Once I arrived in La Paz, it became my sole mission to gain entry into San Pedro Prison; a prison that even the guards don’t enter. From a trip to the police station to being scammed and giving up hope, to finding a second-wind, and finally getting in, this was an adventure I’ll never forget […]
A visit to Bolivia’s famous salt flats in Salar de Uyuni is a once-in-a-lifetime event. It all starts with one of the most painful bus rides on Earth but gets better very quickly with stunning lunar landscapes and possibly the quirkiest travel photos you’ll ever have the chance to take. However, most travelers only schedule a few […]
It began over pizza and beer, just like many expeditions before it. We all sat there, poring over topographic maps, tracing steps to come, completely mesmerized by the uncertainty of it all. |I quickly interrupted to show-off my (exceedingly rudimentary) comprehension of Spanish, ‘Did you say botas? We already have botas, see…’ And I raised my […]
We had just handed over a hefty amount of money to pay for a month’s rent (extortionate for Cusco). We thought it included everything (hot water, electricity, internet…) when, ‘Excuse me, but the stove doesn’t work’. ‘Oh yes, you have to buy gas. You can buy some from me for 20 soles’. As a matter of […]
For years we’ve heard stories of the infamous tours of San Pedro Prison in Bolivia. By law, tourists are strictly not allowed in the prison, but there’s a well-worn path of contacting English-speaking inmates to take you in as their relatives for an illegal tour. (Yes, you actually have to call a number inside the prison and […]
I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in 2016, and the following night, forgot to book a hotel in Cairo. So with a thick beard, dirty clothes and trekking gear, we stumbled into Egypt at 2:00 am without a place to sleep. We decided to accept the first hotel/motel/hostel that would take us, which happened to be the […]
There we were, strolling slowly home from our afternoon Spanish class, the main Plaza looking a lot more crowded than usual. Then suddenly, an unmistakable sound: the melodious ‘crackling’ and ‘whooshing’ of rally cars. There are a lot of things I love about traveling to developing countries, but let’s be honest, the absolute best thing […]
This past March, a global anti-poverty agency organized a cycling adventure to Cambodia. It sure was fun, both physical and charitable, and certainly got me out of my comfort zone. For years, ActionAid Australia has been working with communities in Cambodia affected by landmines. Their focus now is on helping them increase income through better farming, water […]
When I first stumbled upon Huacachina as the sand-boarding mecca of Peru, I added a new must-do on my bucket list. And then came the images of soaring sand dunes, the legend of a mermaid princess who created the natural oasis that is Huacachina, and the death-defying reviews of dune buggy rides. I was hooked. Huacachina […]
If Peru is in your bucket list of places to see before you chuck it, it’s likely you’ll need to be a bit more specific. Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. But what many people don’t realize is that there are a number of alternative Incan trails to explore Machu Picchu. It depends on what […]
What does the cost of living in various cities have to do with your next two-week vacation? Well, nothing really. This post is for those of you with a dream. A dream that involves long-term travel OR anything that requires your undivided attention (and no income). By living in cheaper cities, savings can go much further. So […]
This isn’t one of those ‘How To Choose a Backpack‘ guides that present millions of options for hundreds of scenarios. No, instead, I want to give you very few options based on my personal experience with just one scenario, for how to choose a backpack for round the world travel. No matter how many guides you […]
‘Ughh… I thought we were hiking “off the beaten track”, not through a beaten-up dumpster.’ Too often, plastic bags, crushed water bottles, and candy wrappers litter the scenery when trekking and camping. We’re so used to flushable toilets, regular garbage pickups, and pre-packaged food that when we get out into the ‘real outdoors’ we don’t […]
If you ask the average traveler about Colombia, they’ll look at you wide-eyed with thoughts of unruly drug cartels and merciless kidnappings. And if you tell them you’re actually thinking of visiting, well, they’ll be quick to recount an episode of Locked-Up Abroad or a story about some poor family being held for ransom. But […]
It sounded like a great idea at home: travel to a developing country, see how the locals live, learn a thing or two about life, eat great food, make new friends, and return home a better person for it all. Fast forward a few weeks, and there you are unpacking again in another rundown hostel, […]
It’s easy to make a visit to Machu Picchu un-memorable. Arrive at 10 am, take a two-hour guided tour, pose for a few happy snaps, and return home with a memory full of rocks. But it doesn’t have to be that way. After two full-day visits to Machu Picchu in a single week (long story), […]
Snakes primarily use their venom to debilitate and digest prey. Sure, humans aren’t prey for most venomous snakes, but the toxins work on us in the same way. I mention this because if you keep in mind that venom is intended to secure food, its excessive effects make much more sense. Like my previous post about the effects of […]
Paris of the South or the Chocolate Capital? It’s a tough choice, so we’re after your vote. We’ve narrowed the search down to a single country, the next step is to decide what city. Starting this October, we’ll make our way down to Argentina, but it’s the eighth largest country in the world… how are […]
They say that time travel is impossible. However, if you’re thinking of traveling to Spain, then you could visit the gothic and medieval splendor of some of the region’s most impressive historic buildings, the Paradores. Spain has a unique tourism policy of developing historic buildings such as castles and palaces into stylish modern hotels. The […]
My love affair with travel actually started many years before I realized it. For a long time, I’ve had a designated bookmark folder containing a handful of links to adventure companies. Every now and then, I’d venture into the folder, click a random link, and flick through that company’s list of adventure trips. I’d pay special […]
It’s easy to get carried away with customer reviews on the world wide web. Personally, I’m one of the worst culprits; I pore incessantly over reviews before I commit to anything. And although conducting these silent surveys is oddly empowering, they become debilitating as you find conflicting opinions. So, I’ll do something a little different. Rather […]
If I think back to what inspired me to travel, it had very little to do with reading about others’ adventures. Sure I loved stepping into the shoes of climbers on towering peaks and donning the suits of divers in circuitous caves, but those stories didn’t actually get me moving. More than anything, I attribute […]
For us long-term travelers, eating out every night is expensive and generally unhealthy. There are some exceptions, such as in certain regions of Asia, but they’re rarer than you’d think. So we need to find a balance between cost, convenience, taste, and healthiness. It’s difficult enough at home, let alone on the road where no […]
Back in 2015, I climbed Mt Kilimanjaro. My team decided on climbing up the Machame Route (also affectionately known as the Whiskey Route). At the time, it offered the best compromise between traffic, scenery, weather, and availability. But preferences are personal. Would you prefer to sleep in tents or huts? What about traffic, would you […]
