He worked as a lifeguard to finance his first trip to
China. He walked solo and unsupported across
Mongolia in 2014, aged 23. The journey over the
Altai Mountains and across the
Gobi Desert took 78 days. He became known to locals as the "lonely snow leopard". In 2015 he completed the trek across
Madagascar via its eight highest peaks, another world first. Along the way, he contracted the deadliest strain of
malaria and was close to death. As a result of the experience, he is now a special ambassador for the charity
Malaria No More UK. He recounted his adventures in Mongolia and Madagascar in
Mission Possible: A Decade of Living Dangerously, published by Eye Books in 2017. In August 2018, he embarked on another world-first record attempt, to walk the course of the
Yangtze river. The successful completion of his year-long mission earned him celebrity status in China. ==Awards==