Long Way Up
apple tv +Following Long Way Round and Long Way Down, Long Way Up is the latest installment in Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s travelling series. Noted motorcycle enthusiasts, Long Way Up takes the pair on a journey over 13,000 miles across 13 countries, from Ushuaia, Argentina, up the coast of South America through Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia before continuing on to Central America through Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and lastly, travelling through Mexico and finishing in Los Angeles.
McGregor spouts off the itinerary of their journey before each episode of Long Way Up while also explaining the new twist the pair and their crew must deal with along their route. Instead of using traditional gas motorcycles, McGregor and Boorman ride on prototype electric Harley-Davidson motorcycles, mostly just to see if it’s possible. Their crew also travels in unreleased electric trucks from Rivian; the company also installed numerous charge points along their trip so none of the vehicles would be stranded. Only a lone cameraman rides a gas motorcycle, probably in case of an emergency, such as bikes not charging or their batteries dying.
The electric bikes add quite a bit of drama to Long Way Up at numerous points, especially in very remote areas of South America. They discover that, in certain situations, the bikes can be a pain to charge. Sometimes the bikes don’t charge or they worry about not making it to the next charging point. In order to make a ferry crossing, McGregor needs to be towed by the Rivian trucks because his bike battery died too early. Sometimes they even have to bring the bikes indoors to charge because the cold negatively affects the battery life. They always use their electric vehicles, with only ferry crossing and a lone flight over the Darién Gap being the exceptions. McGregor and Boorman always remain positive despite the volatile circumstances. They know that much of their troubles come from the electric vehicle technology still being in its early stages, they often say that the more technology innovates the easier eco-travelling will become.
In keeping with Long Way Up’s eco-tourism manifesto, McGregor and Boorman visit environmentally-positive accommodations, such as off-the-grid hostels in Argentina and Chile, and learn about projects that protect the Amazon Rainforest, such as by buying parcels of land and designating it as a protected space. Eco-tourism is the new wave in travelling, as more and more adventurers became aware of the strain traditional travelling puts on the environment. By staying in off-the-grid hotels and using electric vehicles, there is the opportunity to offset some emissions from transocean flights. McGregor and Boorman also visit famous locations throughout the region, making stops in Patagonia and Machu Pichu. Most of the episodes focus on South America, with entire episodes being dedicated to each specific country, while those in Central America get lumped in together. Unfortunately, this is largely due to the instability of the region, with local guides warning the Long Way Up crew of everything from not riding at night to kidnapping by drug cartels.
Along with typical tourist hotspots and eco-travelling, McGregor and Boorman also make sure that they get to know the actual people that live in the region. Local guides help them navigate border crossings while accommodation owners allow the pair to rest and recharge. Being an avid supporter of UNICEF, McGregor makes sure to bring Boorman to these projects. They visit a school in Bolivia that teaches children their Indigenous language alongside Spanish, later they visit a camp for Venezuelan refugees. McGregor and Boorman know that the best part of travelling is getting to know the locals, opening up many more opportunities to learn about each country.
Over the course of the series, Long Way Up offers something for every type of traveller. For the traditionalists, they visit iconic sites; for the eco-enthusiasts, they visit environmentally-friendly travel destinations; and for the culture experts, they visit the locals. Long Way Up comes at the perfect time, with lockdowns and quarantine still continuing over multiple months, people aren’t able to travel on their own. With Long Way Up, McGregor and Boorman give viewers the opportunity to travel through South and Central America without ever leaving their own home.