Free Ride

In the first film in this unique adventure series, Rob and James team up in Brazil. They sleep where they can - from a favela, to the open air, and even spend a night in a toilet block. To earn their keep, they labour for bus tickets; scrub kitchens; and reward themselves with the ultimate free shower in an incredible waterfall.

As they hitch hike through Argentina, James and Rob are caught in an epic storm that threatens to destroy the camera gear and their few possessions. When James finds them work on a cattle ranch, vegetarian Rob faces his worst nightmare. And, as they near Bolivia, Rob must come up with a crazy plan to raise enough cash to cross the border.

One month into their adventure, Rob and James hit Bolivia’s high plateau. With no money and nowhere to stay, Rob strikes a deal to work their way to the stunning landscape of Salar d’Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flats. However, when they reach Peru, their journey almost results in tragedy.

Flat broke upon their arrival in Peru, Rob and James land jobs teaching English in a Peruvian school. But in Cusco, the ancient Incan capital, tension between Rob and James builds to breaking point - resulting in Rob declaring that he wants to continue the journey alone. Reeling from Rob’s bombshell, James decides to continue, and spends an emotional day clearing family graves on The Day of the Dead. Five hundred kilometres behind James, Rob sleeps rough and scavenges food from bins in order to survive.

After splitting in La Paz, James and Rob are heading separately to the Ecuadorean border, where they plan to reconvene. While James gets a job on a fruit truck and works his way up the country, Rob gets drunk on moonshine with a local family; learns to dance in an Afro Peruvian community; and does everything other than travel. With the physical distance between the two adventurers growing ever wider, will Rob make it to his rendezvous point with James in time?

Still traveling with no money, and relying on ingenuity and the kindness of strangers, Rob and James have only 12 days to cover the 1,250 miles to Panama. Along the way, they head deep into the heart of the Ecuadorian rain forest; work in exchange for shelter; and are forced to survive on insects foraged from the forest floor. Can they make it to their final destination without the aid of a credit card? And what will this epic journey have taught them?