How to complain about the quality of your gear

Broken backpack straps, headlamp that stops working, leaking tent, broken zipper, holes in shoes? It usually happens at the worst time, and that’s why you should always be ready. On the moment, the only thing you can do is to try to save the day with a trick. I did my Salkantay trek with duct tape around my hiking shoes (duck tape will fix almost everything). It was not pretty but it got me to Machu Picchu!

Once the emergency passed, if the product has clearly not performed as good as you expected, there is only one thing to do: complain and file a warranty claim. Here is a maybe very french topic: 8 steps guide on how to complain about the bad quality of your outdoor gear (and negotiate an exchange or refund).

Bad luck with your gear? Say something!

Continue reading

How to never be cold again

Miserable. It is the word that sums up the best how you can feel when you are soaked to the bones, shivering, depressed, upset, disappointed and ready to call your mum to tell her to get you home when you are supposed to have fun and enjoy the outdoors. Was it after biking under the rain for 3 hours? Or when the winds of Patagonia were blowing so much that you thought the tent will fly away? Was it after spending the all day with wet feet after following a path that disappeared under the flood?  Everybody who has spent a bit of time outside has one of these war stories.
Never let the weather bring you down again with these simple rules on how to stay warm outside whatever the seasons throw at you.

IMG_3428

 

Continue reading

How to choose the best backpack for you

This summer, after all these years of good services it was time to give my old and loved Quechua backpack a well deserved retirement.

When you love outdoors like I do, a visit to your local outdoor shop can turn into a half day activity. For backpackers or hikers, the backpack becomes quickly an extension of yourself, a part of you or your team that you hope will never let you down at the wrong moment.
I am a nerd when it comes to outdoor gear and buying a new backpack ended being a 3 months activity. I am sharing here the process I followed and recommend so that you can also find the best travel or hiking backpack for you!

Continue reading

7 months itinerary in South America: a trip of a lifetime

Are you looking to spend several months travelling in South America? This article is for you! In June 2014 we left Europe for a trip of a lifetime, exploring South America. It took us 222 days to go “From the Caribbean to the end of the world“. It was magic.

South_america_itinerary

Highlights of 6 months in South America

This is always a difficult question: what did you like the most in South America? Impossible to pic one thing but here is a list of few experiences that make it to the “top list”.

Continue reading

In my backpack – Hiking equipment

Packing for a travel is never an easy process, but when you are heading out into the wild with no option to buy missing items, it becomes even more critical to give it some good thoughts.
What to pack and what to leave home? How to make sure you can keep going even if the weather change? I am sharing here my packing list for the happy trekker along with a few learnings and tips, acquired kilometre after kilometre.
So, what's hiding inside the backpack?

So, what’s hiding inside the backpack?

Packing list for going trekking

If you want to be a minimalist packer, any item that goes into your backpack should answer one of the 3 essential goals of a hiker: stay dry, stay warm, stay clean. This, and some good food of course, will ensure you remain a decent human being even if you are trekking for more than a week without showering (think it’s too gross, it is still time to move to another post ;-)?)

Continue reading

How much does it cost to travel 7 months in South America

“How much did you spend for the trip in South America?” This is probably the question that we have been asked the most since we came back from South America (ok maybe after “How was it?“). And I know that actually, many more didn’t dare to ask it. But it’s ok to ask. I have been so much under the charm of South America that I am whising everybody to have the opportunity to go and travel on this beautiful continent one day. People usually skip the continent because they think South America is too expensive for a long trip. But is it really?

During our 222 days (more than 7 months) in South America, we tracked our expenses on the road day by day and upon our return I did a proper financial reconciliation to check that our travel budget figures were right. – 🙂 Yes, that’s a professional deformation.

So here you get it all: the full break down of our spendings, cost item by cost item and country by country, figures you can use to plan your RTW trip, a 6 months long trip or even just a nice vacation in South America!

Continue reading

Packing tips for active travelers

The road is the best teacher. During my 7 months of travelling in South America, I have been packing/ unpacking what seems to be ten thousand times. I got a rid of a few things, lost a few others. In this post, I am sharing my “packing learnings and tips” for the active traveler, getting ready for 3 days or 12 months of active explorations. Discover the items I loved and what I should have never packed.

Continue reading

Tip to get a stunning view from Machu Picchu

For almost every traveller to Peru, a visit to the mythic Inca city of Machu Picchu is a must. Are you planning to visit the ruins? Make sure your ticket includes the entrance to Machu Picchu mountain, the little hidden gem of the most popular archeological site of the continent. It´s from there you will get the most spectacular views.

machu_picchu_montana

View from Machu Picchu montana: the ruins and on the left Huayna Picchu!

Continue reading