About

About Dean and Nala

Hey All, I’m Dean! On the 1st September 2018 I left Dunbar, Scotland with the ambition to cycle the world. 3 months and 9 countries later, I was coming up to the Bosnia-Montenegro border when I heard a little kitten meowing her heart out, chasing me trying to get my attention. We were 12 miles from the nearest town, and it was soon clear by her friendly nature and desperate hunger her owner had intentionally dumped her.

Over the next few days the kitten and I grew closer, It was clear she had lioness traits, with her feisty and loving personality and so it Nala was to be her name. Following a trip to the vet I finally became her owner as she had previously not been registered. From that moment on Nala was my new travel companion, riding up front with the world ahead of her.

And then it happened… Our social media following exploded with ‘the dodo’ creating a video of our story gaining 130 million views and the media sharing our adventure globally. With the sharing of our story the support we gained from our followers grew to over one million on our social media.

Nala and I now travel the world together learning about each other and the world we live in along the way. We have faced many challenges and helped many people and animals alike on our journey, more of which you can read all about in our book Nala’s World.

"He was determined to cycle solo around the world. But then Dean Nicholson found himself adopted by a four-legged stray who was equally determined to change everything."

THE DAILY MAIL

"But all of a sudden, when you’ve got a wee kitten on your shoulder, everybody wants to talk with you."

THE NEW YORK POST

"The Syrian man had been absolutely right. The more you help others, the more rewarding life becomes. So yes, be a blessing to others and you will be blessed. It’s not a bad mantra to live by, especially in these difficult times. I’ve got no intention of changing it."

THE BIG ISSUE

"Cat travels the world on a bicycle after backpacker adopts the stray kitten and customises bike to take her with him."

THE DAILY MAIL

"...he, the kitten and the bicycle are famous. The chance encounter between the itinerant 30-year-old Scot and a five-week-old kitten has lead to a book..."

THE SUNDAY TIMES

"The Balkans had a surprise in store for him, in the form of a feline and fellow traveller. He called her Nala, after the lioness friend in his favourite film, “The Lion King.” The tiny animal, with eyes like jewels, wouldn’t leave his side."

WASHINGTON POST