Backpacking Diplomacy by Andy A blog dedicated to sharing world culture, travel tips and building community.

In 2017, I was able to take a short trip to Ecuador. Though brief, the experience was very enriching. I was able to visit 2 of the 3 major regions of the country and see several cities along the way. It was my first time in South America although since then, I have been able to visit Colombia as well. …

I’ve spent a lot of my adult years trying to be appreciative for what I have rather than what I do not. Admittedly, this isn’t always an easy task, especially in a world that constantly preaches more. Though life seems to throw things in your direction ever once in a while just to make sure you are holding true to …

How influential is street art to society? Whenever I visit any new city, I usually look for that one neighborhood that has a unique character to it. It might not be the most visited nor the most recommended of any particular place, but it almost always has a story to tell. A story that might not be verbal. A story …

My most recent travels have been to Quebec Canada and San Francisco. I’m starting to put up some posts about both now, but am still working on those from Quebec. This video traces my trip with clips from many of the places that I visited including: Montréal, Québec, Canada Québec City, Québec, Canada Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive (Les Éboulements), Québec, Canada La …

The Artistic Scene in Montreal It has been a few years since I first visited Montreal. Both times have been brief, but enjoyable. Also, I think it has helped that I have visited twice during the summer months as I am not sure that I would fare so well in the winter. The last time I visited, I was interested …

And why I like them. In line with my week of posts on the celebration of languages leading up to International Mother Tongue Day, I wanted to make a post about some of my favorite quotes on languages. Some of these quotes have been inspirational over the years in giving me reason and purpose to language learning itself, whereas others …

Language learning is a curious personal journey through the mind of each individual speaker who you interact with along the way. There is a funny thing about the importance of changing your way of speaking not only in different situations, but for different people who you speak with. This is something that I’ve found to be necessary in effective communication and …

Few things are more daunting to me than having an unquenchable fascination with the world’s languages. It can be a bit overwhelming at times when you have a desire to know them all. I guess what I’m speaking about is a bit of a polyglot problem, or at least this aspiring polyglot’s problem, but it is a real one none …

I don’t think that I ever actually shared what got me so interested in languages on my blog or why I ever started in the first place. One might guess that it comes from my interests in culture or travel, and those would both be correct, but those aren’t the whole truth. Just a part of it. In the interest …

With the title of this article, you might think, well why don’t you just ask them where they are from? Of course this would be the easiest and most direct route, but in my experience it isn’t always the most diplomatic. In fact, it can sometimes be a source of insecurity and alienation, more than you may realize. When I …

The Safety Question of La Isla del Encanto Is Puerto Rico really as dangerous as they say? Dwelling in the topics of safety and travel are not typically terms that I like to associate with one another. In fact, they are typically things that I like to disassociate with one another. However, even I will admit, there is a safety …

But it was totally worth it… Not to over-dramatize things here, but I did have a close call with my end while hiking in the backwoods of Puerto Rico. Now don’t misunderstand me, I am alive and well and live to tell the tale. Even though I had a briefly contracted a mosquito born illness while on the island, the …

Here are some pictures that I took in Prospect Park in late November when the leaves were changing colors. Prospect Park is one of the best places to relax in NYC! It’s like the Central Park for Brooklyn.     Have a good day!

Last night I saw a unique random act of kindness. Something you don’t see to often in the big city, or maybe it’s just that you don’t notice them as much. It isn’t that people aren’t kind, but rather that they are often too busy with their own lives to see what’s going on around them. Also, I find that the …

Helpful Tips for Traveling in Puerto Rico   1.) Plan out your accommodation beforehand One of the most frustrating things about Puerto Rico is the lack of accommodation, or affordable accommodation, for backpackers. Thousands of tourists visit San Juan annually  and stay in the fancy beach front hotels, or one of the other numerous resorts around the island. However, if …

New York’s Energy From My Perspective There has always been something alluring to me about New York City. New York City is not such an easy city to define though. I’ve explored the great Istanbul, walked the streets of the eternal city of Rome, and sat in the cool sand under the most beautiful night sky in the Moroccan Sahara. …

