Jess

This weekly series focuses on budget accommodation gems we discover while on the road. This week: Entre Piedras hostel in Alegria, El Salvador.

It was just us, two men we had just met and a machete as we headed out to hike the volcano crater around the Laguna de Alegria, El Salvador. What started off simply ended up being one of our biggest challenges to date.

Do not not read this on an empty stomach! This is a Globetrottergirls Ode to the Pupusa, by far the best street food in El Salvador.

Volunteer for a month, a day, or even over Skype in the Dominican Republic with the newly formed Community Connection International. CEO and Founder Angela Bennett talks about creating the organization, her Service for Aid model, plus gives great tips on budget travel in the Dominican Republic.

No matter how well you know a place, there is always so much more to discover. Though Jess lived here for two years, the 10 wonderful weeks we spent in Guatemala in 2010 led to some of our most magnificent discoveries and experiences of our travels so far. Read on for a list of 33 things, in no particular order, we absolutely love about Guatemala.

Seven years after living two years in Antigua, Guatemala, Jess from the Globetrottergirls returns to discover what’s new and what has endured as the best places to eat, drink, chill and stay in and around Antigua, Guatemala.

The Globetrottergirls love street food, and we spent our time hunting for the best veggie options in Guatemala. Read on for our best-of summary, and omnivores need not worry – we’ve included meat options too.

Visiting one of Guatemala’s colorful cemeteries is a learning experience like no other.

Since we began travelling in April 2010, every single day has meant trying something for the first time or meeting someone new. We have had so many new experiences; it has been easy to overlook any cravings for things from ‘home’.

Except for the odd discordance of hearing Christmas songs while wearing sunscreen and flip-flops, the Christmas ‘season’ has pretty much passed us by this year. No Amazon deliveries, no online (or offline) purchases, no standing in line at the post office outraged at the price of shipping, no wrapping up pretty boxes with even prettier little bows. It has been a truly capitalism-free Christmas.