Programme outline

The RGS Explore Weekend is itself a journey with purpose. Over one long weekend, you'll move from inspiration and practical planning through to impact, storytelling and the next steps in turning curiosity into action.

Whether you're considering your first expedition, developing an existing project, or simply exploring what might be possible, read on to discover how you'll gain inspiration, practical skills and opportunities to connect with this vibrant community of explorers, fieldworkers and purposeful travellers.

Details are provisional and subject to change. The full programme will be published in early October.

Friday afternoon: getting started

If this is your first Explore Weekend, Friday afternoon is designed to help you settle in, find your bearings and start imagining what your own exploration journey could look like.

Arrive early to explore the Society's historic home, meet fellow attendees and immerse yourself in stories from the field. Building tours and first-timer orientation sessions will help you make your first connections, while afternoon film screenings offer an inspiring introduction to the people, places and ideas that shape modern exploration.

By the time the opening evening programme begins, you'll have a better understanding of what exploration can look like, what support is available through the Society and, just as importantly, where everything is for the weekend ahead.

Friday evening: five decades of discovery

Your weekend begins with a celebration of exploration across five decades. Through a series of short talks from the field, you'll discover how expeditionary fieldwork has evolved and how exploration continues to drive research, conservation and discovery in a rapidly changing world.

As well as offering inspiration, this opening session helps you understand the many different ways people contribute to exploration. Whatever your interests, you'll begin to see where you might fit into that story yourself.

Talks will be followed by a pay bar and an optional ticketed dinner.

Saturday: from ideas to action

Finding inspiration

Saturday morning starts by helping you broaden your horizons. Through a series of story-led talks from recent expeditions and fieldwork projects, you'll discover different pathways into exploration and hear how curiosity, determination and collaboration can lead to meaningful outcomes.

Whether you're starting with a vague idea or a well-developed ambition, these sessions are designed to help you see new possibilities and build confidence in what's achievable.

Planning and preparing for an expedition

Once you've been inspired, the focus shifts towards making ideas happen. You'll learn how successful expeditions are planned, funded and delivered, exploring topics such as risk management, health and wellbeing, leadership, teamwork and project development.

By the end of this part of the programme, you'll have a clearer understanding of what it takes to turn an ambitious idea into a realistic, responsible and achievable expedition.

Specialised breakout sessions

Next, you'll have the opportunity to tailor the journey to your own interests. Choose from a range of interactive workshops and discussions covering different expedition environments and project types.

Whether you're interested in mountains, polar regions, tropical forests, rivers, deserts, oceans, caves, cycling journeys or vehicle-supported expeditions, you'll gain practical, experience-based insights relevant to your chosen area. Alongside these, specialist sessions will help you build skills in expedition medicine, field leadership, decision-making and other core expedition competencies.

The emphasis throughout is on practical learning, helping you apply advice directly to your own plans and ambitions.

Evening discussions and connections

After a day focused on planning and preparation, we'll come back together for a main-stage discussion exploring some of the key questions and challenges facing exploration today.

The evening then creates space for informal conversations and networking. For many people, these conversations become one of the most valuable parts of the weekend, helping them find collaborators, mentors, future teammates or simply like-minded people who share their interests and ambitions.

Sunday: purpose, impact and legacy

Why exploration matters

Having explored how expeditions happen, Sunday encourages you to think about why they matter.

Through a series of talks and case studies, we'll explore themes including challenge, discovery, conservation, transformation and long-term impact. You'll be encouraged to think critically about the role of exploration in today's world and how your own projects can create value for science, education, communities and the environment.

Fieldwork frontiers and purpose-led exploration

The programme then looks ahead to the future of exploration and fieldwork. Through panel discussions and interactive breakout sessions, you'll explore new approaches, emerging challenges and evolving ideas about responsible and impactful practice.

This part of the weekend is designed to help you move beyond logistics and think more deeply about the purpose of your work and the outcomes you hope to achieve.

Communicating your expedition

The final phase of the learning journey focuses on what happens after the expedition itself. You'll explore how to share stories, findings and experiences with wider audiences through writing, photography, film, audio, education, science communication, public speaking, creative practice and emerging digital formats.

Whether you want to inspire others, influence decision-makers, educate new audiences or advocate for change, you'll leave with practical ideas for extending the impact of your work far beyond the field.

Looking ahead

The weekend concludes by helping you focus on what comes next. You'll be encouraged to reflect on what you've learned, identify your priorities and consider the practical steps needed to move your ideas forward.

By the time you leave, you'll have gained new knowledge, fresh inspiration, valuable connections and greater confidence to take the next step on your own purposeful journey.