Rhythm Behind the Rogue Route: A ‘Normal Bloke’ Travelling Latin America

After his last goodbyes at Heathrow, Peds set off - not knowing when he’d be back. With no direct flights from London to Argentina, a stopover in Spain was needed. His first spontaneous call of the trip: why not turn it into a trip?

In Madrid, €1 tapas hit the spot and a Bernabéu tour had him picturing himself shanking one over the bar. Barcelona followed - reuniting with an old mate, long afternoons of food and beers, and sightseeing with a more reflective edge.

Hostel life hit early. His first night ruined by a girl who “sounded like she had two vuvuzelas stuck up her nose.” A rough welcome, but the start of a rhythm he’d live by for six months: shared bathrooms, tight routines, adapting fast. The Copenhagen Toiletry Bag became a quiet hero here - compact in his pack but organised enough to keep mornings functional, even when everything else was chaos.

Spain wasn’t the destination, but it flicked the switch. A soft launch before the big leap across the Atlantic. The corporate monotony of London already felt long gone.

“Enjoy the butterflies, enjoy being naive, enjoy the nerves.” That was the mantra as Peds boarded his one-way flight to Buenos Aires.

BA soon became the hub - the launchpad for Patagonia’s W Trek, glacier sunrises in Ushuaia, and empanadas eaten on the move. Every detour circled back: Airbnbs to reset, Spanish lessons, new tattoos, nights out, even a ferry to Uruguay and a dog festival in Montevideo. The peak? La Bombonera. Boca Juniors under the lights, drums and chants shaking the stands.

The Geneva Compact Pouch kept passports and tickets handy at every border - a small but vital anchor keeping order as he navigated through the continent.

Food and football go far, but Spanish goes further. Peds had been doing online lessons for months back in London, but now the test was live.

Bogotá tested the basics; Guatemala made it stick. Two weeks of lessons at Lake Atitlán gave the trip structure: mornings in class, afternoons cliff jumping, and evenings spent watching the Champions League.

Progress, not perfection. Peds won’t claim fluency, but he’ll claim effort. For his followers, that effort matters - showing him not as an expert traveller breezing through, but as a bloke figuring it out, making mistakes, and laughing at himself along the way.

By Day 111, Peds was fully in the rhythm of life on the road. From Nicaragua and El Salvador to Panama and Colombia, each stop layered into the journey. Then came Brazil - Rio de Janeiro. Copacabana Beach, caipirinhas at £1 a pop, and Christ the Redeemer ticked off from a helicopter. This was the home of football, and he couldn’t hide his excitement.

Navigating favelas, unknown neighbourhoods, and packed stadium gates, the London Sling became more than a bag. It wasn’t just practical; it gave peace of mind, freeing Peds to embrace experiences and lose himself in the moment.

One memory in particular: playing “real-life FIFA Street” with local kids on a concrete pitch in the middle of a favela. A nostalgic flashback to childhood hours on the PS2 - only this time, the game had come to life. For Peds, this was culture and connection wrapped together. A reminder of why he came.

Along the way, Peds has dropped endless advice through his TikTok feed - often tucked into stories, mishaps, or place-specific tips. Here's some simple reminders that carry weight on the road.

• Stay safe in busy spots - keep belongings close.
• Get yourself a Compact Sling Bag.
• Spend the money, book the flight - regret nothing.
• Practise the language, even badly.
• Eat what locals eat.
• Hostels teach you rhythm - embrace it.
• Keep your toiletries and documents organised.
• Matchday tickets are always worth the effort.

Quitting the corporate job and taking the plunge turned into 169 days (six months) backpacking across South America. A rouge route he wouldn't necesarily recomend, nor change.

1. ✈️London → Madrid 🇪🇸
2. 🚆Train to Barcelona 🇪🇸
3. ✈️Back to Madrid → Buenos Aires 🇦🇷
4. 🧭Patagonia 🇨🇱🇦🇷
5. ↩️Back to Buenos Aires 🇦🇷
6. ⛴️Boat to Uruguay 🇺🇾
7. ↩️Back to Buenos Aires 🇦🇷
8. ✈️Bogotá 🇨🇴
9. ✈️Guatemala - Lake Atitlán / Antigua 🇬🇹
10. 🚌El Salvador 🇸🇻
11. ⛴️Boat to Nicaragua 🇳🇮
12. ✈️Flight to Panama 🇵🇦
13. ⛴️Boat into Colombia 🇨🇴
14. ✈️Flight to Brazil - Rio, Paraty 🇧🇷
15. ✈️Back to Colombia - Cartagena, Medellín, Bogotá 🇨🇴

• 📆Days travelling: 169
• 🌍Countries visited: 9
• ✈️Flights taken: 17
• 🖋️Tattoos added: 9
• 🍺Beers consumed: 8,537
• ❤️Girlfriend acquired: 1
• 🦠Parasites battered: 1
• 📣Wallops shouted: countless
• 🧳Vagari bags that survived it all: 3

After six months on the road, Peds flew back to London unannounced to surprise his parents, and soon found himself standing once more on the terraces at The Den. After all the caipirinhas, cliff jumps and world wonders, there’s still no place he’d rather be than watching Millwall grind out a result.

But the journey isn’t ending - it’s shifting. On 29th September, he boards another flight, this time to Mexico. No fixed plan, no mapped-out route. Just spontaneity and rogue adventures ahead.

From London pubs to Latin plazas, from corporate monotony to a life in motion, Peds has shown that the best journeys are the unscripted ones. Six months, nine countries, glaciers, favelas, new tattoos and new mates - proof that momentum matters more than maps. With Vagari by his side, chaos never had to feel chaotic.

Catch more of Peds’ journey on 🎵 TikTok, and explore all his links via Linktree.