Category: backpacking

Where To

September 30, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

I was not going to get anything done in Medellin, Colombia. Not on that day. Maybe, I don’t remember it correctly. Maybe I just did not get as much done as I had pictured I would. It felt like such a non-starter. I could not really concentrate in my hostel. There was not enough room in the coworking spaces, not as much as I wanted, to be able to kick back and just spend a few hours like I had in Starbucks or other coffee shops (making purchases to support). I was reminded that indy coffee shops from Mexico throughout Colombia for me were sometimes hit or miss, depending on how busy and accessible they were. They may opt for something seemingly appealing for tourism and leave me hard pressed for the things I needed like seating and an outlet for a couple of hours. I learned to really appreciate some and feel bad for not being able to frequent many and equally bad for not being able to both enjoy the ambience and get my work done.

The gentler mix seemed to be the Juan Valdez coffee shops. As soon as I hit Colombia, I was able to escape to Juan Valdez on the upper floor of the airport to avoid the taxistas who assertively asked me where I needed to travel to next. Hotel or hostel? Juan Valdez, small and large, in various spots, malls, separate spots within themselves, next to and across from Starbucks. I am reminded how I became so accustomed to palito de queso and arepa de queso and mocha while getting used to Americanos (since they were the cheapest drinks) and settling up behind my computer, picking up or starting a translator with no boss and only the time crunch of a 2 to 18 hour turnaround time. I wanted to plan it all way better. I wanted to work better.

That day in Medellin was not that day, for I had been there, allowing myself a touring and dancing break, with so much more hanging out with the people staying all around me. I was not going to finish and start all I thought I should and I am glad, for the moment, I was getting better practice at remembering the need to also keep letting go.

Try and Fall

September 29, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

I walked down the street in Cuenca, Ecuador. I could see that my hostel was not far from the bus stop. I had just arrived from Quito, the capital, and I wanted to save the money, that would be spent on an Uber or taxi. I had paid for so many. A break was nice. Still, carrying one heavy pink duffel bag and pulling along one small wheeled purple suitcase was not feeling quite so convenient and definitely not looking so graceful.

Yet, I did it. Mini goal accomplished. I was relieved, after one (confusing to me) street. I had made it within a few miles of the spot I had booked for several days. The several days would end, and then comes a bit of awkward time, A stretch of awkward moments are laced together, in which I might be deciding to extend my stay or preparing to move on. The end of these first few days in Cuenca readily fit this experience. I wanted to continue to stay in Cuenca but liked the idea of also renting a different hostel or hotel there afterwards. It is awkward checking out anywhere for the simple moments of interacting with the staff, with whom I have low-key or high-key bonded.

The same awkwardness extends to guests I may have toured with, went for a coffee with, gone out dancing with, had drinks or just conversation over complimentary breakfasts, passed time with, in a lobby or a coworking space… The moments and interactions are always potentially there. Welcomed. Yet, they can end ever so oddly.

Of course, in this, there is also a win, a position offering comfort when a new acquaintance or friend has been made and you can easily meet up with them, now just from different starting points, still near to one another. I then, felt a bit more practiced at living long-term in different cities, neighborhoods, and countries, knowing I already knew people.

The difficulty that comes with explaining becomes fluid. Similarly the bond can extend to local residents. awkwardly and otherwise, when you also try to explain to them how you are leaving but not completely leaving. “I’ll still be in the city”.

I wanted to stay and live in different neighborhoods, but I also had to make sure my work was right. I also needed to stay. Should I be budgeting to leave and go to more economical parts of the country? Should I be bracing myself for already-poor follow up from my delayed freelancing project payments? What was also awkward was booking days out based on third parties. That did play well into the possibility that if I did not love the place or area, I could pick up and go. (I must say it was nice, however, to do full-month rentals in Peru).

There was excitement, but choosing and looking also shored up my decision fatigue.

So very awkward when the person, host, acquaintances, or friends you have low-key bonded with or high-key bonded with are vacationing or touring versus you daily living there. The grass was reciprocally greener. I suppose, mostly to have numerous encounters, either helped or hid my might. I wonder. I can be grateful and I love as much as I liked. Still, I wonder how much of me is left in those spaces of bonding and how much I exhale from the need to rest and rest, again and again. I’m sleepy😊Sometimes tired😊

Considering

August 31, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

I was looking for an entity or some person that could guide me on what I have experienced and what I could do with these experiences to grow professionally and personally. I was discounting some things and looking as if I needed permission but realized again I have not exactly needed acceptance. Sometimes, it will never be granted to me.

