friend trip emilie

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Émilie Amar : l'ancienne candidate des Anges et de Friends Trip s'est mariée !

Le 25/07/2022 à 19:00 par Sylvain Trinel

Émilie Amar, la candidate au fort caractère de Friends Trip, est de retour sur le devant de la scène avec une très bonne nouvelle !

Superbe événement pour Émilie Amar ! Les fans de télé-réalité l'avaientt quitté alors qu'elle avait eu une aventure avec Senna, mais depuis plusieurs mois, elle mène la vie de rêve avec un certain Bruno Dartivenague, un expert-comptable de 52 ans. Celui qui partage sa vie et est déjà papa d'un garçon de 13 ans a ainsi fini par demander la main d'Émilie Amar et annonce aujourd'hui leur mariage , qui s'est déroulé il y a quelques jours. C'est dans le sud de la France que le couple s'est dit "oui" .

Un mariage dans le sud de la France

Le 23 juillet dernier, à Carqueiranne, ils ont ainsi pu recevoir les félicitations de tous leurs proches. Émilie Amar, elle, était habillée d' une superbe robe blanche et dotée d'un bustier en dentelles du plus bel effet , tandis que Bruno, son mari, avait opté pour un costume bleu nuit, sur une chemise blanche et un nœud papillon. Le bouquet, fait de rose et de fleurs des champs, est venu apporter quelques couleurs à l'ensemble. Sur Instagram, ils s'affichent heureux. L'ex-star de télé-réalité, que l'on a découverte dans Friends Trip avant de faire sensation dans la neuvième saison des Anges de la Téléréalité , s'est même permis de reprendre un poème de Louis Aragon pour témoigner de son bonheur : "J'ai tout appris de toi jusqu'au sens du frisson" , cite-t-elle, avant de confirmer qu'il s'agissait du "plus beau jour de ma vie" .

Le civil d'abord, le grand show en 2023

Le couple s'est fait mettre la bague au doigt dans une cérémonie civile en petit comité. Toutefois, il prévoit déjà une cérémonie plus importante l'année prochaine avec davantage de monde. Peut-être y verra-t-on alors des candidats de la télé-réalité ? Rien n'est moins sûr, car Émilie Amar a connu un regain de popularité en 2019 lorsqu' elle et Benjamin Castaldi avaient fait des révélations explosives sur le milieu , et notamment sur les problèmes d'addictions de certains candidats, ou les liens avec le milieu de la prostitution . Elle avait également été victime d'un chirurgien esthétique peu scrupuleux , multipliant les problèmes de santé après de graves complications .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Emilie Amar ⛱ (@emilieamar)

L'article parle de...

• Emilie Amar
• #Télé-réalité
• #Friends trip
• #Les Anges 9

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Friends Trip 2 : date de diffusion, casting... tout ce qu'il faut savoir

L'attente ne sera plus très longue avant de découvrir Friends Trip 2. C'est en effet dès le lundi 4 janvier à 17h25 que NRJ 12 programme la nouvelle édition de son émission de compétitive-réalité. La première semaine, 2 épisodes inédits seront diffusés chaque jour. Comme l'an dernier, un candidat sera désigné gagnant à l'issue du jeu et remportera une cagnotte pouvant atteindre les 50 000 euros. L'an dernier, c'est Clémence qui avait été désignée vainqueure .

L'an dernier, les participants de Friends Trip se sont rendus de Los Angeles à San Francisco en passant par Las Vegas. C'est toujours aux Etats-Unis que les candidats de Friends Trip 2 ont rendez-vous. Cette fois, ils vont parcourir la Floride en partant de Miami avant d'arriver aux Bahamas.

Nouveauté cette année, chaque équipe sera menée par une star de télé-réalité qui sera entourée de deux de ses amis. Pour le lancement de l'émission, nous retrouverons donc cinq équipes : celle de Raphaël Pépin (avec Valetin et Olivia), celle du beau-gosse de Secret Story 9 Nicolas (avec Mallory et Joya), celle de Nadège Lacroix (et ses amies Tabatha et Marine), celle de Ricardo , candidat de la saison 1 (avec Clément et Emilie) et enfin celle de Julia Paredes également candidate l'an dernier (avec Oksana et Cindy). Découvrez des photos des équipes dans notre diaporama.

Cette année, les groupes seront mis en danger. Chaque semaine, un trio sera éliminé puis remplacé le lundi suivant par un nouveau groupe. C'est donc pour cela que plusieurs stars de télé-réalité participeront à l'émission (on a évoqué un passage d'Amélie Neten notamment). Les candidats devront également prendre des décisions dans la salle des choix qui sera présente dans chaque épisode. Des décisions qui pourraient créer des tensions dans les équipes et augmenter ou diminuer les cagnottes.

Enfin, les équipes devront toujours faire face à des épreuves mentales ou physiques sans oublier l'épreuve éliminatoire du vendredi. Des épreuves pouvant augmenter la cagnotte des équipes ainsi qu'un défi fil rouge seront aussi organisés chaque semaine.

Emilie Amar

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12 Time Emily Reached Peak British In Friends

“apparently to you people i look like someone who has a balloon full of cocaine stuffed up their bum.”.

Emily Waltham from Friends has got a bad rap over the years ; her character has often been blamed for keeping Ross and Rachel apart, especially when she asked Ross to no longer be friends with Rachel so they could continue their marriage. But while her character was at times problematic, she also had some brilliant (and very British) one-liners. Emily – who was played by Helen Baxendale – and her excellent British-isms are enough to make any GB resident chuckle, especially when you watch her in contrast to her American counterparts. Here are some of her funniest, most British quotes from her time on the show.

“That’s not rude, it’s perfectly in keeping with a trip where I’ve been run down by one of your weiner carts.”

One of Emily’s first lines upon meeting Rachel and thinking she’s been stood up on their friend date, this is delivered in the most crisp British accent for maximum impact.

Another quote from her introduction, Emily experienced a hard time at JFK airport, and described it in true British fashion.

“Ross. Come look. There's a deer just outside eating fruit from the orchard...”

Emily’s excitement over the cute deer she sees at the hotel in Vermont is *very* Countryfile . Tell me I’m wrong.

“I can’t believe you really walk alone here at night, I mean, you hear such stories about New York.”

Being a British person visiting the mean streets of New York, we’re always a little cautious...

“That big bloke with the beard, he’s got a trick hip.”

While trying to give Ross tips to win his rugby game, Emily uses some great slang and makes us feel right at home.

“Thank you.”

Now, us Brits are nothing if not polite, so it makes sense that her response to Ross saying he loved her for the first time at the airport was a simple thank you.

“Oh blimey, I still can’t believe you’ve got an earring.”

Anybody that says “blimey,” is automatically British in my eyes. End of.

“Don’t go freaky on me.”

After Emily drops the “M” bomb (marriage), she tries to back track and asks Ross in what I can only assume is an attempt at American slang “don’t go freaky on me.” Bless her. She tried.

“The caterer rang to say it’s going to be chicken kiev instead of chicken tarragon. Then the florist said there are no tulips. And the cellist has carpal tunnel syndrome...”

Back in London, everything seems to be going wrong in the lead up to Emily and Ross’s wedding, and everything about this sounds just so painfully British.

“Well up yours too.”

In response to Ross giving a ‘time out’ signal with his hands, Emily misunderstands and delivers this classic zinger.

“It really is the most lovely building you’ll ever see.”

This is as Emily describes the building she marries Ross in, and it couldn’t sound more proper and British in any way!

