Mark and his Cotopaxi Pacaya jacket at Torres del Paine, Chile.

THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL PACKING LIST

Outfitting oneself for a round-the-world trip can be rather daunting and expensive, as you guess what might be needed throughout a whole year of travel. Then, trying to smash it all in a single pack...
Round the world trip, travel, travel photography, challenges of travel, reverse culture shock, culture shock,

THE CULTURE SHOCK OF OUR 27TH COUNTRY

“Reverse culture shock,” a complex we heard so much about while traveling this past year that we assumed it would be inevitable upon our return home. How it would manifest itself we weren’t sure, but one...
road trip, scratch map, Luckies of London, Scratch Map USA, USA Scratch Map, United States of America, Fourth of July, Independence Day, Map, Travel, Road Trip,

USA SCRATCH MAP® GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway winners are Di and Rhenn who were randomly selected with the help of random.org. Congrats to Di and Rhenn! Thanks to everyone who entered!  Happy Fourth of July to all our American readers -- and...
The terraces and ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru.

PERU PHOTO GALLERY: MACHU PICCHU

A visit to Machu Picchu was the icing on our year-long travel cake. While we would have loved to trek one of the beautiful routes to the ruins, at that point in our journey we lacked the energy and money to do...
Breathtaking view of Machu Picchu in Peru at a lovely spot where we lay down to rest.

MACHU PICCHU

Many times throughout the previous year we met travelers who were making an effort to avoid crowded destinations. It's understandable, as who wants to deal with obnoxious tourists, souvenir hawkers,...
Mark in Rome - tall traveler problems

STRUGGLES OF A TALL TRAVELER

We had just begun our bus ride to Peru from Bolivia when the in-trip entertainment began. The young woman in front of me — a tourist — tried to lean her seat back. Only, given the limited leg room,...
Dancers fill the Plaza de Armas during the celebration of Cruz Velacuy in Cusco, Peru.

PERU PHOTO GALLERY: PUNO TO CUSCO

We departed Bolivia and entered Peru in the town of Yunguyo. From there it was a short bus ride to Puno, where we spent a few days resting and exploring Lake Titicaca. On to Cusco to witness the colorful...
La Paz, El Alto, Cholitas, Cholitas Wrestling, Cholita, Lucha Libre, WWE, Wrestling, Bolivia, Bolivan Wrestlers, photography, travel, travel photography,

BOLIVIA’S WRESTLING CHOLITAS!

The crowd seemed bored, sitting through three bouts of sub-par lucha libre wrestling that spilled awkwardly in and out of the ring. Locals filled concrete bleachers on one side of the expansive Coliseo 12 de...
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

BOLIVIA PHOTO GALLERY

From San Pedro de Atacama in Chile we crossed into Bolivia by jeep, taking three days to explore magnificent landscapes on the way to Salar de Uyuni. With seven of us packed into at Toyota Land Cruiser, we...
Britnee and our 4x4 on the three-day crossing to Uyuni, Bolivia.

CROSSING SALAR DE UYUNI BY JEEP

A 4:30 a.m. alarm after little sleep made our drive onto the Salar de Uyuni, (Uyuni Salt Flats), feel like a dream. Off to our right, color crept into the clear sky, first grey then a muted yellow. To our...
Valle de la Luna outside San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA PHOTO GALLERY

After getting cold in Patagonia, we were back in shorts and flip flops in the Atacama Desert during our stay in San Pedro de Atacama. We felt right at home visiting the surrounding red-rock landscapes that...
Wind-swept trees along the trail in Torres del Paine, Chile.

PATAGONIA PHOTO GALLERY

It was quite a detour to get to the "end of the world" but it was worth it. We made the long journey to Punta Arenas with plans of visiting Torres del Paine and were rewarded with a window of wonderful weather...
Strait of Magellan, Ferdinand Magellan, Punta Arenas, Patagonia, Chile,

A TRAVELER’S HISTORY OF THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN

Many cities tend to have one historical figure they celebrate, usually with statues, street names and exhibits in their honor. Back home in Salt Lake City it’s the Mormons Joseph Smith or Brigham Young we...