twitchhiker
Freelance journalist Paul Smith was in the bread aisle of Tesco two weeks ago when the idea came to him: a trip around the world in 30 days, with the Twitter community as his only aid.

"I can only accept offers of travel and accommodation on Twitter, from Twitter users. No third-party offers," Smith told Journalism.co.uk in a 'twinterview' on Thursday afternoon.

Calling himself the 'Twitchhiker', Smith must - according to his self-imposed rules - only spend money on food and what he can carry once his trip begins on March 1 2009.

"If there's more than one offer, I choose. If not, I don't. Finally, If I'm unable move on from a location within 48 hours, the challenge is over and I go home," he said.

Venturing into travel writing is an 'aside', said Smith, who writes about media and technology for various websites, the Guardian and iPhone applications.

The main purposes of the trip are to raise money for Charity:Water - the same charity supported by Twestival - and 'prove Twitter can make a difference', he said.

Using blog posts, video, images and tweets, he will report back from his trip via his site, Twitchhiker.com. Supporters can sponsor him via the JustGiving site.

"Twitter has become invaluable to me as a freelancer," Smith told Journalism.co.uk after the 'Twinterview'.

"Once you're following a critical mass of relevant people, you soon pick up on trends in conversation, as well as links to new sites and breaking stories. It's an incredible source for leads, inspiration and testing out ideas.

"Anybody who doesn't understand how that can be, simply hasn't reached the tipping point of it becoming useful to them yet," he said.

"I've still got to fulfill my freelance commitments while I'm travelling - it's not like I can simply stop writing for a month and expect to walk back into my work.

"But I'm hoping that between travelling and working, there's still a chance to enjoy the experience. When I left the radio industry, I promised myself that as a freelance writer, if I ever had a big idea that I'd try it, not make excuses until somebody else did it. It's not a great time to be freelancing, but I adore the freedom it can allow."

Smith's travels can be tracked via his Twitter profile and his conversations followed through the hashtag search '#twitchhiker'. Smith has also launched a new iPhone application, which can be opened with iTunes, at this link.

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