“Ross, take me off speaker phone.”

When Emily learns Rachel and Ross are hanging out, she demands to speak to Ross privately. Us Brits don’t like to air our dirty laundry in public. Ohhh no, siree.

This article was originally published on July 25, 2021

150 Friends Trip Captions for You & Your Bestie

Show off your epic girls’ getaway or boys’ trip with these friends trip captions!

Table of Contents

Friends Trip Captions for Instagram

They say that best friends who travel together, stay together. Honestly, I couldn’t agree more.

It’s not easy finding someone you get along with who also shares the same passion for travel. And this is especially true the older you get. So when you do, make sure to treasure them.

If your friend group needs a little nudge, these travel with friends quotes  will make you wanna pack your bags ASAP!

Best Friends Trip Quotes

• Nothing makes a good trip more memorable than experiencing it with your best friends.
• Getting lost with you is a risk I’m always willing to take.
• We’d rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff.
• The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way.
• Good times and crazy friends make the best memories.
• My favorite place in the world is next to you.
• The view is better when it’s shared with good friends.
• Exploring new places is always sweeter with your favorite people.
• Life is about doing things that don’t suck with people who don’t suck.
• “In life, it’s not where you go – it’s who you travel with.” – Charles M. Schulz.
• I would like to travel the world with you twice. Once, to see the world. Twice, to see the way you see the world.
• Travel should make friendships stronger and memories sweeter.  
• “We have nothing to lose and a world to see.” – Rainie Rainie Navarro.
• There is a whole world out there. Pack your backpack, your best friend, and go.
• You can pack for every occasion, but a good friend will always be the best thing you could bring!
• We made our travel dreams into plans and into reality.

Short Travel Quotes with Friends

• Together is the best place to be.
• Together is our favorite place to be.
• My travel family.
• #SquadGoals
• Friends that travel together, stay together.

• “Any day spent with you is my favourite day.” – A.A. Milne.
• Happier with you.
• We have nothing to lose, and a world to see.
• Making the best memories along the way.
• “Good friends follow you anywhere.” – Winnie the Pooh.
• Let’s travel together and get lost in beautiful places.
• Let’s find some beautiful place to get lost together.
• You can’t do epic stuff with basic people.
• Travel is better with friends.
• Traveling is better with friends.
• Our wanderlust made us do it.
• Tired feet, happy hearts.
• Experiences with friends > things.
• Full-time travelers, full-time friends.
• A good trip is an even better one with your bestie.
• Traveling is the ultimate friendship test.
• My favorite travel companion.
• The “she” to my “nanigans.”
• The world is ours to explore.

Adventure with Friends Quotes

• The adventure begins with good company.
• My favorite thing is going on adventures with you.  
• Everyone needs this friend that calls and says, “Get dressed, we’re going on an adventure.”
• Friendship is the compass that leads us on adventures.
• Life was meant for good friends and great adventures.
• Oh darling, let’s be adventurers.
• Every day is an adventure with you.
• Adventure more, worry less.
• Friends. Backpacks. Adventure. Repeat.
• No adventure is complete without you by my side.
• Not all girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice… Some girls are made of adventure and wine and all things fine.
• Sharing adventures means enjoying them 100% more.
• Embarking on new adventures is a million times better with close pals.
• With the right people, every day has the potential for adventure.
• A good friend listens to your adventures. Your best friend makes them with you.
• “As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” – Winnie the Pooh.
• Adventure awaits – all you need is your best buddy to make it a reality.
• “Have your adventures, make your mistakes, and choose your friends poorly – all these make for great stories.” – Chuck Palahniuk.
• Life was meant for great adventures and close friends.
• “May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home.” – Trenton Lee Stewart.
• Sometimes all you need is a great friend and thirst for adventure.
• A daring adventure with your best friends might be just what the doctor ordered.

Hiking with Friends Quotes

• Life is better with friends and hiking boots.
• Friends that hike together, stick together.
• Happiness is hiking with friends.

• We are wild and free.
• Life is too short to not go on epic hikes with your favorite people.
• Let’s hike until our legs give out and our souls are satisfied.
• It’s not how many miles you walk, it’s how many smiles you share.
• Nothing beats a good hike with good friends.
• Friends don’t let friends hike alone.
• The trails may be tough, but the friendships are tougher.
• You keep me safe, I’ll keep you wild.
• The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way, especially on hikes with friends.
• “Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” – Albert Camus.
• “We are all travellers in the wilderness of the world and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” – Robert Louis Stevenson.
• Life is an adventure, and hiking with friends is the best way to experience it.

Road Trip with Friends Quotes

• Happiness is a car, the open road, and a best friend.
• We’re going on an ad-van-ture!
• The best road trips are fueled by good food and even better conversations.
• “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” – Tim Cahill.
• Living our best lives on the open road.
• Friends who road trip together, stay together. Or at least until someone has to go to the bathroom.
• “Sometimes all you need is a great friend and a tank of gas.” – Thelma & Louise.
• “No road is long with good company.” – Turkish proverb.

• On the road with my ride or die crew.
• I need a good road trip with friends.
• “Just grab a friend and take a ride, together upon the open road.” – The Goofy Movie.
• Some roads aren’t meant to be travelled alone.  
• Good friends and endless highways.
• We’re having a wheel-y nice time!
• Friends, road trip, and camp fire. That’s all he dreamed of.
• The best thing about going on a road trip with friends is the memories you make along the way.

Need more road trip caption ideas? I got you!

Journey with Friends Quotes

• “Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” – Izaak Walton.  
• No journey is too far with you by my side.  
• A journey well shared is a journey well enjoyed.
• I’ll share my journey with you every time.
• The journey starts with us.
• It’s the friends we meet along the way that help us appreciate the journey.
• When traveling life’s journey, it’s good to have a friend’s hand to hold on to.
• As with any journey, whom you travel with is more important than the destination.
• “We are travellers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” – Paul Coelho.

Vacation with Friends Quotes

• Let’s always vacay together.
• Friends, sun, sand, and sea – that sounds like a good summer to me.
• Good times and tan lines.
• Life by the water is always better, especially with a few good friends in tow.

Funny Travel Buddies Quotes & Puns

• If traveling was free, you would never see us again.
• All we need is a 3-month vacation four times a year. That’s really not asking for much.
• “Good friends pee together, but best friends puke together!” – Akansh Malik.
• Bring a compass. It’s awkward when you have to eat your friends.
• Girls just wanna have sun. – “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper.
• Camping with friends is time well tent.
• “I have found that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” – Mark Twain.
• “As long as we don’t die, this is gonna be one hell of a story.” – John Green.
• You’ll never end up sitting next to a stranger on a long haul flight, train or bus journey.
• Us working our fifth summer job so we can travel together again soon.

Other Travel with Friends Captions for Instagram

• Traveling with friends means bringing your home everywhere.
• Your company makes my backpack feel lighter.
• “If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.” – African proverb.
• Together we’ll travel far and then a bit further.
• The best things happen outside of our comfort zones.
• Everyone should believe in something. I believe I should travel with you.
• Having a best friend is like having your own little corner of the world to escape to.
• Wherever it is you may be, it is your friends who make your world.
• With my other side on the other side of the world.

