2025 was a record-breaking 12 months of journey in HoneyTrek Land. Touring to 29 nations throughout Europe, Africa, the Center East, North America, and South America, we took on the world with as a lot gusto and gumption as we did the day we left on our honeymoon. Why such a whirlwind tour? We’ve been diligently researching our subsequent guide on the World’s Finest Glamping Locations and making an attempt our darndest to expertise as many main eco-resorts as potential. In search of properties with inventive lodging, immersion in nature, sustainable practices, experiential eating, unusual adventures, and provoking proprietors (to call a couple of of our standards)…we’re so thrilled with what we discovered! From Aurora Safaris, which made us understand the bliss of Scandinavian ice tub tradition, to Wolwedans, whose dedication to the Namib Desert’s surroundings and area people introduced us to tears, this international glamping journey reminded us how proud we’re to be a part of the outside hospitality business. As Sarah Dusek, one of many true glamping pioneers, mentioned to us, “We need not simply to create entry to extraordinary locations in nature, however to maneuver the needle on fixing some large world issues.” This concept of regenerative journey as a catalyst for optimistic change stored us motivated as we schlepped our backpack on to yet one more in a single day bus, waited for a hitchhike within the beating solar, and forked over one other $800 for a long-haul flight, and glad to share a fantastic camp’s story.
From a sustainable journey perspective, we’re fairly proud to say that of the 29 nations we explored in 2025, we entered 20 of them with no flight…and clocked a grand whole of 15,534 miles (two-thirds of the circumference of the earth) of overland journey! And we’ve upheld our dedication to by no means shopping for single-use plastic water bottles—14 years sturdy!
Along with sharing our favourite locations and a sampling of the world’s greatest glamping locations, this 12 months in Evaluate weblog features a bunch of behind-the-scenes shenanigans, journey fails, and heart-warming moments that made 2025 one-of-a-kind!
Mexico: Baja Street Journey
Baja is our glad place, and highway journeys down the peninsula have turn out to be certainly one of our favourite methods to kick off the brand new 12 months. For our 4th annual journey, we leveled it up and caravanned with two of essentially the most badass RVers we all know. JP & Elena have been correct nomads for almost 20 years, and if you put all our journey expertise and three classic rigs collectively, we have been a dream staff on wheels. Pooling our favourite locations in Baja, we created an epic itinerary via Mexico’s premier wine nation, a Pacific shoreline that rivals Huge Sur, cardon cacti labyrinths, and seaside tenting on a spit of paradise. Ssee video above.
Eire: Our 3-month Euro Journey Begins
Journey conferences are at all times an effective way to line up our 12 months’s route and partnerships (aka, how we make a residing), so we got down to Eire for “Meet the Media.” Plus, we’ll take any excuse to go to charming Dublin and hang around with our Irish pals Rose & Conor. After conferences, we wandered the cobblestone streets with our buds and ducked into cozy pubs to have a great craic with some Guinness, dueling fiddles, and Irish hospitality.
Sweden: Winter Glamping Spectacular
Now to get glamping! The Scandinavian leg of our international glamping journey kicked off with a bang in Sweden, one of many world’s most sustainable nations and an absolute fairytale in wintertime. We lined up 4 unimaginable eco-retreats within the far north to expertise the very best of the northern lights, snowshoeing, dogsledding, and Lapland delicacies & tradition. From Grano Becksin, as soon as a dwindling village and now a beacon of hope for rural tourism, to the world-famous Treehotel, an architectural retreat that has hosted the likes of Kate Moss and Sweden’s Crown Princess, we struck glamping gold!
