From Racer to Risk-Taker: How I Quit My Job for an Adventure of a Lifetime

After zooming around China and India, Race Across The World contestant Tom Bridge has gone back to the UK and begun a fresh chapter in his life.

Tom, aged 21, along with his mother Caroline, who is 60, decided to apply for the thrilling competition after they watched the second season together. During this season, six groups journeyed the complete distance through Latin America. America .

Tom had done some travelling with friends, but his mum never had the opportunity.

They never imagined in their wildest dreams that they would find themselves embarking on such an extraordinary adventure, racing alongside five other teams to cover 14,000 miles from the Great Wall of China all the way down to Kanyakumari at the southern end of India without any assistance. phone Or simply the price of a one-way airplane ticket paid in cash.

Few contestants return from the experience the same person they were when they left, but Tom has revealed he was inspired to quit his job as a labourer and start his own company after leaving school without GCSEs.

He tells : ‘I was a labourer for two or three years, on and off, and it was a good job, but I was never really pushing myself.

'I've always stayed within my comfort zone, content with lifting heavy objects and performing routine tasks as they provided decent pay. However, upon returning, I decided to expand my horizons and am now attempting to launch my own small handyman service to assist folks in the village.'

‘It’s really scary, I’ve already messed up a couple of times, but then I found a way around it and I fixed it. It’s just pushing me a bit more.’

More than anything, though, Tom’s let go of his fear of failure.

‘I want to learn from failure now rather than letting it get to me too much,’ he says. ‘I was always a bit scared of trying something new in case I’d mess it up or just in case it didn’t go my way. I think a lot of time on Race it didn’t go our way, but then we learned from it, or we found another way around it.’

Before the race, Caroline expressed her desire to show everyone that she is more than merely a 'mom'.

'I feel much more confident nowadays,' she stated. 'It seems like I'm more competent and I've gained a great deal of self-assurance.'

'I believe that if I desire an adventure now, I am capable of pursuing it; previously, I would have been too anxious and thought that maybe I didn't merit it or wasn't skilled enough.'

Caroline and Tom faced the most challenging beginning among the five pairs in this series. In China, they struggled immensely with the race. From the outset, they felt overwhelmed and plagued by terrible fortune. However, their fortunes shifted upon arriving in Nepal; it was undoubtedly a pivotal moment for them both.

“India really gave me this sense of being fully alive and incredibly at ease,” stated Caroline. “It’s simply an exhilarating destination—so vivid, dynamic, loud, and fragrant—but it truly made me feel invigorated.”

‘Nepal was the breath of fresh air I needed,' Tom concurred, and this was evident right from the start.

Nepal turned out to be the place where he finally felt at ease opening up about something he had been quietly dealing with during his travels—his cerebral palsy.

His condition affects the right side of his body, leaving him unable to use his right hand. ‘It feels like it’s disconnected from my brain,’ he said.

While staying at a homestay, Tom and Caroline were hosted by a family who requested they eat using their right hands. Tom found this challenging and sought permission to use his left instead; it was not a problem for them. However, during the visit, Tom courageously discussed his experience with cerebral palsy on camera—a topic unknown to most of his closest friends.

'Prior to the episode being released, I felt quite anxious since this wasn't information I typically shared with others. Whenever someone asked, rather than explaining why I couldn't use my right hand, I simply mentioned that I'm left-handed. However, participating in the race encouraged me to be more forthcoming about it.'

‘I just didn’t know how people would react, and I really didn’t want it to define me, but ever since the episode came out, I’ve had so many just lovely messages and also people who have similar problems.

’It’s just it’s made me realise that it’s actually quite normal, and it’s not about me. It’s not something I should be nervous or shy about at all, because everyone has something.’

“I was unaware of this fact until I watched the episode where he revealed it on camera,” explains Caroline.

'I felt truly proud of him for taking responsibility. I had neither urged nor prevented him from disclosing it; I believed it was his choice to do so when he deemed appropriate, and I thought he couldn’t have chosen a more suitable moment.'

We have only four more episodes before we discover whether Caroline and Tom, Elizabeth and Letisia, Fin and Sioned, or Brian and Melvyn will claim victory in Race Across The World and take home the £20,000 grand prize; however, every participant leaves as a victor.

Regardless of the result, Caroline and Tom returned home with a connection that wealth cannot purchase.

"We now share a profound understanding of one another and the experiences we've endured, which may have also fostered greater respect," states Caroline.

'I believe Thomas now views me more as a person he can enjoy spending time with and grow closer to, instead of merely seeing me as his mother. And I make sure not to criticize him too much because I find him utterly amazing.'

We've always been close," asserts Tom. "My mum quit her job to take care of me, which meant we had lots of time together during my childhood. But as time went on, we turned into two individuals sharing the same home yet leading distinct lives.

'We neglected to truly understand one another, despite getting along well and having fun together. Participating in Race Across The World genuinely facilitated that connection.'

However, the trip isn't over yet. They've already mapped out their next expedition, an additional month of diving into the vast unknown with nothing but each other for company, as always.

'We're thinking about doing a backpacking trip through Kazakhstan,' Tom shares. 'It might seem silly, but mostly it's because of Borat, which wasn't actually shot there. Yet somehow, it has always amused me. Some friends have mentioned they want to visit this place too, so I looked into it and found out that it's supposed to be amazing.'

'We'll proceed without a plan for a month, similar to the race.'

Caroline chuckles: 'But with a mobile phone.'

Race Across The World goes on air again tonight at 9 pm on BBC One.

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