My favorite pueblo magico is now Cuetzalan, Puebla, the absolutely gorgeous traditional town in the northeast of Puebla state, tucked into the lush tropical mountains. I based myself from the beautiful Cuetzalan hotel, Posada La Vereda, which was a perfect choice to enjoy both the incredible nature and quick access to the amazing town of […]
Guatemala is an incredible, diverse country and it’s impossible to do everything in a week. But we’ll visit 3 distinct regions during our 1 week Guatemala trip. From the jungle and ruins of Tikal, to the beautiful colonial city of Antigua, to magical Lake Atitlán, we’ll learn about Mayan culture, history, artisan work, and typical
Travel Daydreaming is a virtual travel series, where I take you day-by-day through an itinerary in one of my favorite places. Today we will spend 1 week traveling to the best Oaxaca beaches, including Puerto Escondido, Mazunte, San Agustinillo, Zipolite and Punta Pajaros. I’ll take you to my favorite restaurants, wildlife tours, cocktail bars, day
On my first trip to Chiapas, I ran out of time to make it to the Lacandona/Montes Azules Chiapas jungle and I really regretted it. So on my last trip to Chiapas, I made it a priority to make it to this remote and lush natural region. So I booked 4 days at Las Guacamayas
Antigua Guatemala is a place I visit often, so I finally decided to put together an Antigua travel guide. This beautiful and lovely little city is one of my favorites in Central America, it’s full of gorgeous historic homes and churches, colorful walls, leafy greens, incredible textiles, and mountains + volcanoes on all sides. So
After several trips to the country, I can absolutely say that Lake Atitlan is one my favorite places to visit in Guatemala. When I think about Guatemala, I picture the magical lake surrounded by epic mountains and volcanoes, and the vibrant traditional Mayan towns that surround it. I want to write about all the villages
Finding the perfect travel luggage has felt like a never ending search for me. But it’s become clear that I prefer and find a quality backpack so much more convenient than rolling options. I recently came across Banana Backpacks, and loved the company’s social mission. So I tried out my new 60 liter backpack on
Planning my Palenque tours from San Cristobal was probably the most difficult part of my Chiapas travel planning. The Palenque ruins are quite far from San Cristobal, and there is mixed information online about the safest way to get there. So after lots of research and actually doing the trip, I want to write about
A couple of months ago, I started planning a solo trip, but wanted to be in a space where I would: 1) meet interesting people and 2) have a meaningful experience. I had planned on finding a yoga retreat somewhere in Central America, and when I stumbled on Villa Sumaya, Lake Atitlan retreat, I knew
I’ll be honest, I spent a few years of travel being lazy about my environmental choices. When I was traveling full-time, I didn’t feel like I had time to research and find natural, healthy, and sustainable products. Now I know that was an excuse (I could have made time) so I’ve become determined to cut
The Oaxaca coast is still outside of the mainstream tourist itinerary, so you can escape the crowds here and be treated to some of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico. One of my favorite parts of this coast are the adjacent towns of San Agustinillo and Mazunte, Oaxaca. They are so close you can walk
I visit La Punta Zicatela, Puerto Escondido often from my home in Oaxaca. I’ve gotten a good handle on all the best things to do in and around Puerto Escondido – including releasing baby turtles, cliffside walks, and the best swimming beach in town – so I wanted to share them here, along with some
El Salvador travel is very off the radar for many, which is exactly the reason I was so interested to visit. During my whirlwind 6 day El Salvador tour with the El Salvador Tourism Board, I visited 10 towns/cities, 4 beaches, 2 volcanoes, 2 local markets, and a coffee farm. I learned so much about the
I’ve already established that my time on the Caribbean island of Roatan was above and beyond anything I expected. I loved this interesting and beautiful island. One of the most surprising parts of my Roatan vacation was my 3 days on the wild and undeveloped East End. The East End of the island receives
Roatan is an beautiful Caribbean island that seems to be on very few non-divers’ radar. It’s actually fairly little known in the travel world in general. This small island is part of a chain of 3 islands in the clear Caribbean waters off the coast of Honduras. Most Roatan travel revolves around exploring the second
In my humble opinion, the Puerto Vallarta beaches south of the city are the most Instagram-worthy, beautiful, and dramatic beaches, and yet they are usually mostly empty. It baffles me because they are SO easy to get to, whether you have a car or are taking the bus. During my last trip to Puerto Vallarta,
I love hiking and doing nature explorations when I go to a new place. So when I was planning my time in Spain, I knew I wanted to find a way to fit some trekking in. I had heard that hiking Sierra Nevada mountains was unique and beautiful, so I looked for a tour company
One of my absolute favorite activities when visiting a new place is simple – wandering the streets with a camera in hand, hunting for pretty nooks and corners. When I was researching what to do in Cusco,I found some good suggestions, but ended up stumbling on others by accident. So I wanted to compile the
When I first found Amantica Lodge online, I immediately fell in love with this Peru luxury hotel. The design of the exclusive villa was everything I look for in a hotel – sleek, hip and beautiful. This seemed like the perfect choice for a boutique hotel Lake Titicaca experience. The stay totally lived up to
One of the very first things I knew I wanted to do when I got to Peru was the Rainbow Mountain trek. This hike is still fairly new on the tourist scene, but it’s splashed all over social media – and I couldn’t deny the unique beauty of the layered and colorful mountain. So when
I feel like my time in the Cusco region of Peru was nothing short of magical – and I don’t say that lightly. For 3 weeks we spent time in Cusco city, Ollantaytambo, and many of the surrounding towns and ruins. One of my absolute highlights of these weeks was our 3 day tour with
Medellin is located northwest of Bogota, in the state of Antioquia. Residents, called Paisas, are much more interested in their local culture than that of Colombia as a whole. Antioquians are very proud of their history, culture, food, and way of life. The city is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. It’s large and sprawling,
Bogota is located almost exactly in the center of the country, high up in the Andes mountains at 2644 meters (8675 feet). It’s a huge city – with 6 1/2 million residents, but surrounded by beautiful natural places that can be reached on day trips or longer ventures. If you go to Colombia, chances are
This is part 2 in my 3 part series about the best adventures in Colombia. Head back to my previous post about hiking epic Valle de Cocora. And stay tuned for the final adventure in the series! Here is Part 2 – Parque Tayrona is a national park on the northeast Caribbean coastline of Colombia. It’s well
My 3 favorite adventures during my month long trip around Colombia weren’t found in the main tourist destinations of Bogota, Medellin, or Cartagena, they were in beautiful remote areas that took some work to get to. One of my absolute favorite days in Colombia was hiking Valle de Cocora, walking amidst the tallest palm trees in the world,
The southern Nicaraguan coast is a series of bays or coves, ringed with jagged and dramatic rock formations. This makes for dozens of different beaches within a short distance from San Juan del Sur. Each beach is unique – with it’s own geography, ocean currents, and patrons. Part of the fun of staying in town
The first thing you’ll be told to do in Las Galeras is “The 3 Beaches” tour. This entails hiring a small speedboat from the main beach in town and taking a tour of the three most beautiful beaches nearby – Rincon, Fronton, and Madama. We had loosely planned to do this, but ended up touring
The first thing you must do in Oaxaca is eat. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eat second breakfast, mid-day snack, and late night treat. Eat! Between meals, you should fit in some of the other activities the city has to offer. The five things below may or may not be in the guidebooks, but if