@honeytrek As glamping fanatics, now we have lengthy dreamt of staying on the Treehotel in Swedish Lapland. Commissioning Scandanvia’s main architects, this family-run inn reimagined the easy treehouse into lodging which have swept the journey awards and attracted celeb friends, from Justin Beiber to the Crown Princess of Sweden. Now it was our flip, however which room to decide on? The disappearing Mirrorcube, the UFO flying saucer, woven twig Hen’s Nest, or the brand new Biosphere fabricated from 350 birdhouses…see the place we perched and what it’s like to remain at one the world’s most inventive eco-retreats. @Treehotel #visitsweden #glamping #treehouse #lapland #swedishlapland #comfortablywild ♬ authentic sound – HoneyTrek
Northeastern Europe by Practice: Sweden->Finland->Estonia->Latvia->Lithuania-> Poland->Germany
Positive, taking a airplane from Swedish Lapland to Berlin would have been sooner, however the place’s the enjoyable in that? We obtained a Eurail go, and it provided us an opportunity to see a brand new a part of the world…japanese Scandinavia, the Baltic States, plus our beloved Poland (in non-pandemic instances), and arrive in Germany with extra reminiscences (and a a lot decrease carbon footprint) than we’d ever get from a flight. Staying a couple of nights in every nation’s capital, we obtained a style of their nationwide historical past, tradition, structure, delicacies, and cosmopolitan residing earlier than taking our subsequent practice journey via the countryside.
Whereas we at all times deliberate to go to Tallinn, Estonia (one of many best-preserved medieval cities in Europe), we would by no means have visited the fabulous cities of Riga, Latvia, or Vilnius, Lithuania in the event that they weren’t on our practice route. Seems Riga has the densest focus of Artwork Nouveau structure on the earth, and Vilnius is house to an unbiased republic of artists and free thinkers with its personal structure, forex, and zest for all times!
Every leg of the journey led to a better appreciation of practice journey…gazing out the window, strolling the aisles, eating in a sit-down restaurant, engaged on free wifi, and even getting a full evening’s relaxation in a personal sleeper cabin. Two weeks and three,878km later, we arrived in Berlin, so grateful we took the rail much less traveled. Watch the video above of our 7-country practice journey and highlights from Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
Portugal & Spain: Iberian Peninsula Campervan Journey
Who doesn’t love the Iberian Peninsula, with its UNESCO cities, beautiful seashores, charming countryside, and vibrant tradition?! Having lived in each Spain and Portugal, and traveled there extensively over time, we will now say this area is much more unimaginable as a campervan journey!
We rented a home on wheels from the Roadsurfer workplace in Madrid and headed south for Andalucia and the Algarve. With the liberty to take the backroads at our personal tempo, we found so many unimaginable locations and met pretty locals alongside the way in which. When it got here to discovering campsites every evening, we’d open the helpful Roadsurfer Spots app and discover such distinctive locations to remain…like Alqueria de Los Lentos, a Sixteenth-century grain mill on the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains with pleasant horses and a scorching tub, or Monte Das Louzeiras in Alentejo, a vineyard bringing again the traditional custom of amphora pure wine-making and sharing it with campers, and World Tribe, an eco-living neighborhood and biodynamic farm in Huelva, who hosted a ladies’s circle that obtained me to bounce, cry, and giggle with girls I now name pals.
A lot extra immersive than renting a automotive and staying at metropolis accommodations, this camper journey helped us get off the crushed monitor, join with locals, and fall deeper in love with certainly one of our favourite components of the world.
Finest Reminder of the 12 months
On a whim, we went to the workplace of my first newspaper job on the odd likelihood that my identical editor from 20 years in the past may nonetheless be there. I pressed the buzzer: “Hola, ¿Editor José Luis está en la oficina?” I waited anxiously, pondering it was slim-to-none that he’d be there and even bear in mind me. The door opened, and he gave me an enormous hug. We spent an hour chatting, flipping via my article archives, and laughing about that experimental column we pulled off as a staff. At the present time was such a fantastic reminder, it’s by no means too late or too dangerous to achieve out to an outdated good friend! To see this encounter and extra memory-lane moments from Sevilla, see the complete gallery.