• Is there anything better than being with you? Being with you on the other side of the world.
• You and me, we are more than friends. We are like a small travel gang!
• It doesn’t matter where you’re going, it’s who you have beside you.
• Traveling with a pal can be the foundation for a lifelong friendship.
• “We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone.” – Katie Thurmes.
• “Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world.” – John Evelyn.
• You never really travel alone. The world is full of friends waiting to get to know you.
• It doesn’t matter where you’re going – it’s who you go with that makes it fun!
• Experiences you share with those dear to you are a treasure that lasts a lifetime.
• Away is a place where it’s not about the money you spend. It’s about the moments you share.

Famous Quotes About Traveling with Friends

• “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” – Anais Nin.
• “There is an unspoken bond you create with the friends you travel with.” – Kristen Sarah.
• “Travel has a way of removing the gaps in your friendship timeline.” – Christina Pfeiffer.  
• “Come with me where dreams are born and time is never planned.” – Peter Pan.
• “Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.” – Leigh Hunt.
• “Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.” – Ernest Hemingway.
• “Will you come travel with me? Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?” – Charles Bukowski.
• “In the end, what you do isn’t going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you did it with.” – John Green.
• “The more I travelled, the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends.” – Shirley MacLaine.
• “The fastest way to make a friend for life is to travel with a stranger.” – Christina Pfeiffer.
• “We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” – Hilaire Belloc.
• “Travel sparks our imagination, feeds our curiosity, and reminds us how much we all have in common.” – Deborah Lloyd.
• “To the world, you may be just one person. But to one person, you may be the world.” – Brandi Snyder.
• “Wherever it is you may be, it is your friends who make your world.” – Chris Bradford.
• “Here’s to all the places we went. And here’s to all the places we’ll go.” – John Green.

Don’t forget to pin these friends trip captions for later and follow me  @mysuitcasejourneys for more travel inspo!

Need additional caption ideas?

Check out these other travel quotes .

I’m a Taiwanese Canadian gal from Vancouver, Canada. I love documenting my experiences through photography, and I can’t wait to share my adventures with you. Follow me around the world for the best intel on where to eat, where to stay, and what to do!

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This couple is 55,000 miles—and two years—into their vanlife journey

How Emilie and Joe of @permanentroadtrip are spending every day together on the road, and making it work

By Hannah McCartney

It just made financial sense.” If that sounds like a far-out explanation for why Joe Neiheisel and Emilie Johnson decided to quit their jobs, sell their house, and travel the U.S. in a decked-out Mercedes Sprinter, well, maybe it is. But they earned this.

The journey to get to the point where it was realistic—practical, even—for the two to travel full-time has been a much longer one than the trek they’re on now. Joe and Emilie, now in their mid-40s, worked corporate gigs for more than 20 years. They climbed their way up to executive positions, while spending weekends camping, hiking, biking, and daydreaming about trying something new.

Eight years in the making, that “something new” turned from dream to reality on Christmas Day 2016, when they finally hit the road for good.

Now, Emilie and Joe are more than 3,000 miles from where they began, having just launched a two-month, 7,000-mile trip through British Columbia and Alaska. And that’s where I caught up with the pair for this interview: In rainy White Horse, capital of the Yukon Territories.

Hannah: Tell me about how the idea to live on the road permanently came up. Who proposed it and what was the conversation about it like?

Emilie:  We had been saving for a number of years with the goal of doing something kind of adventurous. We didn’t know if that meant just trying a new town for a while or what. But we knew we loved to get out west. We love to camp, we love to be outdoors.

This whole idea of vanlife was definitely Joe’s idea. I wasn’t too hard to sell on it, I guess. We never really could settle on one place where we could see ourselves giving it another try. We really did have it good in Cincinnati in so many ways.

Joe:  We always did fun, outdoorsy vacations. We didn’t go to the beaches and stuff—we were always going somewhere to ride or ski or whatever.

I saw this van in Victor, Idaho—it was a sports mobile—back in 2012. I was like, “That would be perfect. You could live in that thing.” Then, over the years, we looked at a bunch of them. And we thought about buying one for a long time.

Emilie:  With Joe’s background being in finance, he can look at everything from a very practical, pragmatic standpoint, and it—buying the van and building it out—was just hard to justify the expense when we were totally fine tent-camping on the weekends. But then we realized that if we sold our house and quit our jobs, we could do this thing full-time.

At some point, we had all the toys that we needed or wanted and we just started really cutting back on our expenses. We’d been working our jobs, each of us, for 20-plus years and never had kids. So that always gives you a little bit of flexibility there and kind of ease of saving, too.

Where is next?

Emilie:  From Alaska, we have more of Washington that we want to explore and we have definitely more of Oregon that we want to explore. Then we will head back into California. There are some other states—Arizona, New Mexico—that we haven’t done a ton in. Nor have we done a ton in Montana and Wyoming. We are talking about maybe spending some of early next year down in Baja. So we might do that.

Do you usually have a pretty regimented schedule? Or do you normally play it by ear?

Emilie:  We play almost everything by ear. This one we’ve planned just because of the sheer drive and the size of Alaska. It’s a huge, huge investment of time and miles on the van.

Tell me about buying and selecting the van.

Joe:  I looked for a van for a while. It was kind of hard to find what I was looking for. But one day it came up. It was a two-year-old cargo van with two slider doors, which was incredibly rare. It had 25,000 miles on it. I went out to South Bend, Indiana the day after I saw it listed and brought it back. It had been five years of thinking about this and trying to figure out everything we needed. You know, we camped so much we knew exactly what we needed for this kind of lifestyle.

We got a bunch of help from a bunch of different people. I was basically the general contractor. I got all the supplies, got them to the right place at the right time, and coordinated between the guys who helped us with the carpentry, and solar, etc. I just tried to make sure everything happened before we got out of there that year.

So what was the timeline from when you bought the van to when you hit the road?

Joe:  We started working in earnest in September. So basically September, October, November, and December. We had almost four whole months to work on it.

And total cost?

Emilie:  Joe could tell you to the penny. I think with the van, the cost of the van included, and then the cost of material, labor, were at right around $91,000.

Joe:  Yeah, that’s everything for $91,000. That includes, like, the sheets, the water kettle, and the French press and everything in here.

We spent a lot more than you have to, because we were committed to doing this for several years. We had to spend the $1,000 on the furnace. We had to spend $300 extra to get the altitude compensator for the furnace. We got a really nice refrigerator because Emilie likes to cook.

You could get a decent van that’s travel-worthy for 15 to 20 grand and enjoy it for a couple years. But I wanted to be in this permanent, full-time for four years, five years maybe. Then I wanted to have it for another five to 10 years afterward. So, I wanted to put the money in, make it perfect, get it just right, and meet all of the needs that we had, which are much more broad than most people who go out and live in a van.

Why’d you pick the vehicle that you did?

Joe:  The engine on this thing is a 500,000-mile diesel engine. That was the reason why we went with the Mercedes Sprinter. That diesel engine is just phenomenal. We’re getting about 26 miles per gallon. That’s considerably better fuel efficiency than most people, and as much as we drive, we need it.

What was it like adjusting to spending 24/7 together?

Emilie:  Before we hit the road, we thought we spent a ton of time together. We grocery shopped together, we walked the dog together, we exercised together, we would drive to work together, we’d have lunch together. 

For the average couple, we spent a lot of time together. But this takes it to a whole new level. I don’t know if anybody has it totally figured out, but we do pretty well for sure.

It’s also really apparent when one of us needs some space, so we are getting much better as time goes on about just figuring that out. The thing is—it’s tricky—if one person leaves with the van, then the other person has to kind of figure out, “What is it I want to do? What do I need?”

Often we are in areas that don’t have any kind of cell service. Then, you have to commit to a meet up time. So, there are logistics, but nothing too major to conquer. It’s nothing to take lightly, either.

