Preparing for Our Trip

Chris and I are getting ready for our next trip to Mexico City, Panama City, the Galapagos Islands, and Peru. We'll be spending lots of time in the places we're visiting so we can really get to know the area. In total, we'll be traveling for about 4 months. Long-term travel is different than just going away on vacation for a few weeks and the planning we need to do for a long trip takes a bit more effort.

We're heading to the doctor to update our vaccines and get meds like malaria pills, preparing to leave by making sure our home and finances are in order, checking our gear, and packing everything we need for our trip into one backpack each. Check out the full blog posts here.

Mexico City

We're in this beautiful city for a month and our list of places to see and things to do keep growing. At the top of our list is exploring the historic downtown center, which was once known as Tenochtitlan - the capital of the Aztec empire, including Zocalo and El Templo Mayor, visiting the Teotihuacan archeological site, taking a colourful boat called a trajinera along the canals in Xochimilco, walking through Chapultepec forest, visiting as many street markets as we can find, and trying lots of food. Check out the full blog posts here.

Panama City

Panama City has been a whirlwind! We were only here for a couple of days on the Copa Airlines "Stop Over" program so we had to run all around the city seeing as much as we could in the short time we had! In just two days we saw huge ships go through the Panama Canal, took a boat ride to see the wildlife and ships on Gatun Lake, hiked up to the top of the Metropolitan Natural Park, walked to the end of the causeway, toured Casco Viejo, visited Panama Viejo (old Panama), and walked the downtown and malecon areas. All in 30+ degree heat and humidity! Check out the full blog posts here.

Galapagos Islands

As long-term travellers, we're touring the Galapagos Islands a little bit differently than most people. We've rented an apartment for a month in the biggest town in the Galapagos, called Puerto Ayora, located on Santa Cruz Island. From there, we're going snorkeling with the sea lions, ray, sharks, sea turtles, and tropical fish, going hiking to visit the giant tortoises, and taking in life in this UNESCO world heritage site. Check out the full blog posts here.

Ecuador

Cuenca, Ecuador is a city of just under half a million people located in the Ecuadorian Andes. And it has attracted a lot of early retirees and people looking for a less expensive cost-of-living. So we we're going to see what all the fuss is about. And afterwrds we're taking a quick side-trip to Quito to visit the Equator line. Our blog posts on Ecuador are here.

Peru

We're breaking out of our usual travel style to do a 6-week tour of Peru. We're starting in the capital city of Lima, then heading to Arequipia and hiking the Colca Canyon. After we're going to Cusco to visit the city and hike the Salkantay and Inca trails, ending the trek in Machu Picchu. And finally, we're going to Iquitos, the world's largest city that's inaccessible by car to catch a boat into the Amazon junble. Read our full blog posts here.

Slow Travel: How We Prepare To Arrive in a New City

As slow travelers, we have a bit of a routine that we follow to prep for our arrival in any new place. This routine reduces my anxiety and helps me feel ready for our next adventure. We just arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires has over 15 million people and there are so many things to do here. Some of the culture reminds me of other South American countries, but other things are quite different, like managing our money with the high inflation rate here. So check out our blog post for 5 things we do to prepare for our arrival into a new city.

Slow Travel: Costs of Living like an Expat in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, Argentina is a city of 15 million people, located on the Rio de la Plata on the south eastern side of South America. And it has attracted expats and long-term travelers from all over South America and many other places, looking for a world-class city with a less expensive cost-of-living. This month, we've rented an apartment in the beautiful Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. This area has tree-lined streets, botanical gardens, and lots of restaurants. But how much does it cost to live here? In this video and blog post we look at the prices of products and services across 6 different categories.

Our Favorite Things about Buenos Aires for Slow Travelers and Digital Nomads

We're currently spending time in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As slow travelers, we get to spend more time in each city we visit and really get to know it. We're able to find places that aren't on the usual tourist routes and have time to revisit our favourite spots. But we also have more daily living needs, like fast internet, to support our regular life. So here are our favourite things about Buenos Aires for slow travelers and digital nomads.

Buenos Aires for Slow Travelers: Lesser Known Things to Do and Places to Eat

If you're only in Buenos Aires for a few days, you're likely going to focus your time on the most famous and well-known landmarks and restaurants in the city. But if you're a slow traveler or digital nomad like us, and you're here for a little longer, you'll have time to visit some of the other great spots. Today we're sharing some fantastic places to see and eat, that we found just by wandering around, getting to know the neighbourhoods, and talking to locals. Things like Yerba Mate, Tigre, the best empanadas, and the best time to visit the San Telmo market. These places might not be on a "Top 10" list but they are definitely worth your time if you're here for a bit longer! So check out our list here.

Iguazu Falls

We're spending 4 nights in Puerto Iguazu, the town near Iguazu Falls, so we can visit both the Brazilian and Argentinean sides of the falls. The Brazil side is known for its spanning vistas of the falls and the Argentinian side really let's you get up close to the water. We'll tell you how we got here and what it was like to see the falls on both sides of the border, including what is was like to feel the power of the falls by getting on a boat. So check out our blog post and video here.

Affordable Living in Salta, Argentina

The city of Salta is located in northern Argentina. It has a population of 700,000 people and is the gateway to exploring the beautiful provinces of JuJuy and Salta. Salta is known for its empanadas, beautiful mountains, and rich history as the southern part of the Incan empire. It also has an affordable cost of living. These are the prices we've been seeing during our time here.

Road Trip Through Northern Argentina

Our early retirement slow travel adventures have brought us to northern Argentina. We're on a 7 day roadtrip to explore the provinces of Salta and JuJuy. We hiked through the quebradas near Cafayate and Cachi, visited the multi-colours mountains around Purmamarca and Humahuaca, walked on the Salinas Grandes salt flats, saw 500 year old incan sites at Barrancas, drove, and got stuck on, on the famous Ruta 40, and surrounded ourselves in fields of cacti and amazing rock formations. But driving a car in a new country takes some getting used to. Here's what it was like to take a road trip around Salta and JuJuy in northern Argentina.