Morocco: Africa Begins
Morocco has at all times fascinated and intimidated us in equal components. We had no doubts it might be lovely, with its towering sand dunes, historical cities, and lavish riads–however we had heard sufficient shady tales of medina mishaps that we weren’t certain it was well worth the trouble. Nicely, after two weeks in Morocco, we by no means encountered a single unsavory character. Even in essentially the most touristy areas, hawkers would make a concerted effort to provide vacationers deference, going so far as to say “I received’t push you…be at liberty to take a look,” and one other cheekily confirmed us his menu and mentioned, “Don’t panic, I’m natural.” This heightened politeness and self-awareness nearly appeared as if phrase had gotten again to Morocco that it wasn’t cool to harass vacationers, and it was time to make issues proper.
From the artist in Aït Benhaddou, who gifted us an additional portray after we supported his work, to a random airplane passenger who bravely ferried our confiscated drone from Fes to the Marrakesh airport and wouldn’t settle for a dirham…the spirit of the Moroccan folks shines vivid. To not point out their legacy of inventive skills could make a typical home really feel like a palace and switch a mud village right into a UNESCO surprise.
So, whether or not the unhealthy tales we’d heard about Morocco have been blown out of proportion or not, this journey reminded us to by no means choose a spot on rumour. Simply as vital as touring together with your avenue smarts is bringing an open thoughts and coronary heart. With that, one can find good in each place, particularly in dazzling Morocco. See our favourite pics from Fes, the Sahara, Aït Benhaddou (you’ll acknowledge it from Sport of Thrones), and Marrakesh within the gallery above.
Immigration Mishap of the 12 months
We landed on the Fes airport, and the customs officer requested us, “Do you’ve got a drone?” We had been carrying one in our bag for months and sauntered into Morocco not figuring out that they have been unlawful! They subsequently confiscated our flying digital camera and mentioned, “You may choose it up on the airport if you depart Fes.” The one downside was that we have been departing Morocco from an airport on the opposite facet of the nation. Getting our drone again grew to become a two-week saga, between it getting muled to Marrakesh by a form stranger (big like to my boy Jad!), getting the customs paperwork (which included Mike actually scaling an 18-foot wall to get out of the locked medina at 2am), after which praying it might get launched from the clutches of airport safety. The entire expertise was so ridiculous and miraculous that we turned it into its personal YouTube video (above).
Qatar: Making the Most of Layovers
When given the choice of a three-hour layover within the Doha airport or a day and a half to discover a brand new metropolis with an area good friend…we selected the latter, in fact! See our whirlwind tour of the capital of Qatar, with its ultramodern skyscrapers, dhow boats bobbing within the bay, Center Jap markets, World Cup stadiums, and gracious hospitality.
Kenya: Sustainable Safaris
Kenya’s Maasai Mara is arguably the world’s best safari vacation spot. The acacia-dotted savanna gives a day by day wildlife particular starring 2.5 million herbivores and apex predators, showcasing the circle of life in all its drama. A number of safari camps provide a front-row seat to this biodiverse ecosystem and ancestral homelands of the Maasai folks, however the very best ones are these actively conserving it, like Nice Plains Conservation.
We had the privilege of staying at two of their Kenya properties, the adventure-focused Mara Expedition Camp and the Relais & Châteaux-accredited Mara Toto Tree Camp. Whereas most safari corporations are all in regards to the animals, Nice Plains believes the Maasai individuals are on the coronary heart of the Mara and has a mess of influence tasks that profit locals and friends. From becoming a member of the Naboisho Ladies Craft Centre for a jewelry-making lesson to spending a day in Nkoilale village, visiting the native faculty, a soccer match, and the bridges GPC has constructed for the neighborhood, we obtained to know the individuals who make this place so particular and the assorted tasks Nice Plains does to help them.
