With an eye on travel photography, Andrew & Emily from Along Dusty Roads have travelled extensively throughout the world.
Check out some of their top tips from their adventures in our very latest travel interview:
What’s the one piece of advice you wish someone had told you before you started travelling?
That if you want to travel well, and travel better, there’s very little time for spontaneity.
When we went on our first big trip together (two years in Latin America), it felt that we had all the time in the world – we were spontaneous and planned very little.
For shorter trips however, time spent planning is essential. That doesn’t mean having a timetabled itinerary with zero flexibility, but you do have to put in the hours before your trip so that you can make the most of your time whilst you’re actually in the destination.
We love that you’ve written about using less plastic while travelling. The environment is something close to our hearts, especially when we’re away. Do you ever find that your travels have been somewhat ruined by litter?
Not ruined, no, but we’ve certainly experienced a number of destinations that are desperately affected by plastic pollution and it increases our despondency about the prospects.
It’s tough; we can speak to our readers and travellers who are visiting these destinations, and encourage them to take filter water bottles or take a tote bag, but it’s much more difficult to affect how plastic is used or managed by locals.
It’s very difficult to watch a Peruvian throw rubbish out of a bus window or a Colombian leave the litter from his picnic on the beach, but many would say it’s not our place to tut at or speak to them about it.
We just hope that a global change in attitudes and education can occur to support a global shift and solution.
You’ve also written extensively about how people can better handle their money while away. What would your number one tip be, and what card would you say is best for travel?
The most important thing you can do whilst travelling long-term is plan a budget and then use a budgeting app to ensure you stick to it.
It’s very easy to lose track of your spending when you’re having a great time — an expensive tour here, that luxury hostel and another night out, it all adds up.
It’s your responsibility to remain accountable to yourself and make sure you don’t spend 80% of your budget in the first few weeks or months of a long-term trip.
It’s also essential to understand ATM charges and commission rates, and not get suckered by a few of the tricks business play on ignorance of these.
We use a variety of cards when we travel, but wouldn’t leave the country without our Starling Card, which allows free worldwide withdrawals and saves us a fortune of ATM fees.
Your guide to the Rainbow Mountain is super useful! Do you have any favourite lesser known attractions around the Cusco area that you would recommend?
If you’re a keen hiker, we’d absolutely recommend hiking to Huchuy Cosqo. It’s a 20km walk that takes you through farmland, over a high mountain pass, and ends at pretty spectacular ruins visited by fewer than 20 people a day. It’s wonderful!
The photography of your travels is absolutely amazing. What advice would you have for a travelling photography looking to get a snap of everyday life?
Our photography has evolved and improved a lot over the last five years, but the philosophy and style underpinning it has remained quite similar.
Good travel photography is a reflection of what makes a place special, distinctive, beautiful, or different, and to see that means being curious and opening your eyes as you travel through a place.
You never know when an incredible scene is going to unfold in front of you — after all, everyday life is unplanned — and if you’re simply looking for Instagram shots then you’ll miss the more magical scenes of serendipity.
The landscapes featured in your photography are simply spell bounding. What was your favourite area in South America to work with?
We absolutely loved photographing the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia; red dirt under a setting sun is so breathtaking.
