For the past seven years or so Craig Mod and I have hosted an annual walk-and-talk.

A walk-and-talk is a moveable salon. A small group of invited people walk together for a week, having casual conversations side-by-side during most of the day. In the evening the group sits down to an intense hours-long discussion centered on topics chosen daily by those present. A moderator keeps the conversation on that day’s single topic to sharpen it and make it memorable. 

To focus on conversations while walking, participants carry only day-packs, and eat locally prepared meals. The walks are not strenuous and to keep it even more inspiring, they take place in storied environments that are walker-friendly, such as footpaths in England, Japan, and Spain. By the end of the week, every person present has walked about 100 km and has had deep conversations with all the others. Most present will declare the week spend this way was one of the best weeks in their lives.

Last month after Craig, myself, and 10 other walkers completed a walk-and-talk in the highlands of Thailand, Craig and I wrote up everything we know on how to do your own walk-and-talk. It is not hard to organize one, and we really hope others steal this idea.

You can download this free booklet PDF for all the details.

On a walk-and-talk on the Kumano Kodo trail in Japan.