And on the subject of wildlife sightings, our journey was action-packed, together with a household of 25 elephants surrounding our automotive and a pleasure of lions main us on a giraffe hunt! Transferring from the riverine forest to the open grasslands over the course of our keep, we noticed 27 species of mammals (cheetah, zebra, leopard, hyena, elephant, topi, hippo, and Cape buffalo, to call a couple of), and 1000’s of animals in whole! However the very best half about staying with Nice Plains? The proceeds of their luxe camps assist defend 1.1 million acres of wilderness throughout three African nations. If safari is a once-in-a-lifetime expertise, make it rely for you, the locals, and the planet!
See our prime 20 pictures on this gallery and the movies beneath for Mara Expedition Camp in motion and the craziest wildlife encounter as a mama giraffe takes on 9 lions on this battle royale!
Namibia: Glamping in The Oldest Desert within the World
We’ve at all times believed that tourism has the facility to strengthen the surroundings and native communities, however now we have by no means seen an instance as awe-inspiring as Wolwedans. Within the Nineteen Eighties, when few acknowledged the sweetness and biodiversity of the Namib Desert, wildland philanthropist Albi Brückner & his son Stephan risked every thing to guard it. Working with landowners to tear down their cattle fences and take a pledge of conservation, they created Namib Rand, certainly one of Africa’s largest non-public nature reserves, and the Wolwedans Assortment of lodges to help their efforts.
What began as a easy camp within the dunes has developed into 4 eco-lodges providing the final word luxurious: 2,500 acres of pristine wilderness per visitor! We had the enjoyment of staying at each Dune Camp and Desert Lodge, every with sweeping views of the mountains, a sea of crimson sand, and their twinkling Worldwide Darkish Sky Reserve (1 of simply 3 in all of Africa). Days have been filled with adventures, from fats biking to nature walks with San Bushmen. Alongside the way in which, we discovered zebra, oryx, and the majestic great thing about the oldest desert on Earth.
For extra on their revolutionary conservation and neighborhood influence tasks (defending 518,000 acres of wilderness and elevating $1.7 million for charity) and one of many coolest locations you may keep in Africa, see this behind-the-scenes video and Instagram Gallery above for our Namib Rand Adventures.
Craziest Hitchhike of the 12 months
We couldn’t depart the Namib Desert with out seeing the famed Soussleivei, a 900-year-old petrified forest nestled between huge crimson dunes. The one downside was that there was no public transportation to get there! It took a grand whole of seven hitchhikes (together with one spooning with two locals within the truckbed of a jalopy), 10+ hours standing on the facet of two desolate desert roads, and one nervous breakdown to get the place we wanted to go, however we made it! With persistence, optimism, and a little bit of masochism, there may be at all times a method!
Angola: Uncharted Vacationer Territory
Overlanding from Namibia to Angola was a complete wild card. All we actually knew was that this southern African nation was a Portuguese colony for ~400 years and was embroiled in a decades-long civil battle till 2002. To plan this journey, we figured we’d get to the border city of Rundu, Namibia and collect some native intel on going to the neighboring city of Calai, Angola…however we couldn’t discover anybody who had been! Google Maps made it look like you needed to drive eight hours out of the way in which to cross the river, and Reserving.com pulled up zero outcomes for accommodations…however this solely made us extra curious and wanting to discover Southern Angola!
We walked throughout a floating bridge over the Okavango River into the nice unknown, obtained our passports stamped, and hopped on a mototaxi till we discovered a guesthouse–and a implausible one at that! We took a canoe journey that even the maritime police have been skeptical about, nevertheless it changed into an unimaginable journey for us and the fisherman who had by no means taken passengers in his dugout.
The rugged Calai village was an journey sufficient, however we didn’t wish to depart Angola with out exploring the countryside. We knew the sandy roads hadn’t been touched because the colonial days, and the prospects of hitching a experience have been slim, but when we’ve discovered something in journey…it’s to be daring and lead with a smile. We discovered an Angolan man at our visitor home with a 4×4 pickup truck (a complete rarity on the town) and requested if he wished to go on a highway journey, and he mentioned he was planning one for the next day and we may be part of. It changed into a 12-hour scenic tour, with a particular cease to satisfy the regional queen, sundown beers over the river confluence, and a useful cultural alternate.
