@roamingmaddie

Tag: north america

  • going to college in covid

    going to college in covid

    I know, I know, covid class of 2020 needs to shut the f up about not getting to graduate high school. Personally, I am actually glad I could Irish goodbye my hometown and high school to spread my wings and fly.

    My first semester of college was fully remote and what I ended up doing with that time is a story for another day. I finally was able to go up to school in upstate NY in January of 2021 on a few stipulations.

    • Everyone had to be Covid vaccinated
    • Out-of-state students had to spend 3 nights in NY before going onto campus
    • Nobody else could help us move in or enter the dorm building
    • 2 night quarantine on campus before accessing the campus

    It was definitely going to be different than a typical college drop-off experience. I went with my mom to quarantine at my Aunt’s home in Buffalo (editors note: bittersweet full circle that 3 weeks before my doctoral graduation, I spent a weekend back at my Aunt’s house <3). After our 3 night stay, we made the drive over.

    I don’t know why I thought I could just breeze through a lake-effect winter with a light jacket, but I left all of my heavy winter wear in MD. I quickly realized this mistake as I had to singlehandedly move all of my possessions into my dorm building in 2 feet of snow.

    My Michigan-alumni mom watched with the smug I-told-you-so grin only a mom can have from the heated car as I struggled to carry my items in. I was greeted in my room with a bag of “provisions”: apples, bananas, a loaf of bread, canned tuna, peanut butter, and chips.

    The benefit of a 2-night dorm lock-in was that I immediately got to work unpacking my little room. My roommate would be arriving a day later than me, so I was excited to have a second to myself to assimilate to this new environment.

    About 30 mins after my mom left, I decided to Facetime my roommate to show her around. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to leave my room to show her the shared bathroom and kitchen. Of course I left my room without any shoes on (?), no mask (BIG no no), and without my room key. And of course the room locked behind me.

    The cherry on the cake there was that my RA hadn’t moved in yet, so to get the lock-out key, I had to walk across the quad shoeless to another building to get the key there. In the 2 feet of snow.

    I have so many great, nostalgic stories from this time of my life. I look back on it so fondly. There were a lot of rules we had to abide to and ultimately tried to break as often as possible.

    • Weekly covid testing by spitting your morning breath spit into a tube. If you tested negative or forgot to test, you were not allowed to leave your room for a week.
    • No eating in the dining hall, have to bring all food back to the dorm.
    • Sign up for a 30 min time slot at the gym and had to sign up for specific machines to use
    • Only lab classes in person, everything else online
    • Not allowed to go into anyone else’s dorm room or building

    Some of the fun workarounds we found included hosting parties in academic buildings, sneaking between dorm buildings, and going to the most fun house parties since all the bars were closed.

    I look back fondly on the baseball players in my building throwing snowballs at my window as they walked by. Going on long walks in the cold because there was just nothing else to do. Raising caterpillars into butterflies in a little net in my room and releasing them at the pond. Passing my organic chemistry and bio classes with flying colors because I am a very dedicated, focused, and diligent remote student…

    So while it was a really weird time to be a freshman, I think it was fun. If I could go back in time to this period just for 24 hours, I would in a heartbeat.

  • top 5 restaurants in ithaca, ny

    top 5 restaurants in ithaca, ny

    After 6 years of school in Ithaca, NY, I feel like I am qualified to recognize my top 5 favorite restaurants with clarity and decisiveness. I have eaten a lot of delicious meals in this town and while these are my top picks, this list is not exclusive.

    Of note, I am also a pescatarian. However, all but 1 of these restaurants have very yummy meat dishes as well (or so I have heard).

    Sushi from Asia Cuisine Ithaca

    asia cuisine

    From the outside, this place doesn’t look like a showstopper. However, Asia Cuisine has the best value sushi in all of Ithaca. It is incredible! It’s packed at dinnertime and they stop taking take-out orders once it’s busy, so go for an early dinner or late lunch to get a table.

