Every great travel story has a first chapter. For Samuel and Laura, it was Táchira — Laura's childhood home in the Venezuelan Andes, a border state where Colombia and Venezuela blur into one another across mountain passes and shared kitchens. They flew from Aruba to Barquisimeto on Aruba Airlines, then made the long road journey south into the Andes. During their stay they explored nearby towns — Capacho with its colonial streets, Tariba with its local markets — the kind of places that don't appear in guidebooks but stay with you forever.

On the return leg they drove north through Maracaibo — fourteen hours of Venezuelan highway — crossing the bridge over the lake and arriving in Punto Fijo, where they spent the night at Hotel Santa Irene before flying home from Josefa Camejo Airport. It was not a trip designed for tourism. But somewhere between the mountain roads and the family tables, they discovered something that would shape the next decade: they loved getting to know new places together.

On February 15, 2016, Samuel and Laura were married in Aruba — surrounded by family who had traveled from near and far to share the day. And then, as newlyweds do, they disappeared — onto a ship. The Pullmantur Monarch of the Seas departed from Oranjestad, Aruba — a departure point that no longer exists for cruise ships today. In those days you could walk from the city to the pier and board without the flights, transfers and logistics that cruising now demands.

It was Laura's first cruise, and she loved it from the moment the island disappeared behind them. They sailed a full Caribbean loop: the historic port of Colón in Panama, the walled city of Cartagena in Colombia, the colorful harbour of Willemstad in Curaçao, and the Venezuelan coast at La Guaira — before returning home to Aruba. Five countries. One ship. The honeymoon that made cruising a permanent part of who they are.

Just weeks after their honeymoon, Samuel and Laura were on a plane again — this time back to Táchira for a family event that would become one of the most treasured memories of all their Venezuela trips. Laura's sister-in-law Silvia was getting married to Yonder, and the whole family came together to celebrate. They flew directly to Maracaibo on Aruba Airlines and then drove nine hours south into the Andes — a road they were beginning to know well.

During their stay they crossed the border on foot into Cúcuta, Colombia, to visit relatives and do some shopping — a casual border crossing that felt completely natural in that part of the world. They also visited Loma Baja, where local artisans practice the ancient crafts of clay pottery and traditional weaving, techniques passed down through generations. It was a shorter trip, but full of warmth, family, and the particular joy of celebrating someone else's new beginning.

February 2nd is Nancy's birthday — and in 2017 the whole family decided to celebrate it together in Venezuela. Samuel and Laura flew Aruba Airlines to Maracaibo and drove the nine-hour road into Táchira, where the family had gathered. It was Silvia's last trip with the group.

The day after Nancy's birthday, Silvia made a proposal: let's all go to Mérida and ride the cable car up into the mountains. They pooled their resources, piled into a van — Tairo, Nancy, Samuel, Laura, John, Valeria, Daniel, Yudarcy, Sofia, Yonder and Silvia — and drove to one of Venezuela's most spectacular cities. In Mérida they visited Laguna Mucubají (Laguna Negra), a high-altitude Andean lake sitting at 3,500 metres above sea level, the legendary cable car system, and Venezuela de Anteayer — a cultural park celebrating the country's traditional past.

Around a dinner table somewhere in those mountains, Samuel made a proposal of his own: let's do this every year. One new destination, together, as a tradition. Nobody called it a travel club that night. But that is exactly what it became.

When Venezuela's border with Aruba closed due to political tensions, the road to visiting family changed — but it did not close. Samuel and Laura adapted, as travelers do. They flew to Bogotá, spent four days discovering Colombia's capital — its street art, its emerald markets, the vertigo of Monserrate at 3,152 metres — and then traveled north to Cúcuta, where they crossed the land border on foot, entering Venezuela to spend a week with family in Táchira.

On the return to Bogotá, Nancy joined them. It was her first time in Colombia's capital, and the three of them spent three more weeks exploring together — the salt cathedral of Zipaquirá carved deep into an Andean mountain, the salt mines of Nemocón, and the perfectly preserved colonial town of Villa de Leyva with its cobblestone plaza unchanged since the 16th century. When it was time to leave, Samuel and Laura flew back to Aruba, and Nancy crossed back into Venezuela via Cúcuta. The seeds were sown. The three of them had traveled together, and something had shifted.

