The Girl Who Goes

independent, intentional travel

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The 5 Travel Essentials I Can’t Live Without

travel essentials - packing

For this post… are you ready to find out about my favorite travel essentials?

The past few years have been absolutely full of international travel. And I couldn’t be happier about that! But if you don’t have your packing routine down, with a bag full of items that make life easier and more comfortable, it can be difficult to spend so much time traveling.

So I wanted to share the 5 things I can’t live without during all of my travels the past few years. I hope you find this list helpful! [Read more…]

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Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Ride in Mexico City: What To Know

teotihuacan hot air balloons - feature photo

Our view during a hot air balloon ride in Mexico City — floating over the pyramids of Teotihuacan at sunrise

While I first visited Mexico City as a solo female traveler in 2018, my most recent trip was completely different. First, I was working as a “digital nomad” while there instead of being on vacation; second, I was there for three weeks instead of five days; third, (my now-husband) Matt was there with me!

So despite my previous visit, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from my trip. All I knew was that I wanted to take Matt to the ancient city of Teotihuacan — one of my favorite experiences from the first time I went! But I had no idea what was going to await me in the ancient Mesoamerican city. (Did I mention that a pandemic had also come along since the last time?) So I did what most millennials would probably do: I opened Instagram, typed in “Teotihuacan,” and decided to check out the geo-tagged photos to scope out the current situation.

I was mostly expecting to see photos of sweaty, sun-baked tourists smiling under the Central American sun. (This is what happened to me the first time.) But instead, I found countless photos of… hot air balloons at Teotihuacan?

I’m not sure how I missed that during my first trip to CDMX, but apparently it’s super popular to visit the pyramids of Teotihuacan by hot air balloon! I personally LOVE unique travel experiences, and I’d never been in a hot air balloon before, so I knew I had to do it. We were on the bus into Mexico City’s center when I brought up the topic to Matt: “Sooooo, theoretically, how would you feel about taking a hot air balloon at Teotihuacan in a few days?”

Thankfully, he was totally on board with the idea! So once he gave me the “okay,” I got started on researching how to visit Teotihuacan by hot air balloon. We wanted to make sure we got the best experience, for the best price.

Of course, just like any popular balloon ride in Mexico City, there are some scams you need to be aware of. So here’s everything you need to know while planning your own sunrise voyage through the pre-Hispanic skies: Teotihuacan by hot air balloon.

[Read more…]

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3 Unique Airbnb Experiences To Try in Mexico City For Less Than $40

During our time in South America at the beginning of this year, we used Airbnb experiences for the first time. They’ve been around for awhile, but I had never really looked into the types of things they’d offered. But we really enjoyed both of the ones we did — a cooking class with a chef in Quito when other other plans for the day fell through, and a tour of Comuna 13 in Medellín.

Our first Monday in Mexico City was Memorial Day — a holiday for most in the American corporate world. But many of Mexico City’s top attractions like museums and parks are closed on Mondays. Wanting to make the most of our day off, I turned to Airbnb to find some unique experiences that we wouldn’t forget.

While I didn’t book them all for one day, their budget-friendly nature made me feel that I didn’t have to choose just one. So here are the three Airbnb experiences under $40 we tried in Mexico City. [Read more…]

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What It Was Like To Go Back to Spain After 2 Years

plaza de espana spain

Author’s note: If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to read my diary, this is probably close 🙃

As you know, I lived in Madrid, Spain, from September 2018 to July 2020. And the last four months I was there coincided with the early days of the pandemic. One morning, at the beginning of March, we teachers were told that school was canceled for a week. And then, though school was scheduled to be in session through the end of June, we never went back. [Read more…]

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3 Big Differences Between Life in Spain and Life in Ecuador

spain ecuador difference

In Spain, a grocery store could be right around the corner. In Ecuador, not so much….

When Matt and I decided to spend a few months in Quito, Ecuador, at the beginning of this year, I didn’t really know what to expect. And while I’d traveled to more than 20 countries on four continents, it was my first trip to South America — and it was only the second country, after Spain, where I was spending more than a few weeks.

(And living as an adult. When I lived in London for 4-5 months during college, it was very much a college experience.)

Anyway, there were plenty of surprises when it came to life in Ecuador compared to what I knew in Spain, so I thought it could be fun to take a look at a few of the differences. [Read more…]

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All About Puerto Villamil on Isabela, Galapagos Islands

puerto villamil

Choosing which of the Galapagos Islands to visit isn’t easy, as I’ve mentioned plenty of times here before. Besides Santa Cruz, which we flew into from Quito, we decided to visit one more island — Isabela. It’s famous for being the largest island, shaped like a seahorse, and with lots of wildlife to see. Puerto Villamil, on Isabela island, is the largest city and where most tourists stay.

But after spending a few days in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, Puerto Villamil was a lot different from what I expected. So here’s what you need to know if you’re planning to visit Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela. [Read more…]

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All About Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands

marina puerto ayora

When you visit the Galapagos Islands, the chances are pretty good that you’re going to arrive via flight from Guayaquil or Quito. And that means you’re very likely going to fly into Baltra Airport, just north of Santa Cruz Island. At that point, you’ll likely commute from the airport to the channel via bus, take a water taxi across the channel to Santa Cruz Island, and then take a bus 45 minutes south to the opposite end of the island — to Puerto Ayora

Regardless of which islands you’re planning to visit during your Galapagos Islands trip, most will likely include some time spent in Puerto Ayora, the most populated urban center on any of the islands. Not only is it the most populated “city” with the most to do, but it’s also a starting point if you wish to travel to any of the other islands.

Here’s what you need to know about Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz. [Read more…]

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How to Get From the Airport to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz – Galápagos Islands

arriving in the galapagos islands - puerto ayora from the airport

When it comes to visiting the Galapagos Islands, planning your trip can seem overwhelming. With 13 major islands and a few smaller ones — and only so much time — it’s not necessarily easy to decide which ones you should visit.

In the end, we decided we would spend time on just two: Santa Cruz and Isabela. Only four of the islands are inhabited by humans, and Santa Cruz and Isabela are two of them. I’m planning to write more articles about the Galapagos, but here’s your starting point of how to get to Puerta Ayora on Santa Cruz from the airport. (And keep in mind — this is based on doing a Galapagos trip on your own, independent of a tour group or cruise.) [Read more…]

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5 Things To Know Before Visiting the Galapagos Islands

galapagos - feature photo

The Galapagos Islands are unlike anywhere I’ve ever visited before. But in advance of our trip, I actually didn’t do a ton of research because I felt overwhelmed. First of all, most information out there seems to pertain to cruises, and we obviously weren’t doing a cruise. And second, a lot of it comes from travel agencies trying to convince you to book their tours and services.

When we went, I kind of just showed up for our flight and figured it out from there. Which worked out! But not everyone loves traveling that way. So, now that I’ve been there, I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the things I wish I’d known before we went.

[Read more…]

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How To Visit the Galapagos Islands Without a Cruise

galapagos islands without a cruise - feature image

If you know me, and the way I travel, I like to do things independently when I can. For example, a lot of people visit Alaska by taking a cruise, but not me — my friend Megan and I rented a car and spent a week driving nearly 2,000 miles through the state’s wilderness.

When it was time to plan our trip to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, I felt the same way. A lot of the information out there related to visiting the Galapagos is about what cruises you can take. I had to work harder to find what I needed about visiting on our own. It wasn’t easy, but I’m here to share with you to make it easier to plan your trip to the Galapagos Islands without a cruise. [Read more…]