A Checklist for Traveling to Remote Natural Locations

May 28, 20251 min

How to prepare for a trip to remote natural places

🚘 The "how to survive shitholes national parks" checklist

Over the past two years I've driven more than 100,000 km across the Americas and Eurasia. Near the coolest natural spots, the hotels tend to be, let's say, very small (thank god they exist at all). I usually book a place to stay sometime in the middle of the day — in beautiful places you never know how many hours you'll end up wandering and taking photos along the way.

What to always confirm with the hotel before booking

Here's a list of questions worth sending the hotel before you set off. Especially relevant in Latin America. Every single item on this list has burned me at some point, arriving somewhere and finding some "obvious" thing missing:

✔️ Are you open today?
✔️ Until what time is the front desk staffed?
✔️ Are the rooms heated / does the AC work?
✔️ Do you have hot water?
✔️ Is there enough hot water to fill a jacuzzi?
✔️ Does the internet work?
✔️ Until what time is the kitchen open?
✔️ Is there guarded parking on the property?

Don't trust Booking.com — confirm everything yourself

Don't trust the descriptions on Booking.com — always double-check everything directly.

What are your favorite travel hacks?