Representing the D in the Q Considering we fly to Maui annually, the flight to Quito was reasonably quick. Seven hours in the air with a 3 hour layover in the first class delta lounge in Atlanta. Let’s just say the mimosas were free flowing. Thanks to my churnjng game, I’m a ridiculous lounge lizard.. Before arriving in Ecuador there are some things you will need to complete. First, the Ecuador “visa”. It’s free and done online, but the language is Spanish with no option to t

Planning for the Galapagos was pretty intense. I typically like to book with people who contribute to online communities so my first contact was with Heather at CNHTours because she is a wealth of information on the trip advisor forum. Sadly, she just wasn't the right agent for me. She was really pushing the Samba as her agency has an affiliation with that boat. The Samba looked ok, and I'm sure that the Naturalist on the Samba would have been great, but the dining arrangemen

Aloha, I can't state this enough. I am not a professional blogger. This site has zero advertisements and is not a revenue generator. I'm just a girl documenting my travels in the hopes of helping others. With that said, I expect some technical difficulties. If you are having any troubles with the site, please use the comment section below and we can all troubleshoot together. I have set up the site so the only emails you should receive are a welcome email and notifications of

Blue Footed Boobie Planning for the Galapagos was probably the most challenging (and expensive) trip I have ever put together, but that is to be expected when visiting such a remote area of the globe. After interviewing several tour operators and travel agents from the Galapagos, we decided to book with Jacky from Happy Gringo. Unlike one of the agents I worked with, she did not push a single boat and gave me lots of choices (certain agents like to push the Samba). She was a

Tips on how to stay in an overwater bungalow on Moorea

Snorkeling in the Coral Gardens of Raiatea This tour is offered two ways. The traditional way includes a stop at both a vanilla and pearl farm. Or you can contact Bruno direct and ask him to put together a swim only tour. The swim only tour skips the vanilla and pearl farm and allows you to spend MUCH more time snorkeling in the gorgeous waters of the South Pacific. You still get lunch served on a private Motu and two stops for snorkeling through a coral garden. You will meet

There is no need to prebook any tour water tour on Moorea. In both 2024 and 2025 there were several tour operators with signs right when you get off the tender. I went with Albert's tours since I had used Alberts for transfer from the ferry to the Sofitel hotel and they were easy to work with. Here's the crew: The boat is nothing fancy. More like a huge pontoon boat with bench seating. I suspect it holds more than 100 people so this isn't personal tour (it's also $50 as oppos