After fifteen years of globe-hopping adventures with his wife, Dave and Em have both decided to start putting down some roots in the shape of a renewables-powered campsite with a small herd of alpacas. To Dave life has always felt a bit experimental and, led by a desperate desire to never end up as a bad graphic designer again, it felt like the right next step in what has been a thrillingly active life already.
In these fifteen years, Dave has been focused on his self-set challenge – that certainly blows being a graphic designer out the water – of completing twenty-five different journeys across the globe, each one at least 1000 miles in length using a different form of non-motorised transport. Of this ambitious number he has ticked off an impressive fifteen so far, and while choosing the most enjoyable of them is like picking a favourite child…he thinks that stand up paddle boarding the length of the Mississippi River was a journey he’ll always appreciate. Spending all day, every day on the water and then slinging a hammock between two trees was delightfully simple, and learning to get by on only the river as it grows is a memory that’ll never get old.
Dave enjoys anything that needs long term commitment and keeps him outside – preferring to paddle for three months than one day, which is certainly inspiring but not everyone’s cup of tea! Setting up and maintaining a campsite will be an endurance journey of a different kind that I’m sure will still keep him on his toes…
When asked what kickstarted this adventurous lifestyle, Dave said:
‘I was once a sloth who – at the age of 25 – decided to say ‘yes’ more. My first challenge was on a skateboard, which I pushed the length of Britain and then all the way across Australia. A bit extreme maybe, but you’re not going to change your life by taking the dog for a walk. I enjoyed being outside and having a goal to move towards, so carried on travelling these long distances in weird ways!’
Dave Collage

Dave chose Zaini to accompany him on his adventures because ‘Zaini hats are just…. cool. There’s an attitude to wearing stripes that just felt right. Plus, I always liked that – however popular Zaini seemed to be – they always felt humble and small.’ We want every Zaini hat you purchase and take with you to feel purposeful and authentic; we’re so glad this has been the case for Dave.

With the blue Gigha being his favourite Zaini, we will be contributing a percentage of profits made on this purchase to Action for XP – a charity that Dave himself is a patron for. As a charity that supports those affected by a rare disease called Xeroderma Pigmentosum, which prevents individuals from venturing outside in the sunlight without protection, we at Zaini would feel privileged to advocate such a worthwhile cause.

We hope this story has inspired your adventurous side. Dave’s motivational logic are a great kick-start for anyone looking to start a more active lifestyle themselves. Just say ‘yes’ more; stop the excuses and get started! Trust your journey, the rest will look after itself.