Day 1 - Heathrow to Toronto

The day is finally here! I’ve completed my PhD, and my Wife has left her job. We’ve sold the house, cars, and given most of our possessions to charity. The only things weighing us down now are our packs!

We begin our journey in the North of England, travelling for 3 hours down the motorways toward London, and our destination, Heathrow Airport. Arriving at Heathrow with little difficulty, we say our Goodbyes and head toward Departures. We separate our packs and check the larger, luggage portion, and use the day packs for ‘carry-on’ – containing all the usuals: tablet, phone, headphone splitter…

After a pleasant coffee in the spotless terminal, our gate is finally called and we head through security – a zone of angst and stress, even though no one has anything to hide. Luckily, and for a change, I was not pulled out of line and man-handled – I went smoothly through the barriers without a second glance. Finally. As we move through the terminal toward our boarding area, we notice how quiet and empty the airport seems. Indeed, our plane, once loaded, could not have been at even one third of capacity. This meant we had a nice, empty seat between us – giving that little bit of extra room for the 7-and-a-half hour flight to Toronto.

The flight was, for the most part, smooth. However, for around 10 minutes, we hit significant turbulence, bouncing up and down in our seats like a carnival ride. My wife, who is not a fan of flying, was not amused. In the end, of course, we landed safe and sound and were greeted jubilantly by my Parents, who had not seen my Wife for a year-and-a-half. We had a 26-hour stopover, which meant we could have a nice catch-up with my Parents, and my Brother and his Girlfriend. Of course we had the obligatory Tim Horton’s fix, and before we knew it – we were back at the airport.

Finally – as we board our 10-and-a-half hour flight to Rio, it hits us. We’re on our adventure.

Preparations. Backpacking South America

And so it begins. Travelling for 4 months through almost every known climate – how does one begin to pack for such an adventure?

Our journey will begin in scorching hot Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (36°C) – where we’ll enjoy the sun, sand, and sights. As we move across the continent, South-West through Argentina over to Santiago, Chile – we’ll transition through warm, wet, and eventually into cooler climes. With several trips planned along the Andean range, we can expect cooler temperatures, though we’ll be able to relax in the warm, rich climate of the Argentinean wine valleys. As we move North from Santiago, we’ll travel through the driest place on the planet – the Atacama Desert.

Travelling North through Lauca National Park, Chile, Eastward into Bolivia – we’ll enter the highest capital city in the world, La Paz. As such, we expect much cooler (to cold) temperatures. Heading further North into Peru, we’ll be staying at altitude again, in Cuzco – and trekking the Aztec trail to Macchu Pichu. Shortly after we fly into Iquitos – the Peruvian Amazon – where we can assuredly expect warm and wet weather.

Flying further North, into Ecuador, we can expect a range of temperatures – though hopefully have warm, sunny days for our week in the Galapagos Islands. Oppositely, our 2-day trek on the Andes, up Mount Cayambe – the highest volcano on the equator - we can expect cold weather atop the snow-covered peak.

Finally, flying North-East into Colombia, we can expect warm, and hot, weather in Medellin, Cartagena, and Santa Marta, respectively. Concluding our South American adventure, we have a 5-day warm and wet trek through the Northern Colombian Jungle – to Ciudad Perdida, ‘the Lost City’.

Capping off our backpacking adventure is a week in Hawaii – where we’ll hopefully be met with clear blue skies.

To pack for such diverse changes in weather – we’ve set ourselves a challenge of limiting our gear to 45L (Osprey Farpoint 2-in-1 backpacks) and around 25lbs (11kg) each.

For the highest amount of adaptability (and weight efficiency) – we’ve purchased primarily technical clothing. Light, adaptable, breathable, anti-microbial clothing covers all of our needs. We are bringing the following with us:

·       5x Uniqlo Airism T-shirt

·       1x Stretch (zip pocket) shorts

·       1x Cotton shorts

·       2x Ankle socks

·       5x Hiking socks

·       5x Underwear

·       4x Long sleeve tops (1 heat compression, 1 cold compression, 1 breathable, 1 thermal)

·       1x Waterproof softshell jacket

·       2x Technical trousers (1 stretch, water repellent, 1 fleece lined)

·       1x Microsoft Surface Pro 4 computer

·       1x Battery Pack (optional)

·       1x Mirrorless Camera (+accessories)

·       1x Action Videocamera (+waterproof case)

·       1x MiFit fitness tracker

·       2x Sunglasses

·       1x Hat

·       1x UV water purifier (+batteries)

·       1x Cell phone

·       1x Hiking Shoes

·       1x Flipflops

·       1x Microfiber towel

·       1x Sleeping bag liner

·       1x Lock

·       Various toiletries (Shampoo/Bodywash 2in1, Bug spray, Sun cream, First aid kit, etc…)

·       2x Passport photocopies (+various reservations)

The above items (plus a few more bits and bobs) add to 25lbs, which in the Osprey backpacks is a very manageable amount. Furthermore, the detachable day pack allows you to travel around with only the essentials on your back (in a secure container). As I’m writing this (1-week into travels), I definitely don’t feel without. Most places have laundry facilities, and you can always pick up essentials on your way – so less, is definitely more! Of course - pre-planning a rough route is a great idea to get your head around where, how, and what you might see. Just remember, things can, and will, go wrong - so just keep your cool and enjoy the moment! Lastly, make sure you look into health related issues for each and every country/area you'll be visiting - some countries require vaccinations + certificates, but above all - it's not worth taking the risk! We had yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A, and a tetanus booster for these travels - as well as malaria tablets for our time spent in jungles.

Stay tuned for the beginning of our adventure - it's going to be great!