Category: backpacking

Rather Than

September 30, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

Tossing around stories with friends for Happy Hour or during dinner following all too familiar office politics, I kept an optimism that maybe countered the arbitrary criticisms leveled from my boss. Maybe the natural optimism came from a young lifetime of hoping and daydreaming.

I always felt like there was more to everything, so much more to come. Maybe all the books and novels in my arsenal did that too. After the fairytales, into the stories, through the essays and falling out of the plays, there was some underlying promise of relief, release. Good times. Deep laughs. Good meals. A dive into all that my senses could soak up was my trained escape from a heavy day. A lot of goodness could be outlined by the security and fun I had in a childhood of fun with siblings and a family I could trust with my quirkiness and true thoughts. My already fantasizing mind was filled with optimism to counter my criticisms. My backdrop of support, affection and progress stood up to bad experiences and mistreatment.

This was the norm I became increasingly aware of when I embarked on my own, from large campus and graduate from The Ohio State University to eventual work life in DC . I was pretty excited about both. Work became increasingly less exciting, however. I know there is something more.

Turns out a lot of work holds space for office politics and underpayment. I saw this come about even if it was not already present and it didn’t seem to be so bad. It hurt my boss’s mind that I could be discredited and only be temporarily discouraged and angry. I knew that my progress and sustainability really was based on the need to be okay and the hope that my good times would visit me again and again. My dreams had shown themselves to be kind to my reality, so I swallowed a lot of the work stress.

Even just letting the workday wash away from me in my apartment after work or at the gym was a lot to start to let go. Eventually, I wanted more. I needed more freedom while I also worked on doing something meaningful.

Stretching out on the sofa or cuddling into my armchair, eating my favorite meals, I got to relax maybe just for the evening or for two whole days before Sunday dread and Monday morning. Everyone at work looked forward to Friday, a telling tale of this not being the ideal environment or way we would prefer to spend our time, although there were varying levels of getting into the activities of the job. I would not mind and enjoy some parts, while dreading other aspects of my work. Is it just natural?

I could no longer do it. I needed to go away for a while, maybe forever and I found myself back in San Juan, then Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Panama City. I needed to take these trips again, away from the toxic work environment, working on my own to get back to myself and not fighting through infringing work ideas but rather more of me, getting to know me and focus on me, being independent, working on my own, being my daydream.

City Stops

August 31, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

When I landed in Medellin, Colombia, I thought it would be hard to leave the airport without taking an overpriced taxi to my accommodation.

I was surprised to find just going up one floor, through the food court-like area that I could catch an Uber very much like I could in New York City or Washington D.C.

Before calling one, I went to Juan Valdez coffee shop to get my bearings. I was so familiar and comfortable with Peru, what was Colombia going to behold for me? Juan Valdez coffee shops would be a regular backdrop along with indie ones. I would find a variety of experiences and a variety of people, naturally.

What I noticed primarily was the “Tranquilo” cultural mantra that many guys and women would direct at me.

Sometimes my overly gracious words in a hotel suite or a grocery shop would translate into not being from there, and they were basically telling me to Relax and Chill. No big deal.

I was pleased. I would rather be overly nice than flippant, and the people here seemed to like me.

They were surprised I had learned Spanish. They were even more surprised I now worked as a digital nomad. They made guesses like “Teacher”? “Student”? and were further surprised when I answered “Translator”.

I thought back to starting to travel again, but this time as someone working on the road (across the skies), by first returning to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I was glad to be transitioning from traveling to volunteer to traveling while working.

This was challenging, however, because most people around me were on vacation. Now it was Medellin, Colombia. Before it was Puerto Rico. Then it was returning to Peru to see if I wanted to go ahead and secure an apartment there for part of the year.

My first challenge was going for the budget friendly hostels. I later learned that spending more on hotel and AirBnBs here and there helped me focus on work and then do touring and hanging out in my downtime.

Hostels did not typically seem to design in remote working spaces but as I traveled more, I found those that had some nice ones.

I also found that Medellin, Colombia had some super affordable coworking spaces. They were abundant in both the Laurel and Poblado neighborhoods. I especially liked Laurel. It was more my vibe and it had both fancy spots and bohemian ones – sometimes intermingling in the middle.

I remembered how I find my flow and then forget sometimes but it was really nice to connect and try intermittently to get between rainstorms and hanging out and working. I was curious if Bogota could be as nice. Imagine my surprise that the vibe and actually less party atmosphere of it compared to Medellin actually led me into enjoying Bogota more. Could I snowbird there, while enjoying family in the U.S.?

Ending Begins

August 30, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

When I accepted that I would not be able to visit Peru again for another year, and my 90-day Visa was coming to an end, I was okay with that. I was nostalgic in the way one could get right before leaving a place and experience of which they have grown quite fond. Peru had again become my temporary home. I had a good run and being that it was my 4th visit, I bargained on how I would return. 

I had ended my visit this time, after some apartment seeking in the San Isidro neighborhood but also thought about how convenient it would be to live in the area of Miraflores, where I had been spending most of this recent time. 