    My order: miso soup, edamame, spicy tuna roll, alaska roll

    chips, tacos, and margarita from Bickering Twins Ithaca

    bickering twins

    Bickering Twins is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Ithaca (which is saying something with the steep competition of Viva and Old Mexico). I recommend doing their tequila/mezcal tasting if they start hosting them again!

    My order: house margarita, chips and salsa, garlic shrimp taco plate with black beans on the side

    food at moosewood ithaca

    moosewood

    This restaurant already has all of it flowers as the Moosewood cookbooks are insanely famous. This vegetarian restaurant has a rotating menu with the seasons that never disappoints. Their cocktails are also excellent.

    My order: whatever curry/soup vibes they have on the menu in that season

    oysters at maxie's supper club

    maxie’s supper club

    Maxie’s Supper Club is my favorite splurge dinner in Ithaca. Think graduations, birthdays, and anniversaries. This is the only restaurant that I trust getting raw seafood at in all of upstate New York. Make a reservation ahead of time to secure a table.

    My order: 4 raw oysters, cajun-seared ahi tuna, fun cocktail

    clam pizza from thompson and bleeker

    thompson and bleeker

    Ithaca frequenters know Thompson and Bleeker is an iconic Ithaca spot that is nearly impossible to get a table at. Their pizza is insanely good. Either show up early before they open at 5pm and wait in line or order out.

    My Order: panzanella salad, CLAM PIZZA (just trust me on this one)

    plates at northstar

    honorable mention: northstar public house

    One if my favorite hidden spots to bring people was Northstar Public House. They unfortunately have announced they are closing soon </3 I am hoping deep in my heart that they will find a buyer and continue having really delicious fake-meat meals and creative cocktails. I love you Northstar!!!!!

  • living with 20 strangers in san francisco

    living with 20 strangers in san francisco

    When I was presented the opportunity to complete a clinical rotation in a prestigious neurological rehab facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, there was no way that I would ever say no. The only minor thing standing in my way was the cost of living in Palo Alto as a broke grad student.

    To make matters worse, there was going to be no way that I could find a subletter, so I would be paying both NY and CA rent at the same time. Sigh.

    After crunching some numbers, I needed to find the cheapest option possible to be able to afford this rotation. I went to searching AirB&B and similar sites. I came across an interesting phenomena of this region: the Hacker Homes.

    These networks of homes across the Bay Area are spaces adults of any background can live for short or long term stays. Surprisingly, they are everywhere here. The reviews were good enough and the places looked very nice.

    Living room with many instruments
    The communal living room; my favorite place to hide in at 5am for a few precious moments of silence and privacy.

    I have extensive experience staying in hostels all over the world, so I wasn’t very concerned about the co-living aspect of things. Additionally, I was moving across the country to a place I have no friends or family at. It honestly felt safer to have SOMEONE that knew I existed out there in case something happened.

    I knew it wasn’t ideal, but it was only 10 weeks and I am brave and strong.

    What the listings do not address is ratio of males to females in these spaces. When I arrived, I learned it was 5 (including me) girls to 16 boys. My room houses 4/5 girls and the 5th girl was certified psycho, so it was a reallllly interesting dynamic. I also quickly began realizing the differences between a hostel in another country and this.

    In a hostel, people are there to save money and make short-term friends for the time being. Here, there were very rich individuals CHOOSING to live in this space for social interaction. If you can imagine 15 socially-challenged tech bros all dying to talk to a woman….. it’s a slippery slope. I genuinely think that talking to me was one of the first times some of these guys got any sort of attention from a girl.

    In a hostel, people mind their business. Here, I felt like I was always going to have someone annoying me. I am a friendly person and like to meet new people, but this was too much for me. These people were incessantly asking questions, wanting to know about my personal life, trying to be involved in the things I was doing.