FOR THE AVERAGE COUPLE, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER. BUT THIS TAKES IT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

So any words of wisdom to a couple just starting out on the road?

Emilie:  People just kind of need to figure it out and understand that, while it may seem like an easy life, it’s not an easy life. Basic things that you do in a day just take longer when you are in a van. Just be patient and kind to each other and respect when someone may need a little time to themselves.

If you could go back and tell yourselves something before you hit the road, what would it be?

Joe:  Don’t go to Canada in February. (laughs)

Emilie:  Yeah, don’t go to Canada in February. Negative 35 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a little brutal, brutal all around.

There’s a perception out there that people who are able to live the vanlife are privileged in some way. What do you think about that?

Joe:  Well, it’s kind of silly because it doesn’t cost anything to live in a van.

I track what we spend. I always have. Last year, our first full year in the van, we spent just about $25,000 on everything.

Someone who works the starting salary at the Moab McDonald’s is making that. So even if we didn’t have a penny, we could go work at the Moab McDonald’s for six months and spend the other six months of the year traveling. That’s how inexpensive it is.

So do you guys wish you had done this while you were back in your 20s?

Emilie:  I mean, we could say that we wish we had. But Joe had student loans to pay off. We both kind of jumped right in and started working full-time, pursuing careers. So I don’t think this was even a thought.

Joe:  Yeah, I’m totally glad that we waited. When I look at younger people doing it, they’re definitely having fun. But it’s a considerably different experience for them.

Even with people who’ve found a way to make money on the road, if you’re working from a coffee shop or hustling to find WiFi, that’s totally different than what we are doing.

We don’t have to worry about being somewhere for a conference call or getting online to do some work. We are just out doing what we love and it’s natural. We don’t have to mix business with pleasure. We did all of our business, we saved the money, now we can live off the investment and really enjoy this experience.

View this post on Instagram A week ago our sweet Uschi had her spleen and a 4 pound tumor removed. Since the surgery she has been recuperating and we have been riding some of our favorite trails in the Deschutes NF near Mt Bachelor. She is doing remarkably well, well enough that we are finally on the move again, doing a loop of central Oregon until she goes back to @bendpetvet to have her staples removed. Now we just need good news from the lab that this thing isn’t coming back; please keep rooting for our little girl. We are so grateful for all of your love and support. All that positive energy you shared while Uschi was in surgery created an outcome more favorable than we could have possibly imagined. We are so grateful that friends helped us find Dr. Loomis, a skilled surgeon capable of performing such a complicated procedure. And we are so grateful that Uschi has the heart of a lion to help her get through this, that she is more comfortable and happy than she has been in a long time, and that she gets to continue along with us on many more adventures. Thanks for helping to save Uschi. 🐕❤️ A post shared by Permanent Roadtrip (@permanentroadtrip) on Jul 5, 2018 at 9:48am PDT

Emilie:  We’ll figure it out when the time comes.

At some point we will return to doing some kind of work. What I think this road trip has done—for me, anyway—is just to open my eyes. What we were so used to, being from the Midwest, is everything being 9-to-5 Monday through Friday. This has definitely opened my eyes to the fact that’s not everybody. There are many other non-traditional ways to jump back in.

Joe:  Playing cards on Wednesday and hanging with my buddies.

Emilie:  Some people will say what they missed most is a sense of community. Really, I think, for us, our definition of community has changed. We have between six and 10 friends, couples, that we have met along the road that we continue to meet up with. Whenever our paths are about to cross, we figure out a way to join up again.

The thing that took us so long to leave in Cincinnati is that we had a big community there. We had really good friends who had similar recreational interests, friends that we were camping with all the time, biking with all the time, our family is there. So our sense of community has just sort of been redefined.

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Why Namibia? How Our Epic African Trip Came to Be

Why Namibia? It’s a question we got so many times in the year leading up to our Africa trip—and yes, we booked this trip nearly a year out—and perhaps rightfully so. While it’s not unknown in the slightest, Namibia has only been a sovereign nation since 1990, and it’s really only the last few years that it’s been covered more widely in the American media as a viable destination for travelers. So if you know nothing about this multifaceted African nation, don’t feel bad—that’s why I’m here.

But let’s start with the genesis of this trip and how we wound up here in the first place.

Around the time I was planning my 40th birthday trip, a friend was also planning hers: an African camping adventure in Namibia and Botswana. That trip turned into a group trip with my husband and me tagging along, then the original friend dropped out. But the fourth, Emilie, was still down for adventure; the three of us began plotting.

As we were planning our Namibia itinerary, sans the car camping as your girl loves herself a glamping adventure or luxury lodge, a few other friends—and my mom!—expressed interest in going. We are the-more-the-merrier kind of people (uh, provided you are a chill, go-with-the-flow traveler), and our group of three quickly expanded to seven. SVV and I kind of felt like anyone who was willing to go to Namibia with us on a wing and a prayer was going to be a good fit for the vibe of this trip.

Emilie and I had both been to Africa several times, both with tour companies and also both solo, and so we started reaching out to reputable African travel planners and pricing out our trip. In the end, Go2Africa had the most responsive team, and after I hopped on a call with one of their planners Mary, I knew we were going to book with them. They would continue to be amazing through the very end. Every last activity they planned for us was right up our alley!

Yes, that is my 74-year-old mother speeding through the desert on an ATV.

Originally, we thought we wanted to do a combination trip with Botswana and Namibia. Like many American travelers, we tend to try to cram too much in and once we realized that kind of dual-country trip would not only significantly up the pricing, but mean we would spend a lot of time in transit and less time exploring, we focused on Namibia. We each had our dream destination—for me, the red dunes of the Sossusvlei Desert; for Em, the skeletons surrounding Shipwreck Lodge—and made those desires known to our planner.

She got back to us with a game plan that not only looked dreamy, but had us wanting to extend our time in Namibia—which we wound up doing, of course (this is why trip planners are good at their jobs!). If I had to do it again, I would have taken more private charters and spent less time in a van, but all that time together made for the best memories so I also wouldn’t trade it for anything.

You can reach out to Go2Africa here to start planning your Namibia trip. I usually plan my own vacations, so it was a complete treat handing over everything to this very capable team!

If you’re looking for an African adventure that is less mainstream than, say, Kenya or Tanzania but still offers wildlife, I cannot recommend Namibia more. Here are some other reasons we loved it.

The ease of getting there and around

First things first: You don’t need a visa for Namibia if you’re a US passport holder, nor do you need to get any specific vaccines. This is one of the safer parts of Africa without weird insects that transmit disease. On past Africa trips to countries like Rwanda, I had to carry a yellow fever vaccine passport. For Namibia, we didn’t need anything of the sort.

There are regular direct flights to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, from Frankfurt, Germany, as well as from Doha. So if your home base airport has a direct flight to Frankfurt, you can be in Namibia in two hops.

For us, it took a bit more than that. We flew from Nashville to DCA, then direct from DC to South Africa , spent a few days exploring Cape Town , then caught a flight on South African Airlink to Windhoek.

Our flight from Cape Town to Windhoek cost less than $300 round-trip and was about two hours. It could not have been easier, and the in-flight service far exceeded that of U.S. airlines (we got a meal! and so much wine!). So if you can reach South Africa from where you live, you can get to Namibia almost as easily.

The diversity in landscape

You can’t go wrong with a trip to Africa, no matter where you go. Part of the reason I’m so in love with South Africa —which I’ve now visited on three extended trips—is because it’s got safari offerings, an iconic coastal drive, city culture and so, so much more. Namibia was like that, too, but in a different respect.

