Escape Rio – A Child-Friendly Guide to Teresópolis
With endless natural features, trails, and a relaxed rural vibe, this relatively unknown destination is one we remember most fondly.
Matt
“Life Begins at 40.” A Gap Year Abroad at Midlife.
I reflect what it’s like turning forty on our year long family gap year in South America, and what Pink Floyd has to say about it.
11 South American Luxuries We’ll Miss in the USA
You might not think of South America as a land of luxury. But that all depends on what you consider living the high life.
Coming Home to U.S.A. After a Year in Latin America
After a year traveling to seven South American countries, we face one last border crossing — the one to our own home. So strange and yet so familiar.
Read This Before Booking a Direct Bus from Cali to Quito
When we bought direct tickets from Cali, Colombia to Quito, Ecuador we thought we were choosing the convenient route. Don’t make the same mistake we did.
The Uneventful Week in Costa Rica That Wasn’t
We expected the final week of our family gap year — in a small Costa Rican beach town — to be simple and uneventful. It was anything but.
Advice to Avoid Paying a Police Bribe in Latin America
After an encounter with corrupt police officers attempting to extort us in Ecuador, we reflect on the best way to handle this situation in the future.
Experiments in Serendipitous Travel on an Ecuador Road Trip
On our three week road trip through Ecuador, we experimented with an older style of travel: foregoing advanced booking and making it up as we went.
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.
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.”