They had fallen in love with Mexico before they ever set foot there — through the golden age films of María Félix and Pedro Armendáriz, through the street food videos on social media, through the stories of a culture that felt simultaneously familiar and entirely its own. Then in 2018, a group of friends from Mexico City stayed at Samuel and Laura's accommodations in Oranjestad, and they hit it off immediately — their Mexican friend Gabriel among them. The invitation was extended: come to Mexico City.

They booked ten days, thinking that would be enough. It was not nearly enough. They stayed near Tlalpan Boulevard close to the Nativitas metro station and used the metro to get everywhere — including an epic cross-city journey by metro, bus and light rail to Xochimilco and its ancient floating gardens. They visited Coyoacán on September 15th for the Grito de Independencia — one of the world's great street celebrations — and watched the military parade the following day. They saw the Metropolitan Cathedral and the ruins of Templo Mayor in the Zócalo.

And then, the moment that defined the trip: a hot air balloon ride at dawn above the pyramids of Teotihuacan, floating in silence over one of the greatest ancient cities ever built. Samuel and Laura were completely and permanently in love with Mexico. The plan was to return with Nancy — and with Samuel's mother Ingrid, who was too ill to travel at the time. The global pandemic arrived a few months later and put all of it on hold.

In 2021, when the pandemic brought travel to a standstill, Samuel turned his restlessness into something productive. He studied, became a certified travel agent, and began planning. By October 2022, he had created the most detailed itinerary of their lives — one he was especially proud of because he had not only designed it himself, but would personally carry out much of it, including driving through central Mexico to Puebla.

The journey began with chaos. While exchanging money at the airport, Samuel accidentally left behind a folder containing both passports and the printed itinerary. The mistake only became apparent the next day, when Nancy arrived and Mexican immigration refused her entry without documentation of the trip particulars. With help from their Mexican friends, they managed to reprint the itinerary first — enough to get Nancy through immigration — and then scheduled emergency appointments at the Dutch and Colombian consulates for replacement passports. On Monday morning, already in an Uber on the way to the consulate, Samuel insisted on making one final stop at the airport lost and found. On the third attempt, the passports were there. From that moment forward, the trip unfolded almost flawlessly.

Because it was Día de Muertos season, they joined their friend Judith in Mexico City for a nighttime performance of the legend of La Llorona in Xochimilco, staged on trajineras and across the lake itself. The production, organized by Televisa, was haunting and spectacular. They wandered through the canals eating esquites, then spent the following days exploring the Zócalo, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Torre Latinoamericana, and the streets of Coyoacán, where they shared unusual ice creams and admired the atmosphere of the neighborhood.

Despite the stressful beginning, they rented a car directly from the airport — another first — and drove toward Puebla. Along the way, they stopped in Atlixco de las Flores, where fields of cempasúchil marigolds glowed orange in preparation for Día de Muertos. In nearby Huaquechula, they witnessed the region’s famous monumental altars and watched the ancient Totonac ritual of the Voladores, men descending through the air suspended by ropes from a towering pole. They continued through San Pedro Cholula, Tochimilco, visited Africam Safari, explored local markets, and eventually reached Puebla City, where they finally tasted the legendary cemita poblana.

Their friend Gabriel later drove them into the mountains to Chignahuapan. Once there, Samuel and the others stayed behind with Gabriel’s car for a few days, while Gabriel himself was dropped off near the bus terminal and returned to Mexico City by bus. Meanwhile, the group checked into an aguas termales resort, where the rooms could be filled directly with natural hot spring water. The following days were spent resting in the mountain air before continuing deeper into the Sierra Norte. 

