Episode 211: Ollie Treviso, Go The Distance

Episode 211 of The Adventure Podcast features adventurer Ollie Treviso. Ollie recently completed a 14,000km, 20-month walk along the Andes, from Tierra del Fuego to the Caribbean Sea. In this episode, Ollie opens up about how far he's come - from a rugby-playing teenager abusing steroids and working as an insurance broker, to living in a cave in Gran Canaria, working on farms, and eventually discovering the power of slow, human-paced travel. Matt and Ollie explore his first long-distance walk across the UK, complete with an over-packed rucksack, no tent experience, and a rule never to pay for accommodation, and how these early stumbles laid the foundations for his South American journey. They also talk candidly about grief and loss, why walking feels most meaningful, resilience, identity, and the uneasy balance between adventure, ego, and storytelling. This conversation is longer than normal. But its honest, fun, and full of surprising side stories. What emerges is not just the tale of an epic trek, but an honest reflection on what drives someone to keep walking into the unknown.

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Chapter Breakdown

00:00 – 09:00 | Beginnings & Pandemic Shift: Ollie’s early restlessness, failed plans for South America, and how COVID lockdowns unexpectedly pushed him into walking across the UK.

09:00 – 14:30 | Discovering Slow Travel: First long walks through Wales, Scotland, and Land’s End to John O’Groats; learning the hard way about kit, endurance, and the joy of stripping life back to basics.

14:30 – 20:00 | Tragedy & Turning Points: Family loss and grief collide with his travels, bringing him home but also deepening his sense of purpose and the need to carry on.

20:00 – 40:00 | Setting Out for South America: Why Ollie chose to walk the Andes, the decision to commit step by step, and the fears and motivations behind such a huge undertaking.

40:00 – 1:05:00 | Hardship & Kindness on the Road: Encounters with strangers’ generosity, moments of danger, and surreal cultural exchanges - from Venezuela to Argentina, including being mugged in Colombia.

1:05:00 – 1:20:00 | Companions & Survival: The story of a stray dog that joined him in Chile, brushes with wilderness, and reflections on walking’s unique intensity.

1:20:00 – 1:32:00 | Records, Recognition & Resistance: How the “first to walk the Andes” label sat uneasily with him, fundraising realities, and the tension between storytelling and self-promotion.

1:32:00 – 1:40:00 | Coming Home & Looking Forward: Post-expedition decompression, finding peace away from the road, and searching for balance between adventure, career, and life at home.

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