South America · Uruguay

Hi everyone,

We're leaving on November 1st for five weeks, just the two of us, from north to south and then east: Santiago, Puerto Varas and the Lake District, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales and Torres del Paine, El Calafate, El Chaltén, Ushuaïa, then Montevideo, José Ignacio, and Buenos Aires, returning on December 3rd. Everything is planned by us, without an agency, just like our previous trips. I’d like to thank everyone who shared their travel stories—they’ve been a huge inspiration. I’ll post an update here each week: first about the trip itself, with some great tips, and then a few lines about an experiment I’m running alongside it. Feel free to ask questions—I’ll answer as soon as I have signal.

The experiment is about the *method*. For twenty years, every trip started with a paper notebook, then the same Excel spreadsheet: one line per stop, dates, where we sleep, how we get there, what we do. But every time, the same limitations: paper gets messy, the spreadsheet doesn’t recalculate when a stop changes, neither tracks what’s left to book or by when, confirmations get buried in my inbox, tickets stay in a binder at home, and every evening, I’m juggling updates across three group chats.

So I built a tool that centralizes everything: the stops and their dates, which auto-update; what’s left to book, with deadlines and reminders; confirmations, organized by email forwarding; the planned and actual budget; the offline map on my phone; and the evening journal for my loved ones. This trip is the first I’m doing entirely with it, from planning to return—each update will share what worked and what didn’t. It’s already been a huge help in the planning phase, but now, let the adventure begin!

First update next Sunday from Puerto Natales.

Hi Community,

We're heading to South America with our converted truck, which is a light vehicle (3,500 kg limit) that we’re shipping by boat in October this year (2026). But after weighing it, we’re at 4,500 kg. Based on your experience, do you think we’ll get stopped in South America (Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and southern Brazil) because of this? Are there police checks for overweight vehicles? Has this happened to any of you?

Thanks in advance for your experiences and advice!

Les Megy Rozé Un Petit Voyage en Plus

Looking for a female travel companion for a cycling trip (arriving by plane in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and cycling toward Montevideo, Uruguay, returning by plane to France from Buenos Aires, Argentina) – 1,500 km

Hello everyone! I’m planning a cycling trip across Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina, with a departure set for late October, November, or December. I’m looking for a travel companion to share this long-distance adventure with.

Experience: I already have solid experience in bicycle touring in Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Currently, I maintain excellent physical condition by cycling an average of 250 km over 3 days per week (4 hours a day at 20 km/h).

The trip & the pace:

Daily pace: Between 50 and 80 km per day, to make steady progress while taking time to explore. Accommodation: Flexible and authentic. We’ll alternate between wild camping, campsites, Warmshowers, small guesthouses, and budget hotels depending on opportunities and the weather.

Looking forward to reading your message and planning this amazing journey together!