Booked: From Mountains to Moai

Hello from Easter Island!

I’m enjoying some time in South America and the South Pacific with my partner Jessy. We’re here to tick some far-flung destinations off of our bucket lists, as well as experience a different type of travel than what we’ve done recently.

This trip is a bit shorter and less exhaustive than, say, our honeymoon and pre-honeymoon trips, but it’s one that we’ve been looking forward to for quite some time.

The Trip

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui to the locals, is one of the world’s most remote outposts. It’s located over 3,500km off the coast of Chile, and there aren’t too many ways to get there.

Indeed, it’s a destination which I’ve long dreamed of visiting, and I’m thrilled to finally find myself here.

Our last trip to the South Pacific was for our “pre-honeymoon”, when we spent some time in French Polynesia soaking up the sun and living in the lap of luxury. On Easter Island, we’re in for a much different experience; however, it’s sure to be just as rewarding.

From here, we’ll head back to Chile for a brand-new experience of a different kind, as we’re off on a five-day trek in Patagonia.

Long gone will be the five-star logos adorned on the exterior of our accommodations and the elaborate breakfast spreads to look forward to. 

Rather, we’ve opted for a more rustic experience this time around, as we’ll be sleeping under the stars in tents and more modest tourist lodgings. 

Trekking is something that’s new to me, and after hearing from my friends and colleagues about epic adventures in the mountains, I wanted to see what it’s like for myself.

From there, we’ll wrap up the trip in Santiago, before heading back to North America.

I’ve loved my travels in South America over the years, and I’m very happy to add to my experiences in this part of the world.

The Flights

For this trip, I had to piece together separate flights for us, since I began my trip after TravelMoreCon in Asheville, North Carolina, whereas Jessy started out from our home in Vancouver.

After a quick positioning flight to Miami, I booked through to Santiago via Lima on LATAM business class for 45,000 Alaska miles. This is a product I haven’t had the chance to try out until now, and I thought it was a pretty good deal, especially given the upcoming devaluation in 2024.

I booked Jessy from Vancouver to…