We're going to South America!

Soon after starting my first job, I discovered something ✨amazing✨: after three years at the company, you could apply for a sabbatical leave. As soon as I heard this… I knew that I had to take advantage of it. I dreamed about taking off 3 months to travel the world, backpack South America and finally go to Machu Picchu! So, I got to work. I hustled hard for two years, saved diligently, stayed committed to my role, and counted down the days until that magical three-year mark arrived.

And then it did! ...but so did Covid-19.

Sadly I had to put my sabbatical dream on hold for a while. In the meantime, I met a charming American boy, changed jobs, moved cities, got married… And finally, 5 years later, the wait is over! I’m beyond excited (and honestly still pinching myself) because I’m not just taking a sabbatical, I’m going on this adventure with my now-husband Reid! I had to work a bit to convince him that taking a few months off of work, unpaid, memories over money, was the right thing to do and tag along with me on this adventure. Eventually, he agreed. He managed to get his sabbatical leave approved too, and so this trip is doubling as our honeymoon! How perfect is that? Three months together, exploring new places, and soaking up this incredible experience side-by-side. 

We leave on 26th December, and the countdown is officially on. Reid and I keep asking each other, “Are you ready?!” The truth? I’ve dreamed about this for so long, but now that it’s happening, I don’t think I’m actually ready! Is this happening, for real?! I mean, I should probably start packing soon, right? We're just 10 days away!

ACTUAL picture of Reid and me on our South American sabbatical

Here’s a sneak peek of what we’ve got planned so far:

We’ll start from Sardinia, as we’re spending Christmas with my family. After a couple of quick layovers in Barcelona and Lisbon, we’ll head straight to São Paulo. But it’ll be more of a pit stop as we will immediately head to Rio de Janeiro for New Year’s Eve. We booked a hostel right in front of Copacabana beach, where the NYE celebrations are going to happen, and to be honest I’m a little nervous (apparently there will be 2 MILLION people partying on the beach?!? How?!) 

To recover from whatever will happen on NYE, we will then head to Ilha Grande for some much needed relaxation and immersion in the unspoiled nature.

From there, we’ll make our way to Iguazu Falls, and then finally to Buenos Aires, where we plan to spend a full week exploring the city, taking tango classes, and, of course, indulging in asado, empanadas and all the amazing food. 

After Buenos Aires, we plan on getting to Mendoza for some delicious wine and hike around Aconcagua, the tallest peak of South America. Then, it’s a scenic bus ride to Santiago before we hop on a plane to Patagonia.

Patagonia is the part I’m most excited about. Even though I grew up in Sardinia surrounded by beautiful beaches, I’m more of a mountain person, and the Patagonian Andes look absolutely breathtaking. We’ll be visiting Torres del Paine, El Calafate, and El Chaltén, marveling at iconic spots like Fitz Roy and Perito Moreno Glacier. I can’t wait to unplug and immerse myself in nature. From there, we’ll head to Puerto Montt to start a road trip along the famous Carretera Austral.

After that, things get a bit more flexible. We know we want to get back to Santiago, explore Valparaíso, and then head north to the Atacama Desert. From there, it’s on to Bolivia to see the Uyuni Salt Flats before entering Peru via Lake Titicaca.

When we reach Peru in March, it’ll still be rainy season. That means we might have to skip a few bucket-list activities, like hiking the Cordilleras or visiting the Amazon. But we’re staying flexible and won’t miss the highlight of the trip: finally making it to Machu Picchu! After that, we’ll wrap things up in Lima before flying back to Barcelona.

Here's a video-recap of our itinerary:

I’ll be sharing all the highs, lows, and unforgettable moments here on the blog as well as on my Polarsteps account. There you will also be able to track our route throughout the trip and check our live location as we go.

Hope you’ll tag along!