20 ratings | 18 reviews | avg rating:5.00

more photos (1)

Craig Briggs’s Followers (53)

Craig’s Bookshelves

to-read (0)
currently-reading (0)
read (20)
sunsets-and-olives (0)

Craig’s Friends (139)

Mirta Trupp

1,292 books | 355 friends

Karen O'Connor

349 books | 7 friends

Sandy McKenna

1,228 books | 64 friends

Sue

91 books | 40 friends

Dale Thele

254 books | 1,794 friends

Ruth Zavitsanos

175 books | 394 friends

Carol Dunn

500 books | 46 friends

Stephen Malins

340 books | 21 friends

More friends…

Craig Briggs

Goodreads Author

Born

in Huddersfield, The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.journeytoadream.co.uk

Genre

Nonfiction, Memoir, Travel

Member Since

August 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/craigspain

edit data

If life deals you a bad hand, don’t fold, take a chance; a good player will always come out on top.

Craig Briggs was born on the 12th of July 1962, in St. Luke’s Hospital, Huddersfield, the second child, and only son, of Donald and Glenys Briggs. The birth of their daughter had been a joy. The arrival of Craig would make the family complete. Unfortunately, Craig was not a ‘normal’ lad; he’d been born with congenital feet deformities.
Unaware of his disability, Craig got on with life as any infant would. His first birthday brought a gift that would change his life forever. A marvel of modern engineering, manufactured by J.E. Hanger and Co. of London for and on behalf of the National Health Service. Bespoke footwear gave him what the Vespa had If life deals you a bad hand, don’t fold, take a chance; a good player will always come out on top.

Craig Briggs was born on the 12th of July 1962, in St. Luke’s Hospital, Huddersfield, the second child, and only son, of Donald and Glenys Briggs. The birth of their daughter had been a joy. The arrival of Craig would make the family complete. Unfortunately, Craig was not a ‘normal’ lad; he’d been born with congenital feet deformities.
Unaware of his disability, Craig got on with life as any infant would. His first birthday brought a gift that would change his life forever. A marvel of modern engineering, manufactured by J.E. Hanger and Co. of London for and on behalf of the National Health Service. Bespoke footwear gave him what the Vespa had given the youth of the fifties: freedom and independence. They weren’t quite as stylish as an Italian built scooter but he didn’t care. From now on, Master Briggs was on the move and no one would hold him back.
Over the next five years a series of surgical procedures changed the way he moved. When the time came, his mum walked him to school like any other proud parent and his dad gave him his first and only piece of worldly advice. ‘If anyone hits you, hit ’em back.’
With one exception, his mind proved sharper than his boxing prowess. Academia was not really his thing; he found it difficult to concentrate on anything that didn’t interest him.
In May 1980 he left college and entered the employment market. Margaret Thatcher was busy dismantling British industry and unemployment was running at a post-war high. He signed on to receive unemployment benefit and spent the summer lounging around the house watching the Wimbledon Tennis Championship on telly. As the tournament drew to a close, parental pressure to find work intensified. In September, during one of his many visits to the Job Centre, a job card caught his eye: ‘Wanted: trainee retail managers’.
Five hundred and sixty applicants chased six positions. He pleaded his case at an interview and ended up being selected. After a two-week training course in the seaside town of Southport, he passed with honours, achieving the rank of assistant manager. When asked where he’d like to ply his newfound retail skills, he chose London, a city paved with gold.
In October 1980, he left Huddersfield a naive child, and returned three and a half years later a wiser and more mature young man. A brief period of letting his hair down followed, catching up on lost time and lost youth. During these wild and hedonistic months, he met the love of his life and future wife, Melanie.
His career in retail spanned six and a half years with five different companies but to realise his dream he would have to go it alone. Not long after his twenty-sixth birthday, he handed in his notice. His future lay in leather jackets. Unfortunately, no one shared this vision and his aspirations fell at the first hurdle.
The prospect of returning to the retail trade pushed him into pursuing a different path. He reached a compromise and worked as a self-employed agent for one of the nation’s largest insurance companies. The job title, Financial Consultant, exaggerated the role. In reality he was nothing more than a desperate insurance salesman. Life was hard and the insurance industry ruthless. Trying to sell a product that nobody wants, and which by its nature will never benefit the payee, is not easy. Unlike most recruits, he managed to survive and learnt some difficult but valuable lessons.
His ‘Big Break’ came when he was asked to invest in a fledgling printing business. The first year’s accounts showed greater losses than actual sales. Against all professional advice he jumped at the chance, re-mortgaged his house and bought an equal stake.
By accident rather than design, he’d finally found his true vocation. The company was losing money hand over fist. The bank had taken a second charge on the partners’ homes and his investment was swallowed up in a ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Craig Briggs questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Craig Briggs’s books

Average rating: 4.3 · 3,050 ratings · 166 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	Journey to a Dream (The Journey, #1) 3.93 avg rating — 607 ratings — published 2013 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond Imagination: When the adventure of a lifetime becomes a lifetime of adventures (The Journey #2) 4.33 avg rating — 326 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Endless Possibilities: Sunny skies and mountains high (The Journey #3) 4.41 avg rating — 275 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Driving Ambition: Life in the slow lane (The Journey Book 5) 4.40 avg rating — 239 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Opportunities Ahead: Learn from the past, live in the present and always look forward to the future (The Journey, #4) 4.47 avg rating — 220 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Discerning Traveller: Let every new day broaden your horizons (The Journey Book 6) 4.45 avg rating — 220 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Season To Remember: Finding the right balance without tipping the scales 4.39 avg rating — 216 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	An Excellent Vintage (The Journey Book 8) 4.34 avg rating — 189 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Life In A Foreign Land (The Journey Book 9) 4.46 avg rating — 176 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Seasons To Be Cheerful (The Journey Book 11) 4.36 avg rating — 132 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Craig Briggs…

97 posts
Craig Briggs's Blog

You Can Forget Seven Years in Tibet

Nineteen years ago today, Melanie and I arrived in Galicia, Spain to begin what has been an amazing journey. Who would have thought that we would rent a Swiss-style house for twelve months, buy a tiny bungalow and build it into a Mediterranean-style villa, purchase a rural farmhouse, restore it and sell it to buyers from the States, acquire a romantic ruin and convert it into a luxury holiday let, Read more of this blog post »

View more on Craig Briggs's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on May 09, 2021 05:19

View all 97 posts »

Series by Craig Briggs

The Journey (14 books)
by

Craig Briggs (Goodreads Author)

4.30 avg rating — 2,921 ratings

rss
Craig’s Recent Updates

Craig is now friends with Karen O'Connor
Mar 23, 2025 07:01AM · like

More of Craig's books…

Quotes by Craig Briggs (?)

“As well as writing, 2004 saw my first attempt at wine making: the elixir of life. Unfortunately, my effort tasted more like the elixir of death.”
― Craig Briggs, Journey to a Dream

tags: autobiography, memoir, spain, travel

2 likes

“The last time I’d spoken French I was twelve years old; before I reached my thirteenth birthday the teacher had correctly steered me into woodwork classes.”
― Craig Briggs, Endless Possibilities: Sunny skies and mountains high

tags: memoir, spain, travel

1 likes