    Let me give you a perfect example:

    For my birthday, I wanted to have a little entertaining fun and throw myself a party with the odd balls in this house. One individual offered to buy me a cake. He asked my favorite flavor, and then told me his favorite flavor of cake. Great, normal.

    On my birthday, he opens the cake and it is HIS favorite cake. Which also happens to be blueberry, which perhaps is one of my least favorite foods ever. He then silenced the room by singing his rendition of happy birthday in Polish at the top of his lungs. Immediately after he asked if he could come to my hospital to have lunch with me. I can’t make these things up.

    Group of young adults
    Birthday photo I forced these people to take with me. Half of my roommates didn’t even show up for my birthday…. rude!

    I began a running note of the seriously strange things that were occurring. Some of the highlights:

    • Rotting meat in the fridge, owner saying it doesn’t smell bad so he won’t throw it out. It smelled bad.
    • Roommate would keep gallons of milk sitting out on the dresser in our room unrefrigerated.
    • Roommate getting norovirus and throwing up/pooping in the shower for about 6 hours straight.
    • The “gym” in the backyard consisting of a broken mirror, rusty bench + tower with one barbell, and a snapped cables machine. Frequent hangout hotspot for the bros.
    • Roommate frequently using a blender at 9:30PM
    • Opening the shower to find shaved pubic hair covering everything
    • Elderly man roommate telling me he was living there to save up to buy embryos to become a single dad by choice (perhaps the worst one imo)
    • Roommate calling the police because she became convinced someone had built a device to open the trunk of her car. I was then selected to be the witness and mediator of their fight.
    • Someone leaving the gas burner on the stove on overnight because they “didn’t know it needed to be turned off”
    • Bunk mate smelling so bad we bought air fresheners and sprayed her bed daily so the smell wouldn’t waft
    • Roommate buying a bunch of cameras and putting them all over the house that only she had access to with no permission or rationale when caught
    • Female roommate fell asleep on the couch alone and woke up to male roommate rubbing her feet as she slept.
    • Hookups on the communal living room couch

    So do I recommend this experience? Absolutely not. I was originally trying to find the bright side to all of this strange behavior, but after being sexually harassed on my last day there, I decided I hated everything about this.

    The type of person that will thrive in this environment is a male that is socially awkward, has poor hygiene, is somehow rich, and snores. If that sounds like you, this place is a perfect match!

    To give them the benefit of the doubt, there were a handful of normal-ish men living here that I never had an issue with. They tended to spend little to no time at the house. However, I think you have to be slightly weird at heart to thrive here.

    Despite all of the above, I loved my time so much in California that if I had to go back and do it all again, I would just to live in this state one more time. However, if I went back to this house I would never talk to anyone and fully keep to myself 100% to avoid the freaks.

    P.S. I originally wasn’t going to write this or single anyone out to respect privacy, but after he made inappropriate comments about my body to my face on my last day, I am personally blasting this strange man who wore the ugliest outfits for many days in a row until he reeked. You were weirdest of them all!

    Ugly outfit

  • the perfect santa cruz day trip

    the perfect santa cruz day trip

    When I did my clinical rotation in the bay area over the winter of 2026, I quickly fell in love with my day trips to the coast. Particularly, Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay were my two favorite stops.

    If you didn’t already know, Santa Cruz is more or less a 1.5 hour drive from the San Fran region (although may be a lot shorter or longer depending on traffic). I was coming from Palo Alto and my best record was about 45 minutes.

    I have cultivated the most perfect itinerary for your solo day trip below. Of note, this itinerary does require a car to get you there. Additionally, this itinerary can be rain or shine (may just want to skip the beach if it’s rainy!)

    morning

    To begin your morning, leave the city with something caffeinated and a good podcast to complete your drive. (I will always recommend Armchair Anonymous, not sponsored, wish it was). Once you get into Santa Cruz, you’re going to park on the street nearby the Wharf, but not on it. I usually have good luck driving on the cross streets near the hotels on the beach. Use ParkMobile to pay for a few hours (you can always add more time later).