We got here to Angola with zero expectations (even a couple of jitters) however have been met with pure kindness and unbridled journey…precisely what we dream of in journey! Learn our weblog all about it.
Botswana: Desert & Delta
Botswana has two UNESCO World Heritage Websites, however there wasn’t an effective way to mix the very best of the nation’s wilderness and historical tradition…till this epic new Desert & Delta journey.
Beginning within the Okavango Delta, one of many world’s most pristine and distinctive wetlands, we cruised via the river of grass and lilies to Nxamaseri Island Lodge. With rooms linked by boardwalks over the water and thru the forest cover, this historic lodge is in whole concord with nature. Waking as much as a refrain of hippos, we’d go on safari every day by flat-bottom boat or mokoro canoe via the flooded land. Our information and river bushman, 9, taught us the methods of the delta—from the numerous makes use of of waterlilies to recognizing the elusive sitatunga antelope.
Whereas there may be loads of wildlife within the Okavango Panhandle, its actual magnificence lies in its entry to age-old cultures. This brings us to our second UNESCO World Heritage Web site…Tsodilo Hills, one of many highest concentrations of rock artwork on the earth by Africa’s oldest residing tradition! “The Louvre of the Desert,” “The Land of the Gods,” Tsodilo Hills is the place 4,500 historical work might be present in simply 10 sq. kilometers. Going again 20,000 years, the San Bushmen are the first artists, illustrating scenes of their lives as hunters and gatherers and the shamanic visions that guided their method. It’s outstanding that the colour and element of the artwork haven’t pale away, and neither have the artists.
In collaboration with the native San tribe, Desert & Delta created the Tsodilo Hills Sleep-Out expertise as a launchpad for cultural alternate. Impressed by the Bushmen’s conventional dwellings, conical twig huts have been easy but elegant lodging. Dinner was cooked over the hearth with components that the San would hunt and collect. Time across the hearth was storytelling via tune and dance, towards the backdrop of Botswana’s most sacred mountain. We watched in awe, interested by the tens of 1000’s of years of custom that went into every step and what a privilege it was to share even a grain within the sands of time with the oldest residing tradition in Africa. Watch this video for our unforgettable Tsodilo Hills expertise.
Finest Deal of the 12 months
The tourism business needs you to imagine that an African safari ought to run you $1,000 an evening. However we booked one on the fly via our guesthouse in Botswana’s legendary Chobe Nationwide Park for below $100! That value included a riverboat safari, sport drive, nationwide park charges, teatime, dinner, and lodging…and we had the identical wildlife sightings as a luxurious clothes shop. Now, this isn’t to discredit the worth of luxurious lodges which have distinctive hospitality, beautiful lodging, extremely skilled employees, and many who admirably put their earnings in the direction of conservation and neighborhood growth; they’re actually well worth the splurge! We simply need ALL wildlife lovers and vacationers to know…In the event you dream of occurring an epic African safari, it’s inside your attain! Watch this video to see for your self.
Zimbabwe: Practice from Victoria Falls to Pretoria
Africa by practice? Sure! It’s referred to as Rovos Rail, and it’s some of the luxurious on the earth. For the previous 36 years, the Vos household has been restoring historic trains to their most glamorous days and adventurous routes. Beginning our four-day journey in Victoria Falls, one of many Seven Pure Wonders of the World, our locomotive and its 36 well-appointed suites rolled from Zimbabwe to the capital of South Africa.
Throughout our 1,400 kilometers of journey, we took in unimaginable surroundings, from the spray of Vic Falls to the rugged cliffs of the Soutpansberg Mountains…whether or not we have been having fun with a four-course meal within the eating automotive or lounging in our suite. Whereas there was ample time to chill out, there was simply as a lot alternative for journey, with a safari in Hwanage Nationwide Park and a cultural tour to Motobo: a rhino sanctuary, rock artwork haven, and burial place of Rhodesia’s founder, Cecil John Rhodes. On the finish of every day’s excursions, we have been at all times met with champagne and nights spent reminiscing with new pals.
