Gareth Peel

Gareth Peel, from Flight Centre in Bristol, changed his attitude forever in the Australian outback

"Our guide stopped the minibus to pick up some kangaroo road-kill for that night's barbie. The kangaroo had a tiny baby joey and guess who his new mummy was going to be? Me! I had to keep the poor little fella up my jumper for the next three hours to keep him warm until we reached a rescue centre. I have an unwavering urge to climb things and it was hard for me to resist the huge red rock of Uluru. But my two days exploring the wonders of the outback, hearing dreamtime stories and appreciating my natural surroundings, made me see how abhorrent that would be to the Aborigines. For the first time, I put my own tourist desire to one side out of respect."

Gareth's reaction: "I've done the Machu Picchu trail and I lived in Bolivia for a few months so I've spent a bit of time at altitude, but Machu Picchu is nothing compared to Everest. I've been in the gym every day since I had my interview, using the climbing machine. I'm changing my diet too; you want to be looking up and enjoying the views, not gasping for breath!"