Nicole and Mico
Traveling to Boracay, Philippines - DIY Transfers, Fees, and Entry Requirements
updated
We cannot fully express our gratitude for all of you who have been along with us this journey. If we could go back to 2021 and tell those versions of ourselves that our wild idea to start a YouTube channel would turn into a viable business, I'm not sure they would have believed us (okay, Mico would have, but Nicole wouldn't 😅).
The past 4 years, we have grown in more ways than we ever could have imagined. Not just because of the travel, but because of this YouTube channel and how it pushed us to travel more intentionally and use this community for good. We are so proud of what we were able to do with a camera, two backpacks, and a willingness to learn.
Thank you all for being here and keeping us going all this time. We will forever be grateful, and will miss this community dearly ❤️
Be kind to the world and it will be kind back.
With love,
Nicole, Mico, and Evie
We got the bad news that Mico's sister has stage 4 cancer when we were in Granada, Nicaragua. We'd known for a couple of weeks that she may be dealing with a health issue, but to get the news that it was a stage 4 sarcoma was terrifying. We immediately wanted to be home, so we turned the car north and started driving.
Leaving Nicaragua, we made amazing progress by traveling through Honduras and into El Salvador all on the first day of this journey. We had a mishap at the border that set us back a little bit, but overall the start of this drive went well. We quickly traveled through El Salvador and into Guatemala to get as close to Canada as possible in the least amount of time. It was so strange to travel through all of these countries in a matter of days when we had spent over 7 months exploring them on the way south. It really helped us to appreciate how much these incredible countries have to offer in such small spaces.
After Guatemala, we arrived into Mexico. In the year and a half that we've been traveling in Mexico and Central America we've never been in a car accident, but our luck finally ran out. Our first morning in Mexico we woke up to our car having been hit from behind while being parked on the street, which just seemed to add insult to injury. We were grateful to not be hurt at all, and we were able to drive the car still, so we did our best to stay positive. It seemed a bit ironic that as we try to hurriedly get home to be with a sick family member, a car accident would happen for the first time on this trip.
With Central America behind us, we started the very long journey through Mexico. This is a seriously big country, and trying to get through it quickly really reminds you of just how large it is. Over the course of a few days we made our way to Puerto Vallarta, which was the end of the road trip for me (Nicole) and Evie. Evie and I had to fly home from here, which we explain in the video. Saying goodbye to each other in Puerto Vallarta was hard. Mico was having to do the rest of the road trip by himself, and it wasn't how we imagined ending this part of our travels, but life rarely goes as we planned.
Evie and I successfully made the flight back to Canada with only a few tears while Mico continued driving the Rav-4 North. It took him two more days of driving to reach the Mexico/USA border, but he did it! And then began the USA part of his journey. Another 5 or 6 days of driving, a few popped tires, a terrible winter storm, and the first double double in 1.5 years, and he was home with us.
It took us 1.5 years to drive from Canada to Nicaragua, and just 20 days to drive back. We are so grateful to have been able to share this journey with you and to have had the opportunity to explore such a beautiful part of the world in such depth. For now, we are eager to be home with family to spend as much time as possible with the people we love. Give your loved ones a hug today :)
SafetyWing is our go-to for travel insurance while full-time traveling in Nicaragua (and beyond): tinyurl.com/ycxud5ch
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 The reason we're going home
15:30 It finally happened
31:50 Parting ways
40:00 The USA
52:00 Almost home
#centralamerica #travel #roadtrip
After months of driving in Nicaragua, we finally made it to one of the country’s most iconic colonial cities—Granada, Nicaragua. In this episode of our Nicaragua travel series, we explore the colorful streets, eat traditional Nicaraguan food, dive into the region’s history, and end the trip scuba diving in a volcanic crater. Yep, seriously.
We kick off our day in Granada with a visit to La Merced Church, one of the top things to do in Granada. The church itself is beautiful, but the real highlight is the tower. After climbing a narrow spiral staircase (Evie’s favourite part), we were rewarded with sweeping aerial views of Granada—a must-see for anyone travelling to Nicaragua.
Next, we walk to Granada’s Central Park, which is usually a bustling social hub, but it was under construction when we visited. Even so, it's a great spot to people-watch and get a sense of daily life in Granada, Nicaragua. We admired the stunning Granada Cathedral from outside, one of the city’s most iconic buildings, but didn't have the chance to go inside.
Hungry from all the walking, we made our way to La Calzada Street for lunch. This pedestrian-friendly street is lined with restaurants and cafes, and we tried two typical Nicaraguan dishes: Indio Viejo and Vigorón. If you’re wondering what to do in Granada, definitely plan a meal here—it’s vibrant, tasty, and full of energy.
We made a quick stop at the Chocolate Museum which we quickly realized may have been a mistake with a very curious dog, but we were able to enjoy enough tasters that we chose a delicious bar to splurge on while we walked to our next stop, Commercial Street. Commercial Street ended up being exactly as the name implies - very commercial. So we had to go a few streets over to find me some jewelry to have as a souvenir of Nicaragua.
No visit to Granada, Nicaragua would be complete without seeing Lake Cocibolca, also known as Lake Nicaragua—the largest lake in Central America. We headed to the Malecón, a lakeside promenade that sounded like a dreamy place to let Evie swim and unwind… but reality didn’t match the brochure. The lakefront was filled with garbage, and unfortunately, we had to keep Evie on dry land.
The next day, our adventure took us just outside of Granada to Apoyo Lagoon, a volcanic crater lake that gave us the chance to do something we've always wanted to do - go scuba diving in a volcano crater. Such a cool and unique thing to do in Nicaragua.
If you're planning a trip and wondering what to do in Granada, this video captures our favorite moments—and some not-so-favorite ones—of traveling in Nicaragua. Between the volcano views, colonial charm, and crater diving, this city offers a mix of relaxation, culture, and adventure.
SafetyWing is our go-to for travel insurance while full-time traveling in Nicaragua (and beyond): tinyurl.com/ycxud5ch
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Can't believe they let Evie in
8:51 Not the Central Park we expected
15:38 Trying Nicaraguan food
21:44 Probably shouldn't have a dog here
23:05 On the hunt for souvenirs
26:07 Swimming is canceled
29:00 The most unique thing you can do in Granada
#centralamerica #nicaragua #granadanicaragua #nicaraguatravel
In 4 years of traveling full-time, this was the most in danger we have ever been in. While exploring the world, we pay very close attention to the situations we put ourselves in when it comes to our safety, but we didn't expect the risk to our personal safety for this specific adventure to be as high as it was. Climbing active volcanoes is an incredibly common activity for anyone visiting Central America, and we would highly recommend hiking up volcanoes if you are coming to this region - but beware - sometimes things do get scary! That's why it's so important to add safety buffers where you can. In our case, we always travel with travel insurance (this includes health insurance) as well as ensuring we use highly rated tour companies. For this adventure, we traveled with Fun N Sun Travels and could not have been more grateful to our amazing guide Wilmur who kept us calm and safe during the scariest experience we've had on the road. We would highly recommend this company if you're doing any activity in Nicaragua - you can check them out here: funnsuntravels.com
Our journey to Telica Volcano began like any other adventure during our Central America travels. We started the day in Leon, where our tour company picked us up right from our accommodation. Telica can be climbed many different ways, but we started in the afternoon, so we were driven most of the way up the volcano. We arrived to the crater for a glance into the centre of the volcano and got our first views of the things that was going to cause us a lot of headache in this video. The crater of Telica Volcano is really cool because it is absolutely huge and constantly emits a smelly gas that reminds you that this volcano is active.
