All Native Nomads Blog Posts
Find all of our blog posts written in their entirety, listed from Newest to Oldest here!
Celebrating Semana de Santa in Antigua, Guatemala (Plus Our Guide to the City)
We had heard about the gigantic Semana de Santa Festival in Antigua, Guatemala years before we finally went. Apparently it is the most populated one in the world. We were coming down from a 1.5 month trip where we had visited Spain, Portugal and Colombia before...
A Guide to Exploring Mauritius’ Fascinating History
Mauritius is a volcanic island in the Indian Ocean, encircled by azure waters and busy coralreefs. With lush rainforests and dreamy beaches aplenty, the picturesque views to be foundhere make Mauritius the perfect holiday destination.But aside from the beautiful...
Three ways to enjoy the Mediterranean sea in Malta
Malta is an idyllic island, surrounded by the wonders of the Mediterranean sea. Smaller islands sit just offshore, some uninhibited but open for exploration. Whether you’re appreciating the views from rocky cliffs, or sunbathing in dreamy coves, you’ll find yourself...
The Church of San Juan Chamula, Chiapas
We aren't sure who first told us about The Church in San Juan Chamula, but it became apparent that while living in the Yucatan we would need to officially visit this place. We hired a local guide in San Cristobal de las Casas to explain the history and meaning behind...
8 Things to Know about Traveling as a Couple
Whether you are solo or traveling as a couple, travel is all about the experiences and memories that you create. We have had so many highs and lows as we have traveled as a couple for the past 12 years, but there are few things that have brought us closer together. ...
Our Guide to San Cristóbal de las Casas
San Cristóbal de las Casas is one of those places you will never forget. It holds a certain charm and magic that few places can compete with. We have been here three different times, across two road trips, and most recently took a flight from Merida into nearby...
Roberto Barrios Waterfalls: An Off The Beaten Track Gem in Palenque, Chiapas
If you are looking for absolutely gorgeous, aquamarine-colored waterfalls flowing expansively while quenching the heat on a humid day, then you've found the right place! ESCAPE THE HEAT After visiting the Mayan Ruins of Palenque, the heat and humidity of the dense...
Palenque | Our Favorite Places In Chiapas, Mexico | A Series
A few years ago, before leaving to travel abroad, I read the book “Tales of a Female Nomad” by Rita Golden Gelman. It was a magical travelogue of all of her amazing adventures traveling and living in different countries around the world. One of her passages chronicled...
Things To Do in Guanajuato | Our Favorite Winery
Cultural Tour in Guanajuato CityOn our most recent visit to Guanajuato in October 2021, we had many adventures as we spent 2 weeks exploring the cities of Guanajuato city and San Miguel de Allende. We ate delicious street food, attended many unique performances during...
Rural Tourism & Post Pandemic Travel | Scouting for Faces of the Modern Maya Documentary
I have always been drawn to and advocated traveling in a way that allows you to better immerse with different cultures around you, as best you can, no matter how much of a novice you are. This has led us to sometimes choose tours or destinations that are a little off...
The End of VIPKID As We Know It
Wow, what an amazing journey it has been. Over 2 ½ years ago I started with VIPKID through desperation to keep our travel dreams alive and didn’t know what to expect. I have taught hundreds of students and thousands of classes in that time and have been able to...
My Thoughts After Two Years Teaching With VIPKID
My Thoughts After Two Years Teaching With VIPKID What Have I Learned? First and foremost my intention and path was never to become a teacher. I found myself in opportunities that might look to lead into this career path when I was younger, like running day camps for...
Moving to Mexico | Getting Temporary Residency
Getting Our Temporary Residency in MexicoIt's weird that almost a year ago, pre-Covid19 Pandemic in Mexico and the United States, we were in New Orleans working to get our temporary residency for Mexico. The trip was last minute, and many things that happened on the...