After Chignahuapan, they continued on to Zacatlán de las Manzanas, a magical mountain town known for its apples, flowers, and extraordinary clockmaking traditions. They spent several days there enjoying the cool air and the atmosphere of Puebla’s Sierra Norte. Later, Gabriel and Alejandra traveled from Mexico City to rejoin them, and together they continued deeper into the mountains toward Quetzalán (Alejandra's Hometown). This mist-covered cloud forest town became one of the defining highlights of the journey. Remote, green, and almost dreamlike, it felt unlike anywhere else they had ever visited. 

 Their final stop before returning to Mexico City was Hacienda San Francisco Soltepec in Huamantla, Tlaxcala — better known as La Escondida, the filming location of the 1955 Mexican classic starring María Félix and Pedro Armendáriz. Since Gabriel and Alejandra needed to return to work in Mexico City, they dropped Samuel and Laura off at the hacienda before heading back themselves. Staying behind gave them the opportunity to experience local public transportation on their own, including a visit to Tlaxcala for a farmers’ fair that Samuel especially enjoyed. After returning to the hacienda, they ended the day with an exceptional gourmet dinner in the hacienda’s restaurant.

For Samuel and Laura, the stay carried a deeper meaning. They had both grown up watching those golden-age Mexican films, and standing inside the hacienda where “La Doña” herself had once stayed — in the presidential suite that still bears her name — felt like the closing of a deeply personal circle. They eventually returned to Mexico City aboard an ADO bus exhausted, fulfilled, and aware that they had experienced a side of Mexico that no ordinary ten-day vacation could ever reveal.

Nancy thought she was going on a holiday to the Dominican Republic. That was the story. That was all she knew. Samuel and Laura had other plans. They flew AUA→PTY→SDQ, collected Nancy at the airport, and at some point between the taxi and the port of La Romana, the truth came out — they were boarding a cruise ship. Nancy's reaction made every moment of planning worth it.

The Norwegian Sky departed Punta Cana (La Romana) on April 10, 2024, and over the next ten days sailed a sweeping Caribbean arc: Catalina Island, back to Aruba (home, seen from the sea), Willemstad in Curaçao, a day at sea, Bridgetown in Barbados, Castries in St. Lucia, St. John's in Antigua, Basseterre in St. Kitts-Nevis, Road Town in Tortola, and back to La Romana. Nancy was converted. The three founding members of A1Aruba Travel Club had now all sailed together, and the next step — cruising from the United States — was already forming in Samuel's mind.

After the Norwegian Sky cruise, Samuel had seen the future clearly: cruising from American ports meant more ships, more itineraries, more possibilities. But it required Laura to have a US visitor visa. He started the paperwork immediately. The US Consulate for the Dutch Caribbean is in Curaçao, and the appointment was set for July 10, 2024. They traveled to the island five days before — and turned the necessary into the delightful.

Samuel's mother was Curaçaoan, and the island had always held a particular warmth for him. He got to visit aunts and uncles, sit at family tables, and eat the antillean food of his childhood. They visited the Hato Caves with their ancient drawings and resident flamingos, explored Christoffel National Park across the wild Banda Abou, and spent time at the Sea Aquarium. They ate at Plaza Bieuw, the beloved open-air food market in Willemstad. And they found Kas di Piskado Rondu.

"Kas di Piskado Rondu is the kind of place you only find if someone local points you there. A wooden deck above the blue water in Otrabanda, cash only, open for lunch, the catch of the day served simply and perfectly. We sat above the harbour and ate the freshest fish we had tasted in years. If you are in Curaçao, this is your lunch."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 Kaya John F. Kennedy, behind Aqualectra, Otrabanda, Willemstad · 📞 +599 9 699 3974 · Cash only · Tue–Sun lunch only

On July 10th, Laura walked into the US Consulate. On July 10th, Laura walked out with her visa. The trip that opened every American-departure cruise that followed.

Gabriel is not a newcomer to this story. He first appeared in 2018, staying at Samuel and Laura's accommodations in Oranjestad during a trip from Mexico City — and they hit it off. He extended the invitation that became Trip 6. He hosted them again for the month-long 2022 adventure, and drove them across several states of Mexico on that trip. In September 2024 he crossed to Curaçao with his mother Lolys — her first time in the Caribbean.

