Bolivia
by Libby Zay (RSS feed) (8 days ago)
Before beginning his doctorate in biomedical sciences, "Alex the Adventure Biker" took a break to realize his lifelong dream: to ride a motorcycle through the Americas. Over the course of nearly a year and a half, he rode his bike through 22 countries as he made his way ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (19 days ago)
If you travel, without question you've had your share of experiences with "Chinglish," or other corrupted forms of the English language. After all, there are books and websites devoted to this stuff. But while trekking in Bolivia last month, I discovered an entirely new ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (22 days ago)
I'd never heard of a shaman until my first class on my first day of college. I'd signed up for "Magic, Witchcraft, & Religion" as an elective on a whim. It turned out to be one of my favorite undergrad classes and has been highly inspirational to my work as a travel ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (1 month ago)
My first encounter with the Bolivian mania for perfect U.S. dollars occurred at 3 a.m., as I blearily stood in line at Immigration, attempting to pay for my entry visa. I'd been in transit for over 30 hours, and was fumbling in my travel wallet for the stack of twenties I'd ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (1 month ago)
"Hoja de coca no es droga." "Coca no es cocaina." You'll see these sentiments, which are indeed accurate, on T-shirts displayed throughout La Paz's tourist ghetto, which is centered on Calle Sagarnaga.
I should preface this post by saying I'm not a fan of recreational ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (1 month ago)
Bolivia is the least expensive destination in South America, yet it has an increasingly efficient tourism infrastructure. Going now, especially to the remote southwestern part of the country, means faster, easier, more comfortable travel than in the past (although you'll ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (1 month ago)
Australia and New Zealand are generally accepted as having cornered the market on bizarre adventure activities, especially in urban areas. Unsurprising, then, that Alistair Matthew, the Kiwi founder of La Paz's ginormously successful, groundbreaking Gravity Assisted Mountain ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (1 month ago)
Ever notice how die-hard travelers tend to compare places to other places? Like, constantly? It may be annoying, but it goes beyond mere aesthetics. It's often a reference point; a way to describe not only the feel of a destination, but the spirit of its people.
I arrived ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (1 month ago)
There's a certain breed of traveler who will, often to their detriment, go to extreme lengths to avoid looking like a tourist. I know, because I'm one of them. Whatever spawned this phobia is anyone's guess, but I really, really, really dislike standing out in a crowd, ...
by Laurel Miller (RSS feed) (2 months ago)
When I left my hotel yesterday morning to go investigate La Paz's famous Mercado de Herchería (also know as the Mercado las Brujas, or Witch's Market), I didn't know what to expect. Would it be covered, dank and creepy, like the one in Quito? Would it sell freaky ...
by Libby Zay (RSS feed) (2 months ago)
Have you ever been to a country that just seems to give tourists the cold shoulder? Now, there are some figures behind those unwelcome feelings; the World Economic Forum has put together a report that ranks countries based on how friendly they are to tourists.
The ...
by Reena Ganga (RSS feed) (3 months ago)
It's that time of year again, when thousands of dancers prepare to don feathers, beads, and sequins and parade down the streets to mark Carnival. And while big Carnival (or Mardi Gras, as it's also known) celebrations such as the one in Rio de Janiero get plenty of ...
by Dave Seminara (RSS feed) (5 months ago)
Tim Leffel's mission is to help skinflints like me find travel destinations they can afford. He traveled around the world on a shoestring with his wife three times and decided to write a book about the world's cheapest countries after realizing that there was no single ...
by Grant Martin (RSS feed) (6 months ago)
Watching this journey through South America will fill you with wanderlust unparalleled. The composition of this video is amazing. It captures the beauty of the region, from the people to the cities to the landscapes, and the score is subtle and moving. Cheers to Vimeo ...
by Jessica Festa (RSS feed) (8 months ago)
Before traveling to Bolivia, I received mixed opinions on whether the country was a worthwhile destination to add to my itinerary. Because I wanted to find out for myself firsthand, I – thankfully – made sure I did. Now, Bolivia is one of my favorite travel ...
by Dave Seminara (RSS feed) (10 months ago)
Most people look for warm places to visit. I look for cold ones. I live near Washington, D.C., and by mid-July, I've had it with the suffocating heat and humidity. I've taken escape-the-heat trips almost every summer over the last five years to places like Newfoundland, Nova ...
by Jessica Festa (RSS feed) (10 months ago)
After returning from a recent trip to Bolivia, my friends and family had little to ask me about what I did or where I went. While they had heard of the precarious Death Road, the high altitude city of La Paz and the old mining town of Potosi, what they were really curious to ...
by Jessica Festa (RSS feed) (11 months ago)
Do you carry a lucky penny or have a rabbit's foot attached to your key chain? For some new ideas on how to keep your luck running high, here are good luck rituals from around the world.
Bury A Llama Fetus In Bolivia
Walking around the Witches' Market in La Paz, ...
by Jessica Festa (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
At 11,975 feet above sea level, the city of La Paz in Bolivia is pretty high. In fact, it is the highest "de facto" capital city in the world. Because of this, it's not uncommon to experience some kind of reaction to the altitude. To help your body relax, backpackers can ...
by Meg Nesterov (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Unless you've followed the horrifying story of the serial rapists who wrecked havoc in the community in 2009, you might not know that the small South American country of Bolivia is home to a large community of Mennonites. Photographer Lisa Wiltse traveled to the isolated ...
Next Page →