March 23rd.

I get a random email.

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“Hi Emmanuel.

Our client, Innis & Gunn, is launching a product into a new market, and they want to do something a bit unconventional. The brief is to have the client’s product travel from Scotland, across Europe, to Turkey, and on to India. The unconventional part is; they want the product to be delivered by a hitchhiker.
We’ve seen your blog, and we think you may be the right man for the job.

We are a publicity company, and we will be promoting your journey to media outlets, and through social media all the way. This could have a big benefit for your blog, and give you some extra exposure.

Our client is a brewer. They make craft beer.
If we end up doing this project with you, we would of course help to cover some of your travel costs, like flights, insurance etc, and also keep you well supplied with beer, as you make your journey.

Is this something you would like to be involved with?

Regards, Jess; ML Publicity.”

 
Holy crap. It’s what I’ve been waiting for, all these years. Somebody wants to give me free beer, and fly me around the world so I can write crazy stories about getting drunk in random places. It’s the dream come true.

I feverishly hammer out a reply:

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“Hi Jess.

I like the part about free beer, but this sounds like a pretty crazy project. I had a look at Google maps. That’s about 10,000 kms of hitchhiking you’re proposing. Also, this would involve crossing about three continents, freezing cold mountains, blisteringly hot deserts, and a large number of border posts, attended by humorless civil servants.

No but seriously, you had me at ‘free beer’. I love it. Tell me more.

Best, Manny; Raw Safari.

PS: I am currently in Thailand. Do you think your client might pay for my air ticket to Scotland from Thailand?”

 
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“Hi Manny.

OK, let me tell you a bit more about this project. This beer was created by happy accident. The brewer discovered the recipe by chance, and they want to reflect that character of curiosity and experimentation in this story of your trip. I think there is quite a random element to some of the stuff you do, so that might be a good fit.

I’ve been reading a bit more of your blog. Is that you in that photo; the naked guy covered in mud?

Could you have a think about what route you might take, and what you think it might cost you for visa documents and travel insurance, stuff like that?
Yes, I think we can pay for your airfare to Scotland from Thailand.

Regards, Jess; ML Publicity.”

 
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“Hi Jess.

This sounds like a fun project. Let’s do it!

Working in product placement for beer in my blog posts is going to be a pleasure. I’m so glad you’re selling booze, and not something awful like diarrhea meds, or fitness equipment or something.

(Re nude guy covered in mud; which photo is that? There are a few pics of nude people covered in mud on the blog, but not all of them are me. Long hair or short?)

(BTW: will you be flying me business class? I think they serve craft beer. Hint, hint…)

Best, Manny; Raw Safari.”

 
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“Hi Manny,

I like those ideas. I talked about it with the client and they really liked your approach too. We really want to see the beer involved in your journey. Maybe we can arrange caches of beer en-route for you? The more bizarre and random situations you can find to involve the brand the better.

We can definitely arrange a flight to Scotland for you, and also cover the cost of your travel insurance and visas. I don’t think our budget will stretch to business class, but we will arrange to have a cold beer waiting for you in Edinburgh. Let’s set up a Skype call to talk about this more?

Regards, Jess; ML Publicity.”

 
And that’s the story of how Raw Safari acquired a beer sponsor!

 
I’m going to have loads of this delicious, free Innis & Gunn beer to share…

If you’re in the UK, Germany, Poland, Romania or Turkey, and you want to have a beer with me as I thumb my way across Europe, hit me up in the comments, and lets get together! (Bring some ice though. I’m not gonna be carrying ice with me in my backpack.)

The madness really starts now.
It’s pack-on-back and thumb-to-the-sky time. I haven’t hitchhiked in Europe since 2013, and I am excited.

Now I just need to decide which travel insurance to get. Is there a policy that covers hangovers..? I got to check that out.

‘Cheers!’ ‘Santé!’ ‘Proost!’ ‘Salute!’ Or, as we say in Australia ‘up your bum!’