How a bored office worker hit the road to Hong Kong and the rest of the world – and did it for free
Londoner Richard Tilney-Bassett dumped his office job for a camera and now barters his way around the world on his Glass Passport adventure, taking photographs in exchange for food, a bed and plane tickets
Two years ago Richard Tilney-Bassett was living in London and feeling lost and directionless. After earning a degree in biosciences in 2013 he’d fallen into an office job that paid the bills, but didn’t excite him. These days he travels the world doing what he loves and making new friends along the way – and it doesn’t cost him a dollar.
Inspiration for his dramatic life change came from Australian photographer Shantanu Starick who set up a project in 2012 called the Pixel Trade, trading his services for a few days, photographing any subject, in return for necessities. Starick’s stated aim was to “reintroduce the bartering system into day-to-day life in a global environment”.
The project reminded Tilney-Bassett of a musician who went to university with him, Josh Savage, who used connections made online to establish “The Living Room Tour”, solo touring across five countries and playing intimate gigs in the homes of online fans.
Tilney-Bassett had only left Europe once and wasn’t well travelled, but he was determined to change that. He bought a camera and in the summer of 2016 he launched his own venture, The Glass Passport.
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“I live and travel the world as a photographer. No money changes hands, instead I trade in three alternative currencies – food, accommodation and transport,” says the 26-year-old.
