The Central American backpacker trail differs greatly from its Southeast Asian and European cousins. It’s a different monster; a much more good-looking, older, hiking monster. Traveling through CA proved over and over again that any expectations I carried from previous trips must be thrown out the window. This was slightly to …

If you google traveling solo, all of these articles and blog posts will come up showing how easy it is and how empowering it is. I am right there with those articles by the way, don’t start thinking this is one of thoooose articles. Kudos to all the solo female …

Everyone knows something about the “seacows” of the world: manatees. They are herbivores, they are really really big, they like shallow, warm water, they hang out in Florida in the winters. Wait, what?? As soon as I figured that last part out, I was on a mission to get in …

The Caribbean doesn’t initially seem like the easiest place to travel on a budget. Costs vary from island to island, of course, but on many of the most accessible islands, there aren’t a ton of hostels or cheap apartment rentals, activities tend to be pricey and the same goes for …

I originally wrote this post as a print guide for our March house sitters Dave and Lauren. They were so kind as to come watch Leo for three weeks while we gallivanted around Japan, and I really wanted to make sure they enjoyed living in our neighborhood to the fullest. Because …

Recently, I had the pleasure of being a guest on the maiden voyage of Carnival cruise line’s newest addition, Fathom to the Dominican Republic. Their mission is to introduce the world of cruising to volunteering and impact work. Ship-goers can choose to make an impact in the DR by helping …

You probably remember my ode to pupusas, the El Salvadorian delicacy, but El Salvador has a lot more to offer visitors than just this scrumptious morsel. Many backpackers hitting Central America just bypass El Salvador and Honduras due to safety concerns or a lack of “things to do”. Those that …

There’s something magical about Guatemala – maybe it’s the striking volcanos, the super-friendly people, or the colorful Mayan textiles you can find basically everywhere around the country. After going once to work with a Mayan community in Lake Atitlan, I swore to myself I’d come back to soak in the …

With a history dating back over 450 years, the city of Leon, Nicaragua has quite a bit to offer to those who travel to explore it. For over 200 years, Leon served as the capital of Nicaragua and today it the second largest city in Nicaragua after the current capital …

I think that our decision to come home this May surprised people a bit. It surprised US, to be honest. We originally expected to be traveling up through Bolivia and Peru, which would put us in South America until late June. As I’ve mentioned before in the past though, when …