Airfare:

I took about a week to find airfare researched it using the following websites.
StudentUniverse.com
http://www.aa.com
Latindiscounters.com
Latin travel Specialists Discount tour and travel packages to Latin America
Airfare and Travel to Peru,Chile,Brazil,Colombia and all South America
STA TRAVEL

http://www.airgorilla.com/ surprisingly found the cheapest airfare. Once I found the best airfare went through Delta, i went to the Delta airlines website and searched for the airfare and it was about $10-$30 cheaper then AirGorilla. The best strategy is probably to check airfare on a discounter website and then book it with the actual airline.

My total airfare with taxes (Philly-Atlanta-Quito) round trip is $638.00. I unfortunately found that the prices dropped two weeks later but there was nothing I could do.

Travel Insurance
I visited the Lonely Planet forums to research this and browsed through various threads to find anecdotal evidence about certain companies. I decided on World Nomads for $158.00 which covers three months because it seems like they offer quality customer service, have good reviews, are fair, have good policies, and when I called them to test them out they answered immediately.

Passport
It expires in late 2008 so I don’t to worry about it at all! I will also make copies of my passport before I leave.

Medical
I still need to visit a travel doctor and see if I need any shots before I go. I already got some when I went to Bolivia a few years back so I assume i’m good to go. The only thing I may need is Malaria medication (i have some left over from Bolivia) because I am probably going to the jungle at some point.

Visa
I will get the 90 day Tourist visa that they issue when I arrive in Ecuador. This will cover my time while working in Ecuador.

I still plan on traveling in Ecuador for longer than 90 days so i will try to extend my visa at a later date. If that does not work, I will stay in the country past my visa date, and when I plan on leaving the country I will have to pay a $200 fine, then they give me two days to get out of other country.

Where Will I live In Quito?
I have a list of apartments and homestays that I can do. My plan is to arrive in Quito and stay in a $5 hostel for the first week while I search for an apartment. I will then be able to see what I am getting myself into and better negotiate a price rather than renting sight unseen. I was told that its best to find one when you get there. I expect to pay between $150-$200 a month for an apartment.

How Will I Pay For Things
I plan to bring 4 different debit cards. I will need to notify each company that I will be using them in Ecuador before I go so they don’t freeze them.

3 Month Budget (I am overestimating (I think) everything to be safe,)
Airfare=$638
Airport Exit Fee= $31.60
Insurance=$158.00
Apartment= $600.00
Food= $840.00 ($10 a day)
Toiletries=$20.00 (complete guess)
Transportation in Quito=$420.00 ($5.00 a day-1 Taxi/day +bus rides)
Nights Out=$540.00 (3 days/week)
Weekend Trips=$1,440.00 ($120/weekend)
Souvenirs=$200.00
Miscellaneous Expenses=$400.00
Total=$5287.60 (wow this adds up)

Packing List (Prices are for Items I need to Buy)
1x EMS Long Trail II Backpack
1x Ogio Metro Style Backpack
1x Foldup Bag (for laundry/souvenirs)

1x Sleeping Sheet (stitched together like a sleeping bag)

2x Jeans
1x Sweatpants
3x T-shirts
2x Polo Shirts
1x Swimsuit
1x Khaki shorts
8x Underwear
8x Socks
1x Track Jacket
1x North Face Fleece
1x Sweater
1x Long Sleeve Button Down
1x Belt
1x Sneakers
1x Shoes
1x Flip Flops
1x Umbrella (will buy there)
1x hat (will buy there)
1x Gloves (will buy there)

1x Ecuador Guidebook
1x Book
1x Mp3 Player
1x Laptop, charger, mouse, connection cables, microphone
1x Glasses & case
Contacts & Solution
1x roll toilet paper
1x KATADYN Micropur Tablets
1x Bottle of Pepsid AC
1x Box of Pepto Bizmo Tabs
1x bottle suntan lotion
1x Shampoo/soap
1x razor & extra heads +travel size shaving cream
1x toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
1x Deoterant
1x Nail Clippers
1x Comb
1x Towel
malaria tablets
1x bottle insect repellent
1x chapstick
some bandaids
1x Nalgene
2x pens
1x pocket phrasebook
bunch of ziplock bags
alarm clock (need to buy)
1x duct tape
1x earplugs
1x passport & copies
Wallet w/License & debit cards
2x Personal Checks
1x Camera
1x memory card (need to buy)
batteries
1x small calculator
1x rubber door stop

That should do it. I am excited to look back on this post in August to rate my planning

This marks my first post in this blog. I have exactly 32 days left until I leave for Ecuador on May 2nd, 2007.

I decided that I would find an internship this summer and also travel for at least a month afterward. I am majoring in Anthropology and Communications which are essentially useless for finding a job after I graduate, or so i heard. It seems the only way to get a job after i graduate is to gain experience.

Ever since I went to Bolivia 2 years ago, I have fantasized of traveling again in South America. It’s an addiction and I think about it every day and cannot stop reading travel blogs, watching videos, ect. I searched and applied to many internships and it came down to a few that I seriously considered. One was basically a telemarketing job in China, another was a marketing internship in Los Angeles, and for a marketing internship in either Quito, Buenos Aires, Lima, or Cusco. I really had to follow up on the South America internships a lot to make sure i got it.

I eventually got offered positions at all four cities. I chose Ecuador over the others because it seems like the most unique of place of the four, at least to me. It is a small country which means I could basically go everywhere on the weekends and really see a lot. Ecuador has the Galapagos Islands, mountains, beaches, jungles, cloud forests, volcanoes, etc. Quito also seems like an amazing city with a lot of culture. Plus, Ecuador is damn cheap. I know Peru is cheaper but I have heard awful things about Lima, and Cusco is too small of a city for me. I want to live in a big one!

The internship is unpaid but I have saved money from over the last few years and will leave the States with more than enough money. I did not really believe I would go abroad this summer so I am glad I started saving early. It turns out that travel is one of the few things I would choose to spend money on so it makes sense. I never expected my parents to approve me doing something like this because in the past they had rejected all of my plans to go abroad solo.

I am glad to be going solo and expect to meet tons of interesting people. How could I realisticly expect another friend my age to be motivated enough to travel to South America with enough money? I’ll have about three weeks to travel after working and i’m thinking i’ll spend a week of that in the Galapagos, and the rest of the time on beaches, in the jungle, etc. I’d love to see Colombia but it would worry my parents too much. Maybe next time. Plus, I won’t really have enough time to do another country if I want to do the Galapagos.