Mar 6, 2012

(MIAMI, FL, March 2012) – LAN Airlines, South America’s premier carrier, and its affiliates invite passengers to celebrate the arrival of springtime by booking a trip to South America. Savvy travelers can get a head start on planning a summer getaway this year by taking advantage of LAN Airlines and its affiliates’ low fares on travel taking place from

Dec 4, 2011

 (MIAMI, November 28, 2011) – LAN Airlines, South America´s premier air carrier, and its affiliates announce the biggest deal of the year! Passengers looking to travel to South America next year can book now through December 12, 2011 and enjoy savings on trips to Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela.   “LAN is making a big

Oct 19, 2011

(DOWNERS GROVE, IL – October 17, 2011) – There is adventure travel, and then there are the adventures of a lifetime. Abercrombie & Kent seamlessly orchestrates unforgettable journeys in the world’s most challenging environments. Among the exciting new Extreme Adventures for 2012 are treks up Mount Kilimanjaro and to Everest Base Camp,

Jun 22, 2011

There will soon be a new address for spirited travelers to experience the beauty and history of Old Town Quito, Ecuador: Casa Gangotena. Situated in a newly restored historic mansion overlooking Plaza San Francisco, the three-story boutique hotel harbors 31 suites, each a showcase of eye-catching style, contemporary design, modern technologies and quintessential

Apr 15, 2011

QUITO, Ecuador, April 15 –The capital of Ecuador has been named the 2011 American Capital of Culture and has scheduled a full slate of concerts, festivals, fairs and events through December. Quito is a living jewel with its 320-acre historic center full of 130 monuments and 5,000 heritage properties.  Founded in the 16th century and built on the ruins of an

Sitting on the small rectangular balcony outside my room at the Hotel Milan, I look down on the cobblestone streets of the city of Cuenca. Traveling alone is liberating. I have just arrived to explore the Ecuadorian city I will be living and teaching in for the next three months. I have been hired as an English teacher at The Center for Inter-American Studies.

Meals in Ecuador often consist of set menus known as almuerzos (al-mur-zoes) lunches and meriendas (merry-en-das) dinners, which usually consist of a soup, main course (usually meat) and a dessert. These usually cost just one or two dollars. Soups are without doubt Ecuador’s specialty. They are always hearty, usually including vegetables, potatoes and a

Standing 20KM north of Quito the Mitad del Mundo is a thirty-meter tall, stone clad monument, topped by a 4.5-meter diameter globe weighing five tonnes. A white line, representing the Equator line runs through the monument and dissects its East and West face. A sign on the line proudly announces “Equator: Latitude 0’0’0′” Finding

The fragility of the natural world in Ecuador (and around the world) can be summed up in just one word: George! George, or Lonesome George as he is more commonly known has come to be an unwitting star in the Galapagos Islands as a symbol for conservationists and naturalists the world over. Lonesome George is a Giant Tortoise from the small island of Pinta in the

At 10,000 feet, the air is perceptively thin in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito. Travelers puff and gasp the first few days of their visit. Stone steps and sidewalks seem steeper; footsteps tread slower. This ancient, beautiful city is home to over 2 million residents. It fills the valley at the foot of 15,710 foot high Rucu Pichincha with thousands of

For part one of In the Eye of the Beholder I woke up in our tent wearing nothing but my underwear. A villager told me that I got out of the tent at night and ran around the jungle in a stupor until other villagers caught up with me as I was standing on an edge of a cliff gazing into the muddy water below. When I spoke to Alex, he had terrifying news. He died

It is two days later and I still don’t have all my memory back. I remember arriving at the village where the Shaman’s house was and being a bit nervous. I tried to do some research and asked people I had met and the guides how they felt about such an experience, and all I got was that it’s something I should do. I remembered Ramiro, our English

On my last day in South America, I wake up to the calm sound of rain falling atop the metal roof.  Two days before I was tanning on a cushioned lounge chair along the water of Mancora Beach, Peru my mind dizzied, almost drunk, on sun and relaxation. But now I am in Quito, Ecuador on a rainy morning and my mind is dizzying from the prospect of leaving this great

The jungle trip began the same way I planned to start my independent journey to Iquitos. Early Friday morning I, along with the guide and five other participants – Alex [the writer's husband], two British girls, a New-Zealander, and an Australian, piled up into a motorized canoe filled with locals and baggage of all kinds. The trip down to Nuevo Rocafuerte

Luck is often an essential part of a successful trip. If you know were to get some, I’d suggest you pack it in your most accessible backpack pocket – it, plus a bit of experience, and you are guaranteed to have a good time. Pierre Constant – the adventurer extraordinaire and author of “Marine Life of the Galapagos” wasn’t very