We walked just a couple hundred meters further from the crater and pitched our tents for the night (with a lot of help from the locals who are hired by Fun N Sun Travels to make our camping experience more of a glamping experience). Just as the sun was starting to dip, our guide brought us to the most incredible look out point for sunset and we basket in the glow of the best Nicaraguan sunset we have seen. We somehow ended up being joined by a few horses that live on the volcano, and not a single other person was there for sunset. It was magical!
In the pitch dark, we made our way back to our campsite for a delicious and hot dinner (courtesy of the local partners), and then made our way BACK to the crater's edge for what was supposed to be the biggest event of the night. the whole point of camping on Telica Volcano overnight is to go back to the crater at night and peer over the edge to view the magma that is only visible in the dark. The magma is there all the time, but it can't be seen in daylight, which is why we chose to hike up Telica Volcano in the evening and stay the night. Lying on our stomachs and peering over the edge of this volcano to see the red glow of lava is a memory we will keep with us forever!
After viewing the magma, we went to bed and thought we would have a restful sleep before getting up early to watch the sunrise. But, things did not go to plan, and we were instead woken up a few hours later by our guide shouting at us that we needed to pack up...
Despite the scary experience we had on this night (you'll have to watch the video to see what happened), we would still recommend hiking up Telica and even staying the night if you want to. Just do it safely! Make sure you have a guide and trust your instincts :)
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 A bumpy start to a bumpy adventure
5:30 The crater of doom (seriously)
8:00 Camp for the night
9:55 The best sunset in Nicaragua
14:40 Lava views (and so much foreshadowing)
20:55 The scariest night we've had on the road
28:00 Now what?
#centralamerica #nicaragua #leonnicaragua #telicavolcano
If you are travelling in Nicaragua and want an awesome company to do epic adventures with (including volcano boarding in Cerro Negro), we highly recommend checking out Fun N Sun Travels: funnsuntravels.com
The best access point for Cerro Negro Volcano Boarding is León. If you're traveling to Nicaragua, you'll likely spend time in León because it's a beautiful city, and it's worth adding an extra day to your itinerary so you can do this volcano boarding with León as your home base. The drive to Cerro Negro was scenic but super bumpy, and gave us a glimpses into the country's diverse landscapes.
Upon arriving at Cerro Negro, we were greeted by the imposing sight of the black volcanic slopes. The thought of hiking up here just to slide down it was awfully intimidating, but also so fun. Getting to the top of the volcano took about 45 minutes, and along the way we got awesome views of the surrounding volcanoes and could even see where the lava went during Cerro Negros last eruption. They say this volcano erupts every 10 years, but the last eruption was in the 90s, so..... yeah. I guess they're due for an eruption soon!
At the top of Cerro Negro volcano we were able to see the crater and the line of volcanoes surrounding us. It's too bad drones aren't allowed in Nicaragua, because this place is so beautiful, and would have been awesome from the air.
After lugging our board all the way up the volcano, it was finally time to board down it!! We put on a suit to cover up with, as well as goggles, a helmet, and our buffs to help with the dust, and then it was time to go! Volcano boarding in Nicaragua is often touted as the country's most extreme sport, and it lived up to the hype. Sliding down the steep ash-covered slopes was exhilarating, and it's easy to see why this activity is said to be the top thing to do in Nicaragua. It was absolutely exhilarating, and also pretty scary. You're going to want to have travel insurance for this one!!
If you're planning a Nicaragua vacation and seeking unique activities, volcano boarding should be at the top of your list. It's not just about the thrill; it's about embracing the spirit of traveling in Nicaragua and immersing yourself in its natural wonders.
We hope our journey inspires you to explore and discover what to do in Nicaragua. From the vibrant streets of León to the adrenaline-pumping slopes of Cerro Negro, traveling in Nicaragua offers endless opportunities for adventure and connection. To check out our León travel vlog for what to do in León, click here: youtu.be/LbZJr5dQlpc
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance:
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 The top thing to do in Nicaragua
2:20 Hiking up an active volcano is for everyone
8:00 Totally worth the effort
10:33 Let's do this
#centralamerica #nicaragua #leonnicaragua #nicaraguatravel #cerronegro
Our day begins as we leave our Airbnb and hop into a tricycle taxi—a uniquely Nicaraguan mode of transportation. These colourful three-wheeled vehicles are a fun and affordable way to navigate the city, offering an authentic experience for anyone traveling in Nicaragua. Although we definitely got overcharged for our short ride 😉
Our first stop is a charming French bakery near the central square. We wouldn't normally start our day of exploring a new city by buying a croissant, buuuuut sometimes headaches don't wait for days off. After trying o stave off a headache with coffee and bread, we head to the central square, the bustling heart of León. Surrounded by colonial-era buildings and lively street scenes, it's a perfect spot to soak in the local atmosphere. Be prepared for the most intense lunch bell you've ever heard though 😂
Before heading too far into the city, we take a moment to tell you about the true state of Nicaragua at the moment. We've heard that YouTubers have gotten into a lot of trouble for saying too much about the government here, so we are careful with what we say, but we encourage you to please do some of your own research and learn about what Nicaraguans are living through right now.
Next, we venture into the Central Market, a must-visit for anyone exploring León, Nicaragua. The market is a sensory overload of sights, sounds, and smells, offering everything from fresh produce to handcrafted goods. We sample some local street food, where I opt for carne asada and Mico tries the traditional Nicaraguan dish, carne en baho. Mid-lunch, we witness one of the more shocking moments of our Central American road trip and are reminded that we have driven a long way from Canada 😅
Our exploration continues at the iconic León Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a highlight for those seeking the top things to do in Nicaragua. Inside, the cathedral's grandeur is stunning, but the real treat is ascending to the rooftop. The panoramic views of the city and surrounding volcanoes are breathtaking, making it clear why this is one of the best places to visit in Nicaragua.
If you're planning a trip and wondering what to do in León, Nicaragua, this video offers a glimpse into the city's vibrant culture and must-see sights. From the bustling markets to the serene cathedral rooftop, León provides a rich tapestry of experiences for every traveler.
There's another awesome activity that most people do from León called volcano boarding, which is what we are going to be doing in next week's video! Subscribe here so you don't miss an upload: youtube.com/channel/UCguRKiLcbY9yIG9fxmd9BuQ
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance: tinyurl.com/ycxud5ch
✈️ PLANNING A TRIP TO NICARAGUA? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!