However, I wondered if me navigating these decisions in the capital this time was altogether too different, since my true affection for Peru started in the city of Pisco versus this metropolis. I would later question if I could also translate that to Cusco, retrying this home to Machu Picchu as well. Lima had always mostly just been a travel-through city, even after the extended stays, so yep, this could almost be like acclimating to any major city in a number of places. Still that could work for my aging lifestyle. I am not mad at all at blending all life’s modern conveniences with Peruvian culture and cuisine.

Consequently,  a time for a decision on a long-held dream had now reached me just as I again reached my dream South American location. I was still just deciding on where specifically to live in Peru, or was I?

Another thought lingered around overall just connecting with people, so I pivoted between accommodations and events to find both a nice comfortable setting and a local group of friends. Setting up a life with conveniences and support for part of the year abroad and another part of the year back home was my broader plan. Setting up a life to thrive while working as a digital nomad, translating from anywhere was also key.

Yet, following this repeated trip, I gradually realized I wanted to continue seeing more. Maybe my dream could even be played out in another South American country and/or across multiple ones. I set my sights and my next experience on Colombia.

Paces

July 31, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

Paces

July 31, 2025 by Cassandra Johson

No hurry. No rush. Being here is Article 2 of Section 1.

I enjoy being back in the US, though I love to travel internationally. I likewise enjoy traveling nationally but in a steady nod to comfort, I enjoy being close to home. I enjoy being close to family, close to my roots, and close to a lot of what shaped me.

What a relief to enjoy the days, that with laughter, seem to fly so fast. I would get back on a plane. I would get back on a bus but taking a break from exploring the outside and getting to share time back home is a different trip of memories and acceptance that my soul needs.

What is easily accessible here was something I dreamed of for a later day, yet I have been fortunate to enjoy it sooner. I enjoy what national and international travel can bring, but travel does not so readily promise the acceptance and non-pressure my inner home circle can bring.

An inner peace is fostered by the care of those instances that shaped me, which wraps me up like a blanket. An inner peace arrives by what I can freely share in spirit and attitude rather than in objects.

Reciprocity and acceptance welcome me in. Free moments with a free spirit meet the day and only wane into the need to sleep. I travel there in potential. I travel here in a satiated soul.

For the Days

July 29, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

Passion meets insecurity and the former outweighs wanting to shrink and hide away.

I felt my self-conscious attitude being overshadowed by my curiosity, and going confidently into new surroundings was surpassed by my desire for the experience.

When I was child and also as the years passed, my objectives and wishes for my life just matched my curiosity, morphing into passions. Naturally, still, I hide away, but my, how hard it is to stay this way. I guess there is a quiet resilience in that, also a stubbornness, but I am thinking now how this also marries my desires to my will.

From something premiere like picking up my musical instrument and practicing daily to trying out for soccer, I was emboldened by the potential and ongoing excitement.

Learning a language. Meeting more international people from as many cultures as possible and being interested in my African American History and culture placed me in settings, events, conversations and circumstances to which I would continue to be drawn, no matter how intermittently the shy, insecure moments entered in.

I trust the excitement and honest curiosity.

Level

June 30, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

I am just in transit. I am excited to go back to the US for a while to carry back more of what I have learned and to simply be, back where I am from.

I will keep you posted or mention some things here and there. I plan on keeping my good memories but also on accepting my need for more or to be better while also regrouping. I am surprisingly relieved to be without my duffel bag upon return which is incredibly weird because it was taken and an integral loss as well. Yet, I feel much lighter and reflective thinking about what I did salvage in my little purple suitcase, still with me and which still rolled steadily along with me during my last days in South America, Central America and Mexico (the duffel was at least still in my accommodations up to the last couple days, as well). My purple maleta is still here and also excited to visit her girl’s roots as well.

I do want to hit every continent. We will see. I always think that. Nothing wrong with going with a natural flow and nothing wrong with trying out new plans and new dreams and especially finding out they have already been very much a part of the former life I had led. I did say I would go back to Guatemala. I did say I truly want to be with friends and family as well, and perhaps a growing family). We will see, maybe even figure some things out.

Making Do/Gratefulness

June 29, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

I find myself being relieved and happy my computer is at least working well enough to continue my freelance projects as a translator. I could see how it could have gone completely left because there have been a few times since traveling full time, that I have lost out on project earnings because I could not readily take on assignments. I did not have the time, the concentration, the internet or as I mentioned here, the working equipment. I am also especially grateful for my little brother who has filled in the gaps for me, when I needed to be saved from these perils of freelancing and I am so thankful he is always there for me. 😊

Telling Time

May 31, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

I plan to go back to Guatemala.

Although, I left the country for Mexico about a month ago and I really enjoy myself here, the Central American country stays on my mind. 15 days was not enough to do all I wanted to do, which also would include a lot of days, just being there not having to do anything, freelance work or otherwise. The capital city specifically lingers with me, and I just want to linger there.

Can a person instantly adopt another comfort zone? Is it possible for a person to feel like she stands out while feeling welcomed at the same time? Yes. Apparently. Both.