I forget my strange experiences as a translator, traveler and volunteer in a natural inclination to downplay them because they are my own and I don’t realize how significant they could be for first timers. Now, I am reminded they could be cautionary, inspiring, notably informative for others. It was notable on a tired day in Mexico, when I explained I lived and volunteered in a place called Pisco in Peru, also the name of the liquor.

So now I am sharing my work, experience, knowledge, international moments and conversations with those who are interested in doing similar work or traveling through my meetings and voluntarily to colleagues and mentees. I realized there is a lot not so good and amazing to share. I am looking forward to us all sharing what we have learned and experienced, for our own self-appreciation and contribution to others’ ideas, motivation, and life lessons.

Let’s talk. Let’s listen. 😊 cassandrajohnson@riskysafetravels.com

The Missing Perspective at a Border Crossing

August 30, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

I want to find out where the negative and sweeping misinformation develops, regarding the ease of crossing a US – Mexican border or in my other experiences, regarding the crossing of a Colombian-Ecuadorian border or the Peruvian-Bolivian border.

I had plugged into the method for reaching Ecuador by land after staying in Colombia for a few months and likewise reversed my way back into Ecuador. Seeing the respective entry and exit signs, within feet of one another was mesmerizing. Cheaper than a plane, my hesitation of doing so was surpassed by my curiosity and how much less my trip would be versus the many flights I was taking around South and North America. My trip also required taxis.

This has me questioning what does that expression of “open borders “actually refer to? When people say that, referring to rogue policies that supposedly greatly harm a nation, I am left wondering. I am not experiencing some ease of driving, walking or flying between borders. There has always been paperwork (now electronic) inquiries to complete about the purpose of the visit, the duration of the stay, and the need for a stamp and approval by officials. There is all this and the requirement of passports, Visas, IDs and permission. I see this with the many people in line ahead of me as well, so I do not get the negative presumptions and imagery of easy border crossings.

There have always been officials when I passed through. I know people can overstay their Visa or lose status. For example, their work or tourist Visa may expire. People can also be denied entry at the border, needing to show proof of their return trip or be denied for other reasons.

Still, I cannot help but think about the alleged rhetoric itself. Then alternatively, I also cannot help but think of other attempted entry points that would then be the risky and / or treacherous ones, (such as between Venezuela and Colombia). My perspective and that of other travelers counters a generic presumption of easy crossings and soft policies.

Perhaps someone can tell me here or someone can tell me out there, one day. I happen to think a perspective from experiences that I have read, experienced, and been told is missing especially since lackadaisical entrance does not make the most pragmatic sense.

In another time, could a border have been more forgiving and spoke to just the natural sense of people migrating to places back and forth, before stakes were claimed and/or taken.

My tourist stay in Bolivia was approved through the standard process along with an additional fee charged to Americans, especially for Americans. I noted it was reciprocal in 2011, between the United States and Bolivia specifically. (I am not sure what it could be now). Still there was no lackadaisical, easy process, as I would always assume there not to be.

Likewise, riding the bus from Mexico into the US ultimately led me into an office where many Mexican travelers and I were addressed and instructed by immigration officials, per the required process duly including the proven documentation of our identities, status and nationalities.

Completing the proper series of steps is coupled with following the standard protocols.

Otherwise, not crossing properly is paired with extreme risks of being targeted, exploited, and/or battling with treacherous terrain or waters.

The crossing of borders that does not also bring with it bureaucracy or risk is something I cannot imagine. The well-connected traveler could have an easier go, but hardly the ones with scarce resources, who are the very picture I see people have in mind when they start disparaging harmful narratives that begin with this idea of “open borders”.

Favorites

July 31, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

Paseo de Montejo proved to be my favorite street. When I could find an excuse to end up there, I would. For half of 2024, I often did.

Paseo de Montejo proved to be my favorite street. When I could find an excuse to end up there, I would. For half of 2024, I often did.

Also, notably, the reason could be just because and especially because.

I found myself doing what I wanted, even when I should have been doing what I didn’t want to do. Postponing my responsibilities or pretending they were a part of me exploring, wandering, and eating my favorite foods in the sun in Merida was my full-time job with work in between. My first year as a digital nomad arriving from mainly San Juan, Puerto Rico to this favorite street among many in Mexico was a test for my long freelancing weeks with random and/or no days off in between. I was sporadic but I had fun.

