Reader,

Hitchhiking across French Guiana, marching in Suriname’s 50th Anniversary Parade, living in Amerindian villages in Guyana’s rainforest, and exploring Colombia’s colonial cities and glamping retreats, the second half of our South America trip was action-packed. We had so many wonderful experiences and tens of thousands of photos to cull from the second half of the journey, and we are excited to finally wrap them up in a bow for you with this newsletter!

Though our whereabouts as we were writing these South America posts were almost as interesting. As nomads, catching our breath and getting organized doesn’t happen at a home office; we have to create writers’ dens in a myriad of ways. To do that this winter, we woke up Buddy the Camper from his deep storage slumber in Colorado and boondocked across the Southwest, stayed with family in LA, housesat in San Diego and Palm Springs, and road tripped to our favorite beaches in North Baja, all while creating the content below and plotting the next leg of our quest for The World’s Best Eco-resorts & Glamping Destinations!

Where are we heading next? Oceania & Asia! We fly to Australia this week, and we will be on this sojourn until July! We have book-worthy eco-resorts lined up in Tasmania, Cambodia, Thailand, and we’re trying to get to Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Japan 🤞 Our itinerary is still flexible, so if you know any inspiring eco-resorts and immersive cultural experiences we should add to our route across the Pacific, just reply to this email.

Until then, enjoy these travel guides from the three Guianas and Colombia, catch some exclusive HoneyTrek interviews, and maybe even join us in Thailand!

10 Things You Didn’t Know About French Guiana

Not a former colony of France, French Guiana is a literal part of the European Union with Euro currency, 220-volt outlets, and the Bordeaux wine to prove it. While being France’s largest overseas territory, it feels like a forgotten outpost of wooden 18th-century maisons, boulangeries, and palm-lined promenades. Then, as a total counter to its lost-in-time vibes, French Guiana is home to Europe’s beacon of technology and innovation: The Guiana Space Centre, the EU’s primary rocket launch site. French Guiana was full of surprises, so we made this gallery to share the fascinating things we learned about the territory.

Suriname’s 50th Anniversary Party

Suriname is one of the most harmoniously diverse countries we’ve ever been to, and no event could better reflect that than their recent 50th Independence Day Celebration. Enduring Dutch colonial rule for centuries, the once enslaved West Africans, indentured workers from Asia, Creoles, and indigenous groups came together on this day as proud Surinamese. With their first female president leading the festivities, a parade ran between their grand 17th-century architecture, and the sidewalks were lined with people in their most patriotic regalia and biggest smiles. We were lucky enough to celebrate alongside them from dawn 'til dark, following the marching bands from around the world and dancing to the country’s top bands.

​Watch this reel and window into one of South America's most intriguing nations.

Guyana: Britain meets Caribbean meets Amerindian Magic

They call Guyana, “South America Undiscovered,” and it felt that way as we splashed down red dirt roads, paddled dugout canoes to remote indigenous villages, and saw more tropical birds than tourists. In Georgetown, you feel the British colonial past with its wooden Anglican churches, cricket fields, and everyone chatting in English (the national language). Though it’s the European, West African, Indian, and indigenous populations that have been blending for centuries that make Guyana so distinct. Add in their Caribbean flair, and you feel the spice on your tongue and tropical beat in your feet. Read our in-depth travel guide and see some of our favorite videos below.

HoneyTrek in The News

Not sure why the spotlight kept coming our way in Q1 of 2026, but HoneyTrek got a lot of press–from the cover story of Adventure Magazine to a segment on The Advocates TV Show. Flip through this glossy five-page Q&A for the why and how of our 5,000-day journey, then listen to Matador’s Creator podcast as we share our best tips for storytellers, read our feature in the inaugural issue of Glamp Life Magazine, and watch this Telly-Award-winning show as we unpack the trends of outdoor hospitality.

Colombia on The Rise

We have been slowly moving our way around South America over the last 14 years of trips and finally made it to Colombia (our final country on the continent, save for the no-go Venezuela). Colombia is notorious for its days of Pablo Escobar drug and gang warfare, but over the past two decades, it has been reclaiming its story with social impact projects, community art, and sustainable tourism. We focused our trip around these inspiring initiatives, with everything from a street art tour by former gang members in Bogotá to a stay at a regenerative coffee plantation that’s empowering thousands of local farmers.

Travel with love,
Mike & Anne