Two Backpackers

Travel And Exercise

| by Aracely | 8 Comments » | Travel Tips

Running in Central Park, NYC

Aracely and I are both health conscience individuals who enjoy working out and eating healthy, but there are always exceptions.  We definitely do have our  fair share of splurges on pizza (for me) and ice cream (for Aracely).  Our initial thought was that backpacking for a year would get us into better shape.  We have discovered that while on the road having any sort of routine, especially an exercise routine, is nearly impossible.

Participating in multi-day treks is an excellent form of exercise, but they usually take place weeks apart, creating new break-in pains each time.  Making things even more challenging, eating cheap street food is usually not healthy. Continue Reading

Can Blogging Pay For My Travel?

| by Jason | 45 Comments » | Blogging Tips

Location Independent Professional

For those preparing to travel long-term, blogging is almost becoming an expected component of the trip.  Being a travel blogger myself, active on twitter, I see new people eagerly jumping into the travel blogger sphere every week.  Blogging while traveling offers many positives for your trip, but the ultimate question is, “Can a blog pay for your travel?” Continue Reading

Returning Home Culture Shock?

| by Jason | 29 Comments » | Reflections

Getting Up To Speed On Current Events in the US

Since we have returned home the question most often asked of us is, “Do you have culture shock?”  In a close second place is, “What are you going to do now?”  I will address the first one in this article.

“Shock” is an extreme word and feels like an exaggeration to me.  The phrase “Shock and Awe” comes to mind, and since 2024, I have just felt guilty using the term to describe something I have gone through.  Honestly, I am not in anyway shocked since I have returned home, I would just say I am more aware, much more aware. Continue Reading

Discover Quito Ecuador

| by Jason | 18 Comments » | Ecuador, Photo Essays, South America

Quito is the capital city of Ecuador and stands 2,800 m (9,186 ft) above sea level, making Quito the second-highest capital city in the world behind La Paz in Bolivia.  Its official, less popular name is San Francisco de Quito.

Quito, Ecuador

Quito is most often visited for it’s proximity to the celebrated middle of the world, equator line (La Mitad del Mundo).  In addition, Quito’s old city (Centro Histórico), also boasts the most exquisite Spanish colonial architecture that attracts photographers from around the world.  Cathedrals dot the landscape and the Andes mountains wrap the city valley.  Looking off into the distance at the 45 m (148 ft) tall aluminum monument of a madonna that stands overlooking the city from a hilltop, I felt I was in a special place. Continue Reading

Preparing to Travel To-Do List

| by Jason | 22 Comments » | Reflections, Travel Tips, Trip Planning

Packing And Selling Stuff

Preparing to travel, regardless of travel style, can be a stressful task.  We weren’t able to sleep; awake until 3:00am thinking about all that remained to be done for our backpacking trip.

When you live in the United States, traveling to another country typically means you have a long trip overseas.  It means you have to research passport and visa requirements, book flights, and ensure things at home are taken care of.

Don’t expect your planning to be perfect, it’s impossible for long term travel.  This is a journey that will be filled with the unknown; new cultures, language barriers and obscure villages.  For me, it is was about letting go of control.  “I am unable to prevent the inevitable stress we will experience.”  Being able to control yourself when in a situation that is out of your control is a skill you will attempt develop. Continue Reading

10 Weird Things From Latin America

| by Jason | 51 Comments » | Central America, Photo Essays, Reflections, South America

One of my favorite things about traveling is being humored by things that seem strange or awkward to me.  We’ve traveled extensively through Central and South America and noticed many different customs, products and behaviors that don’t exist in the United States.  Each individual country does have distinct cultural norms when compared to their neighbors, however, we were still able to observe some common weird things across them all.

Mendoza Wine Country

| by Jason | 5 Comments » | Argentina, South America

Wine Tasting at Vines of Mendoza

Yes, while in Argentina we visited the home of the world renowned Malbec wines of Mendoza.  No, we didn’t think it was awesome, but we aren’t wine connoisseurs either.  Once we promoted that we were visiting Argentina, our friends and family immediately asked, “Are you going to visit Mendoza?”  At first, we didn’t think it was going to fit into our route, but after our friend Kevin from home arrived to spend 2 weeks with us, things changed.

The The Mendoza wine region is situated at the foothills of the Andes Mountains on high plains.  The consistent weather, mountain water runoff and extreme high and low temperatures provide the ultimate environment for growing vines at an amazingly high altitude.  The natural, cold mountain water is irrigated to create a fixed and consistent watering system for the grapes.  It rarely rains, so they don’t incur flooding.  The extreme temperature change between night day builds a thick skin on the grapes.  But, best of all, its cheap and fruity delicious! Continue Reading