My Next South American Travel Adventure

Map of Ecuador

A few hours ago I booked a flight from Ft Lauderdale, Florida to Quito, Ecuador to depart on October 5th.

Ecuador is where I’ll begin my next South American travel adventure. Ecuador isn’t where I’ll be staying the entire time. In an effort to continuously travel deeper and grow personally, the focus on this next mission will be a bit different than the previous two.

  • Argentina was about finding substance, taking a leap and discovering work and travel in Buenos Aires.
  • Colombia was about developing my Spanish, learning Salsa and constructing a life as a Digital Nomad in Medellin.

On this next adventure, my goal is to concentrate on traveling Ecuador and interacting with the people of Bolivia via a selected volunteer program. There are a few microfinance programs in La Paz (capital of Bolivia) that I’d love to get involved with. A friend and fellow travel blogger, Jodi from LegalNomads.com recently told me about an amazing program called Kiva Fellowships that I’m in the process of applying for.

It isn’t like me to plan at all this much in advance but the application process for some of these programs is pretty intense and I want to make the most of it. Also, budgeting and planning in advance will hopefully take away some of those WTF moments that I usually face within the first few days, like arriving in Bogota.

If for some reason, a worthwhile volunteer opportunity doesn’t work out, my goal is to travel from Ecuador to Peru to chase my dream of becoming a culinary master of Peruvian cuisine.

Either way, I don’t want to overlook my first destination, Ecuador. There are a ton of places I can’t wait to explore…

NEXT CHAPTER BREAKDOWN

DATES:

October 5, 2011 – May 1, 2012

TIME FRAME:

7 months

ITINERARY:

  • Plan A: October until December travel Ecuador then December until May in (La Paz) Bolivia to volunteer.
  • Plan B: October until January travel Ecuador then January until May in Peru to learn to cook.
  • Plan C: October until November travel Ecuador then December until whenever return to New York and do all my traveling from a green screen in my mom’s basement.

VISA Requirements:

  • Ecuador/Peru: 90 days on a regular passport*
  • Bolivia: Tourist Visa necessary ($135) can choose to apply upon arrival to Bolivia*

*Need proof of departure/travel reservation within 90 days

COUNTRY GOALS:

Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

QUESTIONS:

  • Where should I live for the first 1-2 months in Ecuador? Quito? Banos? Cuenca? Montanita?
  • What other micro-financing opportunities are there in Bolivia, Ecuador or Peru?
  • What type of Travel Insurance should I get? 
  • Do you know of any other good resources/articles/information regarding Ecuador, Bolivia or Peru?
  • Do you have any tourism/PR/volunteer contacts in Ecuador, Bolivia or Peru?
  • Who are the Hottest Women from Ecuador?
Checkout my last “trip planning” post for Colombia: 29 Days ’til Colombia

My name is Gareth Leonard, a Marketing Director turned World Traveler with a passion for slow, meaningful travel. I have been traveling the world full-time for the past 9+ years and document it all on Instagram and YouTube. Come join me!

20 Comments

    1. Haha, who might that be? I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about Cuenca lately and not much about Quito… they better make a last minute push if they’re gunna win me over.

  1. Glad to see you’ll be back on the road again. I wouldn’t worry about the need for onward tickets when travelling around South America – we were never asked for one.

    When you get to Bolivia take a trip to the Amazon. The pampas tour is really cheap and you see so many animals -crocodiles, capybara, monkeys, turtles. It’s a short flight (or hideous 20 hr bus ride) from La Paz to Rurrenabaque.
    Erin recently posted..Vegetarian Survival Guide to Hong KongMy Profile

    1. Awesome, thanks for the advice Erin. Unless it’s Argentina, I will avoid 20 hr bus rides in South America whenever possible!

  2. South America, my first love. Don’t stress about the onward ticket requirement- I got my visa on the spot in Desaguadero, where the locals cross in ( I was crossing from Peru but did not have my yellow fever vaccine and I was afraid they’d ask for it) instead of the touristy Copacabana. They usually don’t ask and hey, your visa is good for 5 years (how I justified the price) so you can always go back! And you will. Trust me.
    Mica recently posted..On Location: Photo of the week- Jasri BeachMy Profile

  3. oh bolivia! only know some dentists, which might come in handy. we go every year for a medical trip in may/june, if you’re still around, head on over for some fun ha

  4. I was in Montañita in September and it was actually cold and rainy so I presume it will be like that in October as well. I liked Baños but some people find it too touristy. I believe Jack and Jill stayed there quite a while and rented a pretty nice looking apt for dirt cheap so check out their site if that interests you. My choice however, would be Cuenca as well.

