I didn’t expect Cusco to feel the way it did. By the time we arrived, our little tour group was coming down from the intensity of Machu Picchu—the logistics, the timing, the crowds…

I didn’t expect to start writing this on Thanksgiving Day. Holidays have a way of bringing up feelings about home, family, and what remains when the people who shaped us are no longer here.

After three weeks of traveling alone, joining a tour felt like an exhale I didn’t know I needed. I’d been solo before—Spain, Portugal, Scotland, Chile—but something about this stretch in Peru wore on me…

Puno, Peru makes Arequipa feel like a major urban city. The drive from Juliaca Airport—about an hour through the dry, cluttered landscape—reminded me of Atacama, Chile at first…

The one thing that stands out to me most about Valparaíso is color. It’s everywhere I look. No wall is untouched—seriously. Art lives on every surface: sides of buildings, retaining walls…

As I write this, I’m sitting in my hotel’s little restaurant in San Pedro de Atacama, sipping a complimentary glass of sparkling wine after another long tour day. Frank Sinatra is crooning…

As you drive into Torres del Paine, you’re struck by the sheer grandeur—the otherworldly beauty, the majesty—of the mountains rising before you. Majesty can be defined as impressive beauty…

In Patagonia, our mornings went something like this: the night before, over dinner, our instructor would outline the next day’s plan. There was always a sunrise shoot—because why not?

As we wrap up our last full day on Rapa Nui, I find myself thinking again about what it might be like to live here. It would be a simple life—one free of the material trappings of American society.

The Castle View is simple, but deeply comfortable—like home. At the entrance, a little sign hangs from the staircase banister: Smile, Giggle, Be Silly. It sets the tone instantly—playful, warm…

Glasgow has been a pleasant surprise—gritty, real, and filled with unexpected beauty. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but compared to Edinburgh, which feels polished and touristy, Glasgow…