On this Namibia trip, our custom itinerary went something like this:

• Okonjima Nature Reserve
• Etosha National Park
• Skeleton Coast
• Sossusvlei Desert

We went on several game drives a day, had sundowners overlooking the Atlantic Coast, tracked black rhinos by foot, star-gazed in the desert then got up before dawn to see it by hot air balloon. Talk about an epic, bucket list level trip.

The desert-adapted species

What I loved about Namibia was the stark landscape and the dramatic twists and turns it took as we drove deeper into the country. Much of Namibia is desert landscape, which means the species that live there have had to adapt to get water where they can, like in the spring-fed watering holes of Etosha’s salt pan.

This is not the Serengeti. You will not see her wildebeest roaming the Savannah by the hundreds. But you will see solitary elephants, ornery rhinos, drunk baby warthogs, hungry giraffes in search of a snack, so many black-backed jackals and just about every bird you could ever imagine (and plenty you couldn’t).

And you’ll see all sorts of desert roamers like baboons (so many baboons!), zebra, oryx, springbok and dik-dik. You probably won’t see kangaroos or snow leopards, but you never know.

The people, the people, the people

I’ve yet to go on a trip to Africa where I didn’t fall in love with the people who made my trip magical. But in Namibia, it was just a different level of hospitality. No pretense, no obvious annoyance at tourists (because let’s be honest, tourists can suck), just curious locals who want to know how a group of predominantly Tennesseans (and a long Minnesota) found their way to their corner of Africa. Every guide, every driver, every lodge employee, every sales clerk every server went above and beyond to ensure we fell in love with their country (especially at Desert Rhino Camp, which I’ll get to in a future post).

Most importantly, they made us feel like Namibia was not just theirs, but ours, too.

So why Namibia? Why not Namibia? Why wouldn’t you want to experience something so outside of your norm, and possibly beyond your comfort zone? After all, isn’t that why we travel in the first place?

SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER

The Garden Route: Baboons Take to the Tee

... READ MORE

Sandboarding and Quad Biking the Dunes of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast

Someone’s Popular in Rwanda

The garden route: the monkey who ate our lunch.

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Should a 'Plus-Size' Pal Be Entitled to Larger Bed at Shared Vacation Home?

A Redditor asked if they should switch rooms with their “plus-size” friend after a random selection generator landed her in a twin bed at their vacation home

A Redditor questioned if their plus-sized friend was automatically entitled to a larger bed at their shared vacation home, prompting more than 600 comments about the way the friends chose their accommodations — and whether the size of the bed was really at the root of the argument.

A woman in her thirties shared that she was planning to rent a vacation home with four friends, all women in their thirties and forties. “We go every year, and always use a randomized selection tool to help us choose who gets which bedroom,” TooEmbarassed7 shared on Reddit’s popular subreddit AITA ( AmITheA------ ), where people post scenarios and let Redditors decide if they were i n the wrong .

She shared that everyone agreed to this arrangement; However, a problem arose when Marie, who she said is “plus-size,” ended up sharing a room which had two twin beds. That's when Marie asked privately “if we could switch places so she can have the queen-size bed.”

“Yeah, it sucks, but that’s why we leave it up to chance so nobody can complain,” the Redditor wrote, adding Marie is “not so big she can’t fit in a twin bed. I personally have lost over 100 lbs., and at my largest, was bigger than Marie is now. I never once asked to switch beds when I was bigger.”

When she told Marie she wouldn’t switch rooms, her friend “started crying and told me I was being unreasonable, and that I, of all people, should understand. I do understand, but it’s my vacation, too, and I’ve worked hard to be in a body I’m comfortable in. I don’t feel like I should give up my spot to accommodate her, when she can still fit in the twin bed.”

Once it was clear Marie and the other friend sharing a room would be paying less than those in the larger beds in single rooms, most commenters decided that Marie was in the wrong, and the Redditor was was “NTA” — or “Not the A—.”

“There's absolutely no cause for her to demand larger than a twin,” one of the top comments said.

Added another, “My 5-yr-old has a twin bed now and my 5'5" 360 lbs. a— can fit on it. (Sometimes his brother wants a nap companion. ) So no, no sympathy here!”

“You guys used the [randomized] thing to pick the rooms, it's not like y'all outright set out to upset her. She was fine with the prospect of getting the smaller bed, until she did,” added another commenter.

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

While another agreed they were NTA, they added, “honestly this sounds like a system set up to cause problems.”

When several asked why they wouldn’t just rent a place with the same accommodations for everyone, the Redditor explained, “It’s just too expensive to rent a place that has 5 bedrooms with 5 queen-size beds.”

And as another pointed out, Marie should have asked one of the other women who got a queen bed to swap.

“The fact that you used to be big like her doesn’t mean you’re somehow obligated to accommodate her demand. She’s an AH for singling you out like that. She should ask the other 2 people who got queen-size beds if they’d be willing to switch,” wrote one commenter.

But as one comment pointed out, this was likely not about the size of the mattress.

“I don't think this is about the twin bed. I think this is about being forced to share a room,” MissFabulina wrote.

“Being larger leads to feeling judged for it. Especially when you have to share a room. Ultimately, you are not T A for not [switching] rooms. She did agree to the terms. But...why are you guys choosing such lodgings if no one wants to share a room? Don't do that anymore. Simple solution."

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Traveling around the world in the middle of Covid: Emilie and Taylor’s experience

We asked some questions to Émilie and Taylor, a couple of backpackers who left for a round the world trip in the middle of the Covid pandemic

Last Update: 22/01/2024 0 COMMENT

We didn’t think we’d be sharing another backpacker couple interview with you right now, but the coincidence of travel encounters has decided otherwise. We met Emilie and Taylor in autumn 2021, during our 2 months roadtrip in Brittany while we were writing our new book Beer Hiking in Brittany.

They were just coming back from their round the world trip , made in the middle of the Covid pandemic, and they contacted us to offer us to have a drink in what turned out to be the best craft beer bar in Brittany (the Mar’mousse in Saint-Brieuc). They didn’t need much more to convince us and we suggested them to join us for a beer hike in Saint-Brieux to get to know each other better.

The feeling is really good between us and they invite us again at their place the next day (and cook us the best pancakes of our trip with home made salted butter caramel please!). We spent again a great evening to exchange on our travel experiences around the world, to laugh, to drink some beers… We have to admit that we missed this kind of spontaneous encounters during Covid!

So, as Émilie and Taylor are among the few people to have been on a round-the-world trip in the middle of Covid, we thought it would be interesting to ask them a few questions and have them share their travel experience with you.

Backpacker’s experience with Émilie and Taylor

Hello you two,

Could you quickly introduce yourself and tell us what you did for a living before your round the world trip? Did you already travel a lot before this?

So we would first say that we are Breton! Ah ah! We were 29 and 30 years old when we left. Émilie had been working for 6 years as a childcare nurse in a hospital. She quit her job to leave. Taylor was a school teacher specializing in students with special needs, he had an leave of absence.

Taylor had been travelling around quite a bit : Japan, Rio,…

Émilie a little less even if she had visited the French overseas departments and territories and some big European cities.

We had known each other for 3 years before the trip and had not traveled much together. The first time was during a week-long vacation in Italy in 2018. At first we were only supposed to see Rome, but we discovered ourselves the same passion to explore the surroundings by taking the local transportation. In the summer of 2019, we decided to go hiking in the Pyrenees. Our tent and our stove in the trunk of the car, we developed a taste for roaming, hiking in the mountains and bivouacs .