    Here are my travel tips for Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, respectively:
    http://www.lengthytravel.com/travel-tips-ecuador/
    http://www.lengthytravel.com/travel-tips-peru/
    http://www.lengthytravel.com/travel-tips-bolivia-travel-guide/
    Jeff recently posted..Street Art: ChileMy Profile

    1. Excellent resources, thanks Jeff! Montañita is definitely on my list of places to visit while in Ecuador, I’m hoping it will be nicer in Nov/Dec so I can learn to surf. I guess Cuenca is the place to be!

  5. I am actually going to Ecuador through a volunteer program during the time you will be in Ecuador. The program that I chose is Lead Adventures and I will be working on an Animal Rehabilitation Center in Banos. I’m excited to see what you’re going to do and take whatever looks the most fun and then do it myself!

  6. Hey Jenny, Sounds wicked! Ecuador was the biggest surprise for me, the complete opposite of what i expected.. out of all the countries i had been through it was the most welcoming to enter and was surprised by the diverse landscapes! Mountain, jungle, beach! We drove through the west coast, where some desolat beaches lye on the edge of small villages.. Quito, is one of the most dangerous cities on earth! but like anywhere you just stay very careful and aware.. i never felt any danger and i spent two weeks there! riding the buses to town, living in mechanic workshop.. you know, the usual.. lol, but the people are so kind and generous, we got invited to the maestro’s house to meet the ‘whole’ family… Quito the city was quite beautiful too.

    In Peru we volunteered in two places, Cusco and Pisco.. Fairplay-Peru in Cusco, very cool, loved it! Fairplay is a small Non for profit organisation (NGO) and perfect if you want to learn spanish, salsa, learn to cook peruvian food with other volunteers and live in a peruvian home. All while also practising your spanish volunteering in a little school for disadvantaged kids of 3-5years old. Speak to John, we made the video on his website.
    Pisco was for an NGO called Pisco Sin Fronteras. Originally set up by some peeps from burning man as a disaster relief program but now 4 years later there still building families homes and starting to move more towards community development, helping the people help themselves. Its an amazing experience working with a close knit set of international volunteers (up to 90 max)all there for there own reasons. You sleep, eat, live and work together, you have to experience it to understand. They expect you to commit for a min of two-3weeks, most people stay 3-6months and more! Pisco is in an off the map location, on the west coast, (the road there from Cusco is an incredible drive in itself!) so if you want to see and volunteer in ‘real’ peru, i would suggest this one, its ridiculously good and they dont charge you a penny to come help out like some of the NGO’s that do. They purely generate income by charitable donations. Hope this is a wee bit helpful for ya.. If you want to see some video documentaries we created, please see Norma’s story and Delia’s story both filmed while volunteering at PSF on our blog http://www.thelongwayup.info or alternately my website for just the vids. Norma’s story is especially touching, this is one family PSF are trying to help but there are so many more in dia need.
    Cheers, if you wanna chat about anything else, email me.
    Good luck x sorry for lengthy message.. ;P

  7. I’ve only spent 3 months in Ecuador so far, but I’m loving Banos whereas Quito was more the obligatory capital city stop. The people are just so friendly, you can’t be oblivious to pickpockets, but there’s a much safer feeling here then in Quito.

    Plus it’s cheaper. I could stay in my private room at Hostel Erupcion for a month easy (at $10/night with a big breakfast included).

    And for a little pueblo, Banos has a bunch of discotecas. The town swells on the weekend as Ecuadorians visit from all around the country.

    I’m heading to Montanita next, but from what I’ve heard, it’s more a place to surf and smoke weed (without hassle) then a picturesque beach. On the plus side, lots of girls from Guayaquil head to Montanita to party on the weekends.

    Talk to Troy Floyd about living in Quito, he spent 8 months there.

  8. Considering Ecuador is a hot tourist destination, you’ll find a variety of beautiful women there, often Latin American women. You can try visiting Costa Rica. You are really lucky to be going into that kind of trip. Don’t forget to post some pictures of your finds.
    Edward recently posted..How To Seduce A WomanMy Profile

  9. I really like you have a focus for each stage of your travels. I need to get focused like that.

    I do hope you love Ecuador as much as I did. You’ll be a giant there! But the people are wonderfully friendly and if you have any questions just let me know.
    Ayngelina recently posted..A taste of Nova ScotiaMy Profile

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