In between my pains.

I missed my family. I missed my friends. I missed my creature comforts. Friendships were hard to cultivate in the midst of so many travelers that I enjoyed getting to know but ultimately had to part with over and over again. Was Lord, Alfred Tennyson right? “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”. Maybe? Not love in this instance, but bonding, nonetheless. Friendships, community partnerships and then I flew out or they flew out or I took an intra-country bus somewhere back and forth or one-way. On and on. When I think of it….

Down this street, I knew I also wanted my favorite agua fresca and sometimes freshly squeezed juice at the restaurant, perfectly snuggled between several more tasty Mexican spots and not far from the expat Irish bar, tempted into featuring some U.S. cuisine, as well.

Across the street, almost directly, was the spot where we had silly sang along with the now-relocated singer who spotlighted there regularly. This upscale restaurant and bar was just a few feet down the way from Marago Coffee where I liked to do some of my document translation work, while enjoying the pastries and a savory pizzetta, sitting comfortably, devices charging. The staff was always so accommodating to me and my friend.

Is a trip okay? Is a journey worth it?

When I think of it…

Yes, it was worth it.

All the moments. All the lessons. Temporary connections interwoven with permanent ones. All that is worth a lifetime of experiences and lessons, gratitude and appreciation for others and resources and my circumstances.

Eventually we say goodbye to the world too.

Inspired in What We Do

July 29, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

Gaslighting and deflecting:

This is what Argentina has been doing. This is what the people have chosen to do, in a post-World Cup that has exposed them more globally, revealing something that I and many of us have long known. They are a country with a system steeped in racism.

They worked diligently to erase the descendants of slaves in an unjust country. They are a nation that sacrificed many in and out of the country’s wars, and among the rest of their population, they disappeared people and overran civil rights.

There is no surprise as well, after sowing a great amount of control and corruption throughout the US government and backing JD Vance, that the billionaire Peter Thiel, has also taken refuge there. It very much fits his element and a calling to a place that would cradle his desired comfort.

I am reminded of parallels more recently, and how Jay Z has extended his fall from my admiration, knowing now it was an admiration born more from a surface knowledge and dancing in those times during the breaks from the demands of my Ohio State university life, when once upon a time, I also attended his Blueprint concert. They say “Never meet your heroes”, and I optimistically don’t think that is always the case but in this instance, it has just taken getting to know him more and more. Not necessarily a hero, he was more someone from whom I derived inspiration or simply enjoyed. In this latest iteration of him casting aspersions on someone that gives us hope (Colin Kaepernick) and also casting judgment on everyday people for successfully executing a boycott that has reiterated our own power, I am left with not just bewilderment but a matching disappointment.

We should not be deterred from trying to do anything, just because we cannot do everything. Though Jay Z seemingly would have you do just that when it comes to his business, this is not a reason for us to simply not even try, or a reason for us to wildly support those who work towards our ruin. I write this to underscore how Jay Z just reinforced the disillusion I had in his intentions for our community.

I had been unaware of the role he played in upending Colin’s actions and additionally distracted by performances I have enjoyed at the Superbowl, under his management. I learned these past details as I was currently surprised by a recent re-release album deal he struck exclusively with Target. He could have opted not to say anything. People still celebrate and enjoy him.

Yet, he said something.

I worked for Target years ago and likewise enjoyed shopping there before making the personal decision that this was something I could easily protest, when the boycott began. I also would not fault anyone for making a variety of choices, based on the circumstances and resources available to them and according to the items, services and work they need to support their lives and families. I do not see Jay Z as wanting for anything, and if he had said nothing instead of trying to disparage others with so much less power and money than him, I would not have felt so disillusioned.

He chose this freestyle tactic of: don’t fault me, you are all hypocrites because you don’t shop there but you still shop at Amazon, you don’t like Facebook but, guess what you still use Meta, et cetera, et cetera. I am loosely referencing his freestyle that included an insult to Colin and further, to us. What a thud, as if not being able to protest all things means you cannot protest one. It is as if not being able to limit one activity, (at least in the short one) means you cannot start somewhere. I would feel less interrupted if he had a greater strategy for his deals, made a misstep, had an apology, or at least just chose not to insult others. He did the opposite.

I was left with a poor taste in my mouth from the antics of this month, especially when we do not need to be criticizing people for wanting to do meaningful things and we do not need to be criticizing people who have it on their heart to try. Should we not try to be better for ourselves and others? Should we not aspire? I do not want to resign myself and give up on any of us. I do not want to let the days fall to this way of thinking nor to caring less for our world.