So that our readers can get an idea more easily, could you quickly share with us the itinerary of your trip (country, duration) and the budget you had before leaving? Since you left in the middle of COVID, did you have an itinerary planned or did you decide to see as you go?

We left in September 2020 , after the first lockdown. The sanitary situation in France was rather stable after the summer, life had returned to normal, we had almost forgotten about COVID.

We had a total budget of 22,000 euros for two, for the year.

We started with three weeks in Greece and then almost three weeks in Bulgaria . Then we had planned to spend a month in Turkey , but we shortened to two weeks because the health situation worsened in Europe with the announcement of the second lockdown. We then fled to America, first to Mexico for two months. Then we continued with two months in Colombia , 5 weeks in Ecuador , 3 weeks on the Galapagos Islands , 6 weeks in Peru , 5 weeks in Bolivia and we finished with 2 weeks in Spain in the region of Andalusia to find warmth and to return to western habits before the big comeback in France.

We had not planned any travel itinerary at all . Only European countries were accessible when we left in September 2020. In America, only Mexico was open and Ecuador was just opening its borders.

After Greece, we clearly got more relaxed. Actually, a little anecdote: we planned to go to North Macedonia. We had searched the places to visit, the accommodations, and even a car rental. Everything except for how to go there… When we take the bus for Skopje, we realize that the terrestrial connections between both countries did not resume because of the pandemic! We were at the bus station of Thessalonica, we changed our plan and we went up in the only bus which left this evening out of Greece: towards Sofia and Bulgaria. Maybe not a coincidence, we had just arrived to Thessalonica by hitchhiking with two Bulgarians!

Once in Mexico, we checked which countries were open in the weeks before the departure and we advised according to the availability. There weren’t many and they changed regularly. Guatemala was on our radar with its open land border, but we chose Colombia which had just reopened its air borders. This country was on our list from the start, and we had contacts there.

The situation of each country was very variable, we always booked our plane tickets at the last minute. For example, Peru reopened its borders in December and then closed them again in January before reopening them in March. A real emotional roller coaster. Every morning on his phone, Taylor would check the front pages of the local newspapers to keep up with these changes (he’s really improved his Spanish). We also watched the news on some backpacker websites, which listed the opening/closing of borders all over the world.

Finally we did not cross any border by land except the Greek-Bulgarian and the Bulgarian-Turkish. We always had to take a plane, that affected a lot the itinerary of our trip. We couldn’t afford to change countries too quickly because of the costs involved.

What were your motivations/expectations for leaving on a round the world trip? Was there a specific element that triggered you to embark on this adventure?  I think, Emilie, that you said that it was your idea at the beginning… 

Émilie : We both wanted to travel a few months after having had our diplomas around our twenties but we did not take the plunge. (Maybe because we didn’t know each other yet!)

It was actually me who first talked about it, about two years before we left, after our first vacation together in Italy in 2018. The idea and the desire to share a crazy experience like a long journey was really appealing to me.

But it was an absolute no from Taylor, he doesn’t remember, but his response was, “If I left now, it wouldn’t be with you, it would be with a buddy!” It’s funny looking back on that today! I brought up the idea again a year later during our vacation in the Pyrenees, and to my surprise it was not the same answer!

We were planning a three weeks vacation in Peru in July 2020, so why not go for a whole year in South America? The project was already born in our heads.

Taylor : Indeed, at first, sharing such an experience was rather scary. But the idea gradually grew in my head until we started the adventure for good.

The idea of spending a year in Latin America was very appealing to me. The culture, the landscapes, the Andes, the Spanish, the soccer… So many things to discover, that was my request when the idea of the trip was launched. Not to try to visit the whole world but to focus on this continent that made me dream so much.

Often the reactions to the announcement of such a project are quite contrasted… How did your family and friends react when you told them that you wanted to travel around the world during Covid?

Émilie : The reactions were generally very positive, especially from our friends. Among our families too, but our parents were not expecting such news. They had imagined other more conventional projects like having children.

There were also some doubts and fears especially about the cost of the trip, our jobs, and our safety in foreign countries. But your book “ Destination Tour du monde ” answered many of my mom’s questions!

Taylor : The reactions are very different depending on the person, but once the surprise of the announcement was over, they were all very positive. I think the phrase we heard the most was: “you are right to do this now while you can, while you don’t have children…”

We managed to make a nice party the week before our departure with almost all our friends and as the pandemic seemed almost behind us in this end of August 2020 nobody worried too much about that.

Before leaving, did you have any fears about any aspect of this trip? I imagine that the Covid did not help you to prepare this trip with confidence…

Émilie : For my part, I think that what I was most afraid of was that we wouldn’t come back from this experience together! As we told ourselves: it’s a case of “make or break”. We talked about it a lot. A friend of Taylor’s told us that we were crazy to try this when we had only been living under the same roof for a few months.

Of course there was the fear of the unknown, but the stories of other travelers and their pictures made me dream so much! The pandemic didn’t really worry us, we projected ourselves in many things : to make a tour of Europe, to leave for a season in the mountains, to leave by car hitchhiking from home and to see where it would lead us, to make the way of Saint James, in short it was bubbling in all the directions. The important thing at the time of the departure was really to be able to live differently during one year, “ one year without a roof ” as we had called our Instagram account

Financially we had succeeded in putting a fair amount of money aside, notably thanks to the first lockdown. We succeeded in renting our house easily, we were rather reassured in this respect.

I concentrated on the preparation of the backpack , and all the paperwork around the departure: travel insurance / bank

Taylor : The biggest fear for me was that I wouldn’t be able to live on a different schedule for a year and that I would have to come home early (because of COVID but also because of homesickness or something like that). I think I would have experienced it as a big defeat.

We spent the months before the departure preparing our bag and following the evolution of the health situation in the different countries. It was very difficult to find information but we quickly understood that it would be impossible to follow our original “itinerary” .

The project was to start in Argentina, travel down to Patagonia and then up through Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. All this while crossing the land borders. As you have understood, the plan has changed a lot over time.

You started your trip with Greece and Bulgaria… I imagine that Covid has something to do with this choice. Often backpackers head directly to the other side of the world at the beginning of their trip.

Taylor : It is indeed a choice linked to the pandemic. Until ten days before departure, we didn’t know where we were going to go . All we cared about was making it through a year of roaming. We took our tickets to Greece because our families and even our friends were worried that we didn’t know where we were going ten days later, when we were supposed to be going on a one year trip!  When we chose the destination, we saw that there was the possibility to do a beautiful hike in Greece with the mythical mount Olympus, perfect to test all our hiking gear.

Émilie : It was funny this kind of anxiety and impatience of our entourage. So, to reassure everybody, we sat down in front of Google Flight on a Sunday afternoon, we checked the destinations and especially the prices. Athens was the best offer with the best projections for the future. We thought we could go back to North Macedonia (a Taylor’s whim), Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, go to Austria, why not go back to Italy and take a plane in Milan for South America in December. This helped us to project ourselves a bit more and to reassure everyone. Finally, hardly three weeks after our departure, we did not follow this itinerary at all!

How was the beginning of your trip? I remember on our side that we started our trip at 200 km/h and then slowed down…

Émilie : Oh yes, at the beginning it went very fast!

Taylor was very impatient to leave Greece to see another country, he was always one step ahead of thinking about where we were going to go next. We didn’t stay long in the places, we went on a series of hikes, visits, like a vacation pace .

