January is one of those months that most people would rather skip – at least until payday as their accounts are depleted and generally it’s just a miserable month – unless you live in the tropics, that is!
You can imagine how surprised I was then, when I found out that even though everyone claims to be broke, January is still the month when most holidays are booked!
That is a bit of an oxymoron: everyone is broke, no money, can’t wait for payday, yet five million holidays are booked in this month alone!
Intriguing Destinations
Perhaps it explains why there are two major travel shows in January and early February – to entice people to book their holidays with their exhibitors. One of them is the Adventure Travel Show and the other is the Destinations Travel Show, two weeks apart at Kensington Olympia.
For the third time I’ve decided to visit them both as they are not your typical mega events yet they pack a punch in terms of destinations and intriguing locations.
So, last Sunday (20 January) I decided to cycle to London to find out what the Adventure Travel Show was offering. The ride into London took me about an hour and when I arrived at the entrance I realised there were no bike lock places there! I quickly asked the security guy to tell me where I can lock up my bicycle and he said it would be round the corner at the Overground station.
Looking for a Secure Bike Station
So off I was, looking for a place to secure my bike. I found a locking station on the corner and as I walked back to the exhibition hall the security guy asked if I was able to lock up my bike fine. I said yes, then he asked if I had a ticket to which I jokingly responded: “yes, I am a VIP, I have a special press pass!”
That surprised him a bit because I must have looked pretty scruffy in my bike jacket and tights, but he told me to get in one of the lines to pick up my press pass. In that line was a Brazilian guy who started chatting to me asking which newspaper I write for.
I had to disappoint him because I am only a mere travel blogger but we carried on talking and ended up spending the entire afternoon together.
It turned out he recently launched an app called Lyfx (for life experience) and he was there looking for new clients.
Click this link to check out the Lyfx app
The Mystery Brazilian Man
This mystery Brazilian guy is Pedro McCardell, with an Italian grandmother and British grandfather! That intrigued me and made me slightly jealous as he now has the right for three passports: one for Brazil, another for the EU and a third for Britain!
The possibilities for travel are basically endless with those passports – from the beautiful tropical parts of Brazil to the ski slopes of the Dolomites or any member states of the former British colonies!
As we walked around the exhibition hall I bumped into some people I met in previous years and we had a quick chat then saw a big bike on display by the cafe.
I told him how I have always dreamt of going on a bike trip around the world so he revealed he recently finished a mega trip from Sao Paolo to Ushuaia in Argentina then back all the way to California!
“Man, trust me, you don’t want to do it – it was absolutely terrible and very tiring!” he said laughing. “I loved it but it served up many challenges too!”
Clearly I did not want to believe that as literally thousands of people are dreaming of going on a bike trip! I’ve even bought the Motorcyclist Diaries by Che, read Jupiter’s Travels, watched the Long Way Down and the Long Way Around and attended Austin Vince’s film festival – surely it can’t be that bad!
The Bike Was Too Big
Well, Pedro disagreed.
The bike was too big, and very heavy, making it very difficult to navigate and if I fell it was very tough to lift it!”
I thought since I’ve met Austin Vince already it would be great to get a second opinion on that so we headed over to the bike on display. It was Austin’s bike and I started looking for him to ask him about this.
As it happened, Austin was giving a lecture about preparing for a round the world bike tour which Pedro and I joined that afternoon.
Lo and behold, Austin and his wife both said it can be tough, especially with a big bike so they recommend smaller bikes with big tanks. They then asked everyone to say a few words about themselves and when it came to Pedro Austin’s jaw dropped!
Everyone else in the room was a beginner but Pedro was basically an expert with all the riding he’s done.
I forgot to mention that Pedro is also an amateur film-maker. His first short documentary, Guanaco, was shortlisted for the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Film Festival and the International Festival of Winter Cinema! Guanaco also won the IMPACT award in the US.
The Award Winning Guanaco
In a nutshell: Pedro was riding on his bike from Ushuaia to Sao Paolo and saved the life of a Guanaco stuck in a wire fence.
The film, made only with a cell phone and a sports camera, was also shown to more than 2,000 people in an open air cinema in Sao Paolo. The screening was at the Rocky Spirit Film Festival, organized by Rocky Mountain, the publisher of Go Outside Magazine.
