How We Escaped a Roadside Extortion Scheme in Ecuador
A routine police checkpoint turns into a tense standoff when the police give us a choice: pay a $900 bribe or go to prison.
Liuan
Ecuador Road Trip Journal – Week 3: On the Coast
This is a journal of our final week driving around Ecuador. We visited the coast and took an excursion out to the “Poor Man’s Galapagos.”
Ecuador Road Trip Journal – Week 2: Through the Sierra
This is a daily journal of our second week on the road. Our family spent three weeks driving around Ecuador in a rental car.
Ecuador Road Trip Journal – Week 1: Into the Jungle
On the first week of our 3-week road trip around Ecuador, we give the day by day highlights as we descend from the Andes into the jungle.
Quick Tips for Travel to Chile
An acquaintance going to Chile from the United States in a few months asked about general travel tips for this country. This is what I told her, plus a bit more.
Ten Months into our Family Gap Year, Homesickness Hits
We’ve been on the road for nearly a year and are starting to think about our return home. Here are some of the first things each family member wants to do when we cross the threshold and put our bags down.
Our 6 Favorite Earth-Friendly Travel Items
Going to new places makes it challenging to continue environmentally conscious practices. Here are some items that have helped us live lighter on the earth.
When the Water Runs Dry: Bolivia’s Struggle With Scarcity
Visiting areas of water scarcity in South America, and specifically Bolivia, has underscored the value of the “liquid gold” that sustains all life.
From Ushuaia to Bogotá – Over, Around and Through the Andes
Before we laid eyes on it, the Andes already took on a mythic quality in our family’s imagination. Our transcontinental journey only deepens our respect.
A Perfect Travel Day Includes Lots of Unplanned Adventure
We recently came to the end of a day of exploring southern Chile and said to one another, “That was the perfect travel day.” Here’s what made it so wonderful.