We slowed down once arrived in Mexico, the plane tickets were very expensive (we had modified them at the last moment to escape the second lockdown) and we realized that we made savings by travelling slowly. In addition, we were following our initial motto: “take the time to take the time” .

Taylor : Curiously, the beginning of the trip was rather difficult psychologically. We had the impression not to fully enjoy the moments. There was a lot of frustration to not succeed in putting ourselves in “travel” mode as we had imagined. Concerns, such as budget management , outweighed the fun. In my head I thought that once we had landed, “the magic of the trip” would work and that we would immediately be in the mood. In the end, it took a while to really get into the swing of things.

With hindsight, we should have anticipated a little more the first month in terms of accommodation and destination. We lived a real emotional rollercoaster, the moments of happiness were multiplied by ten but the moments of frustration equally. We learned to manage them little by little.

The daily life during a long-term trip is very different from the daily life of a working person (or even during a more “classic” vacation), what did you like the most in this way of traveling? On the contrary, are there things that you didn’t like?

Émilie : I repeat a little what Taylor said above, at the beginning dealing with questions about our budget was difficult. We had a big unknown: how to live with 22 000 euros for two people for a year?

We were in Greece, I had not had a vacation for several months, the desire to have a drink on a terrace was very strong for me and therefore the frustration of not doing so compared to the budget. The first three weeks were a bit complicated but in the end we had no regrets because these savings allowed us to travel as long as we wanted and to enjoy ourselves in the end. I caught up with my mojito quota in South America!

This experience was amazing, I loved to have time, to be able to rest when I needed to, and to discover new places almost every day .

I regret that our relatives could not join us as they would have liked during this year. We would have liked to share a part of our adventure, to make them discover how we managed with the locals, in the buses,… All the things that we cannot show in photos or in video.

Taylor : One of the most striking things about the daily life we have here in Brittany is the fact that we meet new people every day . Whether it’s other travelers you meet in the hostels, cab drivers, guides, people who are in charge of the accommodation… All these meetings make every day different and interesting. 

What a pleasure to have the time too. To be able to say to yourself that if you don’t do something one day, you will do it the next. That if we like a place, we can stay there for 10 days instead of the 3 days that were planned. This is the difference between a vacation and a longer trip

What is perhaps more difficult is the lack of reference points, even if our backpack follows us everywhere, and the lack of French food. In fact, during the last month in Bolivia, 80% of our conversations with other travelers were about this topic!

How did you experience the trip as a couple and the fact of being together practically 24 hours a day? Was it a challenge at times or did everything go smoothly?

Émilie : I think I can answer for both of us, it went very well! It was hard to imagine before we left, I was afraid of it. So indeed it was not easy every day. But this trip allowed us to discover ourselves in another way, we lived things that we would never have lived as a couple in “everyday life” . I find that during the trip the emotions are multiplied, everything is felt more strongly. Sometimes just with a nice room or even discovering that the seats of the bus lay at 180 degrees when we are going to spend more than 12 hours there, it was like winning the world cup.

In the difficult moments, of doubts or of decision making, we noticed that we were really a team and that we balanced each other out a lot. For us, dialogue and communication were the keys.

Taylor : It was one of the apprehensions before the big departure. We were leaving together knowing that anything could happen. Even if we hoped to return together, we had considered all the eventualities before leaving. Finally, in spite of some arguments, everything went well and I think that we made progress in our communication.

And now that we are back, we realize the common experience we have. Talking about the trip is not an easy thing with the others but between us we can go back to it and understand each other.

What amazed you the most during your trip? On the contrary, what shocked you the most?

Émilie : I was shocked by the poverty in some areas, especially in Colombia. Several times we saw hundreds of people on the side of the road, entire families with their suitcases. They were Venezuelans who were fleeing their country.

I was also shocked by the completely different health care systems compared to France. In Ecuador we saw oxygen bottles for sale in the street!

I was amazed by the nature, the beauty of the various landscapes , a real crush in front of the immensity of the Uyuni Salt Flat and the thousands of stars above our head when we woke up there. I was also very moved by the kindness of the locals , the very warm welcome we received hundreds of times. One meeting particularly touched me, it was during a trek to the Ciudad Perdida in Colombia. We talked with Petrona, a young indigenous woman from the Kogi people who still live in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

Taylor : If I had to keep a place of wonder it is the Cordillera Blanca in the north of Peru where we had the chance to spend five days hiking, really cut off from the world because we met almost nobody. A real feeling of wonder for these landscapes from morning to evening.

What “shocked” me the most was the atmosphere in some cities of the South American continent, the very pronounced inequalities and the insecurity that can be really felt in some neighborhoods.

Concretely, what impact did Covid have on your trip? (everyday life, organization, tests, transportation, hospitality…) I imagine that it was not easy every day… But on the other hand, you could certainly enjoy some very touristy places all by yourself.

Émilie : When we returned to Europe in July, we were shocked by the restrictions in place. But not shocked in a good way … It had been 9 months that every time we wanted to enter a store or a public place, someone was there to disinfect our hands, to take our temperature. There were disinfecting tubs for the shoes (often too small for Taylor’s feet 😉 ), sometimes even disinfecting tents with a spray from head to foot.

In Peru you had to wear two masks and a protective face shield when traveling, in Colombia you could only enter the store on certain days depending on the number on your ID card (even and odd)

Obviously, depending on the place (roughly countryside and city), this was more or less respected. But on the other hand, there was always something to wash your hands and the containers were not empty!

We didn’t find it really difficult, you have to abide by the rules of the country. There were sometimes curfews or lockdowns on weekends. It was necessary to make antigenic tests for some bus trips, but everything was set up to make a test before getting on the bus!

Overall, nothing too annoying. Finally we lived the reality of this special moment at the heart of other countries.

One of the positive sides was that there were few tourists and mainly backpackers , so we ended up in the same hostels. Everybody knew a little bit everybody. There was a great mutual aid thanks to the social media. In Peru for example, the youth hostels that we all aimed at were full. On the other hand, the other accommodations, like hotels, which were a little more expensive, were not full at all. It was therefore very easy to negotiate big discounts in some rather luxurious hotels. We made ourselves some small treats. Our best negotiation: to pay 30 dollars a room displayed at 90!

Taylor : The main impact was on border crossings. Indeed, land borders were closed within Latin America for the entire year 2021, so it was necessary to fly + do PCR tests which added to the budget. 

On the other hand, the pandemic allowed us to visit places in unique conditions, notably Machu Picchu that we visited one Sunday that was the second round of the Peruvian presidential elections. We were more than 40 minutes, only the two of us on the observation platform. Quite a crazy opportunity according to the people who work there.

At a time when the issue of environmental protection is on everyone’s lips, do you think that the benefits of such a trip compensate for its negative impacts on the planet? (obviously we are not in a position to judge you but the question deserves to be asked and we are interested in your opinion on the subject)

Émilie : It is clear that in times of pandemic with closed land borders, we are in a very bad position when it comes to these environmental issues.

Taylor :The environmental question has often caught our attention in Latin countries. Their concern is very, very different from ours. They don’t see the problem at all in putting each vegetable in a different plastic bag, some of them don’t understand at all that we don’t want to use a bag.

It’s also totally normal to throw your bag of chips and your can out of the bus window once you’re done. But what impact does this really have on the planet compared to the planes we took?

In short, we have indeed asked ourselves many questions but we have few answers…

We may have read on the internet that returning from such a trip can be difficult, but it is not necessarily easy to prepare for it until you have experienced it… How did it go for you?

