This is a question I get asked all the time, and quite rightly so. Why would I want to risk my life doing this trip? Why not stay at home with my amazing friends, teach in a local school and start a life with a future?

I tend to give a different answer depending on who’s asking. I say I’m doing it to impress girls in bars, to raise awareness of what we are capable of, to raise money for the amazing charities that I support, to avoid getting a real job and to see the world. These are all more or less true (the charities are really important to me but these trips tend not to impress girls too much!).

I’ll be honest with you, there’s only one reason why I’m really doing this.

Because I can.

I don’t feel like I need any more reason than that. I think it can be done, I think it should be done; I think I can do it-so I’m going to.