The Original Boricuas I have been wanting to write an article explaining a side or founding block of Puerto Rican culture that few outside of the island know about. It is a legacy that goes back several hundred years before the arrival of the Europeans and the creation of the so say “new world”. It is a root that has …

Exploring Bushwick’s Street Art Since I first moved to New York in July, I have been doing my best to explore each of the neighborhoods of New York City. I’ve seen a lot of the ‘international’ neighborhoods, as well as a few others, but have been recently trying to visit a few of the ones closer to where I live. …

I remember very specifically one time when I was walking around on the streets of Croatia with a British friend that I had met. He had done a fair amount more of traveling than I had at the time. Although our opinions differed in some ways, I remember us talking a lot about why everyone should travel. I think in …

When I lived in Puerto Rico, I was always amazed at how little people did on the island. So many people visit the island annually, but completely miss out on what the island has to offer. Puerto Rico might be a strange place, but if offers a dynamic and unique list of things to do. I didn’t do absolutely everything …

Photo Journey through Puerto Rico I’ve finally reviewed and gone over most of my pictures from Puerto Rico. I’ve concluded with these as being my favorites. These pictures were taken in many places around the island from San Juan to the islands to the rain forests. I have tried to include variety in this so that you can see some …

My Thoughts After Having a Smart Phone for 1 Year About a year ago, I finally caved in and tried out the smart phone world. For long before that, I adamantly opposed smart phones and many of these ‘technological conveniences’ as I only saw the negative in them. The negative effects that they have on social situations I mean. I …

Why I Love Walking “Just take the taxi” she said, “it’s only a 5 minute ride.” “Exactly,” I replied. “That’s why I’ll walk.” No matter which country I visit in the world, I am always drawn to the most primitive of exploration methods: walking. I’ve found no way better to get to know a city, a country, or a people …

Life lesson: Being Grateful The other day I went to drop off my laundry at a local laundromat. The lady greeted me with her usual big smile took my things and weighed them and proceeded to make the receipt with the computer. Drifting away momentarily, I imagined that if I were asked to describe her, I don’t think that I …

Puerto Rico’s street art scene I think that few people really ever enjoy the street art scene in Puerto Rico. San Juan in of itself, has some great works by some very renown artists. One of the things that I noticed a lot was there are many works that are attempting to beautify areas of the city that are otherwise …

Driving in Puerto Rico and the Various Alternatives Should you? Transportation in Puerto Rico and Tips for Getting Around the Island I recently spent 8 months living in Puerto Rico. I know that a lot of Americans, and other foreigners, would ask lots of questions about getting around Puerto Rico via public transportation and/or driving around the island, riding a …

An Alternative Hostel Etiquette Article Well I am back on writing articles about my experiences working in a hostel. I started my series on hostel management some time ago and have a decent amount to add to it yet. I haven’t added to it for a while due to a slight lack of time, but I’ll likely be back-writing articles as I …

Introduction: Hailing from Roma, Italia, Luca Lampariello is an electrical engineer by trade, but a language lover by passion. He has spent nearly twenty years studying foreign languages and blogs regularly about his methods for learning languages online. Recently, Luca has been working on his book and attending different conferences such as the Polyglot Conference in Berlin. I think that …

Introduction: Today I introduce to you Randy Hunt, of Yearlyglot.com. Randy has worked up a passion for all things international since he was a child and has taken on the goal of becoming a cosmopolitan citizen of the world. His drive to learn about other cultures and Peoples has helped to propel his development in learning languages. He holds true …

The Short Version San Juan is Puerto Rico’s capital, its busiest gateway, and the oldest European-founded city in the Americas, settled in 1521. Most visitors stick to the forts, a beach, and a piña colada and never see the rest. This list runs from the classic must-dos to the local corners I love, so you can build a trip that …

Introduction: Meet John Fotheringham. Currently residing in Los Angeles, John has spent considerable time writing and working on his website while learning new languages. His website, LanguageMastery.com, focuses mostly on helping adult learners in language acquisition although language learners of all levels will find his articles interesting and thought-provoking. Focusing mainly on several East Asian languages, John, has also dabbled …