Working Forever

June 30, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

I will work forever.

Remote, Retired. Hybrid.

Especially retired, I will work forever. I will help. I will translate. I will teach. I think of doing so, because I will be a part of the system, but use being roped into the system to disrupt the system. I will hurt capitalism, bending its will. I will be a teacher as I continue learning. I will pass on the intricacies of what I have learned about colonialism, capitalism, imperialism, psychology.

I will give a nod to my nephew and continue to explain things to him in the future as long as possible. I will continue earning income to share back into the system that borrowed and ripped us all off. I will continue working, on some days harder and some days, more effortlessly than others. I will lend a hand and teach and translate and travel. I will share my experiences and show my understanding and show my humility in that I always can learn and do more. When I get off track, I will be reminded by everyone who has worked for me and who has given me a chance. I will not stop until the small private portion of my eternity stops. I will enjoy my senses, experiencing love, romance, good food and dancing, all the while teaching/learning. I will be there. I will be here, working away. 🙂

Don’t Try This at Home

June 29, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

Going for a walk.

Taking one each day.

I was going to the gym quite often, but one of the nicest parts was walking to and from there, especially when the elements and I aligned.

Taking advantage or rather taking the opportunity of the summer sun, now, that feels a lot like traveling. I feel my circulation and aliveness, reminding me of walking in the warmed days in Medellin and Bogota, Colombia or in Middletown, Ohio off to the library. I can walk anywhere.

I am relieved my ankle healed from last month, from an unexpected twist. I imagined, back then, not being able to follow my walking plan, which at that moment was just walking overall, not needing to be every day. Finally, I am pleased to arrive at this thought that it will be each day, all the time. 

I feel an inner calm, some reflective thoughts, some time to reflect on the memories of my life, traveling through places like Colombia, before I maybe contemplate visiting these places, just momentarily in my past or maybe more briefly, literally, once again.

I never know and I never know with me until my wandering drives my mind into a set, determined line, no matter how efficiently or alternatively messy it gets. I never know until I am going, going and peacefully settling into home again. 

Uninspired

May 31, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

I woke up motivated every day, even in days of non-motivation. Habit and wanting took over. I saw my parents and heard their compliments about my determination and curiosity even long after they had been gone. My intelligence. I heard them and naturally felt comfort in my books, studies, music, writing, languages. I felt it. I believed in just as many ways as I did not and still do not believe in myself. I woke up moving, and even when uninspired, expecting to be eventually driven towards some goals, all goals. My ups and downs and ups.

I read the books and saw movies from their generations and felt inspired and defeated. I was followed around in the store and micromanaged from my office desk. I thanked both my parents and the ancestors for keeping me inspired, showing me and us how strong we can be in spaces of oppression and how far we could go in the spaces of decency, deep affection and support from others.

The Right Time

May 29, 2026 by Cassandra Johnson

My laptop has been through the paces and here, I affectionately sit with my mixed up keyboard. The keyboard symbols and computer parts are mostly domestic but also, now a little and quite significantly international, given that now my adapters, cords and keys have been fixed from the many issues I had working as a digital nomad in Mexico and throughout South America. The latest iteration of maybe my third laptop here is quite a distance away from its original makeup.

I was fortunate to get considerably far south of North America, maintain myself when and where I could, luxuriate a little, and still readily find myself in the tech sector of many Latin American cities, as I needed to maintain my life and livelihood.

The cost analysis of fixing things up, new computer versus just repairs, was the similar scenario I visited in my head when getting all my car repairs.

I was more attuned to better accessories than getting a new computer altogether. I still think the costs have been worth it and on budget.      

I started at the end, budgeting in DC between my spacious one bedroom and downsizing to travel full time. I knew adjusting my freelancing and free-from-my-boss new lifestyle was something I needed to become accustomed to, and still something I need to learn.

What comes up for me now is an appreciation for having navigated between different Spanish-speaking cities and repair shops while treating myself, having a little fun, and roughing it. I leaned into my patient disposition while volunteering in the United States, so even more so while volunteering and working outside the country. I appreciate how easily it was for me to continue my livelihood as long as possible while looking back with thanks for all these ready-made skilled tech districts that I left behind. The expertise that exists in Mexico and Latin America gave me a chance to focus on my own skills and growing aspirations.