Life is in the detail

Learn a few simple words and phrases in the local language. Even a small effort goes a long way with locals!

Ollie - Original Traveller

Oliver Rodwell

Original Travel Expert

I have extensive travel experience throughout Central America, South America, Antarctica and Africa.

My travels

Travel Things I Want To Do Before I Die

See a jaguar in the wild. Despite various trips to the Amazon and Pantanal, I am yet to catch a glimpse of one
Ride with gauchos in Patagonia
Visit the Arctic and hopefully see a polar bear
Snorkel with whale-sharks (anywhere really but the Sea of Cortez in Mexico would be my first choice)
Drive a Porsche over the Alps

Best Moments

Driving across the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
Having a silverback Mountain Gorilla step on my toe in Uganda as he walked past me
Having penguins dart past my shoulder as they were chased by sea lions in the Galapagos
Flying at less than 100 feet over the sand dunes of the Skeleton Coast in Namibia
My own Mexican wedding in Guadalajara - complete with Mariachi and Margaritas!
The Polar Plunge - jumping straight into the Antarctic waters in my trunks!

Toughest Travel Moment

Having Molotov cocktails thrown at our bus in Puno, Peru during an anti-government protest

Weirdest Travel Moment

Fishing for piranhas in the Pantanal with a local who insisted we stuff our pockets with red meat and wade, waist-deep into the water to catch the fish.

Explore my blog posts

Travels with my Father: a Reminiscent Road Trip through Yellowstone

Very soon after my father retired from a 30+ year career as a lawyer in New York, he embarked on a cross country bike trip from San Francisco to New York. The journey was over three thousand miles from start to finish and it took him just under three months. This was, to him, the best way to…

Top Six Things to do in the Deep South

They say all roads lead to Rome, but when it comes to music, they take a detour through America's Deep South. The land of big bands, the blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, gospel choirs and more is a fascinating melting pot of cultures, history and musical milestones, all combinable in one…

Just How Much Has Cuba Changed?

It was with some trepidation that I booked my first return to Cuba since my backpacking days of 1994 - I'd spent over a month there and it still ranks in the top five of the best ever holidays. Just how much would this once unique nation have changed and how would the experience differ from…

The Ultimate Adventure in Antarctica

They always say that you shouldn't meet your idols. In travel terms, Antarctica has been that idol for me; ever-present at the top of my bucket list. The question was - could it live up to my extremely high expectations?

Discovering the New and Improved Colombia

Colombia - an absolute whopper of a country both geographically speaking (although it's no Brazil) and in terms of its diversity. It may forever remain synonymous with one particular resident (thanks, Narcos), however, on my trip to this colourful (in more ways than one) country I discovered…

A Deep South Road Trip in Numbers

I've just returned from an epic road trip through the USA's Deep South, a place of charming cities, sweeping mountains and musical marvels. Rather than try and put it into words, the best way to describe this region is actually in numbers…