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Overview

From a Swansea estate to the peaks of Patagonia, Ollie Treviso became the first person to walk the entire length of the Andes — 14,000 kilometres across seven countries, taking 20 months of near-continuous motion. His story isn’t about records or ego, but about endurance, kindness, and rediscovering humanity step by step.

In this episode, Ollie speaks openly about losing direction in his twenties, leaving behind a job in insurance, and how walking became his therapy. He reflects on the extremes of the Andes — from the Salar de Uyuni’s white infinity to the Venezuelan jungle — and the strangers who saved him time and again. Through fractured bones, altitude sickness, and moments of despair, he found that the world is still full of good people and that adventure, at its heart, is about carrying on when no one is watching.

Chris and Ollie talk about how walking can heal mental health, the beauty of simplicity, and what modern life has lost in the rush for comfort. It’s an episode about grit, humility, and gratitude — a reminder that you don’t need to be special to do something extraordinary.

What You’ll Learn

• 💡 How a lost young man from Swansea became a global adventurer.
• 🧭 The unseen kindness and generosity of South America’s rural communities.
• 🗣️ Lessons in endurance, patience, and humility from 14,000km on foot.
• 🌍 Why walking can be a powerful tool for mental health and reflection.
• 🔥 How simplicity and gratitude can rebuild connection and purpose.

Resources

• Follow Ollie’s future projects: coming soon via Adventure Diaries updates.
• The BloomSpace Foundation— mental health charity supported by Ollie.
• Books mentioned: Endurance (Shackleton), Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know (Fiennes), Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts).
• Watch the Andes visual diaries on Adventure Diaries YouTube.

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Each listen, rating, and share helps Adventure Diaries continue bringing real stories of endurance, kindness, and wild places to life.

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What happens when you try to drive the world in £75 cars and a big yellow school bus?

In this episode of The Adventure Diaries, Chris Watson is joined by Global Convoy founders Max White, Joel & Becca — the adventurous trio who turned a summer road trip idea into a worldwide overlanding community.

From rusty £75 bangers on Gumtree to a Pan-American Highway expedition in a converted US school bus, this episode dives into the chaos, charm, and community of traveling the world on a shoestring.

You’ll hear:
✨ The origin story of Global Convoy — how strangers became a family on the road.
✨ Why cheap cars = the best adventures.
✨ Mishaps, breakdowns & roadside repairs across Russia, Central Asia, and the Americas.
✨ Stories of kindness from locals in Uzbekistan, Japan, and South America.
✨ The epic Pan-American road trip in a big yellow school bus.
✨ How Global Convoy turned into a movement — and how you can join.

This isn’t just a travel story. It’s an adventure about community, resilience, and discovering magic in the unexpected.

🔗 Links & Resources

🌍 Follow Global Convoy
Website: globalconvoy.com
Instagram: @globalconvoy
YouTube: Global Convoy

#GlobalConvoyPodcast #OverlandingAdventures #PanAmericanHighwayRoadTrip #CheapCarAdventureTravel #75CarChallenge #OverlandingCommunityStories #AdventureTravelPodcast #DrivingAroundTheWorldStories #SchoolBusConversionPanAmerican #HitchhikingAndOverlandingExperiences

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Fitz Cahall—founder of The Dirtbag Diaries and co-founder of Duct Tape Then Beer—joins me to trace a life built around curiosity, craft, and the wild. We get into the nomadic childhood that pushed him outdoors, the dog-mauling that forged resilience, discovering climbing in Seattle, and the early podcasting leap that turned unsold magazine stories into a movement. We talk States of Adventure (DK), how to choose stories that reflect a lifetime outdoors, making inclusive adventure culture, and the 50-day Sierra traverse with Becca that reset his compass. We also explore creative stamina, running a mission-driven studio, and building family identity through shared time outside—plus Alex Honnold, Climbing Gold, and where audio can still surprise us.

What you’ll learn

• How childhood instability became a foundation for autonomy, authenticity, and adventure
• The moment podcasting “clicked” and scaled from 30 friends to thousands overnight
• Anatomy of States of Adventure: selecting 30 stories that mirror a life lived outside
• Why inclusive, everyday adventures expand the ecosystem (burro racing, rollerblading Iowa, etc.)
• Sustaining creative passion for 18 years without burning out
• Designing a family life that keeps mountains and forests in the calendar

Memorable threads

• The power of medium choice: audio stories at the length they need
• Craft over clout: playful branding as a filter for the right partners
• Lessons from a stormy, illness-riddled, unforgettable Sierra crossing
• Curiosity as a daily practice—for interviews, parenting, and purposeful work

Resources & links mentioned

• The Dirtbag Diaries — https://www.dirtbagdiaries.com
• Duct Tape Then Beer — https://www.ducttapethenbeer.com
• States of Adventure (DK) — https://www.dk.com
• National Geographic — https://www.nationalgeographic.com
• This American Life — https://www.thisamericanlife.org
• Climbing Gold (with Alex Honnold) — https://www.climbinggold.com
• Alex Honnold — https://www.alexhonnold.com
• Grand Canyon (NPS) — https://www.nps.gov/grca
• Yosemite (NPS) — https://www.nps.gov/yose
• RAGBRAI (Iowa cross-state ride) — https://www.ragbrai.com
• Pack Burro Racing — https://www.packburroracing.org
  Episode takeaway

Adventure—as practice and culture—builds resilient creativity, community, and meaning when we protect curiosity and time outside.

Send us a text

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Thanks For Listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment and subscribe for more exciting content.

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#AdventureDiaries #AdventureStories #NationalGeographic #Discovery #NaturalWorld