From Texas to Easter Island

As the year wraps up, I’m reflecting on a full 12 months of travel, both near and far. The highlight of my 2024 travel experiences was a bucket list trip to one of the world’s most remote inhabited islands—Easter Island (Rapa Nui) in Chile. Closer to home, I explored Texas, discovering its beauty by land and air. Whether you’re visiting Go Backpacking for the first time or have been following along at any point over the past 17 years, thank you for being here!

Chile

Exploring Easter Island

The most exciting trip of the year was a two-week jaunt to Chile, half spent on Easter Island. Kel and I flew Business Class from Santiago to Rapa Nui on LATAM Airlines and settled into a cozy coastal studio apartment rental for the first four nights.

Our days were spent visiting the various archaeological sites, from the easily accessible moai in Hanga Roa to the most important, Rano Raraku, where the mega-monoliths were sculpted. We mixed guided tours of the moai with exploring in a rental car. It was also fascinating to learn about the Birdman cult of Orongo, which succeeded the moai society.

Evenings were spent staring up at the sparkling stars above the South Pacific Ocean and enjoying the restaurants of Rapa Nui. Our last two nights on the island were spent at the Nayara Hangaroa resort.

Dinner at Borago

After Easter Island, we returned to Santiago for four nights. I had the opportunity to play tour guide for Kel, having first visited Santiago in 2012 after backpacking through Argentina and Uruguay. We celebrated our anniversary with a modern Chilean dinner at Borgao, one of Latin America’s best restaurants.

Touring Valparaiso

To make the most of our time in Chile, we signed up for a full-day tour of Valparaiso on the Chilean coast. During my 2012 trip, I spent a rainy weekend in Valparaiso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it was hard to appreciate given the weather.

Twelve years later, we visited in the same month (May), and it was warm and sunny. My chance at a re-do was worth every dollar, with the highlight being a guided walk through Valparaiso’s street art lining the historic district.

United States

Spring Break in New York City

I joined Kel on a March work trip to NYC for the second year. We managed to squeeze in some fun experiences, like a taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a morning trip to the Statue of Liberty.

The former required patience (i.e., waiting…