Travel in Ecuador

Jul 26, 2024 • 6 min read

While women have been traveling the world on their own for decades (centuries, really), a 2024 report from Booking.com reveals that solo travel is surging this year, in particular.The booking engine says 54 percent of women are embracing solo journeys.A separate report from Road Scholar, which offers educational travel for older adults, says up to 85 percent of the company’s tour participants that travel solo are women. These reports underscore what plenty of female travelers have long known: Solo women travelers are a force to be reckoned with. Write us off at your own peril.Within the travel industry itself, there are a number of high-profile solo female travelers who are constantly serving up an inspiring look at what it’s like to be a woman exploring the world boldly - doing so with comfort, ease, and a level sheer joy that’s contagious.So, rather than publish another staid round-up of destinations that might be worth considering if you’re a woman traveling alone, we asked a handful of these fearless, globetrotting women what their favorite destinations are to explore solo and why.Consider this your insider’s destination guide, curated by a handful of women who, collectively, have visited nearly every corner of the globe and have done so with abandon.

Born in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, Nemonte Nenquimo, an Indigenous Waorani woman and activist, traveled a long and arduous path to become one of the earth’s fiercest defenders. In her new memoir, We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People, released September 17, she shares the story of that journey, charting her experience growing up in the forest—a place where months are measured in moons, shamans and plant medicines heal, and dreams and intuition guide one’s path in life—as well as the pain and trauma inflicted by missionaries, oil companies, and governments that have long attempted to erase Indigenous culture and exploit their homelands. Now a leading figure in climate activism, Nenquimo’s book is also the first of its kind to be written by an Indigenous person from the Ecuadorian Amazon, where ancestral knowledge and wisdom about life in the forest have been passed down orally for millenia and the tradition of storytelling never manifests on paper. “For us, stories are living beings,” she writes in the introduction. “Our stories have never been written down. Not like this.”

Members of American Airlines AAdvantage have a new option in South America via budget airline JetSmart.

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Always wanted to see Antarctica? Holland America Line this week unveiled an unusual new option for getting there.

Galapagos cruises are the best way to experience the collection of remote, mostly uninhabited islands about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. But cruises to the Galapagos Islands aren’t like cruises anywhere else. The ships here are smaller, with some carrying as few as 16 passengers. There are no water slides, elaborate Broadway shows, casinos, or wild nightclubs. And don’t expect big bus tours in port either.

Whether you’re going on a mellow road trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway or trekking the entirety of the John Muir Trail, one thing’s for certain: you’re going to need an awesome pair of hiking socks. Though top brands might seem pricey at first glance, it’s important to remember that hiking socks are your first (and best) defense against blisters on the trail. Natural fibers, like Alpaca and Merino wool, are great at odor-prevention, insulation, and wicking away sweat. Synthetic materials, on the other hand, are likely to be a bit more durable and affordable.The long and the short of it is that having the right hiking socks makes a big difference.

This is part of Global Sounds, a collection of stories spotlighting the music trends forging connections in 2024.

Quito is home to an extensive program of tourist experiences, offering local, national, and international visitors the chance to explore and uncover the gastronomic, cultural, and architectural riches of Ecuador’s capital.

Many of South America's top sights are best experienced on a cruise ship. You can take in the lush scenery as you sail down the remote Amazon River, marvel at Chile's breathtaking fjords from the sea and come face to face with rare indigenous species in the Galapagos Islands.

Jul 31, 2024 • 5 min read

Quito Turismo will participate at the National Geographic Traveller Food Festival 2024, an event organised by the prestigious international magazine of the same name.

It might be mid-July, but that doesn't mean it's too late to plan a quick summer getaway or get a jumpstart on booking a trip for the fall — and IHG is here to help.

Jul 13, 2024 • 7 min read

Quito Turismo is embarking on a journey to transform the city into a Smart Tourism Destination (DTI), aiming to boost competitiveness through enhanced tourist experiences, improved resident-visitor interactions, the widespread incorporation of technology and advanced sustainability management. This initiative follows the model spearheaded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism, implemented through Segittur (State Mercantile Society for the Management of Innovation and Tourism Technologies).

Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the country, Cuenca is synonymous with beauty and heritage. Set in a spring valley of the Andes and crossed by four rivers, the traveller will find charming colonial streets, European-style architecture, churches and cathedrals, ruins that show the passage of the Incas, as well as cultural and art centres of the highest level.

Quito Turismo has been honoured with the World Travel Award for South America’s Leading City Tourist Board 2024. The announcement was made on 1 July, marking the agency’s first win in this prestigious category.

Jun 29, 2024 • 9 min read

Avianca LifeMiles members, listen up: The airline is currently offering two limited-time deals on award flights to South and Central America and Europe — but you must book this deal by July 4.

A delegation from the Capital of the Centre of the World will attend LATA Expo 2024 to interact and network with representatives from the UK and European tourism industries.