In this rich, wide-ranging conversation, Alastair Humphreys chats with Craig Mod about the overlapping worlds of adventure, creativity, and publishing. The two explore their different but kindred approaches to long walks — Craig’s meticulous, high-tech planning versus Alastair’s spontaneous, minimalist style — and how these journeys feed into their creative work. Craig shares the thinking behind his wildly successful newsletters, membership programme, and beautiful, obsessively designed books. They also dive into broader themes like cultural responsibility, self-discipline, nature connection, and why sometimes walking is just the best way to think deeply.
🧭 Topics and Themes
- Craig's long-distance walks across Japan (Tokaido, Nakasendo, Kumano Kodo)
- Comparison of walking vs. cycling as immersive travel tools
- Digital minimalism and “no teleporting” rules during walks
- High-tech vs low-tech navigation: Apple Watch Ultra vs. paper maps
- The joy and discipline of documentation: notes, photography, audio, video
- Daily synthesis as a creative practice while walking
- Books as tangible artefacts of ephemeral experience
- Craig’s reasons for walking: presence, routine, deadlines, synthesis
- Planning vs. spontaneity in adventures
- The special role of beautiful book design
- Making creativity sustainable: Craig’s membership model (Special Projects)
- Emotional and logistical tension between audience growth and creative purity
- Walk & Talk retreats with Kevin Kelly: structure, goals, dinner conversations
- Litter and cultural responsibility in Japan vs. the West
- The role of access in building care for the natural world
- The value of constraints, caps, and intimacy in building an audience
📚 Books Mentioned
- Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod (Random House edition)
- Kissa by Kissa by Craig Mod
- Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald
- Kevin Kelly’s essay “1000 True Fans”
- Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo (mentioned by Alastair)
💡 Concepts & Quotes
- “Walking is a platform for other things to happen.”
- “Teleports” as anything that removes you from presence (phones, news, etc.)
- “I’ve never thought: I have to do this because my subscribers are expecting it. It’s all selfish.”
- “The best piece of technology ever invented is the book.”
- “Snickers bar logic”: why we’re fine carrying snacks, but not their wrappers
- “Make the ephemeral tangible”: the purpose behind bookmaking
- “You can’t walk with someone and do the thinking.”
🧾 Links & Recommendations
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