Plates of soup, meat and salad

Menu del Dia

Mark Stewart Destinations 2 Comments

There are many ways to travel Colombia on a budget. You can stay in dorms, cook meals for yourself, or ride local buses as often as possible. And those are all great ways to save a few dollars. But the best way to save a ton of money while also getting a great experience is by eating Menu del Dias. By taking advantage of this special lunch menu, found everywhere, you’ll not only save a pile of cash, but enjoy some of the best …

Deep fried round snacks on a plate with a jar of mustard in the background.

Bitterballen Recipe (Dutch Meatballs): The Better Beer Snack

Mark Stewart Recipe 2 Comments

Bitterballen are an incredibly tasty beer snack that are here to shake up your snacking game. Because who doesn’t love salty beer snacks? Pretzels, chicken wings, dry ribs, mozza sticks… They’re all fantastic and wonderful and delicious. But they’re also a little played out. This bitterballen recipe from the Netherlands is going to change the way you snack. After all, we’re needy creatures, we want variety. A few years ago when we were visiting some family and friends in the …

Boat in the sea near the beach

Touring the San Bernardo Islands Colombia: Is it Worth It?

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The Caribbean coast of Colombia is absolutely stunning. Impossibly blue water splashes onto the shores of tiny fishing villages, buzzing colonial cities, and the occasional spattering of islands off the mainland. One such archipelago is that of San Bernardo, a small group of islands between Cartagena and Tolu. These islands are a very popular spot to visit, especially for locals. And for good reason; they’re the postcard image of a Caribbean island. But are they actually worth visiting? Here’s what we think …

Red bus with flashy decals and stickers passing a blue building. This is one of the buses that can take you from Antigua to Panajachel

The Famous Central American Chicken Bus

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Taking local transport while travelling is one of our favourite ways to really experience a destination. It’s far more than simply a mode of transport, it’s en experience. And the legendary chicken buses of Central America are some of the best in the world. There are few experiences like taking a chicken bus. For many backpackers, it’s a right of passage, even a badge of honour, to travel this way. They’re not just exciting, they’re affordable. And, much like visiting …

Woman looking out a window in a living room

Our Journey Home; and Why We Made the Decision

Mark Stewart Opinions 8 Comments

Rewind Six Days Sunday. 15-03-20. Bogota, Colombia. The dark clouds rolling over Bogota from the mountains are an ominous sight that seems a fitting parallel to everything else that’s going on right now. I just returned from a quick trip to the corner store for a re-stock of groceries and beer to pacify our quasi-isolation before departing Colombia in two days. This isn’t exactly how I expected to be spending my final days in the country but then again, those …

Blue water beach with nice sand and a mountain behind it

Bahia Concha, Colombia: The Affordable Alternative to Tayrona National Park

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Santa Marta is the stepping-off point for most of northern Colombia and the Caribbean coast. And one of the most popular nearby destinations is Tayrona National Park. With its crystal-clear waters, palm-fringed beaches and beautiful jungle trails, it’s easy to see why. However, it’s also busy, a bit expensive, and especially tricky to pull off if you’re on a tight schedule. On the far southwestern edge of Tayrona park is a separate cove, unknown to many foreign visitors. Technically, Bahia …

Palm trees on the edge of the sea in Santa Marta Colombia

13 of the Best Things to Do Santa Marta, Colombia

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Santa Marta has come a long way in the two years since our first visit. Its rise in popularity as a base for exploring Colombia’s north has seen a heavy increase in travellers. And with those numbers, some much-needed new life has been breathed into the gritty coastal city. Most travellers find themselves here merely as a stop-off point for exploring the surrounding mountains and beaches. And while the city itself doesn’t have a ton of activities, there are still …

Tree on a beach

Month in Review: January 2020

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Wow. It’s been a wild start to the New Year. Entering the beginning of February, this is the first time we’ve had to slow down a little. Yet as fast as we’ve been moving around, it’s hard to imagine that only a month has passed. For a second, I thought we’d missed an update, only to realize it’s just the effect of travel on our experience of time. This year couldn’t have started in a more incredible place. We’ve been truly …

Building wall with graffiti on it

11 Times When Things Should have Ended Badly, but Didn’t

Mark Stewart Opinions 7 Comments

Bad things will happen in life. There’s no avoiding this unfortunate fact. Sometimes it happens entirely out of our control, like hitting black ice while driving. Other times it’s a direct result of our own stupid decisions, like drinking too much and accidentally lighting your face on fire while trying to perform circus tricks at a house party (this is entirely hypothetical, of course). And while some of us can pad ourselves against these moments better than others, nothing can …