When moving to Argentina for a yearlong exchange, I expected a bustling city like Buenos Aires or Córdoba. Instead, I landed in a humid little town up North, separated from the nearest city by fifty miles of palm trees. Little did I know this would make my experience all the more special.
With a family across the Atlantic, Thanksgiving equals a travel weekend for me. After last year’s adventure to Big Bend, I met my travel buddy Carmen in Las Vegas this year. We quickly left Nevada behind to embark on a road trip through Arizona and Utah. What follows is an adventurous and packed 4-day itinerary through America’s Wild West.
Mendoza can be divided in three wine-making regions: Maipú, Lujan de Cuyo and Valle de Uco. The latter is said to produce the best wines on the most beautiful grounds, with the snowcapped Andes peaks towering out over the vineyards. After visiting four wineries in Mendoza, I would have to agree.
Other than producing delicious wine, Argentinean provinces La Rioja and San Juan are known for two remarkable parks. Ischigualasto and Talampaya National Park contain a unique fossil record of the Triassic Period, often called the Age of the Dinosaurs. The desert area also hosts the annual Dakar Rally.
The provinces of Salta and Jujuy are home to some of the most scenic drives in Argentina. We picked colonial Salta as a base to explore the northwest’s dramatic landscapes. Let it all sink in with a glass of Torrontés in wine-heaven Cafayate.
Iguazú National Park comprises hundreds of waterfalls, right on the border of Argentina and Brazil. The views from both countries are entirely different, making a visit of each side imperative. A clear winner came out of our trip, which we continued South to the ruins of San Ignacio Miní.
We topped off our amazing trip to Peru with a relaxing three-day stay in the Peruvian Amazon. A short boat ride from Puerto Maldonado lies Tambopata National Reserve, home to an abundance of wildlife. Limited accessibility makes this a relatively undiscovered part of Peru.
The Salkantay trekking to Machu Picchu is a unique four-day hike through extremely diverse scenery. We passed snow-covered peaks, turquoise lakes, coffee plantations, hot springs and more on route to Peru’s Wonder of the World. The tropical storms and frozen fingertips only added to the adventure. On day four, we explored the majestic Inca city before the crowds arrived.
The contrast between Rocky Mountain National Park and its neighbors Arches and Canyonlands is striking. Snow-covered peaks and alpine lakes make way for desert vistas and colorful rock formations on the stunning 300-mile drive between Colorado and Utah. Discover all three National Park’s unique landscapes with this 4-day itinerary.
After our intense morning exercise in the Colca Canyon, we could sit back and relax on a ten-hour bus trip to Puno. Following a spectacular sunrise over Lake Titicaca from our hotel room, we launched our kayaks onto the world’s highest navigable lake.
So far we had discovered Peru by air, sea and sand; now we would do so by land. Following a day in Arequipa, we put on our hiking boots for a two-day trek in the world’s second deepest canyon.
In between driving the Florida Keys and touring Miami, we reserved two days to discover Florida’s natural beauty. Florida counts three national parks, which share one common good: water. The best way to explore Dry Tortugas’ marine life, Biscayne’s mangroves and the Everglades wetlands is out on the water.
We started our two-week trip to Peru along its Pacific Coast. The country welcomed us with excellent seafood, a shower of bird shit and a private jet ride.
In between Daytona Beach on the East Coast and St. Pete Beach on the West Coast, we found a piece of authentic Florida far away from Minnie Mouse and Miami Beach. The Sunshine State didn’t live up to its name in this weekend getaway, but proved to be a great destination nonetheless.
Thanksgiving weekend was the perfect occasion to cross Texas with destination Big Bend National Park. When covering 2500 km in four days, you might as well enjoy the journey. That’s why we turned our trip into a road trip, with stops in Austin, Marfa, San Antonio, and some ghost towns along the way.
This tour combines two features of Belgium: you can barely see it on a map, but it’s home to the world’s best beers. The former made it possible to discover the latter by bike. A total of 214 km took us past seven breweries, sampling over 25 different Belgian Beers in four days.
This tour is the sequel to our adventure last summer, when we went on a bike mission to taste the best brews of Southern Belgium. Part two took us past four Trappist breweries in Flanders and Holland, and several microbreweries in between.
I got my planning game on for this trip, as we only had 8 days to discover all the beauty Iceland has to offer. Luckily, the sun was on our side for more than 20 hours a day in early August. We used this abundance of daylight to drive the entire Ring Road, along with venturing out to the Westfjords.
