‘Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.’- Jack Kerouac
Hello, I’m Emma, thank you for visiting my blog.
A brief overview:
For the past three years, I have lived in Ecuador after finding myself here in 2020 during a backpacking trip through South America. I started this blog as a twenty-something-year-old with a love for travel and writing. A lot has happened, but those two things haven’t changed.
If you want to read more…..
For the past ten years, I have traveled on and off. I have visited 50 countries (if I just counted right). But regardless of numbers, I have always loved giving travel advice, hearing about other people’s trips, and writing. After some persuasion from a few wonderfully persistent friends, I have decided to start sharing my experiences here. My writing is a little rusty, and the world of blogging remains a little bit of a mystery, to say the least, but I hope to help you in some way.
Travel has and continues to shape me as a person, with all the magical and challenging moments it surprises you with. With the right attitude and a responsible standpoint, I believe travel can allow you to learn, connect and transcend. I take the position that I am lucky to be healthy and able to travel at the moment, so try to do so as much as possible. My desire to explore continues to grow as I attempt to navigate through my twenties (now thirties) with a millennial marker on my forehead and occasionally getting asked, ‘have you finished traveling yet?’
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I was a ‘boomerang’ traveller after university until I decided to leave my full-time job and volunteer as an English teacher in Chile. Now? I have found roots in the magical country of Ecuador after traveling through Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.
My first solo trip was at 17 with a friend to one of my favorite cities: Paris. I then traveled for several months during my gap year after saving like crazy. A few people wondered if I was mad going off on my own at 18, but I was stubborn. My gap year route was Hong Kong- Australia- New Zealand- Fiji, and I have not looked back since. Trips have been long, short, often spontaneous, and some with a few months of planning.
I have lived in Berlin for a summer, volunteered in Sri Lanka, studied in Melbourne for six months, and hitchhiked to Morocco. I have hiked up mountains and across countries, attempted to surf quite unsuccessfully a worrying amount of times, stuffed myself with local foods, and have experienced lots in between.
I also spent a lot of time in Europe, thanks to cheap flights and the old passport. I plan to continue to share my past, and future experiences here with the advice I either struggled to find or think may be useful.
Now I live in Ecuador, my life looks quite different from when I began this blog as a twenty-something-year-old working in mental health, drinking too much coffee (that still sometimes happens) and spending all my money traveling. I’m so grateful for this land, the work I do here with Ayllu Medicina, and to live a more simple life. I hope to share some information to help you on your own travels through Ecuador and South America.