Best time to visit: November to April offers dry weather and sunny days.
Currency: The Nicaraguan Córdoba is the local currency
Is it safe? We found León to be welcoming and safe, especially during the day when we were out and about
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Welcome to our neighbourhood
3:40 Definitely getting ripped off 😂
7:19 Not your usual Central Park
16:35 What's really going on in Nicaragua?
20:00 A regular market with a very unusual lizard experience
27:28 The top thing to do in Nicaragua according to most
#centralamerica #nicaragua #leonnicaragua #nicaraguatravel
Our journey from El Salvador to Nicaragua begins in La Libertad; a coastal beach town on the Pacific Ocean that we loved spending a few days in. We pack up the car, buckle Evie in, and get on the road for this 2 day drive through El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Leaving El Salvador is very bitter sweet. We have loved this country and feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to visit a country that was too dangerous to visit for so long, but we are eager to move on and see new places in Central America.
Leaving El Salvador turned out to be a fairly simple process, but what wasn't simple was entering into Honduras. It took us longer than we thought to drive to the El Salvador/Honduras border, and when we arrived to the Honduras side they had no electricity. Apparently this is fairly common, but it meant they couldn't process our paperwork until the power came back on (and no one knew how long that would take of course). A few carrots cakes helped us pass the time, and eventually we made the crossing into Honduras. Not everything went to plan though and we ended up doing something illegal...
We spent one night in Choluteca, Honduras, and it was quite the experience. Honduras was very different from the other countries we have visited in Central America. The country's poverty is more obvious, and it felt a little rough around the edges, but we know there are many gems here that we hope to see one day. For now, this one night in Honduras is all we have time for though. After a decent sleep at a crummy hotel, we visited a DHL and had a wonderful experience arranging for them to store our drone for us while we are in Nicaragua. Nicaragua has very firm drone laws, so we can't bring ours with us (sorry for the lack of drone shots for the next little while!).
Arriving at the Honduras/Nicaragua border was a bit of a headache, as everyone wants to find every little way to be "helpful" on hopes of receiving a tip. It can become awfully frustrating after a while though, and as we are crossing two borders in two days, we're already finding it a bit tiresome. Besides some hefty knocks on our car window, we successfully exit Honduras and make our way to the Nicaragua border.
The Nicaragua border is what we were most nervous about on this overlanding journey through Central America. We've heard from other travellers that this border crossing is particularly challenging. This was our experience as well. It was confusing, chaotic, and it took forever. Many of the border agents were less than helpful, and our meeger Spanish skills made this more challenging. BUT, we did it!! It took forever, but we eventually crossed into Nicaragua.
Our last job on this journey was to drive to Leon, Nicaragua. Leon is going to be the first city in Nicaragua that we explore, and we can't wait to share that with you in next week's video!
To watch our entire El Salvador playlist, click here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSlYnwzYFH5wm6sEDt6JLVtUKRPFuVJ3
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance):
safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---drive-to-nicaragua---april-5-2024&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---drive-to-nicaragua---april-5-2024&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Finally leaving El Salvador
7:13 First impressions of Honduras
16:44 Home for the night
25:00 The hardest border crossing we'll do
29:00 First impressions of Nicaragua
#centralamerica #elsalvador #honduras #nicaragua
Our adventure through El Salvador's best beach towns is officially on! Over two days, we explored three beautiful beach towns—La Libertad, El Zonte, and El Tunco—and discovered why this region is a hidden gem for beach lovers, surfers, and foodies alike. If you're wondering about the best beaches in El Salvador or looking for the top things to do in El Salvador, this video has you covered.
We kick things off in La Libertad, a lively coastal town known for its seafood and laid-back vibe. Our first stop? Lunch by the ocean—I enjoy a flavorful carne asada, while Mico dives into a rich coconut seafood soup. Afterward, we hit the beach, giving Evie some time to run wild in the sand. Before the day ends, we tour our cozy Airbnb, watch a stunning sunset from our balcony, and wrap things up with a classic Salvadoran dinner—pupusas! If you visit La Libertad El Salvador, don't leave without trying these cheesy, stuffed delights.
Day two takes us to El Zonte, a world-famous surf town. We start by strolling along the beach and soaking in the chill atmosphere. After grabbing a refreshing smoothie, Mico rents a board and hits the waves in an attempt to catch a few waves, but the star of the show is Evie! She caught a few waves on the surfboard as well, and we are officially calling her our surf dog 😅 Whether you're a pro or a beginner, El Zonte is the perfect place to ride the Pacific swells. Post-surf, we enjoy a delicious lunch by the water, savoring the relaxed beach vibes. This town is a must for anyone curious about El Salvador beaches or interested in El Zonte’s surf culture.
Our final stop was El Tunco? El Tunco is a vibrant beach town known for its black sand beaches and epic sunsets. It is by far the most popular and developed of the three beach towns we visited in this video, and it really gave a fun vibe. If we had to hunker down in one town for a few days (without access to our own car), we would definitely choose El Tunco! We treat ourselves to coffee and ice cream, the perfect combo to end the day. As the sun dips below the horizon, the sky lights up in a breathtaking display of pinks and oranges—truly a magical way to close out our El Salvador beach tour. Whether you're driving across Central America with a dog or simply want to relax by the ocean, El Salvador’s Pacific coast is a must-see.
PLACES WE VISITED IN THIS VIDEO:
➔ La Libertad – Coastal town known for seafood, beaches, and amusement park. A prime spot for anyone exploring tourism in El Salvador.
➔ El Zonte – Famous surf destination with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Ideal for those looking for a really quiet place with few tourists and bare bones amenities
➔ El Tunco – Iconic beach town with stunning sunsets and a fun vibe. Definitely more amenities and more tourists than the other beach towns we visited.
✈️ PLANNING A TRIP TO EL SALVADOR? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!
✔️ Best time to visit: November to April is the dry season, offering sunny days and perfect beach weather.
✔️ Currency: El Salvador uses the US dollar, making transactions easy for travelers.
✔️ Is it safe?: We found the beach towns to be welcoming and safe, especially during the day. For those driving across Central America with a dog, these spots are friendly and accessible.
To watch our entire El Salvador playlist, click here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSlYnwzYFH5wm6sEDt6JLVtUKRPFuVJ3
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 First impressions of El Salvador's Pacific Coast
6:35 La Libertad beach!
11:23 Airbnb jackpot
14:05 La Libetad on a Tuesday night...
18:09 El Zonte
22:01 We have a surfing dog!!
28:34 El Tunco
#centralamerica #elsalvador #elsalvadortourism
In this video, we start our adventure in Juayúa, a small town known for its picturesque streets and incredible weekend food festival. After meeting up with a local guide, we hike through lush forests to reach Chorros de la Calera, a stunning set of waterfalls hidden in the jungle. The hike is short but scenic, and the reward? Crystal-clear water perfect for swimming! Evie loved exploring the waterfalls with a stick in her mouth of course.
