You expect some culture shock when you start a trip. You always learn to expect it when you return home, especially after a long trip. Experiencing the little differences between countries is one of the best parts of traveling. I even expected to have some adjustments to make when moving from Central America to South…
When planning this trip, there were of course some major things we knew we absolutely wanted to see no matter what. Tikal and Lago de Atitlan in Guatemala. The Salar de Uyuni and Lago Titicaca in Bolivia. Machu Picchu and Lima1 in Peru. There were other things however that were less geographically specific. We wanted…
A dirty little secret about backpackers is that they don’t always gave the best reputation internationally. Notoriously cheap, they will often spend 15 minutes haggling over $2 with a taxi because they don’t want to be “ripped off.” They can create insular communities within towns that cater specifically to backpackers yet somehow manage to keep…
If you make the decision to become a backpacker, sooner or later you are going to have an 8 hour or more layover, and sooner or later you are going to sleep in an airport. Travel backpacking at its core is about saving money on the edges in order to have the money to enjoy…
I do not know what one is supposed to feel when one accomplishes a goal. A profound sense of accomplishment perhaps. A weight lifted maybe. For me it is often a melancholy feeling. It’s not some “it’s the journey not the destination” thing, the journey is fun but only if it is actually towards a…
I actually don’t know how people with lots of money travel. I understand some of the things that are different, for example I understand that they stay in hotels, and eat at nicer restaurants, and fly first class.1 And I understand that unlike me, they do not ride the public bus, or cram into tiny…
The disappeared civilization is one of literature’s favorite tropes. And the Maya are among the most referenced real world examples of these civilizations. Their long lost cities buried deep in the forests in remote regions of Central America, overgrown with vegetation, often remote from farmlands or water sources. Their architecture is both alien and familiar,…
For six years I have had Guatemala at the top of my travel list. For six years I have made plans to go to Guatemala. And for six years these plans have come undone. Once It was to change plans to an easier country to visit with friends. Once it was to go visit friends…
El Salvador was a late addition to our travel plans. There was nothing particular drawing us there, but it was much cheaper and faster to fly into San Salvador than it was into Guatemala City. This time and cost saving, plus a love of scratching additional countries off the map, led us to book tickets…
Is it safe? How do you keep safe? Do you ever get worried? Isn’t it dangerous there? These are among the most common questions I get asked when I talk about travels both past and future. Beyond the general ignorance involved1 there is something wild about being asked if I feel safe in another country…
Slackerz Guide 