Eleven simulators, no sign-up

Simulators

Most trips go wrong in ways that were computable at home: the month, the altitude, the daylight, the weight on your back, the buffer day you did not book. Eleven simulators, free, private and open about their assumptions.

One place, one month, one calendarJourney SimulatorChoose a place, a month, the days you have and how you travel. The simulator lays out a day-by-day timeline with temperatures, daylight, sleeping altitude, effort and cost, and flags the days where the model gets nervous. Open

What the month does to the placeClimate SimulatorHighs, lows and rain days for all twelve months of any place, with a feels-like line, a clothing verdict and a side-by-side comparison of up to three places for the month you can travel. Open

Sunrise, sunset and the polar casesDaylight SimulatorAny latitude, any date: sunrise, sunset, day length, civil twilight and the golden hours, drawn as an arc. It knows about the midnight sun and the polar night, and it shows how fast the day changes around your dates. Open

Oxygen, acclimatisation and the third nightAltitude SimulatorEnter where you sleep each night, or pick a place’s profile. The simulator computes the oxygen available at each altitude, checks every jump against the acclimatisation rules and gives a risk index for acute mountain sickness with the nights that need care. Open

Three styles, one honest totalBudget SimulatorPick a place, the days, the people and a travel style, add the fixed items like flights, permits and a ship, and the simulator gives a total with the split between lodging, food, transport, guides and activities, and the same trip in the other two styles. Open

By weight, not by fearPack SimulatorChoose a place or a climate band, the activity and the days, and the simulator builds a packing list with the weight of every item, the total on your back, the water on top and the warnings where the list and the airline or the horse disagree. Open

Distance and climb into hoursStage SimulatorEnter a stage’s distance, ascent and descent, the terrain, your pace and the weight on your back, and the simulator gives the hours, the calories and the water for the day, then splits a long route into stages that fit the daylight. Open

The first three days, scheduledJet Lag SimulatorPick your home city and the destination, the simulator computes the time shift and gives a light and sleep schedule for the days before and after the flight, with the hours to seek light, avoid it, and sleep, so the first morning on the trip is a real one. Open

Monte Carlo trip riskA Thousand TripsChoose a place, a month, your days and the buffer days you booked. The simulator runs a thousand versions of your trip with weather, delays and cancellations drawn from the place’s parameters, and shows how many finished the plan, how many lost a day and how many turned back. Open

Two places, every axisPlace ComparatorPick two places and a month. The simulator draws both on a radar of remoteness, effort, cost, wonder, risk and comfort, lines up their climate, daylight, altitude, days and budget for that month, and says in a sentence which one the model would choose for you. Open

Twelve weeks to the trailheadTraining SimulatorEnter your departure date, your current fitness and the adventure, and the simulator builds a week-by-week training plan backwards from the trip: walks, stairs, load and rest, with the long day each weekend growing towards the hardest stage. Open

Expedition Game

Danakil DepressionThe Salt RoadThree days in the Danakil with a convoy that has its own ideasPlay

SvalbardThe Ice EdgeFour days in Longyearbyen in April, snowmobiles and a weather window that keeps movingPlay

SocotraThe CrossingSeven days on Socotra between two flights, with a guide, a driver and no signalPlay

The Simulation Brief

One place, one simulator, one honest number. Every second Sunday.

No newsletter theatre. A short e-mail with the place we modelled, what the model said and what the ground said back.