Traveling South America On a Budget

Questions I hear time and time again, are how did you manage to travel to the Galapagos Islands on a backpackers budget? Didn't it cost a fortune? It's possible to see things without a cruise? The answers to these questions, are that it doesnt have to be that expensive, and yes you can see SOO much without taking an expensive cruise. Keep reading to find out how you can travel there on a budget too! First, lets start with budget. Yes it is more expensive than mainland South America, but it is possible to spend only $50 (USD) a day, per person, once averaged out. To me, this is still cheap compared to what most people believe, and it is cheap compared to how much you can spend per day, because yes it can get super expensive! This $50 includes your accommodation ($12-$25), food ($4-$7/meal), snorkeling for the day ($4-$100), and occasional boat rides between the islands ($30 per direction). However, the flight to the islands, and the mandatory $100 USD fee when you land, are no...

Today we looked at various online tools to create different learning objects for our classes. Below, is my exploration of "emaze," where I attempted to create a presentation for my genius hour project. I enjoyed this tool, as it allows you to make creative videos or presentations using pre-set pages. I am not good at the little details when using online technology, and this takes the pressure off. I could see myself using this tool to create online power-point's for my students to follow along with if they are having trouble on certain concepts in class. It allows them to easily go back and forth between pages, and the app allows you to insert videos and pictures which is very useful in chemistry classes.

Traveling Peru on a Budget: So unlike Colombia, which I talked about in my last post, Peru has a very distinct Tourist Trail. It is much harder to go off the beaten track and you will likely be surrounded by other tourists at most points of your trip. BUT it is an extremely beautiful, cheap and easy to travel country, especially for first time travelers. A typical budget here is only around $30-$40/day, and includes all your excursions, food, transportation, and of course beer.  A typical Itinerary would be similar to the one seen below. It would take about 20 days, but things can be skipped or you can stay in places even longer.  Arrive by plane in Lima (1 day depending on when you get there, I personally would leave as soon as possible, but then again, I dislike big cities alot) (overnight bus to Huaraz) Huaraz (2 days; 1 day to acclimatize, 1 day to hike to Laguna 69) (overnight bus back to lima, then straight to paracas) Paracas (2 days; one day to do boat ...

Hello all! So sadly, I just realized I am suppose to be writing a blog about class as well... so bear with me as  I try to catch up. We have been doing many different online activities, all which have been very interesting to me, especially as my online knowledge is limited. However, the one thing that was really an "ah-ha" moment for me came last week. I hadn't really understood how the google sites worked, and apparently I was creating a completely different site every time I just wanted to add a page to my previous one... OOPS! As soon as professor Potts showed me how it really works, I finally understood how people could create a functioning website! It was a great "ah-ha" moment, that I will definitely never forget. As well, it turns out it wasn't just me who realized this. A lot of us were on the same page. This just goes to show, that if you have a question, even if it seems silly, someone else is probably thinking the same thing. In terms of wha...

This week I focused on created a resource for you guys all about Colombia! I will be discussing hostels, budgets, must-see places and potential itineraries for various lengths of trips. First, lets begin with a budget. I would say $40-$60/day per person is typical for the average budget traveler (aka me). However, if you choose to, it would be easy to spend much more, or even less, depending on the type of traveler you are. As I mentioned in my previous post, for my range of $40-$60 a day, I would be expecting you are staying at hostels, taking buses to get around (possibly a flight but only if you found a reasonable one), eating local food, drinking beer (because its relatively cheap) and not expensive cocktails, and still doing all activities. Next, lets take a look at some possible itineraries. By no means are these the only options, and if you like a place a lot once you get there, definitely stay longer ! That's what we did. However, I understand many people are on a timel...