Whereas most individuals suppose getting round Africa requires bush planes or rugged overland autos, Rovos Rail was simply the connection we have been on the lookout for.
South Africa: The Rainbow Nation’s Hottest New Eco Resort
Not simply an eco-resort, Few & Far Luvhondo, in South Africa’s “Forgotten Mountains,” is a 100,000-hectare conservation and carbon-sequestration challenge. Open for lower than a 12 months, this ground-breaking getaway has already turn out to be a global media darling and earned a spot on Time Journal’s "World’s Best Locations." We’re undecided what number of of these journey writers have had the privilege of staying at this six-suite resort within the Soutpansberg Vary, however after mountain climbing into the 2-billion-year-old mountains, monitoring leopards, swimming in secret waterfalls, volunteering with ecologists, and sleeping in an opulent mattress below the celebs, we will affirm that Few & Far Luvhondo is a transformative expertise. See the gallery from our keep and browse our full account in our article in Glamping Enterprise Americas Journal.Eswatini: Street Tripping The Kingdom
The Kingdom of Eswatini, the final absolute monarchy in Africa and one of many continent’s smallest nations, is usually missed. We’ll admit we additionally skipped it on our first journey to Southern Africa (again when it was referred to as “Swaziland”)…however now we all know it deserves much more consideration!
Crossing the border on the fringe of the three.6-billion-year-old mountains of the Barberton UNESCO World Heritage Web site, we have been immediately impressed. Simply exterior the capital, they’ve a monolith, solely second in measurement to Australia’s Uluru! As for safari in Eswatini, we went to Hlane Royal Nationwide Park and noticed extra rhinos within the wild than the opposite 14 African nations we’ve visited–mixed! Making this safari expertise (crammed with giraffes, zebras, nyalas, hippos, and elephants) all of the extra particular…we have been in a position to do it as a self-drive, and didn’t see a single different automotive on our 6-hour journey.
Eswatini tries to court docket vacationers, significantly South Africans, with a nightlife district, casinos, and craft markets, however that was our least favourite half. As an alternative of going to those staged cultural villages, we ate at native markets and stayed at Swazi Goals, a community-based challenge bringing again the normal beehive dwellings and alluring vacationers to interrupt bread with an in a single day keep.
Eswatini was an surprising grand finale to our 2.5-month journey via Africa, and a continued reminder to take the highway much less traveled.
Camper Mishap of the 12 months
Upon reuniting with Buddy the Camper after 5 months in storage, we realized our automotive keys had fallen out of our backpack someplace in Africa. Excellent news is that we had a hidden spare to the entrance door, unhealthy information we didn’t have one for the padlock, so Anne needed to squeeze via a 1.5-foot-wide hole within the trunk to get into the home. Watch the epitome of a battle bus in this hysterical video.
USA: Bay Space Work & Play
After 5 months of hardcore journey via Europe and Africa, we wanted a second to recharge our batteries. We went to Anne’s house state of California to meet up with her household in LA, then expensive pals within the Bay Space, all whereas doing two housesits to provide ourselves a while and area to ourselves. We additionally wanted to refill our journey coffers, so we landed storytelling gigs with Go to Berkeley and Go to the SF Peninsula! For our greatest ideas and tales on the Bay Space, watch the movies beneath and browse Issues to Do in Berkeley and our SF Peninsula Street Journey Information.Burning Man Revisited
We first skilled Burning Man in 2018 and by no means forgot the intense pleasure and inspiration we felt from this protopian gathering. Now, feeling the burden of 2025’s political local weather, it was time to return to The Playa. The one downside was that Burning Man began in two days, we didn’t have tickets or bikes, and Buddy the Camper was removed from prepared for his maiden voyage into the mud. However with that Burner can-do spirit, we drove in the direction of Nevada with a “Want Tickets” signal on our again window. Finally, we scored a pair, obtained Buddy dialed in, and made it via the gates to a giant welcome-home hug.
