Thankfully, more and more travellers are becoming eco-conscious, whether it’s taking steps to minimise their waste or finding greener ways to get around. One such example is French bloggers Julien and Margaux, a couple that has been on a leviathan mission to see the world without the use of planes.
Having formerly worked in Paris as research analysts in the pharmaceutical industry, 2016 saw Julien and Margaux leave their comfortable jobs to pursue a life of travel. Before their journey began they had been couch-surfing hosts, and when it came to it, they made the decision to travel the world slowly, mostly using hitchhiking and couch-surfing and without flights or a deadline. “We were more inspired by a way of travel instead of a destination. We took advice from the guidebook published by Lonely Planet France La Bible du Grand Voyageur, and stories of people inspired us to adopt this way of travel that is more green and with no money-based interactions with locals. Our travel is unique because we don’t have a bucket list. We go with the flow and ask locals what to see in their country. We learn from them. We hitch-hike, couch-surf, wild camp and volunteer,” Julien and Margaux told Lonely Planet.
The couple has been on the road for three years now, and has crossed 25 countries, travelling from France to South East Asia. They have hitchhiked across 60,000 kilometres using 1167 cars, trucks and motorbikes, covered 4500 kilometres with two sailing boats and have met 236 hosts.
Julien and Margaux blog about their adventures, offering tips and advice to other travellers. Their site Serial Hikers outlines alternative travel methods for a greener footprint, and has information that covers everything from budgeting to travel insurance. They also share photos and videos of their own experiences.
“Our advice to other potential travellers would be to unlearn some things that you have learnt about society and cultures. We have met some great people in countries with bad reputations. Always be safe and trust your instinct. Travel locally for short-term holidays, use alternative transportation like trains instead of flights for example,” Julien and Margaux said.