Samuel and Laura flew over early and waited for their afternoon arrival, rental car already ready. Gabriel had taken care of the Airbnb. Over the following days they played the role they had earned: local guides. They took Gabriel and Lolys to their familiar places — Kas di Piskado Rondu, Plaza Bieuw, the harbour walk between Punda and Otrabanda — and discovered new ones together: Kenepa beach on the wild northwestern coast with its impossibly blue water, Mambo beach for an afternoon in the sun, Cura Hulanda museum in the historic Otrabanda district.

One early morning, while Samuel and Laura slept in, Gabriel and Lolys drove themselves out to Banda Abou to watch sea turtles nesting. They came back with the light in their eyes that only comes from witnessing something ancient and unhurried. A few days of escape that felt exactly like what travel should be.

Mexico City · Aug 5–14

Samuel and Laura flew AUA→BOG where Nancy was waiting at El Dorado airport, and all three continued together to Mexico City, arriving August 5th. Their base was Colonia Escandón — a neighborhood of tree-lined streets, local fondas, weekend markets and the kind of daily life that tourists rarely see. The same host who had sheltered them in 2022 gave them a different apartment, and they settled in immediately.

They met Lolys again here, and reconnected with Gabriel and his partner Alejandra. Together they explored Bosque Chapultepec — the vast urban forest they had not visited in 2022 — and climbed to Chapultepec Castle, the only royal castle in North America and the one building in Mexico City from which you can see the entire city spread below you. They visited the Metropolitan Cathedral in the Zócalo and descended into the ruins of Templo Mayor — the Aztec great temple discovered beneath the streets of the modern city. They found an indigenous artisan fair with traditional products and watched cultural dances in the street.

They found Lady Tacos de Canasta again — the Netflix documentary street vendor, still on her bicycle, still selling her legendary basket tacos, still the best in the city.

One night they went to Arena México for Lucha Libre — masks, acrobatics, crowd noise, the complete spectacle.

"One night in Mexico City we went to Arena México for Lucha Libre — the masks, the acrobatics, the crowd screaming in unison. It is the most uniquely Mexican evening you can have in any city in the world. We did not understand half of what was happening and we loved every second of it."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 Dr. Lavista 189, Doctores, Mexico City

On August 9th, all three plus Gabriel and Alejandra piled into cars and drove to Guanajuato, stopping in Querétaro state for breakfast.

"On the road to Guanajuato we stopped in Querétaro city for breakfast at Almozero — a Mexican breakfast institution steps from the cathedral, serving chilaquiles, enfrijoladas, huevos con machaca and café de olla since 1993. The kind of roadside stop that turns a drive into a memory. Get there before the crowds do."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 Calle Vicente Guerrero 1, Centro Histórico, Querétaro · 📞 +52 442 241 1891 · Mon–Sun 8am–2pm · www.almozero.com.mx

In Guanajuato they checked into Hotel Santa Regina in the centro histórico and spent two days: the Teatro Juárez, the Callejón del Beso (the narrowest alley in the world where legend says couples must kiss from opposite balconies), the Pípila monument overlooking the city, the underground tunnels built on dried riverbeds, and the unmissable Museo de las Momias.

"The Museo de las Momias is not for the faint-hearted — but it is absolutely for the curious. The mineral-rich soil of Guanajuato naturally mummified the bodies buried in its cemetery, and the results are on display exactly as they were found. Strange, haunting, and completely unlike any museum you have ever visited. It earns its place on every Guanajuato itinerary."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 Explanada del Panteón Municipal s/n, Guanajuato

On August 11th they drove back to Mexico City, returned the car, and spent three more days in the city before flying to Guatemala.

Guatemala · Aug 15–26

They flew Mexico City→San Salvador→Guatemala City, arriving late on August 15th. The following morning they were already at the gate for a domestic flight to Flores in the Petén jungle — the gateway to Tikal. They landed, ate breakfast at Restaurante Doña Goya on the island of Flores, picked up a rental car from Guatemala Rent a Car Petén, and checked into Amina Inn Hotel. The next day, with guide Isauro Garcia of Mayan Jungle Travel, they drove thirty miles into the jungle to Tikal National Park — twelve miles walked through the trees, climbing temples that emerge from the canopy, standing at the top of Temple IV where the jungle stretches to every horizon.