11 Reasons Why You Should Move to Mexico
Before moving here full time in 2018, we had traveled around to many beautiful and scenic places and upon departure, it was common that we would start daydreaming of living in that destination. When we visited Tulum in 2017 we had the same feeling, the beaches were...
What To Do In The Blue Ridge Mountains Of Western North Carolina
We recently escaped quarantine for a trip to the United States to reset Cassie’s tourist visa. We also had the chance to pick up the paperwork for our family unity which will allow Cassie to easily make the switch from Tourist to Resident. Our destination was in Piney...
VIPKID Teaching | The Feeling of Constant Jetlag
I have written a lot about the ups and downs of teaching with VIPKID with always the conclusion that the upside outweighs the downside of the platform. As I lay here on my couch at 4:50 in the afternoon taking my 3rd nap of the day I cannot shake the constant jetlag...
More than Just a Shoe Company | Tags Alpargatas (Merida, Mexico)
More Than Just a Shoe Company We first found out about Tags Alpargatas while eating breakfast with our friend Rachel of Hippie in Heels in the fall of 2018. We had recently moved to Merida, Yucatan and were on a hunt for local people that were doing good things in the...
Tulum On A Budget: What To Do In Tulum, Mexico
Once a sleepy fishing village, Tulum has turned into a major travel and yoga destination. Tulum is characterized by white sandy beaches and turquoise water. With a vibrant feeling throughout the town that is full of music, dancing culture and yoga retreats, you will...
VIPKID Teacher | The “Oh S*&t Kit” for When the Power Goes Out
Things do not always go according to plan in business or life but we have found that being prepared for it makes all the difference in the world. In this article you will find our experiences with traveling while being a contract teacher for VIPKID. You will also find...
Native Nomads’ Top 10 Places To See In Your Lifetime
Native Nomads' Top 10 Sites To See In Your Lifetime1. Chiapas, Mexico Chiapas, Mexico is a state found as far south in Mexico as you can go, bordering Guatemala. We think it is a must-see destination in your lifetime. With beautiful cities, majestic waterfalls,...
Why You Should Travel Like a Local | Travel Tips for Traveling Local
Native Nomads’ 11 Tips & Tricks for Traveling Local We wanted to share with you some little tidbits we have picked up along our travels and kept in our back pocket for just about any occasion as a traveler. These are the best practices and have helped us many...
Girlfriends in Black & White (by Jenita Lawal)
Girlfriends in Black & WhiteOur friend Jenita Lawal, currently residing here in Mérida, Mexico, wrote this personal memoir called "Girlfriends in Black & White" for our platform PASS THE MIC: BIPOC VOICES and we are so excited to share it with you! Jenita is...
Los Gatos de Mexico | The Cats of Mexico
Meet the Cats of Mexico If you've ever been to Mexico, you may have noticed a lot of cats on the street, the road, in front of people's homes or roaming around the mercado as you shop for fruits, veggies and meat. Or maybe they seem to live at the restaurant you are...
My Love and Hate Relationship With VIPKID
My Love/Hate Relationship With VIPKID Waking up at 4:45 am with my first alarm, I wait for the soon to be second alarm at 4:53 which is the latest possible time that I can get up, and roll out of bed. My two cats know my schedule and are up, encouraging my slow,...
Epic Three-Week Mexico Road | Trip Itinerary | Part One
Epic Three-Week Mexico Road Trip ItineraryPart 1: Merida to Cholula This road trip through Mexico was barely planned due to the ticking clock of getting our car back up to the United States to get a new Temporary Import Permit. We knew where the destination was and...
Black Travel Alliance | with Colby Holiday
Our friend and fellow traveler currently residing here in Mérida, Mexico - Colby Holiday wrote up this article for our new platform PASS THE MIC: BIPOC VOICES and we couldn't be any more happy about it. Colby is an amazing writer, blogger, content creator, role model...
The Mérida Neighborhood Project
Mérida Neighborhood Project Stuck inside for quarantine for 3 months can drive most people to the breaking point which is part of the reason I searched the internet for the 18th hour of the day. I found that there was no general information or map of the 428+...
