Hello everyone! This is a follow-up to our front-page post on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1lcacg/we_bought_oneway_tickets_to_alaska_then_spent_the/

Last year my buddy and I booked a one-way ticket to Alaska, bought a used truck, and hit the road. In 6 months, we road tripped from Alaska to LA, explored Southern and Central Africa, and toured South America on dirt bikes.

It was an unforgettable trip, and we lugged around two DSLRS and a GoPro to capture it all for a trip documentary. It took about 5 months to edit 3 terabytes of footage, but well worth it in the end.

Ask us anything! My friend will also be answering questions, his username: artia

Our travel documentary on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/63966024

Our favorite photos from the journey: http://imgur.com/a/uj8Rz

Comments: 838 • Responses: 24  • Date: 

Assort376 karma

Everytime I see a story similar to this I get taken on an emotional roller-coaster.

On one hand, I feel jealous to the point where the word loses its meaning in terms of the value I'm aiming for. Then comes the inspiration and thoughts of how big your balls must have been to actually travel to different countries facing potential life threatening diseases, wildlife, and the cruelty of nature. Not to mention you guys could have been kidnapped or killed by some random person looking for organs to play with.

On the other hand, I feel angry and a little bit depressed inside. To experience the reality of life, and holy shit are those kayaks and IS THAT A WHALE? A FUCKING GRIZZLY BEAR? Rowing in those boats must have been some intense serene moment. The thoughts that must have gone through your mind while actually doing it. It makes me mad that I don't have the balls to do it, maybe one day far ahead...

I would like you to recall some of the scariest moments of your journey and some of the most profound and thought provoking "HOLY SHIT WTF IS THIS REAL LIFE" moments you guys had.

besol184 karma

Most of the HOLY SHIT moments were probably in Alaska. In the Clearwater mountains while bushwhacking and wading through mud and mosquitoes, we found ourselves stepping on fresh grizzly tracks (about the size of my head). A very "in tune" moment, knowing that shit could get very ugly...very fast.

Getting shot at in Peru was also a wake up call: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1ld1dh/we_are_two_friends_who_bought_oneway_tickets_to/cby12xh

I'll be honest, the most profound and thought provoking idea was very simple (for me at least). Now, more than ever, I am happy to appreciate that the quality of my life is no further than my four walls. Who do I live with? Where do I sleep? What do I eat? Where do I walk?

FiberDump148 karma

How much was the total cost? Both estimated and actual.

Also, any times where your life felt actually threatened by either man or animals?

Thanks for your time!

Your_Text_Spoken123 karma

[removed]

besol63 karma

this is fucking amazing

Camerandom90 karma

How long had you known each other?

What did you learn about eachother after the trip?

Were you smoking a joint in the last picture?

Thank you for sharing this! Makes a desk job look like prison.

besol123 karma

Since middle school

That we're damn lucky to be traveling with the same intentions. Finding the right person to travel with is the absolute key

Cancer stick

DasU88 karma

What scary situations did you find yourselves in during the trip? For example did you ever run low on fuel in the middle of nowhere or have your campsite attacked?

besol293 karma

While camping in Peru we heard a bullet ricochet off of a metal tower less than 20ft from our bikes. A serious wake up call, they wanted us off their land...clearly we had no clue. Five guys approached us, we thought we were going to be killed, but they were happy to see we were harmless travelers and let us pack our gear and buzz away

FizzyPops66 karma

Did either of you ever get sick?

besol118 karma

Food poisoned 2-3 times, nothing serious

seven_seven54 karma

What occupations did you have before you left and do you think you'll be able to get back into the groove of the normal working grind after this?

besol42 karma

Can't say we hated our jobs before we left. It's nice to come home and continue where we left off

thehumanbeanist53 karma

Do you guys have significant others, if so how did they feel about this trip?

besol94 karma

I did, and she's a gem. I'm forever thankful that she was supportive and that we were able to stick through

it_aint_worth_it49 karma

Awesome planning BTW! A couple things: first, do you feel that this would be safe to do as a female? (I've heard some horror stories) Also, how did you choose the specific destinations? Finally, what do both of you do as a primary occupation when you're not globetrotting & how has this changed/ will it change since the trip?

besol74 karma

We saw plenty of females traveling solo. Don't let that stop you

ajtestro45 karma

I've been travelling in Europe for a month with my best mate and we've already had a pretty explosive fight. How did doing everything together for 6 months work for you two? How'd you manage any falling outs?

besol60 karma

Never really had an explosive fight. We did however bicker from time to time...about really stupid shit.