Back in town, we dive into Juayúa’s famous food festival, where we find an amazing carne asada meal at the bustling market. If you love Salvadoran street food, this place is a must-visit! This is also an amazing place to practice your Spanish!
From there, we hit the road, driving through parts of the Ruta de las Flores and taking in the breathtaking landscapes. This region is full of coffee farms, volcano views, and colorful villages that make for the perfect scenic drive.
One of the highlights of the day? Exploring Café Armenia and attempting to conquer a massive maze that turns out to be way harder than we expected! We thought we'd make it through in a few minutes, but we end up totally lost inside. Would you be able to find your way out?
El Salvador continues to blow us away with its beauty, culture, and warm hospitality. If you're planning a trip to Ruta de las Flores, this travel guide has everything you need to know before you go!
🚗 PLACES WE VISITED IN THIS VIDEO:
➔ Juayúa – A charming town famous for its food festival
➔ Chorros de la Calera – Jungle waterfalls perfect for hiking & swimming
➔ Juayúa Food Festival – One of the best places to try Salvadoran street food
➔ Ruta de las Flores – The most scenic road trip in El Salvador
➔ Café Armenia – A beautiful coffee farm with a very challenging maze
✈️ PLANNING A TRIP TO EL SALVADOR? HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:✔️ Best time to visit: The dry season (November–April) offers the best weather for hiking and exploring.
✔️ Currency: The US dollar is widely used in El Salvador.
✔️ Is it safe?: Despite past reputation, we found Ruta de las Flores to be very welcoming and safe
🎥 WATCH MORE OF OUR EL SALVADOR TRAVEL SERIES:
➔ First Impressions of El Salvador → youtu.be/xfSl3KF8kPI?si=R06j_y3_oE8uG9A0
➔ Eating our way through San Salvador → youtu.be/R0lMyI7e7ts?si=GjUe0VOmCgmuncFp
➔ Hiking an Active Volcano in El Salvador → youtu.be/yeZ4gx8C9DM?si=QlScO8i-pQNEZiJ6
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---ruta-de-las-flores---march-22-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---ruta-de-las-flores---march-22-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Starting off with Juayua
7:00 So glad we found a guide for the waterfalls
10:00 Evie living her BEST life
15:40 Food festival time!
21:05 Cafe Albania
26:30 This did not go to plan
#centralamerica #elsalvador #elsalvadortourism #rutadelasflores
As we explore Santa Ana today, we start our day by visiting the iconic Santa Ana Cathedral. This beautiful piece of art is what draws the most attention in Santa Ana. It's impossible to miss among the skyline and when you're in the Central Plaza you can't help but be drawn to it. If there is one thing visitors to Santa Ana must do, it is visit this beautiful piece of architecture. It might be our most favourite building in El Salvador. Of course, the inside of the church is stunning, but our favourite part was the top. We learned that for a small fee you can climb to the top of Santa Ana Cathedral and get incredible views of the city below. Climbing to the top of Santa Ana Cathedral is the best thing to do in Santa Ana according to most blogs, and it did not disappoint!
Mico decided that before our next stop he needed a "snack," which was definitely an entire meal. There are many street food venders surrounding the Central Plaza in the Central Historical area, so he had lots of choice and decided on a torta. This common street food is kind of like a glorified hot dog, and he loved it! While he ate, we walked around the main plaza and imagined what this area was like 125 years ago when the coffee industry was booming and the socialites meandered these streets.
Aside from visiting the top of Santa Ana Cathedral, our favourite thing to do in Santa Ana turned out to be visiting the National Theatre. We took a tour with a very knowledgeable woman who walked us through the historic halls where the city's elite used to gather and socialize. There was so much history packed into this beautifully restored building, and we had it all to ourselves on our private tour! The National Theatre in Santa Ana is still operating to this day, so you can buy tickets to all kinds of performances here which would be incredible.
To watch our entire El Salvador playlist, click here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSlYnwzYFH5wm6sEDt6JLVtUKRPFuVJ3
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---santa-ana-city---march-15-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---santa-ana-city---march-15-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Welcome to Santa Ana
2:00 Santa Ana Cathedral
4:20 Did not expect to do this
9:05 Santa Ana Plaza
9:50 Time for street food
12:55 Santa Ana Theatre
#centralamerica #elsalvador #santaanaelsalvador #elsalvadortourism
El Salvador is known as the land of volcanoes because there are over 100 volcanoes in this tiny Central American country. No visit to El Salvador would be complete without climbing Santa Ana Volcano - the tallest volcano in the entire country! Santa Ana Volcano is an active volcano, with a turquoise green sulferic lake in the centre of the volcanoes crater, and at the end of the hike you are rewarded with views right inside of this crater! Not to mention you can see so far from the top of the volcano. We could see all the way to San Salvador, to the Pacific Ocean, and with good eye sight, we could see right into Guatemala too!
Climbing Santa Ana Volcano is often regarded as the #1 thing to do in El Salvador. It's a beautiful hike that is steep in some sections, but truly not that difficult. We saw people of all abilities doing the hike, and managed to go up it ourselves in a bit over an hour. At 2381m, Santa Ana Volcano is the highest volcano in all of El Salvador and is constantly emitting gas that really makes the whole experience quite thrilling.
From the top of Santa Ana Volcano you can easily see nearby Lake Coatapeque, which is a crater lake and a very common holiday destination for both foreign and local tourists to El Salvador. The president even has a home on the lake as it is one of the most beautiful places in the whole country. We just popped by for lunch because we couldn't find an airbnb on the lake that accepted dogs and was in our budget, but we thoroughly enjoyed the area for lunch. It was bustling with party goers and there was all kinds of water activities happening on the lake. Had we had longer to spend here, it would have been fun to hop on a ski-doo and whip around the lake.
To watch our entire El Salvador playlist, click here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSlYnwzYFH5wm6sEDt6JLVtUKRPFuVJ3
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---santa-ana-volcano---march-8-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---santa-ana-volcano---march-8-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Finally doing the #1 thing in el Salvador!
4:57 The no-so-private, private guide
11:13 Don't look down...
14:55 Lake Coatapeque
#centralamerica #elsalvador #santaanavolcano #elsalvadortourism
We visited San Salvador's Central Market to have our first food of the day.- sopa de pata, which was a very extreme way to start the food tour. No easing into this cuisine! Sopa de pata is a soup made with the innards of a cow, as well as the feet and and some vegetables. It is high in nutrition, and is commonly ate among El Salvadorians, but for our Canadian stomachs is was quite the adventure. This is what we love about food tours though - we can have a proper travel adventure just through food!
After starting with a bang, Dave brought us to try a much more tame food called quesadilla. No quesadilla like you see in Mexico, El Salvadorian quesadilla is a sweet cheese bread often accompanied by coffee or tea. It would make for an amazing afternoon snack to keep you full until dinner.
