A new airport just opened up a few months ago in Quito and so reliable transportation information on how to get to and from the airport is still scarce.  The old airport was located inside the city limits and taxi fares to most of the tourist areas were relatively cheap.  The new airport however is located 18 kilometers east of the city, through winding roads and high traffic areas.  Allow up to 2 hours (seriously) to get to the airport.

An executive from America was walking along the beach in a small coastal Mexican village, taking a much needed vacation.  It was his first in more than 10 years.  He noticed a small boat with just one fisherman pulling up to shore.  Inside the small boat were several large fish. The executive complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

Pico Iyer wrote one of my favorite essays on travel.  In it he so eloquently explains what drives some of us to keep exploring.  The following is the full piece republished.

We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again—to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more. The beauty of this whole process was best described, perhaps, before people even took to frequent flying, by George Santayana in his lapidary essay, “The Philosophy of Travel.” We “need sometimes,” the Harvard philosopher wrote, “to escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the moral holiday of running some pure hazard, in order to sharpen the edge of life, to taste hardship, and to be compelled to work desperately for a moment at no matter what.”

If you are about to leave on a trip, part of your planning should include buying travel insurance.  It will not only give you peace of mind that your belongings are insured but also that your health needs will be taken care of in case you fall ill far from home.  

I highly recommend World Nomads because of the convenience of being able to manage everything online.  If you are doing any sort of adventure travel, travel insurance is a must.

Here's a breakdown of what you need to know:

I had just finished a visa border run to Venezuela.  Juan was my taxi driver from the Venezuelan border to the Cúcuta airport.  Our total time spent together was about 25 minutes.  But in that time he would remind me again of the spirit behind one of my favorite quotes from Nehru, “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” 

I was trying to get out of Cúcuta and back to Medellín as fast as possible. Sitting in the back of the taxi I re-read the

The votes are in and as chosen by my friends and readers, these are my top 3 photos from the past year as well as my entries in this year's National Geographic photo contest.

Here are my top 10 photos from 2012.  

A very quick post today.  Just wanted to share with you a photo I shot from the plane on my way back to the US from Colombia.  Another reason to always grab a window seat when flying international!  Enjoy!

One year ago today, my friends and I sailed from Panama to Colombia, making our entrance to South America at Cartagena.  Initially I was only planning on staying in Colombia for 1 month (which is still a significant amount of time when you're travelling).  But one year later, I find myself still living here.  So I'd like to take this opportunity to reminisce a bit on the evolution of a trip.

The following is an excerpt from the introduction to "The Alchemist" that I found helpful and maybe it will inspire you as well. The author, Paulo Coelho, writes about the four obstacles you will face when fighting for your dreams:

There are four obstacles.  First: we are told from childhood onward that everything we want to do is impossible. 

"Drink your tea (or coffee!) slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment. Only this moment is life." - Thich Nhat Hanh 

One year ago today, I left everything behind to travel the world. Since then I have visited places that have taken my breath away and experienced beauty that has left me speechless. What I cherish the most though are the incredible people I've met along the way. I never forget how fortunate I am to have this opportunity and I thank you, my online family for your support as the journey continues. Many more photos and adventures to come!  Abrazos