Best Outdoor Travel Blog 2021
Completing some basic training for Kilimanjaro will make your climb easier, safer and ultimately more enjoyable
I climbed Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, back in 2010. At 5,895m (19,340ft), it was my first high-altitude trek and even though I had some hillwalking behind me, I had no experience of trekking at altitude, wasn’t fit enough and didn’t have the right gear. In hindsight, I was fortunate to make the summit considering I was so underprepared.
A click-and-pick Antarctica packing list with links to specific products that have been personally tested by Atlas & Boots
A friend of mine recently asked what three things make me happiest, as part of her research for her forthcoming book. I named family and nature which are fairly standard answers. Less common was my third choice of hygge, the Danish concept of cosiness.
Our guide on how to choose hiking boots will ensure you enjoy every step of the trail. Here’s how to pick the perfect pair
Footwear is a hiker’s most critical piece of gear. Inappropriate or poorly fitted boots or shoes can spoil a day on the trail and have you wincing with every step. But with a dizzying array of choices, from lightweight trail running shoes to double-layered plastic mountaineering boots and everything in between, knowing where to start can be bewildering.
A comprehensive but concise guide on how to start a travel blog, covering both technical and editorial aspects of creating, maintaining and growing a blog
At Atlas & Boots, we are periodically approached for advice on how to start a travel blog. To help future bloggers, we have put our knowledge into a comprehensive but concise guide below.
Our guide to drone etiquette will help you secure your shot without endangering yourself or others
Drone operators get a bad rep, arguably with good reason. Pre-pandemic, near-misses with planes more than tripled in two years while irresponsible operators risked lives, closed airports and stressed wildlife – all in pursuit of a video clip.
Don’t let a pesky injury ruin your time in the outdoors. Our guide on how to prevent blisters will keep you on your feet
Whether you’re an experienced trekker or a newcomer to the trails, you will invariably suffer from one of the most common hiking injuries. To help you minimise the risk, we’ve put together a simple guide on how to prevent and treat blisters when hiking.
Being young, fit and healthy doesn’t mean you won’t suffer from altitude sickness symptoms. Here’s how to identify, treat and prevent them effectively
Gracie is a student at Johns Hopkins, which offers one of the best medical training programs in the world. She is slim, fit and active. She doesn’t smoke, rarely drinks and always watches what she eats.
This guide on how to use a compass and map should be enough to get you started and give you the confidence to use the skills for yourself in the hills
As a schoolboy, I was lucky to learn how to use a compass and map. I then spent the best part of two decades putting these basic skills to use throughout the British countryside, without ever really having them tested.
Our comprehensive guide on how to choose a sleeping bag will ensure a cosy night’s sleep whatever the temperature
Whether you’re a weekend warrior making a dash for the hills or preparing for a multi-day trek through the Himalayas, choosing the right sleeping bag can make or break a camping trip.
A beginner’s guide on how to choose a down jacket that will keep you warm and toasty in the great outdoors
A high-quality down jacket is no longer the preserve of the outdoorsy. Politicians, pop stars and even princesses have been pictured in a ‘puffa’. Of course, a down jacket truly comes into its own when used and tested in the great outdoors.
Despite its recent explosion in tourism, it is possible to beat the crowds in Croatia. Here, we show you how
I have unfinished business in Croatia. A few years ago, I came across some cheap flights to Dubrovnik and booked them without adequate research. It was summer. It was Europe. Surely, it would be easy, I thought.
Soon after, I realised that five nights in Dubrovnik in mid August was not a good idea. Since its use as a location in Game of Thrones, Dubrovnik has seen an explosion in tourism.
A one-glance guide to driving in the Faroe Islands, from navigating single-lane tunnels to dodging flocks of sheep
With spectral sub-sea tunnels, dramatic drops and 70,000 sheep to dodge, it’s no wonder that driving in the Faroe Islands puts some people off.
There are few places, however, more suited to a road trip. These wild, sea-salted isles offer stunning vistas around every bend and driving is a pleasure.
Some would argue that overpacking is a rite of passage, but there is an easier way. Here are 12 tips for packing light
I started our big trip across the South Pacific and South America with a 45-litre backpack weighing 13kg. Over the course of the trip, I managed to drop a fair bit of weight and get my bag down to 10kg. Evidently, I had failed in packing light from the start.
In some ways, overpacking is a rite of passage: you have to do it to learn how not to do it. Of course there is an easier way. By gleaning advice from other travellers and being strict with yourself, packing light will become far easier. Here’s where to start.
After learning the hard way, we share our tried and tested photo backup systems to help you keep your photographs safe
It was in the Cotopaxi region of Ecuador that we met Michael, a fellow backpacker who had spent the previous weeks on a surfing trip of a lifetime. Earlier in the day, Michael’s GoPro had dislodged from its extender during a jump into a waterfall and sunk to the depths below.
Our detailed and easy-to-follow guide on how to build a campfire will ensure you can enjoy a satisfying and safe campfire when camping
Many a man claims to be an expert firestarter – in the same way, many a man claims he does not need to ask for directions…
News outlets periodically claim to share the best time to book flights. Is there such a thing and, if so, when is it? We ask an expert for answers
When it comes to the best time to book flights, Peter and I do very little strategising. We simply search online and book the first decent deal we see.
In the early days, we sacrificed time to save money, but as we’ve grown older and more financially stable, we’ve moved in the other direction. We’ll still endure an 18-hour layover if it saves us hundreds of pounds (like we did in Singapore this year), but will no longer sleep overnight in an airport to save mere tens of pounds (like we did in Chile three years ago).
We venture out on a DIY Addis Ababa walking tour and share our insights into exploring the city
So to Addis Ababa, the final stop on our month-long Ethiopian epic. It’s not unfair to say that this rambling expanse of brown-hued avenues has little cheer or charm. Most tourists stop only in transit en route to the country’s better sights.
We share 12 practical tips, techniques and recommendations for improving your outdoor video footage
“You should do more video.”
This has become both a request and a rebuke from our friends and readers at Atlas & Boots. Admittedly, video has played third fiddle on our travels after writing and photography.
We speak to a number of experts about navigating the ethics of photographing local people and present their best tips
At Atlas & Boots, we have photographed some incredible landscapes, from the crackling blue ice of Perito Moreno glacier to the mythical moai of Easter Island. What we’re less good at is photographing local people.
If you’re an adventurer dreaming of great mountains, familiarise yourself with correct mountain etiquette to ensure a pleasant experience for everyone
There’s a moment in Sherpa, the BAFTA-nominated documentary about Everest’s famous guides, where a western tourist asks “can you not talk to their owners?” in reference to the striking Sherpas.
It may have been an innocuous plea made in a moment of frustration but in the harsh truth of film, the question exposes an unsettling attitude to the guides that risk their lives to lead others to the summit.