We made our way to a restaurant called Ixchel where we had a proper feast of popular and traditional foods from all over El Salvador. We started with El Salvador's empanada, which was unlike any empanada we've ever had. These empanadas only come in two flavours - milk and bean, and we loved both of them. Then we feasted on yucca frita with chicharron, which ended up being Mico's favourite dish of the day. This dish could easily be a meal on it's own, but we managed to stuff if down despite already eating so much today. then we tried pastelito de carne, which seemed more like an empananda that the El Salvadorian empanadas 😂 And the last food item at Ixchel was Nuegados, which was a delicious dessert item that we will happily eat forever.
Nex tup was some El Salvadorian street food called minutas. This highly popular shaved ice dessert is something we've seen so many locals eat as they wander the warm streets of San Salvador. Our guide told us it is the perfect beach snack, and we definitely understand why.
Finally, we tried pupusas! We've had pupusas since arriving in El Salvador, but what food vlog in El Salvador would be complete without showing the national dish of the country? So we grabbed some new flavours to share this delicious dish with you :)
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---el-salvador-foods---feb-22-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---el-salvador-foods---feb-22-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 San Salvador Central Market
4:40 Sopa de pata
11:32 El Salvador Quesadilla
13:39 El Salvador empanada
15:40 Yucca frita
17:30 Pastelito de carne
18:10 El Salvador enchilada
19:20 Nuegados
20:20 Minutas
22:44 Pupusas
#centralamerica #sansalvador #elsalvador #salvadorianfood
We decided to start or exploration of the city by joining a walking tour so we could get a local's perspective on the current situation in El Salvador, and we had an awesome guide. If you want to book your own walking tour with Dave, you can find a link to his walking tour here: guruwalk.com/walks/53862-i-am-dave-and-discover-the-best-of-san-salvador-with-me-in-a-fun-way.
We began our exploring of San Salvador at Cuscatlan Park, right in the middle of the city. Immediately we were impressed by the beautiful, safe, manicured paths and amenities in a park that was considered too unsafe to visit just a few years ago. We tried a few local street foods, meander through a city market and check out some impressive new developments including a hospital built by inmates (because there are a lot of them here in El Salvador... more on that in the video).
Arriving at Central Historical area of San Salvador is an experience we hope everyone gets to have in their lifetime. This is truly one of the most impressive plazas we have ever seen, and we have done a lot of traveling in Central America and South America 😂 San Salvador's new library flanks one side of the plaza, and it is a beautiful sight! Not to mention the National Palace and Metropolitan Cathedral.
Once our walking tour of San Salvador was done, we found a pupuseria and tried pupusas for the very first time! We were so impressed with the flavour and variety of El Salvador's national dish, but it's going to take some time for us to adjust to how HOT pupusas are served!
We also visit Zona Rosa to show you around another area of San Salvador, and get kicked out of a mall near our Airbnb because apparently we aren't supposed to film in malls (whoops!). After a quick Airbnb tour to give you an idea of how far your money will go here, we visit the iconic Rosario Church (Iglecia el Rosario) after a few false starts.
And finally, we explore San Salvador's Central Historic area by night. It was Christmastime during our visit, so the central area came to life in the evenings, and we wanted to share that magic with you. We even got to go ice skating in the middle of San Salvador!
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---san-salvador---feb-15-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---san-salvador---feb-15-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Why we never expected to be here
4:15 what changed to make El Salvador safe?
11:30 El Salvadoran street food!
16:10 San Salvador Central Historical area is the most beautiful we've seen
18:37 First time trying pupusas!
22:09 Welcome to Zona Rosa
25:36 Airbnb tour (we got kicked out of the mall)
27:55 Rosario Church
30:16 San Salvador at night!
#centralamerica #sansalvador #elsalvador #nicoleandmico
El Salvador is a country we didn't think we'd have the chance to visit (maybe in our whole lives) because it has been one of the least safe countries in the world for many, many years. Gang violence and political unrest made El Salvador incredible unsafe for decades, and as a result, it has hardly been visited by tourists. We weren't sure we'd have the chance to see it for ourselves during our travels in Central America, but now we are heading there!!
Our drive to El Salvador begins near the border of Belize and Guatemala, and the drive starts off strong with a successful border crossing back into Guatemala. Unfortunately, our luck does not continue for the entire drive, although given that we are driving through three Central American countries with our dog and our car, we did pretty well on this road trip to El Salvador.
Traveling in Central America with a dog usually adds quite a lot of complications, but Evie is exhausted after her jam packed week in Belize. She got to ride a ferry to the Caribbean island of Caye Caulker and chase coconuts, explore the Rio Frio Caves, and swim in the beautiful Rio on Pools. We had an incredible week in Belize, and we really wish we could have stayed longer. Belize is a very expensive Central American country though, and we are traveling on a budget, so we saved lots of great Belizean adventures for our next trip to the country (when we will be sure to come with a vacationers budget, not a long-term traveler budget). If you want to check out our short Belize series, you can find the video here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSlYnwzYFH4FDvZehUKNZUI9e9LvweJA
Entering back into Guatemala, even if it was just to drive through it, felt a bit like coming home! We spent five incredible months in Guatemala during our travels in Central America, and the country eventually began to feel very familiar and comfortable. We just spent one night in Guatemala on this drive to El Salvador, but we made the most of it. To check out the full Guatemala series, click here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSlYnwzYFH6hDM8e1jf5wlXuOMoXPxqQ
And finally, it was time to enter El Salvador!!!! Being in a country that we thought we'd never visit was an incredible feeling. It is such a privilege to be able to visit a place that was once said to be too dangerous. Not to fear monger, but El Salvador was actually the murder capital of the world not too long ago. So to think we can now safely visit as foreign tourists is remarkable and we cannot wait to see more of this country!
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---drive-to-el-salvador---feb-8-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---drive-to-el-salvador---feb-8-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Time to leave Belize!
4:16 Feels like coming home
9:35 Not what we were hoping for
14:14 Officially leaving Guatemala
18:08 Welcome to El Salvador!
19:55 Maybe we're eating El Salvadorean food?
22:15 Our home in Santa Ana
#centralamerica #belize #guatemala #elsalvador
We only had one full day in San Ignacio, and we are traveling in Central America with our dog, so our San Ignacio itinerary was a bit different than the average traveler. We started our day with a visit to Pop's Diner to try fry jacks - Belize's most popular dish. We've heard so much about this food since arriving to Belize, and were stoked to try them for the first time! Being in a diner in San Ignacio was an unexpected experience all together, as it's been ages since we visited a restaurant like this, but it was a great way to start the day's adventures.
After breakfast, we headed to Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve where we visited the most beautiful cave we have ever seen. Rio Frio Cave was unlike anywhere we have ever visited. A pristine example of nature's beauty with deep historic meaning for the Maya's who used to live here. Exploring the cave was like being at an adult playground and we could have stayed all day!
After Rio Frio Cave, we drove to Rio on Pools, which is place within the forest reserve that has these naturally made shallow turquoise pools. This was an absolutely beautiful spot! The three of us ate homemade sandwiches, swam in the chilly pools, and explore the beautiful Belizean forest that we did not know existed.