    Santa Cruz Picnic Basket breakfast burrito and chai

    From there, walk to the Picnic Basket for breakfast and THEIR CHAI LATTE!!!! I have had maybe a million chai’s before and this is truly at the top of the list. The breakfast burrito is excellent and filling.

    Once you’ve filled up and are happy, you can head right across the street to the beach. On a nice day, it’s the perfect spot for sunbathing and a quick swim. On a colder day, I took the most perfect cat nap bundled up in sweats and reading a book on a blanket.

    You can also take this time to walk a bit more down the beach to the Boardwalk. I never rode the rides, but it was fun to walk around and people-watch. Its extremely charming!

    Santa Cruz Beach

    midday

    Once you’ve either had enough beach morning or seen everything you wanted to see on the Boardwalk, head towards the Wharf. You can move your car here if you want, but I actually really enjoyed just walking it and watching the fishermen and wildlife.

    fish tacos from riva

    Once you get towards the end, there are lots of souvenir shops and lunch options. I had the best fish tacos at Riva Fish House, but I really don’t think you can go wrong at any of these spots here. Dinner will be light tonight, so splurge on lunch!

    I also recommend stopping in Marini’s Candies and getting the chocolate covered strawberries if they have them. So so good!!! I’m sure they have other good things too, lol.

    sea lions and seals at the santa cruz wharf

    Keep your eyes and ears out for sea lions/seals (idk) under and around the wharf. Sometimes they’re extremely cute and sometimes they look like blobs and you’re concerned if they’re alive.

    afternoon

    Once you’ve completed your midday experience on the Wharf, you can go back to your car and relocate it towards the downtown area on Pacific Ave. There are various parking lots and street parking options available.

    roxa hammock cafe

    There are many impressive vintage/thrift stores in this area to explore and fall in love with. I could spend so many days exploring these streets! When you need a break from walking, go into Roxa Hammock Cafe. This seems like a tourist trap, but I actually really liked their beverages and it was the perfect stop to read a book and vibe. Ask the barista to do the tarot reading to pick your drink!

    Since lunch was big, you’ll just need a quick bite to get you through your drive home. My favorite quick stop was a slice or two from Pleasure Pizza. Two different guys also asked for my number while I was sitting there, so I feel like that means its good luck in there.

    street art on pacific ave

    Then once you’ve seen all you can see, start to head home before the sun sets! And voila, you’ve had the most perfect day in Santa Cruz ever.

  • a sugar daddy paid for my miami trip

    a sugar daddy paid for my miami trip

    Before you immediately go sending my mom this article screaming that I am in extreme danger, I would like to make the disclaimer that I was not the one with the sugar daddy, I just reaped the benefits. I don’t recommend anyone do this or even have a sugar daddy in the first place.

    Now that that’s out of the day, I am sure that you are wondering how I exactly found myself in this situation. I had met a great friend (Fiji for this story, her camp counselor name <3) while we both worked together at a summer camp in 2022.

    For spring break 2023, we were dying to reconnect, and what better way for us to do this than returning to the state where it all began: Florida. This time the west coast.

    She wasn’t 21 yet, and honestly we were both pretty broke overall. Miami in the middle of March isn’t exactly cheap and we were working through our options. Fiji let me know that she had an ~alternate~ source of income that would be helping her out…

    From my understanding, she never exchanged anything sexual or freaky with this man. He liked that she would laugh at his jokes and keep him company and would pay her for her time. Honestly kinda seems like a dream. Why am I even laughing at any man’s joke if I am NOT getting paid.

    Anyhow, she pitched the idea of him covering her costs for the trip and he went one step further offering to cover some of MY expenses too so she wouldn’t be there alone. At first I felt a little weird about the situation thinking he would expect something from me as well, but that part never came. They also lived on the other side of the country from me so I felt a little safer about it for some reason.

