It’s a rite of passage for many young people, when they reach a certain age, to feel the need to travel to some far off land.

For some it might be simply to indulge in the hedonistic attractions of somewhere like Ibiza with friends, or a backpackers dream to Interail across Europe.

But for Australian Matty Hannon, his wanderlust took him to a small village in Indonesia, where he spent five years of his life with its indigenous people.

This wasn’t to be his main journey however, as he decided that he wanted a real experience on the road.

After returning to his native Australia after his time in Indonesia, Matty struggled fitting into the nine to five rhythm of the city of Adelaide. He got a job behind a desk, which just didn’t suit him, and even gave him anxiety and depression. So he decided he needed to get away. Really away.

So he found himself in Alaska, where he decided it would be the starting point of his journey, which was to travel hugging the eastern coast, all the way down to Patagonia, that would span a number of years and 31,000 miles. An epic trip, where he discovered a lot about himself, as well as falling in love, with his surroundings, nature, four horses, and a very special someone.

Matty Hanlon’s journey is one that is very likely to instil a sense of envy in many who see it, young and old.

It sees the young Australian turn his back on the trappings of conventional life, and just hit the road with his bike and surfboard, with one real intention – to experience life.

His film is one that he mostly shot himself, and then with the help of a like-minded traveller Heather Hillier who accompanied him for large stretches of the trip. And the fact that it was mostly just shot by the two of them creates a certain intimacy with the audience, as if we’ve signed up for the journey too. Certainly Hanlon comes across as the type of guy you would instantly want to make friends with, such is his friendly, happy-go-lucky demeanour.

And as an ecologist, there’s also a message throughout the film, that of how the planet and nature as a whole deserve a lot more respect than it currently gets in some quarters.

It also comes across as a personal, spiritual journey rather than your average travelogue that we’re used to seeing, although it does feel at times that neither Hanlon nor Hillier are as forthcoming with their feelings as possibly we would like, but then perhaps that would be asking just too much of the pair of them.

That said, it does features some beautiful scenery, with plenty of breaking waves and impressive mountain vistas, making for a truly picturesque journey.

The pacing is also a little on the slow side, which makes it somewhat ploddy in places.

And the film’s finale is also on the disappointing side; despite featuring in the film’s title, Patagonia itself hardly features, but then that only goes to prove, which feels as if it’s the film’s entire ethos, that it’s not the destination that counts, but the journey there.

Not only does the film show what can be achieved with hardly any crew, but it will almost certainly unlock that wanderlust in many who see it, as well as bring back some happy memories for those who have found themselves on a dusty trail in the middle of nowhere chasing that sense of adventure.