I’m Tom, an explorer, trail prospector and travel writer, based between the UK and the South Caucasus.
I currently hold the post of Expeditions & Fieldwork Manager at the UK’s Royal Geographical Society, where I’m helping the organisation better serve those who want to inject purpose into their travels and explorations – a global community dear to my heart.
My long-term passion project is the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT), a 3,000km-long hiking route in development across Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan, which I co-founded in 2015 and support in collaboration with the Transcaucasian Trail Association and many other partners, as well as opening the region’s first hikers’ hostel.
As a trail prospector I also conceived and planned the route of the Armenian National Trail, a 1,000km village-to-village hiking route currently under construction, as well as exploring and mapping new regional trail networks in the Debed Canyon, Dilijan National Park, the Vorotan Canyon, and Arevik National Park.
As a regional expert and travel writer I co-author Armenia: The Bradt Travel Guide, maintain the CyclingArmenia.com bike route collection, and am currently writing Hiking The Transcaucasian Trail Across Armenia.
Beyond the Caucasus, since 2006 I’ve published more than half a million words on my cycle touring blog TomsBikeTrip.com, made award-winning adventure documentary films including Janapar and Karun, and published several other travel books.
My personal-professional blog lives here at tomallen.info.
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