    It really didn’t feel real that I was going on this trip not fully funded by myself until I was laying on the beach with a $3 capri sun cocktail that some random man sold me. We probably couldn’t have pulled the money together in time to be able to go otherwise.

    The culmination of this experience was when he got us a reservation at the Versace mansion and paid for the dinner. I have seldom felt as glamorous as I did this night since then. We had the best time!!!

    Girl posing in versace mansion in miami

    I asked her later on about the entire situation and she said after she got back he got weird and freaky so she cut it off. But he never asked for any of the money back or anything like that. I guess thats just part of the job??

    Anyways, sorry if this wasn’t the juicy, freaky story you were looking for. It truly was as simple as me having to do nothing to get a trip to Florida. Perhaps the benefits of being a good friend? We both look back on this trip with such good memories and I’ve only slightly been begging her to find a new sugar daddy for our next trip.

  • 5 spring break trips

    5 spring break trips

    Being that I was in a 6-year college program (minus one in-person year due to COVID :/), I was fortunate enough to get to go on 5 very different spring breaks. If you’re looking for a spring break vacay to fit your vibe, no matter what you’re looking for, I’m sure you will find some inspiration below!

    sunset in ft lauderdale, FL

    ft lauderdale, florida (2022)

    My first spring break truly lived up to the “college spring breakers” experience. Me and 9 other friends rented a small house in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida for the week. The house backed up to a pond and had a paddle boat and hammock. We got our best use out of this space and the proximity to the nightlife!

    I will always remember the experience of our shared hungover breakfasts, girls getting ready together in one small bathroom, and the insane nights clubbing that we all endured. If you’re looking to party all day and night- this is the city for you.

    girls posing on miami beach sign on spring break

    miami, florida (2023)

    The next year, I met up with one friend in Miami that I had met working in FL the previous summer. Compared to Ft Lauderdale, this was a very different experience (primarily because we were not looking for the same clubbing environment). While you can definitely find this here, we were not interested in that.

    Instead, we spent many days lounging on the beach sipping seltzers and trying delicious food (Versace Mansion is a must-hit). The state of Florida has really cracked down on the spring break craze, so we were glad to avoid the police surrounding all of the drunk crowds and prioritize R&R.

    australia beach

    sydney, australia (2024)

    I was extremely lucky this year to have a friend studying abroad in Sydney to visit over break. Was it necessarily logical to fly all the way from the US to Australia for only a week… perhaps not. However, we made the most of this trip and the Sydney beaches are some of the most beautiful to lay on.

    Honorable mention of this trip was Bondi Beach and the Taronga Zoo. I also learned that I was allergic to kangaroo meat on this trip! Highly recommend choosing an option where you can visit an abroad friend to save the money you would’ve spent on a hotel for something fun while you’re there.

    beach in maui, hawaii

    maui, hawaii (2025)

    I once again was visiting a friend on this spring break. Did you know, the resorts on Maui don’t have any way of stopping you from entering if you walk in from the beach? Totally not saying I did that or anything though. I just had plenty of free time to walk all over this island.

    All that to say, there is PLENTY to do on Maui even if you are not staying at a glamorous resort. Some of my favorites included ziplining in the jungle, surf lessons, GREAT food, and just laying in the sunshine with a good book.

    street market in ollantaytambo, peru

    lima/cusco/ollantaytambo, peru (2026)

    For my last ever spring break trip, I took a totally different approach and did a backpacking trip around Peru, rounding out seeing Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world. This was TOTALLY different from any of my other trips and so wonderful.

    The highlight of this trip for both me and my travel partner was a 2 night Amazon Rainforest expedition. However, Peru is filled with amazing food and beautiful sights so truly the entire trip was like a dream.

    In summary, you really can’t go wrong with a spring break trip. As long as you’re going somewhere warm, have at least one friend with you, and have something fun planned- you will be golden!!

