My need for Africa drove me crazy. How can so many of us live our entire lives and not even skim the surface of such a vast piece of the world? While most visitors get in a private vehicle at the airport and beeline for safari lodges, keeping way out of the way of natives and African cities,… Read More


Maasai Mara National Reserve With fees for parks and guides mercilessly piling up, it’s especially important to talk to other travelers and research ahead when it comes to safaris.     Don’t waste your money at Nakuru. Here, you’re far out from urban development on the property of the indigenous Masai who are essentially the Kenyan versions… Read More


I found myself plopped into the poor province of Nyanza, home to many peaceful villages nestled in the hillsides, but also some of the highest malaria rates in Kenya. Bordering Lake Victoria, Homa Bay offered me my best understanding of East African culture. Oyugis Bustling with motorcycle taxis and villagers selling mangoes and avocados (seriously, here there’s a constant supply of… Read More


El Salvador is ridiculously deserted and therefore beautiful. The beaten path isn’t beaten.  Guatemala and Nicaragua have bigger lakes, taller volcanos, and more hostels. El Salvador only wins in making the headlines for crime. With proper caution, two days was enough for me to enjoy the nature and people unfiltered.   BUDGET BREAKDOWN: *This is only an… Read More


Minimum time, maximum adventure. If this is your style, check out Day One.     Day Two Santa Ana → Lake Coatepeque → Cerro Verde → San Salvador     Rise and shine. It tooka minute to figure out the stairs to the terrace are hidden within the kitchen. I was alone watching the morning sun… Read More


Jamaica didn’t quench my thirst. After finding cheap airfare, I convinced my trip leader from January to lead another expedition. Except this time, we were way further off the grid, had less days to work with, and we had my father in tow.     Day One Somewhere in the atmosphere → San Salvador → Sonsonate → Nahuizalco… Read More


Excerpt taken from 2 East + 2 West, 2011.   6.2.11 Thursday I woke, super excited to see the crisp clear mountain faces. I jumped out of bed, threw open the curtains and… got blinded by white nothingness. Loads of fog. After that let down, the first thing I had to do was finish my… Read More


Ecuador invites the rest of the world to come have a look. The country’s 2014 tourism campaign, All You Need Is Ecuador, boasts that they really do have it all: the Andes, the Amazon, the Pacific, and the Galapagos. I associate this country with hummingbirds, expats, striped popsicles, and the color green.      … Read More


With it’s strong Latino culture, temperate nature, and throng of backpackers, Panama will always be special to me for the wild yet safe stay I had as a solo female traveler. It’s a great destination for beginners to learn and for the more seasoned to wander beyond the beaten path.     BUDGET BREAKDOWN*: Duration- 10… Read More


    Long Distance Collectivos, or shuttles, and overnight charter busses (that use way too much AC) connect the capital with the rest of the country, and prices are quite expensive compared to the rest of Latin America. Sometimes the same trip was double the cost of what the 2013 Lonely Planet reports. A major transfer… Read More