If time and money weren’t an issue, where would you go?

We’ve spent the past two years working while traveling.

Both time and money have been a daily challenge.

But the work we do ,(and the people managing the Internet and power grid in the countries we’ve been to) has allowed us to successfully work and travel for over 2 years.

We are now returning back to America because we want to once again spend time with our families and be part of their lives in-person.

But given unlimited time and money…

Here are 29 places we have already been that we will love to return to.

(In some cases we’ve noted the things we would do there.)

1. Tanzania, Africa – tour the tanzanite mines, see the Serengeti
2. El Cid Resort, Cancun, Mexico
3. Munich, Germany – Could live here
4. Germany – Pretty much most places we’ve been
5. Puerto Iguazu, Argentina (see the falls at midnight with the rainbows)
6. Mendoza, Argentina – spend another weekend enjoying the wineries
7. Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
8. Chichicastenango, Guatemala
9. Granada, Nicaragua
10. Boquete, Panama
11. Quito, Ecuador – neurotic crazy city, but awesome too.
12. Cuenca, Ecuador – See the surrounding hill country and take Spanish classes
13. French Polynesia – this time I would go to Bora Bora or Moorea
14. New Zealand – almost anywhere in New Zealand. We could probably live here if our family did.
15. Bali – do more diving and see more of the island
16. Malaysia – but see more of the country outside of Kuala Lumpur
17. Hong Kong (Hong Kong Island)
18. Brunei
19. Chiang Mai, Thailand – stay inside the old city walls during a cleaner air quality season.
20. Hoi An, Vietnam
21. Udaipur, India
22. Bilaspur, India
23. Hyderabad, India – Nothing can prepare you for a trip to India except a trip to India. This time we know what to expect – and the food… oh the food was so good.
24. Slovenia – Viktorija and family, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!
25. Krakow, Poland
26. Budapest, Hungary
27. Northern Italy
28. Rome, Italy – live in an apartment for a month
29. Mallorca, Spain – Stay at an all-inclusive resort, see the castle on the hill above Palma, see the old defensive castle on the water, go diving.

It seems a shame to me that in the last 7 months, we didn’t see more, do more, meet more people.

We had plans to do and accomplish different things, and I kind of feel like we planned to do *more*) during the past 7 months of our lives.

My friend Patrick Shaw says that people greatly overestimate what they can do in a year, but greatly underestimate what they can do in ten years.

So maybe we should talk in ten years.

But thinking about it, I realize that we did do a LOT over the past 7 months in central and south America, and laid a foundation for coming back to this part of the world throughout our lives.

However, we had plans.

This post talks about what we had planned to do versus what we did.

(I have written this post to remember what we planned to do, actually did and didn’t do, and also should help others traveling through Central and South America to discover some great places and things to experience.)

Lakes:
We didn’t see lake Titicaca (Bolivia), or Lake Nicaragua.
But we did get to see the beauty of Lake Atitlan (Guatemala).

Islands:
We didn’t see the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Isla del Omitepe (Nicaragua), or the San Blas Islands (Panama).
But we learned to SCUBA off of Isla Colon (Panama) in a town called Bocas Del Toro.

Animals:
We didn’t get to see whales or dolphins.
But we helped guard baby turtles and were part of their introduction into the world.  We saw monkeys in lots of places throughout central America; saw llamas mating; hummingbirds and butterflies in Mindo, Ecuador; and many other animals and critters.  We loved the variety of animals we saw, even if the insects were sometimes disturbing.

Language and culture:
We didn’t spend time living in an indigenous community, (though we spent lots of time around indigenous people).
But we speak Spanish pretty well now.  (Thanks Maribel!)  We speak well enough to be well understood, to receive compliments on how good our Spanish is, and to understand even difficult topics like politics and religion.

Business:
Because of taking Spanish class every day, and the time involved with both planning and getting from place to place, we didn’t grow our business in the way that we wanted to.
But I know 100% that our videos and written reviews of the places we’ve stayed in Antigua, Guatemala; Boquete, Panama; Quito, Ecuador, and Cuenca, Ecuador; have resulted in more bookings for the owners of those places.  Our knowledge of marketing on the Internet has helped other people to grow their businesses.  That’s exciting to me.

Ancient Cultures and Civilizations:
We didn’t get to San Augustin, Colombia; or in Peru – the Ruins of Kuelap, Macchu Picchu (due to flooding in March), or the tomb of Sipan near Chiclayo. But we saw the remnants of powerful and amazing ancient civilizations at Copan, Honduras; Tikal, Guatemala; Guayabo National Park, Costa Rica; Ingapirca, Ecuador; Cuenca, Ecuador; and Cajamarca, Peru.

Land Travel:
We did not see Belize; visit Santiago, Chile; return to Buenos Aires, Argentina; nor did we get to most of the countries in South America.
But we saw every land country in Central America (except Belize); went to or near the top of five volcanoes in three countries (Irazu and Poas, Costa Rica; Pacaya, Guatemala; Masaya, Nicaragua; and Cotopaxi, Ecuador); we covered thousands of miles by bus, plane, car, in the water, and on foot; saw amazing markets at Saquisili and Otavalo, Ecuador, and at Chichicastenengo, Guatemala; got to the capital cities of Guatemala (Guatemala City), Nicaragua (Managua), El Salvador (San Salvador), Costa Rica (San Jose), Panama (Panama City), Ecuador (Quito), and Peru (Lima); and met many amazing people along the way.

Personal Growth:
I’ve recognized and let go of some of my own ethnocentricity (which I didn’t know I had); become a Spanish speaker; learned that the jungle is a great place for me to visit, but for short-term visits only; and have learned that even though the longest we’ve been apart in the last 7 months is 4 hours, Carrie and I love and appreciate each other as much or more now that we ever have before.