  • erewhon smoothie dupe

    erewhon smoothie dupe

    If I am headed to Los Angeles, I 100% every single time will be stopping at Erewhon for that damn Hailey Bieber strawberries and cream smoothie. Not only does it taste fire, but I feel like just maybeeee my skin looks clearer for a week or so after I have one. And I just feel so clean girl heathy chic.

    I have combined a few recipes I find online to make the most similar dupe possible. It probably (definitely) doesn’t have the same health benefits without the expensive supplements and whatever, but it works!

    This recipe yields two servings. I will drink one right away and freeze one to have later.

    the recipe

    • 2 frozen bananas
    • 3 cups frozen strawberries
    • 2 cups vanilla almond milk
    • 1/4 cup coconut water
    • 6 pitted dates
    • 1 small avocado
    • 4 tbsp collagen powder
    • 2 tbsp coconut cream
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 2 tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 scoop of sea moss if you’re glamorous (not required)

    Once everything is in the blender I blend until smooth. The dates will be the hardest part to get broken down. I also usually freeze fresh fruit versus buying frozen. I had a bad experience finding rocks in my frozen strawberries once and am traumatized LOL.

    Try it out and let me know what you think! Perfect for a hot girl walk around the neighborhood as the weather warms up.

  • bars in los angeles worth visiting

    bars in los angeles worth visiting

    Let me be very clear, I have only been to los angeles a total of 3 times in my life. However, every time I have gone, I have had the best nights out ever! Luckily, I have amazing friends that know the best spots to go for a memorable night. TY in advance Abby for being my LA tour guide always!

    desert 5 spot

    I celebrated Abby’s birthday with her here in 2025 and it was not a miss! Desert 5 Spot is a western-themed bar but with chic flair. I loved the cowboy boots mirror ball as pictured below.

    disco ball cowboy boots in los angeles

    My favorite part of this bar was the live music with intermittent line dance breaks. Of course I don’t know a single line dance, but it is REALLY entertaining to watch those who give it their 100% .

    If you’re not into line dancing, there is still plenty of room for normal shimmying. We liked hanging out on the rooftop wraparound patio with beautiful views and good ambience!

    two girls with drinks at a rooftop bar

    bar lubitsch

    For my 24th birthday, we started our crawl here at the Russian-themed Bar Lubitch. You enter into a very non-assuming bar area with GREAT cocktails (get the cucumber gimlet) and the most perfect photo booth.

    Once you make your way past the photo booth, the real party is in the back room. We were busting down song after song on the dance floor. The management was also nice enough to let me know that my phone in my back pocket was probably a bad idea and to keep it in my purse, LOL.

    girl posing in front of a painting of a bear in a bar

    Loved this place, definitely would like to go back.

    no vacancy

    To be so honest, this was one of our last stops and is a bit woozy, but what I remember was awesome. The outdoor section of No Vacancy was super moody and good vibes. The stage out back had a few occasional performers come out that danced? I think? Honestly, Abby and I couldn’t really remember….

    We got super lucky as I chatted up an engagement party who had a table and offered us their bottles as they were leaving. So maybe just linger around the tables and chat people up to try your luck!

    I do not have any images from this bar so you will just have to imagine it. Rumor has it I may or may not have been giving a friend a foot massage at this bar when her shoes started hurting her. Be sure to add that into your mental imagery of this cool vibe place <3

  • the longest guatemala travel day ever

    the longest guatemala travel day ever

    In December of 2026, I booked a yoga retreat on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala with Eagles Nest Atitlan. I was looking for a retreat that was more or less all inclusive in Central America and this checked all of my boxes. I booked the reservation, my flights, and closed my computer.

    I got an email later asking if I would like to book a shuttle from the airport to the retreat for $150 one way. Do I look like I am made of money??? I would figure it out one way or another how to get there. Thankfully, I did my research ahead of time and came prepared for what was in store.

    step 1: guatemala city to panajachel

    I booked my shuttle ticket through Guatego ahead of time to pick me up from the airport at 1:45pm. My flight was landing at 1, so I figured that was probably enough time to get through customs and find my driver.