24 hours in Cholula, Puebla (A Pueblo Magico)
Located adjacent to the very popular and famous city of Puebla de Zaragoza in the State of Puebla (known for the Cinco de Mayo festival on May 5th) and a stone’s throw away from an active volcano nestled in the foothills leading up to Mexico City you will find...
Temazcal | A Spiritual Experience In A Mexican Sweat House
March 2020. It was a few days before our trip and Guatemala was being called off. The country was banning anyone with a USA or European passport. Our trip to see the famous Semana Santa and Easter festivities in Antigua, to hike the volcanic mountains and swim in...
Making Money On The Road | What I Have Learned After 9 Months Of VIPKID
If you are interested in supporting us or find something valuable from this article and are interested in signing up with VIPKID, feel free to contact me with further questions. You can also help support us by using this REFERRAL CODE to sign up and get started...
Merida, Yucatan | Perfect Home Base for Travelers
The other day we got an email from someone who follows our blog and really wanted to know why we decided to make Merida, Yucatan our home base. She also wanted more details because she is thinking about staying here for an extended period of time. So we thought this...
Exploring Coba Mayan Ruins After Dark
History of Coba Maya Ruins Hidden in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula just one hour west and inland from Tulum is Coba Mayan Ruins. With more than 50,000 Maya people dwelling there, Coba was once the main religious center providing spiritual healing in the Yucatan...
How to Jump Off a Cliff | The Mindset of No Turning Back
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."—J. A. Shedd. This article as much as we love jumping off of things is not strictly about jumping off of cliffs, It is about what it takes to make the jump. It could be a literal cliff or it could be...
Gifts For A Traveler
If you are looking for gifts this holiday season for your traveler friend or family member we have put together our list of either our favorite things we use on the road often or else what we would LOVE to have one day (hint, hint :). The links below are affiliate...
TRAVEL AS A COUPLE | EASY TIPS FOR TRAVELING AS A COUPLE THAT WORK
Travel as a Couple This is a question we are asked all of the time. How do you keep the relationship fresh? How do you handle spending 24 hours a day traveling, working and growing future businesses together? Travel as a Couple is not always easy especially if it...
Maya Language
A Land in the Clouds: San Cristobal de las Casas On our road trip back from Portland, Oregon, USA to Merida, Yucatan, Mexico this past August, we decided to stop through San Cristobal de las Casas, one of our favorite places on earth. Driving up in elevation...
Day of the Dead | Hanal Pixán: A Maya Pib Ceremony to Honor Past Loved Ones
Exactly one year ago yesterday, our friend Maurcio Santíllan, the owner of TAGS ALPARGATAS shoe store here in Merida (Mexico) invited us to the Palomar family house in Hunucma, Yucatan for a traditional Maya pib ceremony to celebrate Hanal Pixán, more widely known as...
Best Day Trips from Merida, Mexico
Interested in our favorite day trips from Merida (Mexico)? Check out our latest blog post covering the top 8 places to see in a day. Merida has been our home base for the last year and a half so we took our time to curate the best of the best in this list for you....
Traveling to Thailand | Our 24 Hour Journey from Merida to Bangkok
Where we left you..... This is where we left you..... Last May we continued our journey exploring different parts of the world. This time it took us on a trip traveling to Thailand and Southeast Asia. Specifically Bangkok, Southern Thailand and then to Bali to work on...
Getting Dengue Fever in Thailand
Getting dengue fever in Thailand and feeling like I was dying taught me a lot about myself and what is most important to me. But first, let me tell you the story from the beginning... We had decided to go to Southeast Asia last summer of 2018 when my old family friend...
Best Restaurants in Merida 2019
Best Restaurants, Coffee Shops & Bars in MeridaFor those of you who know us, you know that we have made Merida, Mexico our home base for the past year. We have traveled around Mexico and the United States and are soon packing our bags again for a trip into...
