Long trips & tours in South America

Intrepid was founded on the premise of long travel when our two owners – Darrell and Manch – set off across Africa with a bunch of friends and no plans to come home anytime soon. It didn't take them long to discover that when you stay a little longer in a destination, you can make the most of every mile and really immerse yourself in the heart and soul of a place and its people.

With borders reopening around the world, Intrepid is celebrating by curating a new range of ‘long’ trips. These epic adventures span over three weeks, a smorgasbord of cities, regions and countries and encapsulate the essence of Intrepid travel. 

Long travel means a true break from your day-to-day, with time to properly wind down and disconnect. It gives you the chance to really get to know each destination better. Not just see a place, but really live it. You can slow things down. Dig a little deeper. Not just see the highlights but find those places and meet those people you might not have otherwise. Time to lose yourself on a real adventure.

And by skipping internal flights for public transport (think epic train trips across multiple countries), you'll find yourself with journeys that become trip highlights, and come with the added bonus of helping reduce your carbon footprint. Taking a long trip is easier than you think when you let us take care of all the planning and research, so find your next big adventure below. 

Trading in your "real" life and routines to travel the world is one part exciting, one part scary, and two parts liberating. And while dreaming of what your next couple of months will hold is almost as good as actually going, the planning process can be trickier than cracking the fictitious Da Vinci Code. Let us help you. Here are our pro tips on how to make long trips a breeze.

1. It's always a good idea to set and stick to a budget. Converting dollars to pesos, rupees, euros, riel, and a dozen other currencies makes it tricky to keep track of the dinero you've actually spent. We recommend setting budgets per country visited and keeping track of those pesky expenses.

2. Choose your must-sees and you're nice-to-see's. Once you've mapped out the musts that you absolutely have to visit (as in, you refuse to go home until you do), you can start to connect the dots and find a logical and affordable travel route.

3. Expect plans to change. Travel rarely goes 100% to plan, so expect and welcome the unexpected. Sometimes, the best experiences are the ones you never planned on having. 

Long travel is all in the planning. But strangely, it’s the opposite of what you think. Months on the road and you’re probably thinking ‘Dear God, I’ll need a suitcase just for the underwear!’ But really, when it comes to long vacations, less is more. Watch our ultimate packing guide on the right-hand link, or check out the tips below.

1. Pack for one week at a time. You only ever need enough clothes to last you a week. Depending on where you are, by that time you’ll either a) have found a Laundromat, or b) be so far off the beaten track that no one will care if you smell. Either way, you save on trunk space.

2. Roll, don’t fold. It’s counterintuitive, but you’ll actually fit more in if you roll your clothes, rather than folding them. Make sure to use up all available space too – that means squashing socks and underwear into empty shoes.

3. Wear clothes that go together. Since you’re packing smarter, not harder, pick clothes you know will already match. A few t-shirts that go with your jeans, and a neutral pair of shorts that goes with anything. Shoes for all climates (or at least as many climates as possible) and a pair of flip-flops. That’s all you need.

4. Pack for the climate. Long travel means you might pass through different climactic zones. And that means layers are your friend. Lightweight, breathable fleece or woollen layers will block out the cold but not take up too much space in your pack. Leave the three different jackets at home. One waterproof option should do it.

5. Invest in a good suitcase, and stick to it. With long travel, you have to think ahead. You’ll be tempted to buy souvenirs and things everywhere you go, but if you don’t want to make your chiropractor rich, be ruthless. Don’t accumulate stuff as you go. And invest in a good quality, lightweight suitcase and a lock.