    They sent a very stern “we will only wait 5 minutes for you” message and if I missed it I would definitely be SOL because the next shuttle wasn’t until around 6pm.

    Customs took a smidge longer than expected, and I found myself running out the door. The Guatemala City airport exit is a lot more overstimulating than one might expect! There are many taxi drivers offering to drive you wherever, family members greeting their loved ones with big, flashy balloons, and a lot of people in not a lot of space.

    I made it through the crowed and exited the airport to be sure I knew where my shuttle driver was picking me up. I figured I would get my eyes on this spot, then go back into the airport vestibule to find an ATM to take out some Guatemalan Quetzal (cash). Unfortunately, once you exit the only way back in was through security again.

    I wasn’t super stressed about not having cash at this point. I knew I would eventually need cash for the ferry and tuk tuks, but we had a stopover in Antigua and there must be an ATM there, right?

    I connected with my shuttle driver and took the back seat. I notice that there are no outlets, so I am immediately mindful of how much I am using my phone. I knew I had a long trip ahead of me. Our shuttle ended up leaving with 3 less passengers as they had not been as lucky as me to make it through customs in time.

    We were off to Antigua! I spent my time napping, reading, and journaling during this trip. I was especially obsessed with the Chicken Busses which are reclaimed school busses decorated beautifully and used as public transport for the locals.

    Guatemala chicken bus

    After about 3 hours, we made our stop in Antigua. My plan to find an ATM here was quickly lost after our “stopover” consisted of me stepping from one shuttle into another and immediately leaving the city. I’m still not stressed though!

    By the time I got on the second shuttle, the sun was setting so reading and journaling were off the table. I used this shuttle to continue catching up on sleep. About an hour before our destination I made a bit of an alarming realization.

    The last ferry to get from Panajachel to San Marcos leaves at 8pm, and it looked like we were going to get to Panajachel at 7:45 pm. Which left very little time for me to find an ATM and the docks, lol. I’m still not really stressed, honestly. One way or the other, I am making it to this damn yoga retreat.

    step 2: panajachel to san marcos

    As we arrived to the docks in the shuttle, our driver’s accomplice met us. He, in broken English, explained that the last ferries have left and our only option is to pay for him to take us on his private boat. But don’t worry, he takes card!

    The crew he was telling this to included me, 2 British girls, and a Mexican man (A). A came in clutch here because he was the only one of us that spoke Spanish. He was offering us the discounted price of $13 per person if the 4 of us went with him (the ferry is typically $3 per person).

    Personally, I am completely down for this option. $13 is not ridiculous to me and I don’t have cash! Once we walk down to the docks, the other public ferry operators are yelling “last call” and the 2 girls take off. Apparently to them $13 WAS ridiculous….

    This left me and A. The private boat operator now was saying that because they bailed, the price would be raised to $26 per person. Honestly, I’m still ok with this LOL. This seems to be my only option at this point and I still don’t have cash. A and I chat and A thinks he can get him lower on the price.

    I watch like a damsel in distress as they have a bartering match in Spanish over the price. Finally, they settle on $19, which- you guessed it- I’m fine with! We boarded this boat in the dark and set sail across Lake Atitlan to San Marcos.

    ferry on lake atitlan

    A offered to put his card down and then I could give him back cash once I found an ATM. The ferry ride was about 20 minutes and we pondered if there was a Loch Ness Monster-adjacent entity living in this lake (or anything else that could kill us)

    step 3: downtown san marcos to eagle’s nest

    Once we landed at the dock, there is a narrow street of vendors leading from the water to the main downtown of San Marcos. I figured A was just going to accompany me to find the ATM, but he decided to part ways towards his hostel. This left me wandering the streets alone at 9pm for an ATM.

