Traveling is fun. Backpacking is adventurous. But what happens when Mother Nature plays a trick on you? About 2,500 tourists were evacuated via helicopter following the mudslides that stranded backpackers on the Machu Picchu site on Thursday night. Most of them were transported to a nearby village and then hopped on buses to reach the nearest town called Cusco. An air operation was necessary because the mud ...

Have you been thinking about going backpacking but don't know where to start? If you are, no worries, because you are part of the thousands of people who have been thinking about it for years now- but who are unfortunately still thinking about it! 1. Choosing your destination and reading about it: The first step is knowing where you want to go and doing some research on your destination. You can choose to r ...

Throughout the years I have gone from loving a classic sweet alcohol beverage to now thoroughly enjoying a glass of red wine. Over the years I guess my taste buds have definitely changed, but also my thoughts about calorie intake and how dangerous certain drinks can be. So I went wandering off a little to find the most risky drinks around the world. Now a few of these drinks I have heard of from my past bac ...

You're in a stable relationship for a year, or two, or four, or whatever. Things seem to go well. You are both happy with each other and enjoy spending regular quality time together. Then, an opportunity arises for one of you to study or work abroad for a few months... would you take the opportunity and risk the relationship? Although enthusiasts would argue that a solid relationship can survive the distanc ...

When I backpacked Europe of a year, I had to find smart, easy ways to keep my most important belongings close to me. Not only my valuables I had to take special care of, but also myself. Since it is a fact that all women need to travel 100 percent more carefully than men, due to basic problems that can occur very easily. A few quick tips I have learned over that last few years from backpacking is watch the ...

Rio de Janeiro is a city filled with places to see and things to do: ride on the cable car of Pão de Açúcar, watch the sunset from Arpoador, bike-ride around the lagoa, hop on a tram in Santa Teresa, visit the National Park of Tijuca, party in Lapa and of course, sunbathe on the famous beaches of Copacabana, Leme, Ipanema and Leblon. But what better way to experience Rio than from a bird-eye view?  This bei ...

When backpacking the most unpredictable events can happen and normally there is not much you can do about it. However, there comes travel insurance, to solve all those high risks of problems. Yet, on the other hand do most backpackers even consider travel insurance? Throughout my backpacking adventures I came across almost more than half of all backpackers don’t have travel insurance, some had reasons like; ...

When I traveled Europe back in 2005, I never used a book or any sort of guide. Well I didn’t really know anything like a backpacking travel guidebook existed. It wasn’t until I met someone who have a Lonely Plant and showed me how easy it was to find the best hostels, the best site seeing locations, and the cheapest places to eat great food. This is when I knew backpacking could be easy for anyone. This boo ...

Capoeira may have a different meaning depending on who you ask. In Portuguese, it literally means "Chicken Coop". However, the native Americans would argue that Kaá (leaf) and Puéra (past aspect marker), mean "formely a forest". I was lucky enough to come accross the dance while in Salvador (Bahia) 2 weeks ago. We were walking accross the main square in Pelourinho when I saw people sitting down in a circle ...

If you are thinking about going to the Brazilian Amazon or heading to Manaus to begin your Amazon excursion, consider Gero Tour as your tour operator! I found Gero in my Rough Guide to Brazil while planning my trip to Brazil. As flying to the Amazon is expensive, I wanted to make sure to select the best tour operator in the region to ensure 100% happiness! A Gero guide came to pick me up at the airport when ...