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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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