People were not too prying, just nicely curious and not so much in circumstances where you are also just a passer-by, a shopper, dining in, strolling. They are just notably kind and receiving.

Being a nomad in a lot of Latin America has generally felt similar, mixed with hanging out with travelers and locals between work and volunteering and my own preferred sight-seeing.

I cannot detach myself from the high relaxed vibe I feel wandering around Guatemala City (Ciudad de Guatemala) for a couple of hours, working from a coffee shop and even exchanging pleasantries and jokes in the grocery store. I can easily get used to working from this capital city, and of course, you know, I am already more than okay with not having a boss. Just mere deadlines.

I love the city of people who are native to the place. I loved how accessible many of the stores and restaurants were to my neighborhood. I was in Zone 1, but in consideration of Zone 4 for next time. I enjoyed hanging out there. I Ubered to Zone 9, to a more touristy area one day and loved that it still wasn’t touristy, just ritzier. Btw, the flirtation is welcome as well.😉

Most likely, I see myself returning to Guatemala City. It was the sleeper hit I was not expecting because I really enjoyed Panama and Colombia among new places I had never been as well as my familiar Peru where I have been planning to stay.

I simply did not know what to expect from a city and country I had not yet considered among the stops. I had heard good things on YouTube mainly. The visitors were not wrong, and I now have more of a sense of how stress-free and productive I could be there.

I still must be vigilant, especially now as a solo traveler. I remind myself to be discerning and I guess at my more mature age and with more experience,  I enjoy myself while deferring to my instincts. Even being somewhere twice now, like Colombia, I have faced a familiar scam of being overcharged.

Yet again, Guatemala? There is so much more to eat (both cooking at home and eating out). There is a lot more ideal weather to sit in. There are more libations and cappuccinos to sip on, and I need a lot more time to hang out with the local people and expats.

I may not go back immediately but, as I mentioned, I am quite enjoying myself in Mexico again. I just got back to my accommodations from VEGAMO restaurant in Mexico City and once again, I am just reminded of all the unique places, hospitality and conversations each country has to offer. This is my first time in the capital, and I want to stay at least a third of the time I stayed in Merida. Time to take my time.

A Little More

May 30, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

What is this having agency while accepting the natural flow of life? I see there are creative spaces to accept new opportunities into my everyday life as I travel and work. Perhaps I had been fighting them or maybe I am less critical of the ebbs and flows of my new schedule. I guess I don’t have to be laser focused at the moment. I have decided to volunteer, work and enjoy my time abroad and do the same while visiting the United States.

This is counter to me volunteering for a bit here and there, completely working or hanging out too much. Ahem. I can do it all.

I can do more of it all, rather, and I mean this entirely, because I am not so much needing balance as I need the variety.

Leaning into each separately is not for me. I will soon update you on my new volunteer gig, work and next country (perhaps same country). Thanks for being here😊

You are welcome here

April 30, 2025 by Cassandra Johnson

A person needs time to get her bearings, more at certain times than others. Sometimes, this is barely at all, as it was arriving at the Guatemala City Airport a few days ago. Sometimes this is a lot, as it was trying to fly out of Cartagena to Panama City (more on this in a May post).

I was happy to easily be able to navigate through La Aurora Airport and access all the things I needed like free public Wi-Fi and the options to choose between Uber or taxis. At the moment, taxis won in convenience and easy immediate access.  I told myself I would make up the cost using Uber for my departure. Perhaps. When it comes to airport drop offs and when I am not walking within the city, Uber has been a good choice in Colombia, Peru and Mexico. I imagine Guatemala will be too.

Before leaving the airport however, I just needed a place to sit with my computer, I needed a coffee shop (aka hot chocolate and/or cappuchino shop) with snacks where I could gather my thoughts and my tummy. Oh yeah, also notable: I would need an ATM to take out local cash to pay the taxi driver and or nearby vendors as well as prepare for places which may only take cash/efectivo. The independent coffee shop was along the way, right alongside the exit outside of the airport. I would work on my freelance translation work while waiting a bit longer for check-in time.

A few local people stopped by, asking If I needed various items, such as a car rental or a Sim card. A car rental salesman left me with his card. I was straight forward with some others about already having a place to stay and not actually needing a ride at this very moment, but maybe a little later. We smiled and they complimented my Spanish.

I lost the attention of a few other tourists, (European or American, I believe), who had been looking at me from the time I went through customs. As I settled into my drink and chips, I briefly thought, now how boring my calmness and comfort must have become. One smiled, but more to himself.

It was also nice to simply have a little small talk with the Guatemalan people at the airport, perhaps getting to know a little more about the place and chatting some before heading over to my rental.

The baristas had waited on me so quickly and did not know how ready I was not to have a lid on my cup and to chill and eat in. I have become accustomed to things being a little different and being able to expect or welcome these things has brought a smile to many of the people I get to meet. Being chill, patient and accepting is a foundational vibe in Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Panama and Guatemala. The vibe is contagious.