How do you travel for six months without spending like a tourist every day?
In this episode, I speak with Mirella, a young traveller of Cameroonian heritage who grew up in Germany and France and has spent several months travelling through Latin America.
Along the way, she volunteered in Colombia and Ecuador, including as an English teaching assistant, at a refugee shelter, and with an Afro-Ecuadorian organisation in Cuenca.
We talk about why volunteering can make long-term travel more affordable, how it helps you connect with local people, and why sometimes the people you meet become just as important as the destination itself.
Mirella also shares what she has learned as a solo Black woman travelling through Latin America, the advantages and challenges of volunteering, and what she would ask before accepting another placement.
If you have ever thought about travelling longer, spending less, and becoming more connected to the places you visit, this episode may give you another way to think about the journey.
Topics include:
Volunteering while travelling • Long-term travel • Solo female travel • Black travellers in Latin America • Cultural immersion • Volunteer placements • Budget travel • Colombia • Ecuador
El Cafecito Travel Talks
Real people. Real journeys. Real travel experiences.
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