Remote Year Yugen: April, 2018—Lima, Peru
After struggling to connect to South America, Peru was one of those months where I fell in love with another country. From swimming with sea lions in freezing water and sandsurfing and flying above the Nazca Lines to eating my way around Lima and climbing Machu...
On Climbing Machu Picchu On Earth Day… With My Mother
Can we talk about my mom for a second? At 57 years old, she: --Jumped out of bed at 4 a.m. this morning. --Waited in line for 50 minutes before taking a super-curvy hour-long bus ride to Machu Picchu. --Climbed 2,500 feet to the top of Huayna Picchu, the...
What Full-Time Travel Writers Pack
Ever wonder? I share some of my own insight, and interview 10 other pros on what they never leave home without for Travel + Leisure....
A Rosy-Cheeked Toddler in Cusco
Next to the sunglasses stand at the entrance of the Mercado Central de San Pedro in Cusco, Peru, this little lady grabbed my legs, looked up at me and laughed. I bent down to attempt broken Spanish in toddler terms, and she smiled with crumbs...
My Traveling Sisters
A year ago, the girl to my right lived less than 10 blocks away from me in Manhattan. The girl on my left lived across the country in Salt Lake City. We all love Disney. And mayonnaise. And we tend to break out in song...
A Year Ago Today…
I was a late-bloomer to traveling: didn’t board an airplane until I was 19. And didn’t get a passport until 25. But since I first touched down in Paris - now four years ago this week - sleep-deprived and thrilled to see the Eiffel Tower with...
Real Talk, Though
Sometimes you’re on a bus with two treasured friends, driving from Santiago to Mendoza through the beautiful, iconic Andes Mountains, writing an article, feeling incredibly lucky...
Today On Remote Year…
...I mailed 10 pairs of underwear and a bathrobe to a man I've never met in Iowa. [He's a friend of a Yugen, kindly bringing some necessities from the states. Don't worry, mom.] -Somehow managed to translate instructions on a printer in Spanish so I can...
The Thing About Magic…
“All I can tell you is once you see the magic in the little things, you’ll be fine, because magic knows exactly when that happens and it’ll never leave you alone after that.” -StoryPeople (In Cordoba, Argentina)...