Heeeeey friends,

I just got back from a weekend trip to Ecuador. It was amazing. So, I thought I’d ask you guys have you ever thought of taking a weekend trip out the country? It’s something you have to try at least once. Seriously, I know what you’re thinking that’s a long way to go for just a weekend. A little aggressive, right? Yes, the traveling was a bit much but on the flight to Ecuador we each had row to ourselves on the plane, so plenty of time to rest! Honestly once we got there it was the perfect amount of time. Taking a weekend trip out the country is much different than traveling somewhere in the U.S, you try to pack so much into a short amount of time, it barely feels like a vacation. Going out the country gives you time to relax, enjoy the beach, food, scenery, and drinks. I left on a Friday morning and came home on a Tuesday morning. It was a much needed break from my monotonous Monday through Saturday work schedule. I know there’s a lot of us who work hectic schedules and may not get a ton of vacation time, so use a weekend to just take a breather. You won’t be sorry. Flying from Texas to Ecuador the flights all together were only six hours.. which isn’t bad. Some parts of the U.S you can’t even get to in six hours. AND, the flight was only $400 roundtrip and that’s only because my friends procrastinated until the very last minute. I could’ve saved $50 or more had I booked just one day in advance. So, stop overthinking it and just book the flight. Wherever it is you were thinking of going, just book it.

Should you find yourself in Miami like I did for eight hours. Pack your change of clothes at the top of your luggage and change when you land. Leave the airport and grab some mimosas. Then head over to Wynwood for some lunch! Wynwood is an art district in Miami with tons of brunch/lunch spots and even some cool bars. We went to Bar Louie and had some lunch. I had the Voodoo pasta with no meat only shrimp (I’m a pescatarian for those who are wondering) and it was BOMB. If you love spicy food like me.. you’ll love it! It was the perfect amount of spice.

If you’re staying in Santa Elena, Ecuador like we did don’t put your neck pillows away when you touch down! It’s a two hour drive from the airport in Guayaquil.. trust me you’ll need it on the car ride over there. But, just incase you’re not interested in the road trip you can catch a 30 minute flight over there free of charge! We landed too late to take advantage of that.

You’d think we would’ve been exhausted from traveling all day Friday.. well, we were but that didn’t stop us from staying up all night long to have some girl talk and heading to the beach at the crack of dawn. Literally,  within 20 minutes of being on the beach we were knocked out (in the veeeery hot sun) Don’t forget to pack your sun screen.. because I sure did. But, that’s the best part of vacation right? Sleeping on the beach. Until you get sunburn I guess?

I won’t lie sleeping, eating, and swimming was pretty much the extent of our vacation. Usually I like to pack as much as I can into my trips but this trip I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was the epitome of a vacation, just relaxing with some good friends. But, there was a few things I learned on my trip that I wanted to share with you guys.

First of all, know some Spanish.. at least enough to say where you’re going, coming from, and enough to order your food. The food wasn’t a problem for us, but it took trial and error to order a Pina Colada with alcohol in it. We spent $30 on Virgin Pina Coladas, I know what a waste. I’ve never tried to drink in Spanish before.. now I know for next time.

No need to exchange money, they use U.S currency! Cash made it easy for us to split our expenses, but they take credit and debit cards as well.

If you’re staying in a condo or a hotel with a stove, head to the nearest super market and stock up on some groceries. They have a lot of the same brands, their food anyway. We didn’t recognize a lot of the alcohol brands but they did have Ciroc and Coronas if you’re into that, but make sure you pick that up duty free at the airport once you get to where you’re staying you might not see those brands again.

Like I mentioned above, don’t forget to pack your sun screen. Mannnnn was the sun hot over there. But, that’s to expected since Ecuador is so close to the equator. I was immediately peeling once I left the pool. So don’t be like me, be better and pack your sun screen!

There’s a strip called San Pablo where there’s a ton of restaurants. The workers will literally flag you down to come eat at their restaurants but the food is actually really good there. I love Ecuadorian food so I might be biased. But, who doesn’t love rice, beans and plantains? Plus, the seafood is the freshest. Every meal came with a little side of salad and it was sooooo good.

I know you’re thinking what about cell phone service? A lot of mobile carriers have free international plans (Sprint definitely does)  Just go to your settings > Cellular data options > Roaming > turn on International CDMA.

Hope this motivated you guys to plan your next quick vacation!

Talk to you soon.

Signed,

theknowledgeableother