Émilie : We came back by surprise two weeks before the date we had fixed when we left. During 3 weeks we saw our relatives little by little while making surprises, it was incredible!

For my part, I found it difficult even though we both wanted to go back. It is a big step, kind of a mourning. We even had the impression at times that we had never left! That it had been a dream…

It was hard to see Taylor go back to work, he had everything mapped out, I had nothing. I had quit my job so I could leave.

It took a few weeks to get over it. Everyday life is coming back fast, it’s crazy. We didn’t think it would come back so quickly.

Taylor : Our surprise return allowed us to keep the flame and the excitement of the trip during the three weeks that followed. What feelings to find our relatives and especially our parents in these conditions.

The surprise allowed us to make this phase more motivating, we were back in Brittany but almost never at home. This shared happiness of the reunion is really part of the trip for me and I am happy that we managed to make it last in order to enjoy it as much as possible.

Over the last few weeks, the desire to come back was starting to grow. We had the feeling that we had enjoyed it to the fullest and that adding other destinations to our journey would not make it any more beautiful .

If you had one lesson to learn from this trip, what would it be?

Émilie : We are lucky to be born in France and to live there!

Taylor : It is that one should not try to anticipate everything, one often took more pleasure in front of the unknown than during those things that we had too much anticipated. For example, as time went by, we checked less and less travel blogs and we didn’t look at pictures before the visits. We trusted the advices given by locals or other travelers and we were always positively surprised.

If you could go back in time and slip in one piece of advice right after you made the decision to leave for a round the world trip: what would it be?

Émilie : Don’t try to check off all the boxes, take the time , accept that you can’t see everything.

Taylor : Not everything may seem perfect in the moment but the experience is so wild: don’t forget to enjoy every moment .

Anything to add? Do you plan to leave again someday?

Émilie : Yes !!!! But maybe not in the same way, not necessarily backpacking. It will also depend on where we go. Maybe with a vehicle? Not necessarily a year either. But since we came back we have a lot of ideas in mind, nothing fixed, but we feel that we want to get back on the roads.

Taylor : Everything is said: of course we will travel again! Since we came back we have many ideas but we have to take the time to sort them out. We met so many people and so many different ways of travelling, we know that it will always be possible at any moment of our life. It’s up to us to give ourselves the means.

Émilie and Taylor :And a big thank you for having helped us in the preparation of our trip thanks to your blog and your book . These readings have really given us a boost. It was a real pleasure to be able to share some time with you shortly after our return.

This is the end of our 5th backpacker experience. We thank Emilie and Taylor a lot for having taken the time to answer all our questions and for having welcomed us so warmly in Brittany. We wish them all the happiness in the world and also wonderful travel projects to come. And as always, if you have any questions to ask them, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below 😉

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About Benoit

Self-taught web developer and passionate photographer, I love travelling and hiking for this incredible feeling of freedom they bring me. Curious, I constantly need to learn new things, to take on new challenges and I couldn't live any other way. I share with you on this travel blog my experiences on the roads but also my thoughts to travel better while respecting our beautiful planet (which is unfortunately in a very bad shape).

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‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ Is a Keeper: TV Review

Legendary talk show host and hot wing evangelist returns to television with hilarious new Max travel show

By Stephen Rodrick

Stephen Rodrick

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The key to understanding Conan O’Brien’s comedy is knowing that it comes from a point of kindness. Yes, I know in this age of comics punching down , this kind of compliment may leave you with a neon “Must Avoid!” sign flashing in your bleary eyes — but stay with me.

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Conan’s three-decade run as a talk show host ended in 2021 under less-than-optimal circumstances , as he wound down his TBS show during the pandemic year. He talked to longtime sidekick Andy Richter , who sat among dozens of cardboard cutout fans. O’Brien quipped that they were last in line for the vaccine because the CDC had looked at the shows and “they said ours is the least essential of pretty much all the non-essential shows.”

There was some truth in that, but Conan had already started his move to other outlets , starting with his “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast in 2018.

The podcast is funny and sweet, especially the pre-interview segments with longtime associate Sona Movsesian and producer Matt Gourley. Conan mocks Sona’s legendarily bad work habits. and Gourley’s flea market predilections, but any kind of comedic acid is reserved for the self-lacerating O’Brien. (On a recent episode, Conan runs down his own looks, and it is cruel and hilarious, but part of me is thinking, “Dude, cut yourself a break.”). The only time things get contentious is when Conan visited by longtime friend Kevin Nealon — perhaps the podcast’s best episodes.

The podcast had an offshoot called “Conan O’Brien Needs a Fan,” on which O’Brien would talk to a fan, often in a faraway land. That led to O’Brien traveling to Norway, Thailand, Ireland and Argentina to meet them. Why? Well, a dour and ominous narrator, aka Werner Herzog, offered this rationale at the beginning of each episode: “Once a proud talk show host, he’s been driven by a changing ecosystem to a drier and harsher climate: the weekly podcast. Here , without the nourishment of his studio audience, this clown with dull , tiny eyes, the eye of a crudely painted doll , is forced to feed on that meagerest of morsels: the random call-in fan. Unhinged by the feral scent of their mild enthusiasm. He scavenges in distant lands uninvited, fueled by a bottomless hunger for recognition , and the occasional selfie.”

It’s a self-deprecating bit, but it’s also the truth. Conan has been doing travel shows for years, most notably one to Movsesian’s native Armenia , as well as a chaotic trip to Finland where O’Brien is treated as a god because of his physical resemblance to the Finnish president who happens to be a woman. He clearly loves the journey. And he loves the comedy set piece–see his classic “Old Timey Baseball” opus — which has always been an essential part of his appeal.

The encounters work because O’Brien doesn’t treat his new friends as fools — rather , he revels in the fact that he is the fool. (See his instant-classic appearance on “Hot Ones,” the show where interviews are conducted while the celebrity consumes increasingly acidic chicken wings. Conan rhapsodizes on comedy being all around us as green-yellow mucus drips down his nose.) Of course, there are exceptions made for old friends. Conan goes out for asada in Buenos Aires with the effete and erudite Jordan Schlansky, a longtime producer and frenemy. Schlansky and Conan are the Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon of American cable , and on his TBS show and podcast the two have tangled over Japanese customs, Conan hosting Schlansky’s bachelor party in his own office, and Schlansky hiding an expensive Espresso machine in an inaccessible part of their offices. (As with the Courtney Thorne-Smith segment, Conan’s visceral malice toward Schlansky works because it is so out-of-character).

During the Argentina episode, they get into a fierce argument about the proper pronunciation of the word “tango,” Conan then licks Schlansky’s favorite cut of meat — wait, that came out wrong. After, they go on an ill-fated trip to the Pampas, where both fail spectacularly at gaucho life.

Not everything works. O’Brien does a self-referential bit about the expensive drone he is using on the first show , and for the next four episodes I am distracted every time I see a beautiful shot thinking about the drone’s specifications and capabilities. Some of the stuff goes on a bit long, but so does my writing.

These are minor quibbles. If you’re a Conan fan, you’ll treasure the trips, just like his completists treasure encounters with a masturbating bear. The series ends with Conan tracing his family’s roots in Ireland. He comes across his ancestor’s land, makes a few jokes, but then looks at the land, clearly moved. Conan O’Brien has played the fool long enough; we grant him this moment of humanity with all our hearts.

All four episodes of “Conan O’Brien Must Go” are now available on Max.

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