditional media in London and it just didn't happen for me, so I was thinking - "right, I love travel, how can I think a bit differently?" So, I moved to Asia.
I literally moved to the other side of the world to try and find my break and actually it served me really well because I was covering stories that no one else was. I got myself to Mongolia to cover their big manly games festival called the Naadam and I covered that for BBC Travel.
If you get yourself into those situations that are kind of random and different, it gives you an edge. And don't be afraid to follow what you're really interested in. And likewise, if you're sitting reading this, thinking "I have absolutely no clue what to do with my life", that's OK too.
The best advice I'd have is: Just go with what you're interested in because at least then you're going to have an interesting career, you don't have to have it all planned out - I certainly haven't. Go with your heart and your gut.
We live so much of our lives online, do you find travelling helps to give you perspective when it comes to living our lives through social media?
Oh my gosh, yes. I think social media is fantastic and negative all at the same time. It is the medium which allows us to connect and yet disconnect more than any other. I think, used well, social media is very powerful.
Travelling does help give me perspective. I think when you're travelling, you appreciate what you have, you appreciate that social media accounts can be a load of your highlights and you're comparing everyone else's highlights to your lowlights.
I think travel is both fun and then it's miserable and you have moments where you're just like "why am I sat on this bus, sweating and miserable" and yet that is where you really grow as a person so I think it does put life into perspective a lot more.
Your adventures aren't just about having fun, you've been raising awareness about the world's environmental issues - what are some key points that you want people to know/learn more about?
I've done a lot of work in the Amazon, looking at deforestation, especially looking at how it impacts indigenous communities and I was initially so shocked about the gold mining industry.
It was something I knew very little about and then when I started to see the destruction first hand, literally mines in rivers and in the jungle and just tearing up the landscape. What was also terrible was the infighting that this causes - I just had no idea about the source of my jewellery or even things like soya and timber and so much of the Amazon is being pulled down for things that I personally use on a daily basis and had previously no idea about where they came from.
I'd say definitely the gold mining industry is something I'd really like to shine a light on because not all that glitters is gold.
You've accomplished some incredible feats on your journeys, what are some of the accomplishments you're most proud of and why?
I'd say my recent trip to Guyana when myself, Ness Knight and Laura Bingham achieved a world first, with the help of the indigenous Wai Wai community. The reason I'm most proud of that is not the fact that we did it, but because of the fact we were a cross-cultural team.
We would be dead in the jungle without the Wai Wai and I think it just shows the beauty of globalisation actually.
One of our guides, Ramel, said to me "we wouldn't be here without you and you wouldn't be here without us" and I think when you can bring together two worlds like that in a beautiful collaboration and a really positive one, I think that for me was my proudest moment because you're like - "actually, we've achieved something together here".
You've been all around the world - is there anywhere you could eventually see yourself living? Or somewhere you would encourage people to go?
Oh, I love the coast. I think being anywhere in nature just makes my soul happy and I think, if you can find areas where you feel at peace.
What is the most spectacular thing you've seen?
I distinctly remember on my cycle ride back from Malaysia to London, we camped in Kazakhstan in an area called the Assy plateau and the stars were just on fire.
It was like a billion star night, we were camping by a little stream that was running through this plateau and we hadn't seen anyone for days and it was just one of those moments where you think "we are alone in the wilderness and it is amazing".
More recently, in the jungle as well, just the sounds and the life and the beating heart of the Amazon is something you have to experience.
You're an advocate for health and wellbeing - how do you stay so healthy when you're travelling so much?
Good question! I think it's about trying to eat as healthily as you can. You can't out train a bad diet so even if you're not doing that much exercise, try and eat as healthily as you can and take care of yourself because food really is medicine in a sense.
For those of us going on a trip this year, what travel hacks can you pass on?
Throw away your guidebook. Ask local people what's best.
When I started travelling, I was obsessed with ticking off the top 10's and if I hadn't done the top 10, then I hadn't done the country and now I look back and think "oh my gosh!". I'd much rather go into a good coffee shop, find a local and say "Hey, what do you recommend I do while I'm here", and don't get hung up on "I didn't do this, I didn't do that". Just do a few things, do them really well and take time to talk to the people who live there.
What brings you to Ireland?
I'm here with AIB to launch their Everyday Rewards, a cool programme that gets you cashback on days out, experiences and loads of other purchases - I just love the philosophy that every day can be more adventurous if you put the right mindset to it.
It's not necessarily about crossing continents or kayaking down big rivers - adventure can be as little as grabbing a mate and going out for a picnic or somewhere on a day out!