After bringing Evie home (because she played HARD at Rio on Pools), we visited San Ignacio town and attempted to go to the market in town that is apparently the number 1 thing to do in San Ignacio. You'll have to watch the video to see how that went. San Ignacio is a quiet town. So quiet that we actually had a hard time finding a place to eat for dinner! We got lucky and found a spot that served typical Belizean food so we could wrap up our time in Belize with a local dish.
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---san-ignacio-belize---jan-25-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---san-ignacio-belize---jan-25-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Belizean breakfast for the first time
5:16 Our new favourite cave (is that a thing?)
12:30 We had no idea Belize looked like this
17:09 Don't worry, he's an engineer 😅
19:36 Welcome to San Ignacio
23:33 Final Belizean meal
#roadtrip #belizetravel #traveldog #sanignacio
Caye Caulker, Belize, is known to be the lesser expensive of Belize's Caribbean Island destinations, and yet, this slice of paradise is much more expensive than we're used to after traveling in Mexico and Guatemala for the past year. We're trying to travel Belize on a budget, and we do a pretty decent job in Caye Caulker, with the exception of our bucket list activity, scuba diving.
There is a lot to see and do in Caye Caulker for free, and, given that this truly is paradise, we had the most magical first day exploring the island. The coffee on Caye Caulker is exceptional, which fuelled our first stop at the Tarpon feeding dock. We have a rule of not feeding animals when we travel, so we didn't participate in the feeding, but watching the giant tarpons jump out of the water was a very cool way to start off our island exploring.
Belizean food is something we knew nothing about when we came to Caye Caulker, but there are delicious stalls set up right along the beach in Caye Caulker that sell local food for a good price, so we ate jerk chicken and BBQ snapper fish to our heart's content. Turns out, Belizean food is amazing and filled Mico's Filipino heart right up!
The Split is a really unique part of Caye Caulker because it was recently created by a hurricane, but in all honestly, it kind of disappointed us. We found it better to hang out close to the docks for some beach time and let Evie chase coconuts til she nearly dropped dead of exhaustion.
The last stop on day 1 was to see some sting rays that cmoe right up on the beach. This is actually a pretty freaky experience because... you know... Steve Irwin... but these gentle creatures are stunning and the sunsets from their side of the island are top notch.
For our second day in Caye Caulker, we went scuba diving! Belize has some of the best scuba diving in the world, and diving here has been on our bucket list since we got certified to dive in 2017. Even if you aren't a certified diver, we highly recommend doing a discovery dive in Belize to really get a good look at the incredible underwater world here. This was easily our favourite part of our 48 hours in Belize, and had us totally exhausted! We spent the rest of the day chilling on the beach, but you'll just have to take our word for it as we didn't film it :)
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---caye-caulker---jan-18-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---caye-caulker---jan-18-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Wise is our travel debit card: https://wise.prf.hn/l/OqnMl4Z
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 First impressions of Caye Caulker
7:44 Giant tarpons
10:30 Tying Belizean food
15:55 Not what we hoped
17:47 Much better
20:18 Sting rays!
25:00 The real reason we came to Belize
#roadtrip #belizetravel #traveldog #cayecaulker
Crossing borders is always a bit nerve wracking, but when you add a car and a dog into the mix, the process can become complicated, expensive, and extra scary because you really don't know if you'll all be let in! Our border crossing into Belize definitely had us feeling nervous. There was a lot of planning before arriving at the Guatemala-Belize border, and everything had to work out perfectly in order for us to be let into Belize with our dog and our car.
We crossed into Belize at Melchor de Mencos on a beautiful day and had a super unexpected first impression of Belize. We are pretty happy, content, travelers, and unless something goes terribly wrong, we are generally just glad to have the opportunity and privilege to see and experience a new country, but our welcome into Belize was unlike any we have had before.
We truly were not sure if we'd have the opportunity to see Belize during our drive through Central America. The biggest reason is because entering Belize with a dog is a bit of a headache. We debated a lot of pros and cons before deciding to travel to Belize, but the main reason we are visiting is because of visa restrictions in Central America. We'll save that story for the video, but in some ways, we had little choice but to visit Belize. And man are we glad we went!!!
One of the most refreshing things for us in visiting Belize is that everyone speaks English! We've been traveling in Spanish speaking countries for a year now, and our Spanish is still entry-level, so being able to speak our native tongue again meant we could chat with people in ways we haven't been able to in a long time. We were able to get a great recommendation for a lunch stop that was along our drive from the Guatemala-Belize border to the coast. Evie benefitted the most from this recommendation, until she hurt herself 🥺
After crossing the border into Belize and having an awesome lunch, we finished the drive to Belize City, parked the car, and hopped on a ferry that brought us to Caye Caulker! This island is the real reason we traveled to Belize. This island has been on out bucketlist for many, many yeats because of it's world renowned scuba diving. We'll save that for next week's video, but we do show you around our Caye Caulker Airbnb in this video before saying goodbye 😁
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): safetywing.com/nomad-insurance/?referenceID=nicoleandmico&campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---drive-to-belize---jan-11-2025&utm_campaign=nicole-and-mico---youtube---drive-to-belize---jan-11-2025&utm_source=nicoleandmico&utm_medium=Ambassador
Wise is our travel debit card: https://wise.prf.hn/l/OqnMl4Z
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Time to leave Guatemala
6:50 Crossing into Belize (we hope)
10:10 First impressions of Belize!
18:10 Belize City to Caye Caulker
21:49 what $80 gets you in Caye Caulker
#roadtrip #belizetravel #traveldog #travelvlog
This year, our YouTube channel reached some amazing milestones, thanks to YOU! From crossing 75,000 subscribers to increasing our revenue and improving our video style, 2024 was full of growth and transformation from the perspective of YouTube. We also had some awesome wins for our community that weren't strictly related to YouTube (like starting a newsletter) and we're pretty pleased with how the business side of things have shaped up.
Travel wise, it was a much slower year for us. On YouTube, you saw us visit 8 countries in 2024, but in real life we only saw 4 (2 of which haven't even hit YouTube yet)! In this recap/look head video, we'll share how that happened and the benefits/drawbacks of running a YouTube channel this way. What I will say is that the slower travel life gave us much needed time to focus on our health and try to take more breaks. It also allowed us to expand our business in new ways that we simply don't have time for when we're moving quickly from country to country.
So, with 2024 out of the way, what are our plans for 2025!? We have some lofty goals for 2025 that involve a lot more fast paced traveling, some pretty steep YouTube goals, and big plans to make some of our best ideas become reality. The ultimate goal would be to see YouTube become more sustainable, profitable, and consistent so that we can keep doing this full-time. On a more personal note, we plan for 2025 to be a year where we improve our health even more, and most importantly, spend more time with family. We've been missing home more than usual lately, and are planning for ways to make 2025 a year of more family time.
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): tinyurl.com/3vdyx93r
Wise is our travel debit card: https://wise.prf.hn/l/OqnMl4Z
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Sharing our YouTube Analytics
5:43 Celebrating the year's successes
9:28 Travel for 2024 - what really happened?