I feel like a year or more could be spent exploring just Ecuador and Peru, with a mention to the lifetime that could be spent exploring Colombia and the other countries in South America.

I do think that these are areas which we will return to at some (as yet undetermined) future point in our lives.

At the same time, 7 months in central and South America has given me an even greater appreciation for the country I call home, the place where I grew up.

The United States of America is a place where stores almost always have change for a $20 bill, many stores are open 24-7, the bathrooms nearly always have tissue paper and toilet seats, and the spirit of the people, more than anywhere else I’ve ever been, says both in word and in action, “we can do it if we’ll just work hard at it.”

I am so grateful for the opportunities provided by our travels of the last seven months, and I’m very grateful as well for the opportunities and life I’ve been able to have growing up and living in the United States.

visited 15 states (6.66%)
Create your own visited map of The World
On our trip through Central America, I got to add 6 countries to my map of visited countries. It’s too bad not all of them have a stamp representation in my passport.
I’ve actually been to more countries that this, but I didn’t spend the night, so they don’t count. I’ve been to France numerous times when I lived in Germany, and I also drove through Austria. They’ll be added to the list sometime soon through.

Traveling to an all-inclusive in Cancun, Mexico, is a bit different kind of travel than Carrie and I normally go on.

Actually, an all-inclusive vacation package, in Mexico or anywhere else, is sort of the antithesis of a lot of the kinds of travel we’ve done.

But we spent 7 days at the El Cid Riviera Maya, near Cancun, Mexico, and it was all that an all-inclusive should be. Primarily, relaxing.

13 years ago, the six of us (Mom, Dad, Brian, Adam, Deanna, and I) all went to Mexico for a family vacation, before my brother Brian’s senior year of high school.

This upcoming year will be Deanna’s senior year, and in celebration of that, as well as to get everyone together, the now 9 of us (each of the brothers now has a wife or soon to be wife – hi Laura!) as well as Grandma and aunt Gail and Uncle Joe, all took some time off to head to a resort near Cancun called the El Cid.

This seven days was an awesome and relaxing time.

We didn’t really see Cancun, but we did see a town in-between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen called Puerto Morales, which looks as though it will become a recognized tourist spot 5-10 years from now.

In any case, Carrie and I recorded an audio in the Cancun airport on our way to Washington D.C. before we left, and I set some pictures and music (Thanks Kevin MacLeod over at Incompetech) to the audio to make a video review of the El Cid resort there at the Riviera Maya.

(We flew through D.C. to avoid buying an additional plane ticket from Denver to Pittsburgh for the Pre-Paid Legal convention there – but I’ll explain more about that in another video/post.)

The El Cid Riviera Maya Hotel is an all inclusive beach resort where you can get kayaks, lay on the beach, snorkel, swim, hang in your hotel room, eat, drink, and be merry.  If you decide to own a time share, there are a few sites where you can learn more about the El Cid Vacations Club, as well as the opportunities for ownership there.

This is our review of the El Cid Riviera Maya Hotel and Vacation spot in Cancun, Mexico.

Sandals optional.

Hotel Marina El Cid
Riviera Maya, Mexico
We stayed at the Hotel Marina El Cid in the Riviera Maya for a week. What a blissful week it was. The hotel is an all inclusive resort. You can however, get it without the all inclusive plan, but why would you?

We really enjoyed our stay. There are three restaurants to choose from, but we never really got bored (except with the buffet as that’s the only one open for breakfast and lunch). But Alcazar is amazing. They have a wide ranging menu. They also have a Mexican restaurant that is pretty good. Overall the only thing lacking in the food area was vegetarian dishes. Most dishes had some form of meat in them (beef, chicken, pork, or fish). This made it a bit difficult for the vegetarians in the group.

We do recommend that you skip the one per stay “fancy” dinner you get at the marina restaurant. The food wasn’t all that good, and the mosquitoes were horrendous.

Their alcohol selection wasn’t fantastic, but it wasn’t bad. They made a different version of a mojito, and it was pretty good. Their margaritas, however, left something to be desired.

We upgraded to the Platinum Club. No specific reason really, just that we wanted the bigger room. We loved our room. It was absolutely perfect. It was always cleaned and the mini bar restocked. If we needed anything, all we had to do was ask. We were even offered a pillow menu. It was fun to get to order what kind of pillows you prefer.

The only thing about the Hotel Marina El Cid was that we did have a teeny tiny issue. They offer an aroma therapy option. We ordered it three nights, and we never received it. This made us a bit disappointed, but it was something that we wouldn’t have even wanted had they not offered it in the first place.

The hotel also has a selection of free water sports. You can check out kayaks for free, as well as boogie boards. The staff will also take you out on a Hobie Cat if you made a reservation. The ride would last for about an hour.

The beaches were nice, and private. There are no hotels close by, so “beach crashing” was not a problem. The sand in the ocean, however, is very rocky. We recommend that you buy some water shoes (before you go – we got ours at Wal-Mart for $5/each) for when you go to the ocean. The pool was nice and clean. It also had a water slide and a cliff diving area. Adults, watch out on that slide. You go fast!

Also, go into the little town (Puerto Morelos/Morales?) to go snorkeling. You’ll get a cheaper rate, and more time in the water. The water by the hotel is also home to the second largest coral reef in the world. It’s absolutely worth a snorkel trip (probably two). If you took your own snorkel equipment, you could probably even rent a kayak and kayak out to where the snorkeling is awesome.

We highly recommend that you stay here. In case you are interested in time shares, that opportunity also exists there. We didn’t do one, but we have a couple of family members who have bought into time shares at the Hotel Marina El Cid in Riviera Maya, Mexico, which (they have told us) also gives you access to some of the other El Cid locations around the world.

We loved our stay here, and will happily return.