Dylan Efron is shirtless, standing in entrance of a verdant river. He smiles as he turns to ask you to dive in with him: “What higher technique to begin your journey than to swim with the locals?”
“…the native manatees,” he says with a smirk earlier than strolling proper into the murky waters. With all of the allure on the earth, he instantly journeys because the riverbank provides technique to the deep. The cameraman cackles, video shaking up and down with mirth. Dylan laughs as effectively, and surprisingly, so do you. There’s one thing about Dylan’s approachable nature and the fashion of his filming that makes one really feel as if they’re standing proper there with him, about to satisfy some manatees themselves.
Because the opening credit roll you’re handled to beautiful pictures of a rustic immersed in water and jungle. Dylan tells you the place you’re visiting at the moment, and presents what he calls probably the most lovely nation he’s ever been to: Guyana.
This video is the primary of many to return on Dylan’s YouTube collection aptly titled Connection Via Journey.
Following a serendipitous assembly at Coachella, host Brian Calle satisfied Dylan to take a fast break from his intrepid explorations and sit down for an eye-opening and provoking chat about increasing one’s horizons on this week’s L.A. Weekly Weekly Podcast.
Dylan Efron is many issues, together with a producer (current works embody Right down to Earth with Zac Efron), an actor in addition to a wellness and journey model ambassador. Nevertheless, what he could also be finest recognized for is his sense of journey and love of recent experiences, which is what has led him to turn into an journey influencer with near one million followers. At all times doing one thing new and thrilling, he has used his platform to assist indigenous communities around the globe and promote the significance of sustainability. Dylan is happiest when exterior, and his latest YouTube collection is a pure development of his work.
“It’s a journey collection the place we go to Guyana,” explains Dylan. “It actually spoke to me as a result of my background was in producing and now I’ve began stepping in entrance of the digital camera. This was one of many first probabilities I’ve actually obtained to mix the 2 of those and journey to a vacation spot, and actually increase consciousness. And I believe Guyana spoke to me a lot as a result of I used to be capable of tie in sustainability as effectively.”
However as famous within the on-line video’s description, earlier than he traveled there he didn’t actually know a lot concerning the place in any respect.
“I had no thought what Guyana was. I believe most individuals don’t,” he says with a humble chuckle. “It’s the one English-speaking nation in South America, proper subsequent to Suriname and Brazil, and this place is completely beautiful. I’ve mentioned it within the intro of the present and it’s probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my life.”
“What’s so cool is that the entire nation is tied to sustainability,” he continues. “They’ve one of many largest rainforests on the earth and the indigenous communities are taking good care of that forest. By selling tourism and selling that indigenous group, you’re saving the rainforest so that they don’t have to show to logging or mining any of that space. So when I discovered this out, it was sort of simply that good mix of journey journey and sustainability – one thing I knew I actually needed to share with the world and lift consciousness for this nation.”
The significance of supporting and preserving such a group was not misplaced on Dylan, which is what impressed his present. But when he didn’t have any data about Guyana beforehand, what led him to not solely make a visit there, however create a mini documentary about it?
“I used to be very fortunate,” he says. “I’m an envoy for GoPro and GoPro was reached out to by this firm referred to as Elsewhere. Elsewhere is an organization that curates journey for the adventure-travel-type of individual. They’re not going to set you up at a resort so that you can keep there. Their aim is to search out individuals on a grassroots stage and join you with them, and curate journey for you. They simply actually work with the group and ensure all the cash from this journey goes to the pockets of the native individuals residing there.”
They have been in search of somebody who wasn’t afraid of journey and who didn’t thoughts getting soiled, which made Dylan the apparent alternative. As an adventurer, Dylan has skilled some issues that aren’t frequent to vacationers, and is ready to give a singular standpoint that goes past your common journey vlog. His hobbies alone are sufficient to hook you in. Identified for being an avid rock climber, he’s not too long ago been inquisitive about one thing referred to as highlining.
“That, mentally, is among the largest challenges I’ve needed to recover from,” he tells us. “Identical to, being a thousand toes within the air standing on this little line, that’s by far the toughest sport I’ve gotten into.”
Highlining is just like the slackline you’ve seen on the park or seashore, the place individuals with seemingly otherworldly stability stroll a bit of webbing that has been stationed above the bottom by two tree slings and a tensioning system. Not fairly tightrope strolling, slackline is extra wobbly and requires fierce focus and management over one’s personal physique. As part of the slacklining disciple, highlining is what you’ve seen within the park, however amplified. Typically between two cliffs, it’s a death-defying exercise that takes an extremely centered individual to perform. A powerful feat, many practitioners would agree with Dylan that highlining is the toughest sport they’ve ever gotten into.
Excessive sports activities paying homage to Level Break apart, Dylan’s most difficult journey and most tough are completely different, as his most tough journey expertise was palms down the time he and brother Zac Efron trekked by Nepal.
“Probably the most tough journey, I believe ever, was once I went to Nepal with Zac … and we did three weeks of backpacking in Nepal. Simply the limitless days of trekking and all that stuff, it was actually difficult,” describes Dylan. “I had completed the Boston Marathon, hopped onto a flight and did like 24 hours of journey … then I began trekking.”
One of many nice issues about Dylan is that his motivation is contagious. One interview with him emboldens you to additional your individual horizons and one scroll by his feed motivates you to observe by. L.A. Weekly Writer Brian Calle sums it up effectively when he says Dylan was made completely different, in one of the simplest ways.
“However I’m not constructed otherwise,” assures a modest Dylan. “I’m constructed the identical approach, my physique is simply paying the value.” He doesn’t wish to make his life-style appear unattainable, and it’s necessary to him to show simply the other. Anybody can have an journey, you simply have to take a step exterior.
Whereas admittedly we aren’t so eager on the acute bodily exertion that comes with working an off-the-cuff 26.2 miles adopted by worldwide journey and a right away trek by the famed mountains of Nepal, we’re very inquisitive about studying the right way to emulate Dylan’s experiences in lovely locations.
“[Nepal] was beautiful. It was positively a really non secular journey. It introduced Zac and me actually shut collectively. It was what we wanted at the moment, it was a good looking journey,” affirms Dylan.
We’re offered.
We suspect that our visitor’s motivating nature is as a result of he’s the sort to fall in love with a spot by journey, and shout that love for all of the world to see. Connection Via Journey is proof of this, and we’re grateful to expertise it.
Cognizant that not everybody is ready to discover the riches of the pure world, not to mention get to know the indigenous tradition that protects them, Dylan has made it his mission to deliver everybody who dares to dream alongside on unimaginable journeys through intimate vlogs that debut each Sunday.
His inaugural episode, GUYANA | The #1 Nation to Add to Your Bucket Checklist, is all about his time attending to know this typically ignored treasure, and inspiring others to assist the locals by taking a go to themselves. Neglect a tedious written information, Dylan retains the thriller in journey alive while opening our eyes to the entire actions one can do exterior of resorts.
To be taught extra – or to be impressed your self – take heed to the complete interview on Spotify, Cumulus Los Angeles or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t overlook to take a look at Dylan’s YouTube as effectively! You’ll be glad you probably did.