11:25 Video highlights
15:15 Our 2025 plans
Río Dulce is on the Southeast corner of Guatemala, and has water from the Caribbean Sea flowing into it. It turns out, there is so much to do here! We arrived to the area and were immediately blown away by our beautiful pet-friendly hotel that was almost IN the river. We stayed at the Hacienda Tijax Hotel, and on the day we arrived we had the chance to hop into kayaks with Evie and go straight into the Río Dulce to get a feel for the beauty of this natural space. After a delicious lunch, we took a hike on the hotel's private grounds and found ourselves at a lookout point from the times of the Spanish colonization of Guatemala. We got epic sunrise views of the Río Dulce from the top of the lookout, and couldn't believe the epic start we had to our 3 days in Río Dulce!
Our second day was jam packed. We started off with a canoe ride up a river where I truly expected to go overboard and spent the majority of the boat ride planning how to save Evie if we went overboard (thank goodness we recently bought her a lifejacket). After our harrowing canoe ride, we visited the Castle of San Felipe de Lara. We honestly had no idea there were any castles in Guatemala, so it was an awesome surprise to have the chance to explore one and hear it's stories from our guide during out visit.
The next part of this day was pure bliss. We hopped on a boat and took a long ride through Isabala Lake, Río Dulce, and made it all the way to the mouth of the Caribbean Sea. The boat ride was serene and so peaceful. There is so much to look at because people have built homes, restaurants, and hotels along the river to soak up the beautiful landscape. After a long boat journey, we arrived to Livingston, a really unique part of Guatemala. Home to the Garífuna people, we felt like we had landed in a new country when we arrived to Livingston. We had a late lunch, walked around quickly, and then it was time to get back before it got dark!
Day three was all about The Quirigua Ruins. Exploring this Mayan historical site was a beautiful way to end our three days in Río Dulce, and a wonderful way to end our time in the incredible country of Guatemala!
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): tinyurl.com/tpxc54nk
Wise is our travel debit card: https://wise.prf.hn/l/OqnMl4Z
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Why are we here?
1:43 Trying not to become croc food
5:00 The most beautiful hotel
6:36 Almost missed this for the pool
11:56 Really thought this would end poorly
17:00 Guatemala has castles?
20:40 The best way to see Rio Dulce
23:40 Is this still Guatemala?
27:00 Can't believe this is goodbye
#roadtrip #guatemalatravel #riodulceguatemala #dogtravel
We start off this video by taking Evie to do something she absolutely hates, but don't worry, we made it up to her by having an epic day in Flores. The town of Flores is very small and colourful, and, as we discovered, flooding! It was a bit difficult to visit the whole island because so much of it is under water, but hopefully that's just a result of rainy season. Despite this being one of the top tourism towns in all of Guatemala, we felt like we had the place to ourselves. It was so bizarre to see almost no one on the streets and have few cars on the road, but we loved it!
Instead of the typical Flores tourist attractions like the rope swing and hikes to lookout points, we chose to drive 45 minutes to a stunning beach called El Naciones. Because of the ride on dirt roads that are required to get here, we were the only foreign tourists around. Many local Guatemalan families were at the beach playing in the water and enjoying the sun, and we had the best time joining them for a swim in Lago Peten Itza. It is times like this that we feel so lucky to be traveling with our own vehicle so we can find hidden gems like this beach!
After sufficiently exploring Tikal and waiting out a tropical storm, we finally got ready to visit Tikal National Park. We chose to visit Tikal National Park for sunrise, which had us waiting for a bus in the pitch black at 3:30am. Despite the early morning wake up, going to Tikal national park for sunrise was the best decision we made for this activity. Seeing the jungle wake up with the backdrop of Maya temples and howler monkeys was one of our favourite experiences in Guatemala. It was incredible to think that this view could have been the same view the Mayan people saw when they were here 2000 years ago.
Walking around the Tikal city complex before the general tourists arrived to Tikal was magical. We were able to freely walk around the site and just imagine what life was like here back when the city was in it's glory. We definitely developed an understanding for why so many local Guatemalan's have told us we HAVE to visit Tikal during out time in Guatemala.
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): tinyurl.com/2ddnacfs
Wise is our travel debit card: https://wise.prf.hn/l/OqnMl4Z
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Poor Evie
4:09 Flores is flooded!
8:06 Treating ourselves
11:06 Not your everyday Flores itinerary
16:36 Breaking our most basic travel rule
19:57 Can't believe we got this lucky
28:35 Tikal is a grown-ups playground
#roadtrip #guatemalatravel #tikalguatemala #floresguatemala
After leaving Lake Atitlan and visiting Chichicastenango Market, we spent a couple of days in the town of Coban before arriving to Lanquin; the town nearest Semuc Champey. From here, we hired a private guide to take us to the beautiful Semuc Champey pools. It's a bit of a hike to get to a beautiful lookout of Semuc Champey, but it was totally worth it and we got to see the iconic shot of this natural wonder in Guatemala.
After taking in the arial views of Semuc Champey, we headed down to swim in the natural pools. It was more like a playground than we expected, with slides, jumps, and mini waterfalls everywhere. There were hardly any other tourists around as we chose to visit during the week, and it was well worth it!
After a quick lunch stop, our guide brought us to the caves at Semuc Champey. We knew this was part of the tour, but had heard so little about it that we thought it was going to be a bit gimicky. Like one of those add-ons they put on a tour just to make you feel like you've had a full experience, but is actually kind of missable. Boy were we wrong. The caving experience was an absolutely highlight of our time in Guatemala so far, but it was truly terrifying. There was no one in the cave but us and our guide, and although our guide was confident and experienced, our route through the cave felt so dangerous. We were climbing rusty ladders while being pummelled by waterfall water, holding onto ropes with candles in our mouths to see, and blindly jumping into pitch black holes and praying there was deep water below us. We had an absolute blast, but would only recommend this for a certain kind of traveler (i.e. the kind who can put blind faith in a guide and love an adrenaline rush). There is no way this caving adventure would be allowed in our home country of Canada, and that made it all the more thrilling!
After our intense experience at Semuc Champey, we packed up out bags and left Lanquin to make our way to an airbnb near Tikal, in northern Guatemala. We'll share our next adventure at Tikal next week!
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): tinyurl.com/y6zesyhc
Wise is our travel debit card: https://wise.prf.hn/l/OqnMl4Z
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: amzn.to/41T51z8
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
Our FULL Packing List: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
*Some of the links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
== Chapters ==
0:00 Semuc Champey!
3:07 The "very hard hike"
9:12 Why everyone comes here
13:43 Not at all what we expected!!
