Thomas tells us Metallica put on the best metal show on earth. He’s hitting the road to follow his dream, meet up with this prolific band on tour and have the time of his life. And dude! we’re coming too. Rock!

1) Why did you participate in this campaign?
So I took part in this campaign because I thought that it would allow me to live my dream, further the dreams of others, meet new people and see new places, but also to publicise and I guess try out for myself this next generation in conservation friendly vehicles which could in future really be of benefit to the whole planet.

2) Why did you pick your particular story?
I guess I chose this because of the kindness of strangers and my desire to help out others who were in the same situation as me last summer. Also I absolutely love seeing Metallica live, they put on an amazing show and through experience of the people I have met in the past and the attitudes a number of the fans have, I know that the shows will be amazing and the company will be too. There will be opportunities to meet new people from across the world and potentially help them out by getting them between shows just as people in the past have done for me, and I would absolutely love the chance to get to do this.

3) What was the worst journey you ever did?
Ha, well even with bad journeys I guess there is always the light at the end of the tunnel of a final destination, right? When I was 18 I’d saved up for two years to afford to go on a rugby tour of New Zealand with my school, playing five games in three weeks from one end of the country to the other. Amazing. But the flights out there were 26 hours. That was unbearable. And when we got to New Zealand it was another 3 hour coach ride to the first hotel we were staying in. That just added insult to it, but then we did spend the next 3 weeks being transported up and down the country on that uncomfortable, non air conditioned 1960s lump of rotting steel deathtrap, so I guess we had to get used to it early! The next few weeks of journeying were pretty bad. 8 hours on a coach in a day during the middle of the tour one time, but then again, we had things to do at the end of the journey and good friends close by so it was never that bad, but I do have to say the plane journey to new Zealand while being sat next to a family with a crying child was pretty bad on the scale of bad journeys.

4) What is the most important thing that needs to come with you on a journey?
Nothing. Well, nothing physical anyway. When I have been travelling in the past I figured all I needed was a final destination (a passport and cashcard I guess too....), and the rest will take care of itself. I have been lucky that it has!
I guess the one thing I like to take with me is that sort of attitude. When you are travelling things go wrong, things happen to change the route and can impact on the journey, so the way I see it, all one really needs to bring on a journey is the right attitude. Of course the final destination is important but without an open mind and a lust for fun and adventure and discovering things out of the ordinary, what would be the point?

5) If you could take any person to come with you on a road trip who would you take and why?
Tough question. Thinking about it, I’d probably take one of my best friends, Louis. We lived together for 2 of the 4 years we were at Newcastle University together. He shares a number of things with me. A sense of humour for a start, which is really quite important when travelling and living together for any length of time. He also shares a love for music and is in fact one of Metallicas biggest fans and is the reason I got into them 6 years ago. I guess if Louis isn’t available I would take Barack Obama. You just KNOW he knows exactly how to have a good time.

6) If the online community were to participate in your story what elements could they influence (for example costume, location, etc)?
I am open to anything. If you want people dictate what I wear, then fine. If you want people to vote on whether I and whoever I am with sleeps in the car, in a 5* hotel or underneath a bush on the side of the road, then that is fine too!
You could have people voting where the journey goes next. On the leg of the journey between Lisbon and Lyon, there are a lot of options.
Oh hey, and seeing as how this is a music themed rock and roll journey, people can dictate the music we play in the car too. We will naturally lean towards heavy music I’m sure, but hey, if people want us to play Miley Cyrus and Girls Aloud on repeat for a whole day of driving, I am happy to try that out! Seriously, anything you can think of I have a crocodile and gorilla outfit that could be put to use though if needed.