So I dropped this in during the self-introduction and Austin was like: “well, man, you might need to send us your film so we can feature it in next year’s Adventure Film Festival!”
Pedro then received a mega applaud and Austin told him there was no point for him to say as he wasn’t going to tell him anything new! We stuck around anyway as Austin is a funny guy and I had a good laugh during the next couple of hours.
Anyhow, after the lecture Pedro and I talked about his app a little while then I had to head off to do some bouldering and cycle back home!
His app is basically a start-up that connects local travel experts, like hikers, skiers and so on with travellers that want to experience a great adventure. His app is called Lyfx and has been featured in a tonne of publications in the US like Travel and Leisure, Outside Online, Gear Junkie etc. Over in the US they call it the Uber or Airbnb of Adventure Travel.
Who is Pedro McCardell?
So who really is this Pedro McCardell guy I kept asking myself on the way home, while the chilling London air was lashing my face!?
I did a bit of research online and it turns out he is quite well-known in Brazilian circles. Pedro is an experienced entrepreneur who founded many companies. His first one was Ambulance Digital, founded in London back in 2008, a creative digital agency, which was acquired by MC & Saatchi years later.
Pedro has also led creative work for brands such as Motorola, Coca Cola, Mercedes Benz, Sony/Playstation, Swatch, British Airways, eBay, Sony Ericsson and more.
What’s more, The History Channel followed Pedro’s journey from Ushuaia to California as an entrepreneur throughout his 16,0000 mile journey!
Pedro also travelled a lot to surf, parachute jump, sometimes camping, hiking, mountain climbing, doing some motorcycle endurance, water crossings – let me think, what else?
Given his adventurous spirit, Pedro thinks that there is no such thing as being fully prepared for anything. “You get ready and go – each step at your level and at your limit – the important thing is to take the first step.”
Biggest Challenges
Going back to his bike adventure to the US, he listed some of the biggest challenges in an interview with North Face online.
These included:
- low temperatures in the Andes at 5,000 meters altitude
- heavy rains and/or snowstorms
- electric storms
- roadside cliffs with absolutely no protection
- high temperatures (49ºC)
- a tire bursting at a speed of more than 100 km/h
- a tornado and a bacterium that left him hospitalized for 4 days in Peru
His app, Lyfx is the direct result of this trip across the Americas where he came up with the concept of connecting travelers with travel experts.
“The idea was born at the end of 2015 – when I got to these amazing places I was sure there were plenty of outdoor activities to explore, but I did not have enough information to go on.”
And bang, he came up with the idea creating a platform that can bring together local travelers and guides. The concept is very simple, and it already exists, in the form of tourist guides like Lonely Planet or AirBnB experiences.
100% Adventure Travel Focussed
In the case of Lyfx, it is 100% focused on adventure and outdoor activities, cutting out the middle men.
Through word of mouth and some acquaintances Pedro eventually received a substantial investment and started out the company in March 2018.
Lyfx is incorporated in California and has thousands of users worldwide. Among its main advisors are Steve Schindler who has been the Global CEO of a Telecom company for many years.
In addition, Gus Kopit is also on the Lyfx advisory board and is partner in the company. He is an internationally awarded creative director based in Los Angeles, responsible for creating global advertising campaigns for the likes of Nike, Land Rover, NBA2K and Activision.
Last but not least, Phillipe Tosi who is a researcher at NASA and Vic Miller, who is a senior engineer at Tesla also form part of the team.
Pedro also has a compatriot co-founder from Brazil in the form of Alfredo Ferrari. Alfredo is a seasoned executive with proven track record generating revenue, profit and business growth within startups, turnarounds and family-owned companies.
Alfredo is recognized as one of the most respected lawyers in Brazil in the areas of corporate and financial operations, banking, competition and antitrust, M&A and TMT.
He has led teams comprised of more than 1,500 employees and managed P&L for business divisions exceeding $400 million in revenue. He has a strong knowledge of IT, telecom, digital law and regulations.
Expanding Horizons
For the time being, the adventures offered are only in the US states of California, Colorado and Utah. Lyfx is now in the process of expanding its product offering in Europe, hence Pedro’s attendance at the Adventure Travel Show this past weekend.
Looking at the kind of people on the Lyfx board and the experience of Pedro and his co-founder, I am pretty sure they are off to a flying start!