I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh after 3 1/2 years of dreaming. I was dreaming of the day I would graduate and no longer have to listen to people formally lecturing me. I was itching to travel full time. So in December 2009, I completed the last of my coursework and skipped my own graduation to begin my travels uninterrupted. Although I had dreams of … [Read more...] about Around the World (Starting with a Cruise)
Latin America
There is No Perfect Time. There is Just Now.
Time and time again, I meet people and hear stories that reaffirm my belief that it’s never too late to live your travel dreams. When I was travelling around South America last year, I met Hal recently in Costa Rica. Hal is in his early forties and was laid off from his job when the depression hit. Now he lives in a small beach side bungalow in Costa Rica. How did he do it? … [Read more...] about There is No Perfect Time. There is Just Now.
Cheap Travelers
On Thursday my Ecuadorian friend Carolina invited me to a friend’s birthday party in Cumbaya, a suburb of Quito. She picked me up from my hostel and we drove to the valley, into a gated neighborhood with some really beautiful homes. This particular home is the kind that makes me reconsider my ideas of owning big possessions. The party turned out to be a small gathering with … [Read more...] about Cheap Travelers
Driving the Most Dangerous Road on the Planet (with One Eye!)
Riding as a passenger on a bus or van on an Andean highway can be a scary experience. There’s constant blind turns and perpetual thousand foot drop offs at the edge of the road, and both features are elevanted from dangerous to terrifying by the fact that the people driving on those twisty mountain highways appear to take an anarchist perspective toward basic traffic … [Read more...] about Driving the Most Dangerous Road on the Planet (with One Eye!)
Leaving Colombia On A High Note
It´s been a week since I left Colombia and I am still trying to convince myself that it was the right decision to leave and see something new. This update seems kind of forced as its been so long since i posted. I don´t really remember most of the details now but i´ll try. After finishing up a week in the sweltering heat with my dad, I flew back to Bogota, the capital … [Read more...] about Leaving Colombia On A High Note