Teaching English: A personal story about Teaching with VIPKID
We think making small amounts of money on the road, which enables you to keep traveling or gets you by until your passion project gets off the ground and starts making you money is very, very important. That is why we wanted to share with you our experience with a new...
Learning A New Language: Ideas & Tips
When you are immersing yourself as a traveler in a new country it is essential for you to get to know the language, even if only a little to start. Learning a new language is the most important thing you can do while slow traveling or fast traveling. You will find...
Morning Routine For Travelers |Inspiration On The Road
Waking up in a different time zone frequently with short term travel adventures (or in our case a long term travel lifestyle, with each location lasting 6-9 months) can become draining. This is why we love and depend on our morning routines that are imperative to a...
Planning Your Trip: For Short or Long Term Travel – Overview
Whether you are planning a short trip or going location independent there can be a lot of stress involved with planning your trip. Where do you go? Where do you stay? What do you bring? Is it going to be hot or cold, wet or dry, in a city or in a natural environment?...
Local Culture: What the World Would Be Like If Local Cultures Didn’t Exist
As world travelers, and especially since half of our team is Navajo Native American, immersing ourselves in local and indigenous culture is important for us while we travel. To keep local, cultural traditions alive and thriving as travelers and tourists we need to...
Travel Destinations: Travel to Places Outside the Box
Shhhhhhhh is the term you hear when you talk about secret locations around the world. Most of the time, the reason is that these destinations are special to that person and they fear once the secret is out that it will be ruined by masses of tourists that will bring...
2018 In Review: We’ve Come A Long Way!
Let’s start by asking, where were we exactly one year ago? Well, we had just joined Location Indie, the online community of like-minded travelers journeying through the world and creating location independent businesses. A community helping each other to succeed...
Why Volunteer? A Journey About Giving Back While We Travel
“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” So why volunteer? When things are good they are great, but when things go wrong they can take the wind right out of your sails. So why do we dust ourselves off and continue offering ourselves to...
Hanal Pixán | Maya Day of the Dead in the Yucatan
We’ve been reading a lot of books and asking a lot of people about the Maya since we first got here. And we’ve been learning a lot about Mayan religion, ceremonies, and rites that are still in practice today. Their culture, beliefs, and folklore is what makes Mayan...
What Happened to the Maya?
The Maya of the Yucatan When you first hear the word Maya what do you think of? Probably giant pyramids, hieroglyphic script, human sacrifice, strange rituals and advanced knowledge of the stars. Or perhaps you think of the Maya calendar and the prediction of the end...
Merida – The Safest City In Mexico?
If you're an American traveling outside of the United States it is common to hear - "stay safe," "watch out for dangerous people", "protect your belongings," etc. With the political climate in America and media hype about Mexico, the news has painted a picture that...
11 Things to Double Check Before You Volunteer Abroad
11 Things to Double Check Before You Volunteer Abroad As digital nomads, volunteers, and citizens of the world, we want to do good for the world. In the modern age of environmental and humanitarian crises, especially in places we love to travel, it's apparant there is...
A Journey To Mother India – A Pilgrimage and Documentary
YOGA FOUND ME IN LA I began practicing yoga regularly when I lived in LA in 2010 and was always curious about where the roots of such a healing practice came from. While living in LA a friend introduced me to Bhakti Yoga Shala. I was immediately swept away by the...
Plastic Free Life
My Journey to a Plastic Free Life The beginning of the story: This is the beginning of My Journey to a Plastic Free Life. At times I hade made excuses for convenience or felt that there was no other option. Grabbing a cup of coffee at a coffee shop, getting food to go...
The Story Behind Native Nomads
It's a classic tale as old as time, but travel has been a dream ever since I was a kid. Looking back, I guess I had instinctually gone down a path that eventually led me to create my own company, and discover a sense of entrepreneurship. A path that led me to...