It was an unimaginable 9 days, partaking in as lots of the 3500+ occasions as we may, from live-music yoga to jewellery making with playa mud, and reveling within the 400 larger-than-life artworks on show. On the closing evening, standing with 70,000 new pals across the Temple Burn, watching our handwritten prayers and woes waft into the universe, we left with a brand new hope for humanity and a objective to make it final till subsequent 12 months. In the event you’ve ever questioned about Burning Man, don’t miss our video, above.
5000th Day on Honeymoon
This September, we crossed 5,000 days on our HoneyTrek! Repeatedly touring for over 13 years with no homebase, we discover ourselves at house wherever we go and amongst household in each tradition we meet. Seven continents and 91 nations later, the sweetness, information, and kindness on the earth encourage us to maintain exploring. And there couldn’t be a greater technique to have fun our 5,000-day milestone than with our household, pals, and NBC! Watch this enjoyable phase, the place 9News anchors Sam & Alexandra interview us about our journey and the issues we’ve discovered alongside the way in which.
Chile: Our South America Journey Begins at The Journey World Summit
For the fourth continent on our glamping quest, we deliberate a 3-month, 8-country tour of South America, completely kicking it off with the Journey Journey World Summit in Patagonia! Hosted by the Journey Journey Commerce Affiliation. The most important international community of journey journey leaders, that is rather more than a convention; it’s a week-long occasion to study, play, join, and mobilize for a greater journey business.
This 12 months, 700 journey outfitters, eco-lodges, tourism boards, journey advisors, conservationists, and 30 hand-selected media have been in attendance. It was not solely an honor to be on the short-list of journalists, but additionally to be a speaker on the mainstage panel: “Content material Creation & Storytelling: The Nice Debate in Journey Journey.”
ATTA is aware of you may’t confine adventurers to a convention corridor, so half of the occasion was spent within the fjords, glaciers, subpolar forests, excessive desert, and volcanic mountains of Chile. Mid-conference, all 700 of us launched into a “Day of Journey.” For Mike, this meant crusing to the southern finish of the Patagonic Icefield to observe Gray Glacier calve cannonballs of blue ice. Whereas Anne plied a fjord to achieve Bernardo O’Higgins Nationwide Park to discover two extra awe-inspiring glaciers, adopted by a farm-fresh feast at a third-generation estancia. Plus, we prolonged our ATTA adventures with a visit to Chile’s nook of the Polynesian Triangle, the mysterious Rapa Nui, and a four-day trek in Torres del Paine Nationwide Park–each epic (see galleries beneath).
Argentina: Scouting Sentio Camps
In pinpointing the “greatest glamping, now we have to steadiness the tried and true five-star eco-resorts with the subsequent scorching factor. With our finger on the heart beat of the outside hospitality business, we heard a couple of glamping camp-meets-conservation challenge within the depths of Salta, Argentina. The place the Juramento River cuts via the Andes, a Nineteenth-century estancia has been quietly defending 65,000 acres of wilderness. Few have set foot on this pristine panorama, past their 6 species of cats, 264 chicken species, and a handful of households who’ve been caretaking the land for generations.
To proceed as a personal conservation space, the proprietor, Hank, needed to discover a associate who appreciated Condor Valley’s magnificence, historical past, and potential for journey…enter Sentio Camps. This fabulous new glamping vacation spot is ready to open within the winter 2026, however we obtained a sneak peek of their outside hospitality choices–from river rafting via a 60-million-year-old canyon to wine tasting at South America’s first solar-powered winery. See the gallery above for Northern Argentina’s subsequent nice getaway…
Paraguay: South America’s Missed Nation
Not many vacationers go to Paraguay or know a lot about this landlocked South American nation, however we have been fascinated by it! Do you know 90% of Paraguayans converse an indigenous language (greater than some other South American nation)? That 40% are of Italian descent? Or that it’s a digital nomad mecca with zero % tax on overseas revenue? Discover out extra stunning and enjoyable details about Paraguay on this gallery from our current journey.