"Isauro Garcia of Mayan Jungle Travel brought Tikal alive. The jungle, the temples, the history — twelve miles walked and every step explained. You can walk Tikal alone. You should not."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📞 Isauro Garcia · Mayan Jungle Travel · +502 5813 7785

They flew back to Guatemala City the following day and met their guide Davis and his girlfriend Gaby, who would guide them through the rest of the country. In Guatemala City they visited the Handcrafts Market and the National Museum of Mayan Art in Zona 13 before driving to Antigua that evening.

"After walking Tikal, the National Museum of Mayan Art in Guatemala City put everything in context. Pre-Columbian artifacts, jade masks, stelae — the material culture of the civilization whose temples you were standing on the day before. Do both, in that order."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 6 Calle y 7 Avenida, Zona 13, Guatemala City

Antigua offered two days of colonial beauty — Parque Central flanked by the ruined Cathedral of Santiago, colorful cobblestone streets, the volcanoes Agua and Acatenango visible on clear mornings. They ate dinner at La Fonda de la Calle Real on 5a Avenida Norte, one of Antigua's most storied restaurants.

"La Fonda de la Calle Real is the kind of restaurant that every colonial city deserves and few have. Traditional Guatemalan food — pepián, hilachas, chiles rellenos — served in a candlelit colonial room on one of Antigua's most beautiful streets. The kind of dinner that makes you want to stay another week."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 5a Avenida Norte 12, Antigua Guatemala

From Antigua, Davis drove them to Lake Atitlán — arriving via the dramatic descent from the Sololá highlands with the lake suddenly appearing below, ringed by three volcanoes. They stayed at Casa Rosita in San Pedro La Laguna, the quieter, more indigenous village on the lake's southwestern shore, home to the Tz'utujil Maya.

"Casa Rosita sits on the shore of Lake Atitlán in San Pedro La Laguna — the local village, not the tourist strip. Waking up to that lake and those volcanoes every morning is an experience that stays with you. San Pedro is where the lake actually lives."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 San Pedro La Laguna, Lake Atitlán · Bookable via Airbnb

Davis then drove them north through the highlands to Cobán — cloud forest country, the cacao capital of Guatemala, a city that sits permanently in soft mist.

"Casa Cacao is surrounded by nature on the highway into Cobán — a family restaurant where cacao is not just an ingredient but the whole story. We drank from the cocoa pod itself, ate chocolate tamales, and left with craft chocolate bars that lasted less time than they should have. If you are passing through Alta Verapaz, stop here."— Samuel, A1Aruba Travel Club
📍 Km 208.8, Carretera Guatemala–Cobán, Cobán 16001 · 📱 @casacacaogt · Tue–Sat 9am–6pm · Sun 8:30am–5:30pm

The final major destination was Semuc Champey — natural limestone pools of turquoise water in the jungle of Alta Verapaz, reached by thirty miles of mountain road that took nearly two hours each way, with the return journey stretching to over eight hours through the dark on unpaved tracks. The pools were worth every minute of every hour. Davis guided them through the park, into the caves underneath the limestone bridge, and back out again.

"Davis and Gaby showed us Guatemala the way it should be seen — from the inside. Guatemala City, Antigua, Lake Atitlán, Cobán, Semuc Champey: Davis drove every road, knew every story, and never once made us feel like tourists. If you are planning a Guatemala trip, he is your first and only call."— Samuel & Laura, A1Aruba Travel Club
📱 Davis: @hazlamaletagt · 📱 Gaby: @gabicita_gt

They flew Guatemala City→Bogotá on August 26th, where Nancy continued to Cúcuta and Samuel and Laura connected to Aruba — landing home just in time for dinner at El Chalan, the Peruvian restaurant on Betico Croes, a final flavour from a trip that had covered two countries and changed the shape of what the club knew was possible.