Galápagos on Your Bucket List?... and Getting Called an Ugly American

The Galápagos on Your Bucket List? What You Need to Know to Go

The Galápagos Islands had long been on our bucket list. 

 Finally tuition-free when our youngest graduated from college, we treated ourselves to the adventure of a lifetime.

 Here's what we learned about how to get there, what to pack, what to expect and how to prepare for one of the most fascinating... CONTINUE READING >>

 Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

That Time I was Called an Ugly American

I met the meanest woman in the world on cruise ship.

David & I were sitting in a near-empty onboard restaurant after an afternoon cooking class, and had a jovial group of fellow classmates seated with us – new friends from all over the world.

 Yes, we were a bit loud. Yes, we were critiquing the food – we had prepared it, after all – and, I was being exceptionally... CONTINUE READING >>

Our Top Instagram Photos of 2015!

Wow - what a year! We're so grateful for tons of travel, the release of Going Gypsy, new friends from all over the world (that includes YOU!), and a spectacular wedding!

Our most liked photos on Instagram included our African photo safaris in Tanzania and South Africa, our river cruise through Holland and Belgium, and our bike tour in Sicily.

Cheers to 2016 everyone - let's make it shine!

Leave us a message here

Follow us on Instagram - don't miss a single pic in 2016!




Watch What Happens As This Pair Ages 70 Years

As makeup artists transform them from 20s to 90s, their love grows

We were blown away by this five minute video - a must-must-must see!

We remember talking about aging together when we were young - how amazing it would have been to do something like this.

Watch this emotional video on Next Avenue > >

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - GoodReads - RSS

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

Do People Live in the Galapagos Islands?

So do they? We get asked this a lot, actually.

Truth is, we didn't know until we got there.

Say Galapagos and what pops to mind? For us, no doubt as for many folks, it was the image of giant tortoises.

They may well be the most famous attraction of these islands, but... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week

YOU are #GoingGypsy!

Post your best #GoingGypsy moments on Facebook and Twitter and be automatically entered to win an autographed first edition of Going Gypsy!

We want to see YOU in a favorite travel moment, celebrating a milestone, hugging your loved ones, conquering a fear, or posing with the cover of Going Gypsy!

We’ll be sharing your fun on Facebook and Twitter – and you could even be featured here on GypsyNester.com!

Click here to see how easy it is to share your #GoingGypsy moments!

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - GoodReads - StumbleUpon - RSS

Getting Centered at the Equator in Ecuador (or Our Journey to the Center of the Earth)

Just outside of Quito, Ecuador lies the exact midway point between the North and South poles and, being of reasonably sound minds, we had to see it.

Seriously, when do you get the chance to stand on  Latitude 00° 00' 00”?

We did some wacky things there, but only one of us got a certificate for... CONTINUE READING >>

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - StumbleUpon - RSS

Five Things Not to Miss in The Galapagos Islands

The Blue-footed Booby"Weird" birds & giant tortoises, playful sea lions & active volcanoes - here are the top 5, not to miss, incredible experiences in the Galapagos Islands!... CONTINUE READING >>

Also on GypsyNester.com this week:

We've Been Selected as Viator Ambassadors!

We're pleased to announce that we've been selected as 2014 Viator Ambassadors!

What does this mean, you ask? It means that we, and six other lucky travel bloggers, get to share our Viator experiences from all over the globe! 

The only problem? How will we ever choose where to go first?... CONTINUE READING >> 

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - Instagram - StumbleUpon - RSS

Bucket List Alert: A Week in The Galápagos Islands

We're asked about our favorite places quite often and The Galápagos Islands are always part of the conversation. There's nowhere like it on Earth - we frolicked with sea lions, were blown away by Giant Tortoises, swam with iguanas and sea turtles (half the fun is underwater!) and hiked up to a live volcano! And that's just for starters. Here's our journey... CONTINUE READING >> 

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - NEW! Instagram - StumbleUpon - RSS

Guayaquil, The Pearl of the Pacific

Join your GypsyNesters in Guayaquil, Ecuador!

Discover the steep Cerro Santa Ana, a colorful, dynamic neighborhood of 444 steps with amazing sunset visits from the top.

Delight in the Parque de las Iguana, where the reptiles were so thick that we had to be careful not to step on them.

And stroll the beautiful, romantic riverwalk - the Malecón... CONTINUE READING >> 

 Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - StumbleUpon - RSS

How The Galápagos Made Birders Out of Us

A trip to The Galápagos Islands is guaranteed to make a birder out of anyone. The sheer numbers, and just plain strange features that isolation has brought upon these fabulous creatures would have been enough for us.

Couple this with fact that we spent more effort backing away from them than trying to spot them - these birds have absolutely zero fear of humans - and we were... CONTINUE READING >> 

Follow us here too!: Facebook - Twitter - YouTube - Google+ - Pinterest - StumbleUpon - RSS

The Giant Tortoise Breeding Center of the Galápagos

In this strange land of strange animals, none is more iconic than the Galápagos Giant Tortoise.

Growing to over six feet long and eight hundred pounds, these are the biggest tortoises on the planet and one of the largest reptiles. 


No Galápagos visit would be complete without seeing some of these mammoth reptiles. We weren't willing... CONTINUE READING >>

Seal-ing the Deal in the Galápagos (but these are sea LIONS)!

Of all of the fabulous animals in The Galápagos Islands, the one that made it hardest to obey the always-stay-six-feet-away-from-the-animals-rule were the sea lions.

Sea lions, or lobos del mar (wolves... CONTINUE READING >>

The Key to Quito, Ecuador

What we THOUGHT was going to be a simple stopover on our way to The Galapagos Islands, turned out to be a gem of Colonial American history.

Quito's Colonial Center is perhaps the largest and best preserved historic center in the Americas, and was the first New World city to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO... CONTINUE READING >>

Dispatch 2, The Galápagos, South America Live-Blog

Our South American live-blog continues with a week sailing in The Galápagos Islands!

We are absolutely IN LOVE with the animals here - unbelievably friendly and so fun to photograph. The terrain is wild and the snorkeling unforgettable (and we've got underwater video!).

Join our journey aboard the Yolita II... CONTINUE READING >>

Dispatch 1, South America Live-Blog

Join us in Ecuador! Follow us as we visit Le Panecillo, where the Incas worshiped the sun, with amazing views of the city of Quito from 9,843 feet.

Take a trip to the Equator (we're feeling very centered), visit a church coated in gold, explore marketplaces.

And, of course, we'll delve into the food and culture of Ecuador - GypsyNester style - on our way to The Galápagos... CONTINUE READING >>

Getting Ready for South America

The time has come! You voted for it - now we'll deliver! And we couldn't be more excited!

We're heading to South America and, starting June 1st, we'll be live-blogging our journey through Ecuador, Peru, The Galápagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Cusco and much, much more!

We want to be sure we cover EVERYTHING, so please be sure to leave a comment about what you are most interested in seeing on this trip!

Are you interested in the animals of The... CONTINUE READING >>