It’s no secret to anyone that I adore succulents. I have more than one and I am a big fan of them because of their easy care and they look fabulous! I can’t go through any store if I see beautiful succulent pots or simply cute cacti who looks at me and asks to be bought! So as you understand small gardening and plants are my hobby and passion! If you’re going to southern California any time soon, don’t miss out on visiting the magnificent Moorten’s Botanical Garden and Cactarium. Tucked away in Palm Springs, Moorten’s is a magical 1-acre desert garden filled with more than 3,000 types of succu ..read more

Argentina is home to astonishing natural wonders that draw thousands of tourists each year – but backpacking your way through Argentina, especially Patagonia, ain’t cheap. Most national parks charge a hefty entrance fee that can deter budget travelers, like myself, and ruin your perception of ecotourism. I found myself frustrated after traveling in Argentina for two weeks and not being able to enter a single national park on foot without paying at least $20 USD. However, Argentines and travelers from abroad assured me that the municipal parks near Bariloche were filled with free hiking opportu ..read more

So What Exactly is Ecotourism? Ecotourism isn’t important to the growing international tourism industry – it is critical. Ecotourism holds enormous promise for conservation of wildlife and wild lands as well as the communities that live nearby and even those abroad. Allowing people to explore new places in a way that positively impacts the natural environment through education, economic opportunity, and conservation creates a constructive experience for everyone involved. Ecotourism encompasses exactly this: maximizing adventure and minimizing harm. Sounds good, right? Here are several concret ..read more

What’s an empanada and why should you be as obsessed with them as I am? Popular in food stalls, bakeries, cafes, markets, and restaurants, empanadas are wildly consumed throughout the Latin world. They are made by folding dough around a variety of usually savory stuffings – from cheese to meat to veggies and even fruits (shout out to apple empanadas in Chiloé … SO GOOD) – and then frying them in oil or baking them in the oven. In fact, the name empanada comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap in bread. According to history, empanadas originated in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal ..read more

1. Impact Travel Alliance source: impacttravelalliance.org Impact Travel Alliance is striving to improve the tourism industry through education and advocacy. Impact Travel Alliance is a non-profit, global community consisting of 15,000 travel professionals around the world that aims to solve issues like poverty and inequality through trave ..read more

In a country where beef is considered a staple food, vegetarians and vegans struggle to find plant-based alternatives in this meat loving society. Determined to uncover Uruguay’s slowly growing vegetarian/vegan food movement, I explored the capital city to discover Montevideo’s most delicious veggie burgers. I ate 10 different veggie burgers in 10 days, gaining about 10 pounds (five kilos) in the process of ranking Montevideo’s best veggie burger. The National Institute of Meat (Instituto Nacional de Carnes) considers Uruguay to be the society with the highest meat consumption in the world. I ..read more

About Floripa Praia Solidão (Lonely Beach) is on the way to Cachoeira da Solidão and a great place to have a beer and eat açaí after hiking to the waterfall. The city of Florianopolis, called “Floripa” by locals, is home to some of Brazil’s most beautiful white sand beaches, iconic surf spots, and rewarding treks. Holding vast stretches of the world’s most endangered rainforest, the Atlantic Forest, this natural wonderland in southern Brazil is the definition of parad ..read more

The Uprooted Rose in Cahuita National Park in Costa Rica. Traveling makes the world a better place. This blanket statement is one of the most common things I hear while traveling abroad, but is there any truth behind it? We often talk about how traveling can be a cosmic force of good: breaking down social barriers, connecting people from opposite ends of the world, and teaching important values through life experiences. Despite these positive characteristics commonly attributed to traveling, we tend to overlook the negative impact of tra ..read more

It goes without saying that the Coastal Redwoods and Giant Sequoias are among California's greatest natural treasures and ionic symbols of the Golden State. Millions of people travel from across the globe into California’s redwoods just to experience these massive giants that live over 2,500 years and grow 379 feet (that’s longer than a football field). These trees form the backbone of the coastal woodlands from Big Sur to southern Oregon, inviting incredible diversity of life to thrive: from mountain lions to banana slugs to steelhead trout. Despite the value of a healthy redwood forests, onl ..read more

When done right, ecotourism opportunities are a fantastic way to become acquainted with a new destination. A good ecotourism operator should help you get up close and personal with awe-inspiring features of the natural environment without leaving a destructive footprint on either the ecosystem or the cultural heritage of the place your visiting.  An ethical ecotourism operator should allow travellers to enjoy natural wonders without marking or exploiting them in the name of adventure. When exploring a new place, responsibility also falls on you, the traveller, to select accommodations that are ..read more