Explorer, author, trail prospector & travel writer

I’m an explorer, author, trail prospector & travel writer.

Originally from England, I’m now based in the South Caucasus.

Profile photo of explorer, author, trail prospector and travel writer Tom Allen.

Since 2015, my long-term project has been the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT), a 3,000km-long hiking route in development across Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan, which I co-founded and to which I contribute independently in collaboration with the US-based Transcaucasian Trail Association (and others).

In addition to the TCT, as a trail development specialist I’ve created the masterplan for the Armenian National Trail, a 900km village-to-village hiking route now being implemented by HIKEArmenia, and lent my expertise to regional projects in the Debed Canyon, Dilijan National Park, the Vorotan Canyon, and Arevik National Park, among other newly explored locations for trail tourism.

As a leading expert on travel in Armenia, I co-author Armenia: The Bradt Travel Guide, publish a hiking map-guide to the Legends Trail with Cartisan, maintain the CyclingArmenia.com bike route collection, and am currently writing a new guidebook called Hiking The Transcaucasian Trail Across Armenia.

Beyond the Caucasus, since 2006 I’ve published more than 500,000 words on my cycle touring and bikepacking blog TomsBikeTrip.com, received awards for multiple feature-length adventure films including Janapar and Karun, and published several books in the field of travel and adventure, as well as keeping an occasional blog right here and maintaining a Patreon page for long-term supporters of my work.

I currently live in Dilijan with my wife, where we operate a seasonal hikers’ hostel for travellers passing through Dilijan National Park.

I enjoy carpentry and Stilton; I was a ski guide, theatre technician and web developer in my former lives; and my Mastermind specialist subject would be mid- to late-90s progressive house and trance. So now you know.