If you think life is passing you by, it's time to catch up. The Good Life is closer than you think.

How much does it cost to travel around the world? (October 2010 tally)

Virgin de Quito

Most people are too polite to ask, but everyone wants to know: How much does it really cost to travel around the world? We think we have a pretty good idea, but just to keep us on track and to help you in planning your own trip, we are going to give you a monthly [...]

Virtual Minga: Mojandita Clinic in Otavalo, Ecuador

Mojandita Medical Clinic in Otavalo, Ecuador

Minga is one of the most beautiful customs we have observed on our journey thus far. In the Quechua language of the indigenous people of Ecuador, minga means “the coming together of a community for the betterment of all.” In our time here, we have seen the indigenous community come together to fill the potholes [...]

the people we’ve met along the way

Sign reads: Not all who wander are lost

Beautiful landscapes, diverse wildlife and exotic foods are all terrific reasons to travel, but our favorite is always the people we meet along the way. We have fun everyday interactions, like the cabdriver who is also a popular local futbol player who was mobbed by some rowdy, drunk fans at 10:30 a.m. last Sunday morning [...]

The Otavalo Market

Old man with goats at the market

We’ve been dying to see this market since we first made plans to start our trip in Ecuador over a year ago. And believe me, it didn’t disappoint. The Otavalo Market is probably the largest in South America. Most people come for the hundreds of booths full of ponchos, scarves, paintings, sweaters, and other handmade [...]

Visiting the Indigenous Artisans of the Otavalo Market

Elderly couple carding wool

We’ve been looking forward to seeing the Otavalo Market since we first made plans to go to Ecuador over a year ago. The main market is on Saturday, though a smaller version runs every day. Before we made it to the big market, we wanted to get some background on the artisans so we hired [...]

A few “firsts” from our around-the-world trip

Warren & Betsy at waterfall

Remember the first time you drove a car or used a credit card? What eventually becomes an everyday occurrence is really special the first time, and you can hardly believe you get to do it. Before we forget our firsts from this trip, I want to share them with you. Our first coup d’état This [...]

video post: departing the U.S. for our round-the-world adventure

Betsy and Warren posing with 2 backpacks

Hola! Despite the efforts of the Ecuadorian government to keep us out, we landed safely in Quito on Saturday evening after almost 24 hours of travel. We took the redeye on Friday night to Dallas, then another flight to Miami for a long layover, where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in Little Havana with our [...]

video post: the adventure begins

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered.” ~ GK Chesterton This is it! The day we have planned for over 2 years has arrived. How are we feeling? Any last-minute problems? Tune in to find out about our last 6 weeks in Seattle, the going away party last night, and of course the attempted coup [...]

The backpack dilemma (or, how I tried to pack for every possible scenario in the world)

Man with too many suitcases

What exactly do you take with you on a trip around the world? If you’re me, everything but the kitchen sink (and that’s only because I don’t have a kitchen sink anymore). We had a little wakeup call on Saturday morning, 6 days from departure, when we packed up our things to move in with [...]

everything you want is on the other side of fear

Photo of Bogota, Columbia by *L*u*z*A* via Flickr

There is a big bad monster lurking behind the front door, and you can hear his heavy breathing when you walk by. For some unexplained reason he cannot actually open the door, but the reverse is also true: you can’t go outside. The monster’s name is Fear, and as long as you stay away from [...]