The final stop in our South American tour was Buenos Aires. While I’d visited Argentina years ago, I’d never had a chance to visit the Argentinian capital. I honestly had no idea what to expect of this sprawling metropolis, and I appreciated that we had 5 days to explore (and still only scratch the surface). It is a city that wears many faces—in its vastly different barrios (neighbourhoods) from European-style architecture to colourful, brightly-painted houses, in its passions from being the birthplace of tango to the fanatical love for fútbol.

The next stop on our South American adventure was Iguazu Falls. Named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, it is the world’s largest waterfall system with 275 cascades spanning the Brazil and Argentinian borders. Eleanor Roosevelt apparently exclaimed “Poor Niagara!” upon seeing it, and I can heartily attest that Niagara doesn’t come close.

When my boyfriend Dave and I were brainstorming February vacation destinations, one of the primary requirements was "somewhere warm”. While I have enjoyed my share of snowy getaways over the years, escaping the polar vortex Toronto was experiencing seemed like a brilliant idea. And where better to get warm than South America?

While beach and sun are all well and good, I was eager to make the drive north to the cloud forests of the Monteverde region. Monteverde is located on the Continental Divide, where the Caribbean and Pacific slopes meet. It was about 2.5 hours from Jacó, so with a relatively early start, we were able to have a leisurely drive.

Our visit to Costa Rica had been long-awaited. My friend and I had actually gotten cheap flights to go back in early 2022, but we decided instead to take our pups out to Atlantic Canada (and as Giz’s last big adventure, I’m so glad we did). But I’d been itching to finally go, and as I usually try to take a trip around my birthday, Costa Rica was the obvious choice.

While my travel bucket list is lengthy and ever-growing, I have to admit that the United Arab Emirates hadn’t ever been on it. I suppose it just never crossed my mind to trek out to the Middle East and explore these desert metropolises. So when work decided to send me out to the UAE for two weeks, I was excited at the opportunity to explore a place I might not ever have come to.