Things are really changing for them’: Why explorer known as ‘Indiana Jones for girls’ is walking across Saudi Arabia
“It’s a massive adventure,” Morrison, who has been walking around 25 kilometers (15 miles) a day, tells CNN Travel via Zoom.
“I seek challenge, knowledge and connection. And I think you get all of those doing what I do.”
Morrison, who speaks fluent Arabic, concedes that she isn’t necessarily a typical explorer, and was actually working as a CEO of a media development company up until 2011.
“I feel like I’ve had lots of different lives,” she says, recounting how she signed up for the Tour d’Afrique, a 12,000 kilometer bike race across Africa, after a series of events led to her giving up her job.
After completing the race, Morrison went on to enter the Marathon Des Sables, known as “the toughest race on Earth,” as well as trek across the Sahara Desert.
“I left the rat race for a bike race and I never, ever looked back,” she says.
While Morrison admits that she’s never been particularly athletic, she’s always been the adventurous type, and would often go on adventure holidays like mountain biking in Guatemala and ice climbing in Peru, during her vacation time.
“It’s really odd because I’m not really sporty,” Morrison admits. “But I love adventure and I love being outdoors.
“So the sporty side has to kind of tag along reluctantly to all the things I want to do.”
According to Morrison, her trek across Saudi Arabia, which will see her become the first person on record to walk this particular route if successful, has been several decades in the making.