My story of the cities and countries I’ve visited. Follow me as I walk the streets of the cities, see awe-inspiring sights, and meet amazing people.
5 Best Wanaka Day Hikes
Wanaka is known for its gorgeous lake and amazing hikes. With views of Mount Aspiring and the surrounding mountains, it is absolutely a great place to go hiking. These are my top five favorite day hikes in Wanaka:1. Roy’s PeakYes, I know this hike is...
5 Reasons Rees-Dart is My Favorite Trek in New Zealand
I don’t usually play favorites. To me, every place and experience is unique and cannot truly be compared to others. Even when it comes to trekking, it is hard to compare the scenery of one place to another, or the feeling you get along the trail. That...
How to Hike the Kepler Track in New Zealand
New Zealand is an outdoor enthusiast’s mecca. With 14 national parks encompassing mountains, lakes, coastline, gorges, rainforests, and volcanoes, it’s easy to see why. One of the most famous regions is near Fiordland National Park on the South Island....
Sunsets & Waterfalls in Nicoya
The Nicoya Peninsula boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. The southern part of the peninsula especially has a reputation for both gorgeous beaches and fewer crowds. This is due in part to the effort it takes to reach this region, but it...
Exploring Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio is one of Costa Rica’s most visited national parks. With adorable wildlife, beautiful beaches, and lush jungle paths only a few hours from San Jose, it’s easy to see why. Of course, all those crowds tend to detract from the experience of...
Volcanoes & Cute Critters in Arenal & Monteverde
Costa Rica is extremely biodiverse, with lush jungles, arid beaches, mountains, volcanoes, and cloud forests. Each environment contains an abundance of different plant and animal life. The areas around Arenal and Monteverde are some of the best places to...
Machu Picchu: Is it Worth the Hype?
Machu Picchu is one of those places you can’t avoid hearing about when traveling in Peru. While Peru has an abundance of amazing sights to visit, Machu Picchu garners the attention of the world. I remember seeing pictures of it in textbooks in elementary...
Discovering Cuenca & Cajas
Cuenca is a very pretty city in southern Ecuador. Although still a good-sized city, it has a much more relaxed feel than the capital of Quito. The historic center of the city is beautiful, with 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings still lining...
Quito
If you’re traveling through Ecuador, it’s hard to avoid Quito. It is the transportation hub of Ecuador, connecting to amazing destinations such as Quilatoa, the Galapagos, Cotopaxi, the Amazon region, and pretty much anywhere you wish to go in Ecuador....
Otavalo & Laguna Cuicocha
Otavalo is a small city in the northern part of Ecuador, located about two and a half hours by bus from Quito. It is most famous for the Saturday artisan market, where indigenous tribes from the region come into the city to sell their products and...
Hiking the Quilotoa Loop
When I first started planning my South America trip, one of the first recommended places I came across was Laguna Quilotoa. I remember seeing the photo of the deep blue crater lake online and thinking “I definitely need to go there”. When I found out I...
Hiking Volcanoes in Ecuador: Imbabura, Rucu Pichincha, and Cotopaxi
Ecuador is a country of volcanoes. With around 50 volcanoes in the country, some active and others long since inactive, Ecuador is a hiker’s paradise. Cotopaxi and Chimborazo tend to get the glory, but there are plenty of other volcanoes in Ecuador worth...
Guide to the Galápagos on the Cheap
The Galápagos are famous throughout the world for the plethora of animal life there. Species of plants and animals that can be found nowhere else in the world are native to the islands. Because there was never an indigenous population in the Galápagos, the...
Experiencing Colombian Coffee in Salento
Salento is a small town south of Medellín in Colombia nestled amongst the mountains. It is a perfect location for growing coffee and in fact the majority of the coffee produced in Colombia comes from this region. Great coffee in combination with beautiful...
Wax Palms and Mountains: Cocora Valley vs. Samaria Valley
Cocora Valley is one of the main attractions in the coffee region of Ecuador. It is close to the town of Salento, making it easy to combine a trip to Cocora Valley with some time exploring coffee farms or relaxing in Salento. You can read about my...
Guatapé City of Lakes
Guatapé is famous for it’s lush green hills surrounded on all sides by gorgeous lakes as well as its very colorful town center. Only a couple of hours away from Medellín, many people visit Guatapé as a day trip, but there is plenty to do here if you have...
Medellín, Colombia
Medellín was a bit of a surprise to me. Situated in the northwest of Colombia, the city earned the nickname “city of eternal spring” for the year-round nice weather it experiences. It had a violent past, but in recent years it has become a popular draw for...
La Candelaria, Bogotá
Bogotá has quite a reputation as an uninteresting city. However, I was pleasantly surprised by my visit there. To be fair, I stayed in La Candeleria area nearly the entire time, which I realize is not representative of the city as a whole, but I enjoyed...
El Cocuy National Park, Colombia
El Cocuy is one of the least known destinations in Colombia but boasts some of the most beautiful scenery. It is very different than most of the other regions in Colombia as it is high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The park itself is over 12,000 feet...
Santa Marta, Colombia
I didn’t expect to spend so much time in Santa Marta on my trip, but it is a convenient hub for many of the attractions in the area. Minca is only 45 minutes away by bus, Parque Tayrona an hour, and it is the main departure point for La Ciudad Perdida....
Love following your journeys. Many places we have been and many places we love to see,
Thanks for your wonderful emails.
Love, Aunt Connie
Thank you! Yes, maybe you should do a guest post with some of the places you’ve been – I know there are so many! 🙂