    To get to the retreat, I could either hike up a very steep volcano in the dark or hire a tuk tuk to drive me up. I figured the latter was slightly safer at this time. The downtown wasn’t super massive, so I figured I could just wander around and come across an ATM.

    While I found many beautiful Christmas lights, dogs, and locals cooking delicious-smelling food, I did not find any cash. Let me just remind you that I have not had access to a bathroom or any food since the airplane approximately 10 hours prior 🙂

    tuk tuks and christmas lights in san marcos

    I eventually decided wandering around aimlessly was probably a bad idea. I approached one of the tuk tuk’s and was surprised to find the driver to be a boy who couldn’t have been older than 8 years old. I held up my phone at 10% with “Where do I get cash” in google translate to Spanish. He pointed me to a little bodega and finally I had my quetzals.

    I came back and found the same little boys and they offered me the ride for $2. I honestly loved this random little ride with these boys and felt like I was funding the livelihood of Guatemalan youth. Even if at the end he told me it was actually going to be $2.50… Sneaky little boys.

    Finally, I had made it to the entrance of the retreat. Any by entrance, the beginning of the 10 minute hike through the jungle to the retreat. Of course my phone was dead by this point, so I was just vibing with my moonlit hike and made it there in one piece!

    The most clutch part of this experience was having a super light backpack so it was easy for me to quickly transition from transport to transport. At no point did I ever feel truly unsafe or stuck. I guess that is just the magic energy of Guatemala!

    soup and pizza at a picnic table

    At the end of the trip, I was greeted with a bowl of warm soup and super great vibes at the retreat! And THANKFULLY a bathroom. I had officially made it in once piece and was excited to finally able to relax! The end.

  • everything i packed to backpack guatemala

    everything i packed to backpack guatemala

    In December of 2026, I made my first trip to Central America in Guatemala (and did it all by myself). Being the cheap girl I am, I was not going to spend the extra $30 to bring a checked bag, so all I had was a personal item sized backpack. Continue reading to find out what was in my bag!

    backpack

    I borrowed (stole) the Outdoor Adventures Mist Hydration Backpack from my parent’s house. This was the perfect bag for me that had plenty of different pockets to keep things separated and safe. The water holding portion was long gone so I had extra space to put my things.

    It counts as a personal item on flights, is very light, and super cheap. This isn’t sponsored but I wish it was lol. I am looking forward to bringing this along for many more trips!

    clothes

    I was headed on a yoga retreat, so I prioritized packing items I could move in but were also comfortable for long travel days. I also was going to be in warm, potentially rainy Guatemala weather.

    My most-used items ended up being my thin long sleeve shirt that was just enough for nippy mornings without being too hot. I also never travel without my birkenstock-dupe sandals that are so comfortable for long walking!

    Girl posing in front of mirror in Guatemala

    toiletries

    I was lucky that my backpack had multiple pockets so I could store my travel-sized toiletries for easy access. 3 things I will never travel without are my makeup eraser washcloth, my solid shampoo/conditioner bars, and my carmex lip balm!!!

    miscellaneous

    I had to be very careful about everything else I brought as my space was quickly weaning and I had to make sure I had everything I absolutely needed. My journal and a book were non-negotiable! FYI, Guatemala has the same outlets as the US, so no need to buy an adapter.

    what i brought home

    I am typically not much of a souvenir girl, but I was going right before Christmas and of course waited until the last second to buy gifts for family. I had just the tiniest bit of space left in my luggage for a few gifts and treats for myself!

    • Handmade crossbody bag
    • Handmade headband
    • 6 postcards
    • 2 handmade shot glasses (gifts)
    • Jade necklace and bracelet (gifts)
    Girl taking mirror selfie
    featuring my new headband and bag

    All-in-all, I felt very accomplished with my backpacking game and felt like I had everything I needed. If I had a smidge more space, I would’ve added a windbreaker/rainjacket and a hairbrush, but I was just fine without both! An additional consideration is a towel, but I checked that my accommodations would provide them for free ahead of time.