Okay, this one is for all my travelers who also love to hike and are looking for a vacation with a little bit of challenge!!
This July - August I had the opportunity to complete a lifelong dream: completing the Tour du Mont Blanc!!⛰️🇮🇹🇫🇷🇨🇭
For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Tour Du Mont Blanc is a multi day hike where hikers make their way around Mont Blanc, crossing over 100+ miles through France, Italy and Switzerland. And to make it really clear - this is definitely not for those wanting an “easy trip”. Throughout the trek you are ascending and descending anywhere from 3,000-5,000 ft a day and hiking anywhere between 8-14 miles a day (depending how you plan it). And while there’s ways to make it “easier”/more manageable, this is definitely for people who enjoy pushing themselves!
The trail takes you through the alps where you spend the day making your through the mountain and end the day enjoying amazing food and company in a combination of mountain refuges and beautiful hotels. What many don’t realize is you actually start and end many days in hamlets and towns. So one night you can be sleeping in a hut in the mountains and the next you’re staying in a 5 star hotel eating at a Michelin star restaurant (that is if you want anyway!!!). And…The coolest part… you get to cross 3 COUNTRIES BY FOOT. I mean wow!
Now I could talk alllllll day long about the many ways you can do this trip, but for now I’ll focus on what we did :)
Across 12 days, with 11 hiking days and 1 rest day, my boyfriend and I chose to do a variety of stays, really focusing on getting the true alpine experience in mountain refuges while also giving ourselves the luxury vacation we also love! We really wanted to have the true alpine experience and carried the majority of our stuff on our backs. But it was an absolute gift to get a couple days in nicer hotels with private rooms to get great night sleeps, shower and have a little extra relaxation along the trail.
What I love most about the TMB is the culture and people. While there’s a lot of ways to making it less “back packing/camping” and more lux, everyone we met in the trail were there for the same reasons we were. To connect with nature, meet new people, enjoy the present moment and complete a physical feat few would take on.
I cannot and will not ever stop talking about what this trip meant to me. I spent the entire last day on trail crying, amazed at what my body could accomplish. It’s truly something money can’t buy!!
And an honorable mention to the many cows, marmots, sheep and guardian livestock dogs that accompanied us along the trail. My camera roll is forever filled with mountains and animals.
We did end up using an adventure travel agency to help us book it, so if anyone had questions about that feel free to ask :)
Okay, I’ll stop yapping now… enjoy the pics!!!
And feel free to ask any questions, id love to chat about this with anyone interested :)