About this project

The networks are interested. The commissioners are excited. Sponsors are keen. The public is buzzed. Users are on the site.

But I need a bit of help to bring the idea to life. And for that I need the support of my people.

The idea is deceptively simple, but rather elegant... Many countries have cracked certain aspects of a flourishing life better than we have in the West. This our our shared cultural heritage. Through the world's festivals, rituals, architecture, ceremonies, sports and pastimes we can access a more fulfilled life without self-help books, life coaching or therapy.

Above all, travel experiences can transform our problems into opportunities and inspire us to give back to the world through service, volunteering, micro-loans, social innovation etc etc etc

The money I am raising will do two main things:
1) Allow me to add functionality to the site. www.ultimatetrip.tv. We'll be adding volunteering and donating options. And turning it into an online exchange for people offering transformational travel experiences and users who want to book them.

2) Develop and film a taster video, a kind of mini-pilot, to show people what it is like in action. This will allow me to get a sponsor for the project (who might want to fund 7 or 8 webisodes). Airlines, hotels, etc.... And it will also allow me to go to bigger production companies to get major funding to film a real pilot, so it can be pitched to the networks. Lonely Planet TV and BBC Worldwide are currently partners.

For example, in an episode about 'Overcoming Pessimism in Rio'...

I take 5 pessimistic and jaded Westerners to the favelas (slums) of Rio. There they will learn the samba, play capoeira on the beach and engage in the dangers of the favela whilst finding the materials they need to make their own samba costume. They might even get involved in Santo Diame, the new religion based on the ayahuasca sacrament. The climax of the show will see these pessimists dancing in the Carnival, having learnt from the locals how to be optimistic even in the most difficult of circumstances, which we will then see them put into practice on their return.

Then there is tranquility in Japan, sustainability in Ecuador or Peru, tolerance in India, diligence in Taiwan. The list is endless.

I'll be running in-person tours and retreats - first stop Brazil in 2011, Bali 2011, Japan 2012... (You can book now by going to the site)

We are planning a guide book to collect and collate all the wisdom and travel advice....

With your investment and support you can help me realise an idea that has been burning inside me for years, one that is deeply aligned to my core purpose and my skills, and could really inspire a lot of people to see their shared humanity and shared suffering... and act upon this greatest of inspirations.

It is also a lot of fun.

FYI: The project is 'beyond profit'. Key to the project is the hyper-local volunteering and donations functionality. It runs as a standard for-profit, but as ever, most of the money I ever earn goes into developing new social enterprises, social innovations and ideas for world-change.