Introduction: Ellen is a grammar freak, a former freelance writer, and a founder and principal of Syntaxis, a communication skills training firm based in New York City. She has a B.A. in German from Harvard and an M.A. in comparative literature from UCLA. Ellen lives with her husband, Brandt Johnson, in a wildly polylingual apartment building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and …

Introduction: Olly is an ardent language learner with a strong desire to teach you another language. With his website and new eBook, he teaches people his insight on learning a foreign language quickly and efficiently. With 7 languages under his belt and more to come, Olly currently resides in the Middle East where he is learning a new language, but …

A Quick Refresher Lesson in Why I Travel The other day I had a wonderful discussion with someone that I thought I would share. The person, a middle-aged man who has lived the better half of his life as a nomad. He grew up as an expat child and continued on from there. Traveling is, as he put it, in …

Introduction: Kieran is a passionate language learner and student of linguistics. He has spent the last few years of his life gaining extended experience in writing, editing, and translation and is particularly passionate about East Asian culture. His has an extensive résumé, and he is eager to continue helping others to reach their language-learning goals as he continues to study …

Street Food in Puerto Rico Food is an important aspect in all areas of the world. Puerto Rico is no exception. Since I came to Puerto Rico, I’ve learned one important thing: Puerto Ricans take their food seriously. The food is never fried and always healthy. (That is a joke by the way. Go on, you can laugh 🙂 ) …

Introduction: Meet Aryn. She is a self-described polyglot with an everlasting wanderlust. Her childhood passion for the world came into fruition once she got the opportunity to study abroad then ultimately a chance to take an internship in China. Soon thereafter, she began to write. She currently resides in Hawaii where she continues to pursue her travel passions. Without further …

How Getting To Know Your Hostel Can Help You To Improve Your Hostel There are many things to that one can do to improve a hostel. However, when someone first takes over as manager, it is essential for a few things to happen. There may be cleaning, organizing, and generic things to do that can drastically improve your hostel. However, …

Meet Ed of the Where the hell is that Taiwan guy? video series. Introduction: Ed Wu has an inspiring story to share. He came up with an idea to promote his native culture around 2 years ago and has since traveled to 65 countries on 5 continents. He’s made videos for YouTube that have become internet sensations now totaling to …

As I have just launched my new series hostel management tips, I thought that it would be fitting to start the series with a talk about defining yourself as the manager of a hostel. I’ve learned a ton of things about managing a business over the last two months. I’ve been exposed to both fantastic and terrible people. I’ve had …

So now that I have started to work as a hostel manager, I have decided to open up a new series on my site. I’d like to introduce you to this new section on hostel management and tips for running a hostel. I will be sharing what I learn along the way, my experiences, tips, tools, and maybe even some …

Lessons from Youth Sports and How I’ve Applied Them to Traveling and My Life I decided to write this as a tribute to my former coaches and teachers. I think that our teachers and coaches are some of the most under-appreciated heroes in our society and should be thanked more often. Education is a pinnacle aspect of society and those who dedicate …

You may recall a few months ago when I was traveling in Spain. I went to Costa Brava in Spain’s Catalunya region and did a kayaking/snorkeling excursion there. When I was staying at my hostel there I met some very friendly and mature Norwegian teenagers who were backpacking around for a few weeks. We exchanged stories and I learned about …

I have done urban exploring several times in the past. One of my favorites was Hotel Belvedere in Dubrovnik Croatia. I never got around to making a post on that one though. Perhaps, I should. Since I arrived in Puerto Rico, I’ve noticed that there is a fairly high quantity of abandoned buildings. That is why I chose to label …

A Budget Friendly How To Do-it-Yourself Guide to the Bacardi Tour in Puerto Rico I recently took the tour of the Bacardi distillery near San Juan Puerto Rico, and I learned a lot of things that I thought I would share with you. I found the tour to be fun and interesting, but learned that it doesn’t need to be …