#roadtrip #travelingwithadog #guatemalatravel #semucchampey
======================
Hey there! We are Nicole and Mico and in March 2021, we quit our jobs, sold our belongings, and began traveling the world! We never thought we'd be making travel vlogs on YouTube, but after realizing that we had a unique opportunity to share our adventure and make the world feel more familiar and inviting to anyone watching, we took the leap and picked up the camera! We hope our videos show how wonderful, delicious, and friendly the world can be.
and the clothesline here: amzn.to/3n7BrCi
The last (almost) 4 years, we have tested out a lot of travel items! In this video we're going to share with you 5 travel items we discovered were a waste of space, and 5 travel items we cannot live without. If you're planning a trip in 2025 and want to know what to pack, or you are looking for awesome gift ideas for a travel-lover, this video will be really helpful. When we were packing for full-time travel, we consumed so many videos on the best things to pack for travel and travel essentials that we should get before leaving Canada, and some of the things we thought were "must haves" have turned out to be not essential at all. In fact, some of the items we thought would be travel essentials ended up being things we ditched along the way, and other items on this list were things we didn't leave Canada with, and quickly discovered life on the road would be so much easier with them!
Here are links to the items for easy reference:
+ Garmin in-reach mini (don't buy this unless you're specifically going on a trip where you are isolated and have no access to internet for significant periods of time): amzn.to/36EYrUc
+ Tripped Toiletry Kit: shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-toiletry
+ Matador Soap Packs (where Nicole keeps her solid shampoo and conditioner): amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Makeup remover cloth: amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ UV Water Filter: Unless your hiking somewhere really remote, don't buy this): amzn.to/3qxq88t
+ Laundry Bucket: amzn.to/3ngkIQk
+ Clothesline: amzn.to/3n7BrCi
+ Passport Wallet: amzn.to/427d4Iq
+ Nicole's minimal wallet: amzn.to/47DDHpR
+ Dry bag: amzn.to/3Y8TVT9
+ Travel Pillow: amzn.to/3tyMl7Y
+ Packing Cubes (Tripped Travel Gear): shoptripped.com/nicoleandmico-holiday24-checkedbag
+ Vessi Sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
+ Luggage Locks: amzn.to/4fw2Ebd
To see a full list of everything we pack for travel, check out our free packing list here: nicoleandmico.com/our-packing-list
Or, if you prefer to see everything we pack, you can watch our latest full packing video here: youtu.be/zGIvjkpL3Mo
*The links above are affiliate links and we may get a small commission at no cost to you if you choose to use a link to purchase a product!
Packing for travel can be hard, but once you figure out what travel gear makes your life easier when your going to a new place, packing becomes a less daunting task. As full-time travelers, we actually love packing for a trip and love testing out products to see what will make the cut to stay in our backpacks as we hop from country to country and explore the world. We've ben surprised to see some travel gear stay in our backpacks since day 1, while others have been replaced with updated gear or replaced with the exact same item! When we began traveling in 2021, we traveled with carry-on only, and although our style of travel has drastically changed this past year, we still love many of the same items (and have added a ridiculous item as well!
If you choose to purchase one of these travel items, we sincerely hope you love them as must as we do! Each of these items makes our lives easier, and we hope the same goes for you :)
If you enjoy our videos and want to give us an extra special thank you, we would love to have you become a channel member! Check out the perks here youtube.com/nicoleandmico/join
If you choose to support us in this way, THANK YOU so much!
SafetyWing is our favourite travel insurance provider (including health insurance): tinyurl.com/bdfuesja
Wise is our travel debit card: https://wise.prf.hn/l/OqnMl4Z
Sign up for our free newsletter for behind the scenes content and our travel plans: tinyurl.com/3x8y26re
Want to work with us? Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
♥ Email: hello@nicoleandmico.com
== Chapters ==
0:00 Waste of space #1
1:34 Can't travel without #1
3:15 Waste of space #2
4:16 Can't travel without #2
5:35 Waste of space #3
7:00 Can't travel without #3
8:03 Waste of space #4
9:24 Can't travel without #4
10:55 Waste of space #5
11:55 Can't travel without #5
13:00 The most ridiculous thing we pack
#travel #travelpacking #travelessentials
======================
Hey there! We are Nicole and Mico and in March 2021, we quit our jobs, sold our belongings, and began traveling the world! We never thought we'd be making travel vlogs on YouTube, but after realizing that we had a unique opportunity to share our adventure and make the world feel more familiar and inviting to anyone watching, we took the leap and picked up the camera! We hope our videos show how wonderful, delicious, and friendly the world can be.
Chichicastenango is also well known for have a beautiful cemetery. We were visiting just before the Day of the Dead, so people were in the cemetery repainting their loved ones headstones and bringing the cemetery back to being gloriously colourful. This is the kind of place we probably should have gotten a guide, but it just didn't fit into our travel itinerary this time around.
Just an hour away from Chichicastenango we arrived at our airbnb for the night. It was a quick stay, as our ultimate goal over the next few days is to arrive to TIkal which is still a few hundred kilometers away. Our plan for the second day of this drive was just to make the 160 kilometer drive to Coban, which would be our stopping point before exploring another beautiful part of Guatemala (Semuc Champey will be in the next video!). Although the drive wasn't far, things did not go to plan.
You've probably seen lots of our drone shots where we show the car driving through Guatemala, and we absolutely love getting these shots. But, they come at a bit of a cost, which is that it isn't always the safest activity. We do our best to fly only in situations where we feel as safe as possible, but this time we pushed the drone a little too hard and crashed it for the very first time. It was a stressful situation as we were driving on windy roads with some big vehicles when it crashed.
Trying to find a tiny drone amidst the jungles of Guatemala on the side of a 2-lane highway is not our idea of a fun time. However, our drone is like Evie's little brother. This guy has had our back for three years, so you can imagine how determined we were to find him! You'll have to watch the video to see how it went :)
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== Connect with us! ==
♥ Instagram: @nicoleandmico_
♥ Website: www.nicoleandmico.com
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== OUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL GEAR ==
+ Matador soap bar case: amzn.to/3S9JheW
+ Travel Adapter (Universal): amzn.to/3HEwqL3
+ Makeup Remover Cloth (Erase-Your-Face): amzn.to/47lUP3a
+ Solid shampoo and conditioner: amzn.to/3T
+ HeroClip Carabiner: amzn.to/3itXX5Z
+ Ex-Officio Underwear: amzn.to/47rT7NF
+ Toiletry kit: amzn.to/41T51z8
+ OmniCharge (all-in-one battery bank): tinyurl.com/36hssspu
+ Vessi Everyday Classic sneakers: https://crrnt.app/VESSI/pgldkja7
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== Chapters ==
0:00 Another difficult goodbye
4:50 Chichicastenango Market
11:03 Chichicastenango Cemetery
13:50 Poor Evie
18:15 Well, that was terrifying
#roadtrip #travelingwithadog #guatemalatravel #chichicastenango
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Hey there! We are Nicole and Mico and in March 2021, we quit our jobs, sold our belongings, and began traveling the world! We never thought we'd be making travel vlogs on YouTube, but after realizing that we had a unique opportunity to share our adventure and make the world feel more familiar and inviting to anyone watching, we took the leap and picked up the camera! We hope our videos show how wonderful, delicious, and friendly the world can be.


