So, what was it like? Well here is ‘the tour’ of the good, the bad and the best.

The exhibition was on three floors, dominated by trade stands selling pretty much what you’d expect, like holidays, trips, equipment, and activities for hot places, cold places, anywhere you care to mention. “Have a Go’s” included scuba diving in a large paddling pool, but there was nothing to see except blue walls and the instructors legs, and they weren’t worth getting wet for. The glider simulator was popular as was the polystyrene ‘ice’ wall. You got to wear all the gear, ice boots, picks, helmet the lot. I saw quite a few nervous women being coaxed up by young and handsome instructors. I’m pretty sure the same women went back three or four times! Kids had their own climbing wall and were all over it like demented squirrels.

Good bits were free calendars from National Geographic and an excellent photo gallery. Poor bits were coffee at £1.60 a cup and no decent end of show bargains. There was a distinct lack of ‘chill out’ space. In fact the Globetrotters stand was the only place with table and chairs where I felt you could sit, relax and chat to fellow travellers, like Dick, Iona and Matt.

There were six talk rooms and a colossal 82 were scheduled over the weekend. I was truly spoilt for choice, but concurrent sessions meant hard choices. I managed 15 talks and that was going it some. Many were ”what to see“ and “where to go”, places like Peru, Japan and others were more about the journey on two or four wheels or on foot (or with a mule) and even longer RTW on a kite or a horse. The practical talks on photography, health, travel writing, survival, gap years and volunteering were standing room only.

Overall the talks were excellent but some stood out for other reasons. One speaker sat with his back square to the audience. I was tempted to usher out the audience – he would not have noticed. Timekeeping wasn’t special either. I made a mental note to write to the organisers and ask them to brief speakers on the basics, or better still pay me to give them a lesson.

Best in show? The talk titled ‘Near Death’ by Benedict Allen, the explorer. He sported a pale blue shirt and beige trousers, the ‘relaxed, crinkled’ look. Launching straight in, without notes, he recounted anecdotes from his many expeditions. Stunning images of people, animals, scenery, claustrophobic and desolate by turn, flicked upon the screen. We lived with him being shot at, learning jungle skills from children, taking part in rituals, struggling with stubborn camels and making difficult decisions. Like having to eat his dog to stay alive. ‘He was my friend’ He added quietly. I wondered how desperate I’d have to be to eat mine and couldn’t help a huge surge of sadness.

Scary, funny, sad shocking, exciting and much more. He, in his kind and easy manner, guided and supported us through a world of experience and emotion. At the end I couldn’t work out why my eyes felt peculiar, dry, sort of. Then I realized. I hadn’t blinked.

I came away brimming with ideas, copious notes and lots of inspiration. I couldn’t ask for more than that.

Our first speaker this month was Chris Bradley, whose talk was called “Walking Wadi Hadramat”. Chris made a 550 mile solo trek through this barren area of Arabia. Yemen is another country that is unfortunately on the No-go list just now, so this talk was a fascinating insight. Chris showed us Shibam, also known as “The Manhattan of the desert” thanks to its 500 tower houses, some dating back 500 years. On his travels, Chris took part in local events including a shooting competition and a wedding. His nights spent under the stars, sometimes literally when one hotel had no room he slept on the roof and on another occasion he slept on a garage forecourt in the middle of nowhere, only for his evening meal to be delivered in shifts by a local family. Chris succeeded in his attempt to walk the Wadi, ending up on the beach of the Arabian Sea.

Our second speaker was Rupert Attlee, The Trail to Titicaca – 7000 mile cycle adventure through South America. Chris and companions decided to do this epic trip from the tip of South America following the Andes up to Lake Titicaca in aid of Leukaemia Research. The trip didn’t start well when they were all hospitalised after eating some shellfish. But once recovered they set off up through Chile to Santiago, though they found it hard going, having done very little training before setting out. Before setting off they had assured their sponsors that they would ride the whole way. This meant that on one occasion a road tunnel which would have been too dangerous to cycle through with all the fumes, was closed for them so they could ride through safely, on the other side they were met with cheers from the drivers who had been kept waiting. Rupert’s views of the Andes were superb, culminating in their Bolivian goal at Lake Titicaca.

£82 was collected after the meeting in aid of Leukaemia research, thanks to all those Globies who contributed.

Next month, on Saturday 6^th March, Anthony Lambert will talk about railways on the Wildside – a look at a selection of the world’s railways. After the break our very own Jacqui Trotter will be talking about travelling 8 months overland in South America.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk