Travel off the beaten track and experience

From our previous blog posts, we mentioned a scooter accident on Easter Island and then I ended up in the emergency room back at home. It’s time to share what happened and what we learned. Prior to our trip, we briefly discussed transportation and then forgot until we landed. Below was how our conversation went when procuring a vehicle for Easter Island. Jackie: We should rent bicycles. We’ll get a good leg workout around the island. They are cheaper to rent than a car. Justin: Let’s go with a scooter. It’s the same price as renting two bicycles and it is motorized. Jackie: Do you know how to drive a scooter? Justin: I have my motorcycle license. I also rode on a scooter in Taiwan. Jackie: (Hesitates) Hmm…okay. There were plenty of rental agencies in Hanga Roa from cars, scooters, bicycles, and ATVs. The bicycle rental was 10,000 CLP ($15 USD) per person per day, and the price of one scooter was a better deal for 20,000 CLP ($30 USD) per day. We received a discount as we re...

We’re not ready to say goodbye to summer just yet – we’re still squeezing in every beach bar getaway possible – but with fall on the horizon, it’s not a bad idea to start thinking about what’s on deck for a little end-of-year adventure. Virtuoso tapped into its data warehouse of $49.5 billion in travel transactions to analyze this fall’s best vacation spots for American travelers, based on future bookings. The overwhelming find: Travelers want to discover somewhere new, favoring under-the-radar spots in Europe, adventurous locales in less-visited South American countries, and more. We divided fall’s trending vacation destinations into two lists: a Hot 10 ranking of emerging places with the largest year-over-year percentage increase in fall travel bookings, and one showcasing the most popular destinations based on booking data – aka the classics. Check out the full lists below – and happy travel planning! The Hottest Fall Vacation Destinations for 2019 Plaza Independencia in Uruguay...

Laguna Colorada, Bolivia. Also known as the red lagoon, the shallow salt lake lies in southwest Bolivia, on the border of Chile. It is found in the beautiful Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, which fascinates with amazing landscapes, fauna, flora and is a tourist attraction in the country. The amazing bloody red coloration is caused by red sediments and algae in the water. The lake is found on the Altiplano plateau, in the Andes mountain range, which is seen in the horizon. The lake also attracts the James’, Chilean and Andean flamingos, the latter being the rarest flamingo species in the world. Laguna Colorada is easy to access. The area is surrounded with small villages, where you can spend the night. The spot can be visited as part of the Andes tour. Another famous location – the salt flat De Uyuni – lies not far away. Lead photo by Matt Walker Photo by Aleksandr Rufo Photo by Klaus Lang Photo by Nicolas Cornet Photo by Unknown Photo by Unknown Photo by P...

Posted : 04/25/19 | April 25th, 2019 Once considered one of the deadliest cities in the world, Medellín has undergone a transformation over the last fifteen years that has made it one of the most modern places in all of Colombia. The city has become a lot safer, there is a fantastic metro and cable car system that could rival the best in Europe, lots of parks, new buildings, libraries, restaurants, and a growing tech scene. The city has changed a lot, and you can tell the residents are very proud of everything they’ve accomplished. There’s a palpable sense of possibility in Medellin. Optimism and excitement were always in the air. Medellín is now one of “it” cities in the world. Tourists swarm it, and foreigners (especially young digital nomads) are settling and retiring here in droves. It was the most cosmopolitan and international city I visited in Colombia. I spent close to a total of three weeks in Medellín. If you’re looking to visit Medellín (...

How To Get From Cali, Colombia to Salento, Colombia By Bus There are several lines that will take you to between the cities all leaving from the centro bus terminal. STEP 1:  Take a taxi to the bus station, from the San Antonio area it should be between 8,000-10,000 pesos ($4-5 USD) STEP 2: At the bus terminal, you need to take a bus to Armenia first. We used expresso Palmina. The buses we nice, plays movies in Spanish and even had wifi. The price depends on which time you take from 17,000-26,000 pesos. Not sure why it changes, but it leaves roughly every hour there is a 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and the 10:45, 11:45, 12:45 and so on. STEP 3:  From Armenia  head up two sets of stairs and outside to the right, there where there are small buses the terminal. In the right corner, there are signs hung above the buses stating which cut they are heading to. Cost is 3600 pesos, time 1 hour in a nice clean medium-sized bus. Salento is a great little town, our favorite in all of South America. I...