We were lucky

Smokeeey33 karma

Was Victoria Falls the best part of the trip? It looks fucking awesome.

besol54 karma

It was gorgeous. If you make it out there be sure to find the operators who offer to walk you to the lip of the falls for a small fee

iamchase30 karma

I've always thought riding a motorcycle from the tip of South America up to california would make an awesome trip. What kind of Visas did you guys need? How familiar at motorcycle repair are both of you, and was that ever an issue?

besol33 karma

Our primer for learning how to shift and repair motorcycles was watching YouTube videos a couple days before our flight. We had no experience riding before this. But it all worked out

Visas were never a problem. Some of the border crossings were a real bitch and required bribing, but all in all a smooth experience. You can get plenty of great information from the amazing folks at advrider.com

SirBootyLove28 karma

How did you guys finance the trip?

How much did you save up before starting on this trip?

Where did you keep the money? Was it all cash hidden in your luggage? Credit? Or did you leave most in the bank account and withdrew some more in major cities?

What was your favorite place in Africa, South America and North America? Favorite of those three?

When you bought and then resold vehicles, did it take a long time to find a buyer?

Which border crossings were the most difficult to pass through?

Do you guys have jobs that allowed you to do this or just quit whichever jobs you had previously?

What is your plan to do now for a living?

How was the sex life?

besol42 karma

Cash/cards/passport were always in a waist pouch and we would withdraw from an ATM whenever we needed money

Most difficult border was Bolivia/Peru

I left the corporate circle 5 years ago and it would be very difficult to plan a trip like this had I decided to rest my beans under a corporate umbrella. My friend Artia is in the internet startup space and I'm typically busy with freelance multimedia projects

RikM23 karma

At the end of your documentary you show special thanks to those sponsors. What sort of help did you get from them and how did you achieve it?

besol40 karma

Apparel and gear from sponsors. Jackets from North Face, footwear from KEEN, $2,000 zoom lens to borrow from LensProToGo.com

Emailed our itinerary and old photos/videos from past trips, they were very nice

markahkiin19 karma

What was your favorite meal/food that you ate during the trip?

besol42 karma

Lomo saltado in Peru

RedOtkbr17 karma

did you have sex with any locals?

besol85 karma

only alpacka

rizaroni17 karma

I absolutely love the pictures, and I will definitely be watching the video when I get home from work! This seems like such an incredible, once-in-three-lifetimes kind of experience. Thank you so much for posting!

besol14 karma

enjoy!

rsporter16 karma

Where did Canada go?

besol24 karma

Definitely need to revisit

Canada was quick. BC is beautiful and we got a chance to hang out in Jasper for a bit

bernardomelo12 karma

What were some of the worst moments in the trip? I remember hearing from Colin Pyle that the police and the climate sometimes made it very difficult.

besol11 karma

We had already slammed our knees with the full weight of our bikes maybe 10 times...then the storm arrived. Riding through heavy mud in the Andes at 3am for 4-5 hrs, freezing, with our legs dangling off the sides of the bike constantly kicking the ground to keep the bike rolling in a straight line going 30km/h...

letsgopoping10 karma

Amazing travel documentary! What a beautiful experience. My question is, what is something you wish you had done differently on the trip or something you might of regretted not doing?

besol15 karma

We had originally planned to spend our 6 months in Alaska and the lower 48...a big mistake. Exploring Africa and South America was a game changer

MichaelBays_BFF9 karma

At the end of your documentary it says that you received product donations from various vendors. What were you able to secure from them and how did you go about soliciting the donations?

iwevz7 karma

I want to do something exactly like this! What tips can you give? I know it's quite an open ended question but do you have 3 rules you stuck to?

besol21 karma

  1. If you don't have a travel partner, ABSOLUTELY consider going solo. I feel like this one variable alone will make it very difficult for most people

  2. Save your money

  3. Book your flight

GreatOdlnsRaven3 karma

I just want to know how many times did you guys almost die? Going on a trip like that I bet you ran into some pretty tricky situations!

besol12 karma

By far the most dangerous portion of our trip was the dirt bikes. We spilled many times and very lucky to be back without broken limbs

bigtip3 karma

How did you know where you were going? And where to eat and sleep and shower and everything that needs planning?

besol2 karma

Our Garmin GPS was a lifesaver, but we found that asking locals was much more reliable

clearly_i_mean_it1 karma

What's your timeline look like for the travel documentary? You going to try to leverage it into anything else (like a show)?

besol2 karma

Atm it's just living on the net, no elaborate plans