Brazil: Ecotourism Mecca of Mato Grosso do Sul
As the primary nation on our HoneyTrek, Brazil will at all times maintain a particular spot in our hearts. Again in 2012, we traveled right here for six weeks and overlanded 6,000 kilometers, however we have been at all times bummed that we by no means made it to the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland! Flash ahead 14 years, and the area has solely gotten higher…with Bonito turning into the journey capital of Brazil and the world’s first licensed carbon-neutral ecotourism vacation spot!
We simply spent ten days in Mato Groso do Sul, and it was much more lovely and adventurous than we imagined. From abseiling into blue grottos to river safaris in jaguar habitat, to not point out reconnecting with Brazilians…a few of the most vibrant and fun-loving folks we’ve met in our on HoneyTrek…we love this place and know you’ll too. See our Instagram Highlights for all our adventures and our posts on Bonito and The Pantanal, beneath.
The Guianas: A Three-Nation Overland Journey
The Guianas? , that pack of three nations within the prime proper nook of South America that’s lined in over 80% rainforest, don’t converse Spanish (or Portuguese), and are mainly land-locked Caribbean islands? Barely anybody has heard them. So on a whim, we determined to overland French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana by hitchhike and native bus (on their one connecting highway) to see what they have been all about!
First off, French Guiana; it’s not a former colony of France, it’s a literal a part of the European Union with Euro forex, 220-volt retailers, and good wine. Whereas being France’s second largest area, it seems like a forgotten outpost of picket Seventeenth-century maisons, boulangeries, and palm-lined promenades. Then, as a complete counter to its lost-in-time vibes, French Guiana is house to Europe’s beacon of expertise and innovation: The Guiana House Middle and Europe’s Spaceport, the continent’s main rocket launch web site. Its different declare to fame? Satan’s Island, the Alcatraz of South America, and the topic of the film Papillon.
We will’t wait to share extra about our time in French Guiana, celebrating Suriname’s fiftieth anniversary of independence from the Netherlands, and our Amerindian cultural immersion within the rainforest of Guyana. Make sure to observe alongside right here.
Colombia: Andes Mountains to the Caribbean Coast
And final however not least, Colombia! From Bogota to Cundinamarca, Cartagena, Medellin, and Guatape, we took our first chunk out of this dynamic nation and liked it! We discovered a divine coffee-plantation farmstay for our “Domesticate” chapter, we did a mind-blowing Impulse Journey tour led by gang members in certainly one of Bogota’s most harmful neighborhoods, we lived like locals with our Colombian buddies in Medellin, went gaga for colonial structure and caribbean vibes in Cartagena, and blissed out at some of the distinctive glamping camps on the earth on the shores of Peñol-Guatapé Lake. As you may think about, being our twenty ninth nation of the 12 months, we haven’t fairly gotten to this one but on Instagram, however maintain a watch out for our posts in mid-January…so now we have many unimaginable moments and journey tricks to share!
2026 HoneyTrek Journey Preview
Diving into the final leg of our glamping guide analysis, we’re heading to Asia and Oceania! We’ve awe-inspiring properties lined up in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mongolia, and New Zealand, however we’re nonetheless culling our checklist, so you probably have any eco-resort options, please ship them our method! Come Could, we’ll possible tuck away someplace in Southeast Asia to catch our breath and get writing! By June, Buddy the Camper shall be very lonely, having lived in a storage unit many of the 12 months, so we’ll take him for a spin across the American West and transfer our author’s den between the woods and a few housesits (we write higher with a cat on our lap). That mentioned, the 12 months can’t be all about Comfortably Wild, so we’re scheming a household journey to Alaska and are at all times on the lookout for journey storytelling gigs to assist pay the payments for all this world exploration!
Thanks to everybody who made it to the top of this monster weblog and to everybody who’s adopted our HoneyTrek over time. The journey continues!!!
