Rebecca Lowe is a freelance journalist from London who specialises in human rights and the Middle East.    In 2015-16, she cycled 11,000km solo from London to Tehran.    Her first book, THE SLOW ROAD TO TEHRAN, documenting her year-long journey, paints a living portrait of the Middle East through its people, politics and historic relationship with the West, and challenges much of the perceived wisdom about this region of the world. It was published in March 2022 by September Books in the UK and MVG in Germany.   During her career, Rebecca has written for the Guardian, BBC, Independent, Huffington Post, Economist, Sunday Times Magazine, Daily Mail, Evening Standard, Spectator and IranWire, as well as numerous travel, music and sports magazines.    From 2010-15, she was the lead reporter at the International Bar Association, where she focused on human rights and the rule of law, and in 2018 she contributed to the adventure travel anthology THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS: TRAVEL STORIES THAT MAKE YOUR HEART GROW, published by Summersdale.    Rebecca is a Fellow at the Royal Geographical Society and holds a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University and an MA in Journalism from Stanford University, where she was awarded a scholarship.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    To find out more about supporting the Tough Girl Podcast and becoming a patron please visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.    Show Notes Who is Rebecca Being a journalist for over a decade Becoming interested in the Middle East  Deciding to quit her job and cycle from London to Iran Becoming a new mum while finishing off her new book The challenges of motherhood and juggling work Being adventurous and having an independent spirit Being into sports and playing with the boys Where her interest in the middle east came from  Always wanting to become a writer  Explaining what the Arab Spring is (2010- 2011) Her journey with cycling  Trying to find a bike via sponsorship Learning to cycle with Panniers Packing everything!! Not feeling prepared before the trip Learning how to deal with new situations Getting into her cycling rhythm Going from West to East Feeling overwhelmed by undertaking big challenges Concerns and fears before starting the journey  The challenges of being a journalist while travelling Taking precautions before the trip  The benefits of being a woman in the Middle East What it was like day to day Having a budget of £15 per day  Trying to avoid the heat The wonderful food! Learning different cultures  Getting to the end of the trip and being ready to finish Dealing with punctures Arriving into Tehran and getting to the finish line Missing the Uk  The lessons learning from time spend on the road Feeling more confident and being able to cope with new situations Connect with Rebecca Final words of advice  Start slowly and push those boundaries Why you can go on Big Adventures Mantra and powerful quotes   Social Media   Website: thebicyclediaries.co.uk     Instagram: @reo_lowe    Twitter: @reo_lowe