This monthly round up is coming a bit late, but that’s because the last leg of our travels in Peru offered little to no internet! Not that I’m complaining, it was kind of nice to go offline and just soak up being in the Amazon; this is a destination that had been a long time bucket-list item, so it was pretty cool to tick it off. But now on to the updates. Here’s a look back at what I got up to in May:
Where I went
Mexico – Playa del Carmen
Peru – Lima, Iquitos, Amazon Jungle
Highlights of the month
Our first YouTube meet up
This past month Sam and I held our first YouTube meet up and it was a lot of fun! I was a bit hesitant at first – what would we do? what would we talk about? what if they didn’t like us in person?! – but our Peru viewers kept requesting one and they finally talked us into it. We ended up meeting by the lighthouse in Miraflores and brought along a whole box of alfajores to share. In the end, it was a blast. I loved getting to know each of our viewers individually and hearing about their passions and the places they want to travel to. I think we may start hosting meet-ups more regularly in the future!
Visiting Mexico for the first time
Kind of crazy considering it’s in North America and it’s such a popular winter destination with Canadians, but I finally made it there. The reason for my 1 week visit was to work on a video project called #BarceloStories (which I’ll be sharing more about in the comings months once the footage is all ready). Since this was a work trip, I mostly stayed in Playa del Carmen and snuck in a quick day trip to Tulum, but one week in the Riviera Maya was enough for me to realize I want to see more of Mexico in the future.
Finally seeing the Amazon!
It was a wonderful week! I had always wanted to travel to the Peruvian Amazon since it’s where my maternal grandmother was born and raised, and the place did not disappoint. I spent a few days in Iquitos, stayed in a treehouse in the middle of the jungle, and then cruised the Amazon by boat while doing lots of little day excursions along the way. More posts about the trip coming up soon!
Cool things to check out
Travel the world on a DNA Journey
If you haven’t seen it yet, I would suggest checking out Momondo’s video The DNA Journey.
I know these are paid actors, but I really liked the message of how travel and learning about your roots can help foster tolerance, respect and understanding for people in our world. My favourite line in the video is when Aurelie says, “There would be no such thing as extremism in the world if people knew their heritage.”
Also, Momondo is giving away 500 DNA kits so that people can discover their ancestry, and out of those 500 individuals, 17 will also win trips to visit a country that’s part of their heritage. How cool is that?! More details here.
Win an action-packed adventure
World Nomads is at it again and this time they are giving away 3 adventure packed trips to New Zealand, Norway, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Entering is pretty easy. All you have to do is tell them about your adventurous side in 100 words of less, and share 5 adventure activities you’d like to try. That’s it!
The contest is open to participants worldwide and you can enter here.
Most liked Instagram
This windswept moment on the beaches of Playa del Carmen. Take me back to those warm turquoise waters! I’ve been in Rio for a two days now and I’m yet to dip a toe in the chilly Atlantic.
What’s next
BRAZIL! This is the last country we’ll be hitting up on our South America adventure. We still have Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo coming up, which I’m really excited about, but after that it’ll be back up to Canada for a summer visit. It’s hard to believe we’ve been down here since January!
What do you have planned for June?
Congrats on your first meet up being a success! It is nerve racking to put yourself out there, but when we do, we often find like-minded people with whom we share many interests.
That is awesome you held a successful first meet up! I absolutely love your insta photo from the Amazon.