"Not to transmit an experience is to betray it" - Elie Wiesel

The end of field time should not be seen as an anticlimax. Your expedition has gone well, you’re tired on your return and you find a thousand things to do now that you are back in the UK and others can make demands on your time. But your expedition is far from over, there are still a multitude of tasks to accomplish.

The expedition would not have been possible without the help of a large number of people. You need to say thank you to them, in whichever way is most appropriate. This helps to promote the "feel good" factor in those who helped you so that they are well disposed to helping future expeditions. Also, you used other people’s money and time to realise your dream and you are morally obliged to show what you have achieved with it.

Some ways of expressing your thanks might include:

• Send thank you letters to supporters in the host country.
• Send promised journals, equipment, etc. as constructive thank you’s.
• Provide photographs and feedback reports to sponsors who provided equipment.
• Donate your equipment to co-workers / supporting organisations in the host country who can benefit from it.

The final report(s) will be an important component in the process of recording and presenting your findings.

Depending on the type of expedition the time taken to produce it will vary enormously. Sections common to all reports will include:

• A summary (at the beginning) of the aim and objectives of the expedition and what it achieved.
• A permanent contact address.
• Methodologies.
• Description of work undertaken.
• Results.
• Conclusions, including suggestions for further work.
• Details of the personnel involved.
• A breakdown of income and expenses.
• A listing of sources of information used.
• Acknowledgements of sponsors, advisors, and anyone who helped.

Science based projects may have additional sections and will generally need time to analyse data and samples, produce charts/graphs and undertake background reading.

All this takes time and you may wish to produce an interim report / newsletter to send to sponsors / supporters in the UK to keep them informed as to progress.

When the report is finished copies should be sent to:

• your university library
• the Royal Scottish Geographical Society
• the Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers)
• collaborating institutions
• appropriate sites in the host country
• sponsors

An expedition without a report is a holiday.

• Write articles/papers for appropriate journals
• Provide talks on your expedition to:
• sponsors e.g. a lunch-time slide show for a company’s staff
• your geography, geology, biology, mountaineering, canoeing club or society
• your university department, to inspire others or at least help explain why you’ve been so manic and busy over the last year!
• organisations like the Royal Scottish Geographical Society who have offered grant aid or approval.

You may feel that you are not qualified to write and speak on your achievements. Not so. You are the experts on your expedition; no-one else did what you did, no-one else superior to you fed you the information as in a lecture. So enjoy the buzz of having something to tell those who could not be there. You were privileged to go on your expedition. Many people do not have the opportunity, the time or the vision to embark on such an adventure. They will however enjoy your stories from the front line of the extraordinary world we inhabit but which is unknown at first hand by most people.

Why bother with any of this?

• To inspire others who may be daunted by the idea of starting their own expedition.
• To disseminate your results to organisations who can benefit from it and ensure others don’t waste time investigating what you have already discovered.
• To increase your employment potential.
• To feel proud in future years of your achievements.

I can’t think of anything else that you could do of a comparable length of time that will give you the insights, satisfaction and character development that going on an expedition will. Everyone who goes on one comes back glad they did. It’s an exciting world out there - go out and discover it.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" - St. Augustine