Hiked to Lac Saussat in the French Pyrenees, surrounded by dramatic peaks, alpine landscapes and crystal-clear water. The trail was peaceful and rewarding, with incredible views throughout the hike. Definitely one of my favorite spots I’ve discovered in the Pyrenees.
I’m planning a year-long overland documentary from France to Central Asia — what should I experience along the way?
Next May, I’m leaving France in my car to start what I hope will be the biggest adventure of my life.
The plan is to spend roughly a year travelling overland through Europe and eventually towards Central Asia and Mongolia, living mostly out of my car and documenting the whole journey.
But I don’t want to make another travel documentary where I just drive from one famous place to another, take a few nice pictures and move on.
I want the people I meet to shape the journey.
The route isn’t completely fixed yet, and honestly, I don’t want it to be. I want to leave room for the kind of experiences you can’t plan six months in advance.
So I’m curious:
If you’ve travelled long-term, overland, backpacked, lived abroad, or spent a lot of time somewhere far from home, what is the most unexpected experience you’ve had?
It could be literally anything:
• spending a few days with a local family
• working a random job you never expected to do
• joining an expedition
• discovering a remote community
• learning a traditional skill
• meeting someone with an incredible story
• getting invited somewhere completely unexpected
• finding a place that tourists never hear about
• or simply saying yes to something that completely changed your trip
I’m especially interested in experiences that you could never have found by simply searching “10 best things to do in ___”.
And if you could go back to the beginning of your own journey, what would you tell yourself to look for more often?
I’m basically trying to build a journey where I don’t know exactly what the next chapter will be.
So if you have a story, an idea, a person I should meet, a place I should look for, or just some crazy experience that I absolutely need to hear about…
Tell me. I’m taking notes.
Hey everyone,
I’m 19 and I’m currently working on the biggest project of my life, which I’ve called “Into the Wild.”
In May 2027, I’m planning to leave everything behind and spend a year travelling in a converted van around Europe and, mainly, Central Asia.
The goal isn’t to collect as many countries as possible, far from it. I want to look for places and experiences that stay in your mind for the rest of your life. I’ve already done a few solo trips, especially quite a lot of high-altitude mountain trips, but never anything on this scale.
Throughout the journey, I want to document all the landscapes and experiences I’ll get to live: mountains, deserts, glaciers, wildlife, discovering other cultures and comparing them with my own, intense experiences, sleeping under the stars, etc. Basically, I want to get as far outside my comfort zone as possible.
I’m currently preparing everything, from converting the van to buying video equipment.
So if you’ve ever done a long road trip, a long solo trip, or anything similar, I have a few questions for you:
What’s the biggest mistake I should avoid?
Do you have any advice? Is there anything you wish you had known before leaving?
More generally, feel free to tell me your stories, best anecdotes, memories, or whatever you feel like sharing. I genuinely love hearing about other people’s experiences.
This is a huge project that honestly feels bigger than me sometimes. It’s complicated because it requires a lot of commitment, money and sacrifices, but I have this fire inside me telling me that I’m going to make it happen.
I hope that everyone reading this gets to make their own travels and dreams come true.