Panama – The End of the Road

What do you say when you have reached the end of a 500 day journey around the world? And what do you say when you are finally sitting down to write about it a year later, in the middle of a global pandemic, after the longest stretch of time at home we've ever had? I'm …

Eat, Drink, Hike – Colombia

Startled from the pop of gun powder meeting metal, I reflexively let out a little yelp, accompanied by an equally little jump. There's no real danger in a game of tejo, but every explosion is met with initial surprise and quickly followed with elated celebration among the players. Colombia's national game is, frankly, the type …

Return to Cusco, Peru

Five years after my disastrous first visit to Cusco, Peru, we returned for another shot at exploring ancient Incan heritage sites.

Chile: Santiago, Rapa Nui, and the Atacama Desert

It's not an overstatement to say that we came to Santiago, Chile in part for its Taco Bell. When your husband is obsessed with fast faux-Mexican food, but there's nary a Taco Bell in most of the countries in the world, the best way to his heart is to surprise him with an Airbnb a …

Brazil – An Unexpected Carnaval

When you meticulously plan your travels, down to a daily budget and itinerary, the last thing you expect is to accidentally touch down in the middle of the world's largest Carnaval celebration. Itinerary: • Days 1-5: Rio de Janeiro • Days 6-9: Paraty • Day 10: Sao Paulo Dates: February 24 - March 5, 2019 …

Back to Patagonia

When Tim and I flew to Argentina's Patagonia region a few weeks ago, I saw on my Facebook memories that exactly 5 years prior, we had arrived in Chilean Patagonia to embark on an epic multiday hike through Torres del Paine National Park. We didn't know at the time how much we'd fall in love …

To the End of Africa – Orange River to Cape Town

From August to December, we traveled (mostly) overland from Egypt to South Africa. That's the entire length of Africa. We visited 11 countries, saw all the animals, and brought home about a pound of desert sand in our bags and shoes that we'll probably never be able to get 100% rid of. It was by …

Beautiful Botswana

Botswana can be unforgiving. The heat weighs on you midday like a thick blanket you can't crawl out of. Your skin becomes dry and scaly with faint lines mimicking the veins of the Okavango Delta, with its sprawling channels evaporating into the Kalahari Desert. Grocery stores run out of water, which you feel you can …

Zambia – In Which We Did Something We Swore We Wouldn’t

Inching trepidatiously towards the edge of the world's largest waterfall, I wondered how I got here. Swimming in the so-called Devil's Pool at the top of Victoria Falls in Zambia was the one activity Tim and I agreed we were not going to do. But there we were. Tim was loving it. And I… had …

Tanzania & Malawi – From the Serengeti to Lake Malawi

If you have ever heard anything about Tanzania or even Africa in general, you've probably heard about the iconic Serengeti in Tanzania. The venue of countless nature documentaries and the subject of a very famous song about rain in Africa, the Serengeti is synonymous with African safari. By contrast, you've probably heard relatively little about …