Should You Flush the Toilet Paper? A Flowchart

I made a little something after encountering a clogged-up toilet and a hostel cleaner who looked frustrated. Perhaps you never even considered your toilet paper’s destiny… but should you flush the toilet paper? I made a cool flowchart to help you determine whether to bin it or flush it! Follow these easy steps: But really. Clogged toilets and sewage systems are a huge problem in many parts of the world – and the traveler isn’t helping the cause. I’ve met a few travelers who were proud to announce they would straight up refuse to bin their used toilet paper whenContinue reading

AMA: Did you have any major concerns hitching in Central America, such as Nicaragua?

A new question for my Ask Me Anything (AMA)! This person called Dave wrote the following message about hitchhiking in Central America (CA), in particular, Nicaragua: Iris, thank you so much for the very thoughtful and insightful response to hitchhiking in Central America, particularly Mexico. Very quickly, did you have any other major concerns hitching in CA (Nicaragua, ?) I followed your @Hitchhiker_Mind handle on twitter because I only signed up for Tumblr to message you. But thanks again, I really look forward to staying up on your travels in the future! Dave Here’s my response: Hey again Dave! NiceContinue reading

Copán to Kapan: A Reflection on Nine Months of Travel

Today is one of those days on the road to reflect on what you’ve done, where you’ve been, and what is ahead of you. Reflection days are the worst and the best, but mainly the worst. Here’s to the last nine months on the road. Since the 29th of December 2013 – minus 10 days in my Passport Nation (PN) – I have been traveling 2,5 continents by anticipated happenstance, sporadic opportunity, and a shameful slice of manipulation. That is already nine months of growth, but it would be silly not to acknowledge the decline as well. Many things and people haveContinue reading

Welcome to Panama! A Border Crossing Adventure

Welcome to Panama! But no, this was yet again more of an adventure than anticipated (and hoped for). This picture is from yesterday’s (11th of June) border crossing from Costa Rica to Panama at the binational city of Paso Canoas. I hitchhiked into a town called David around sundown with yet another good samaritan from Honduras. It was a tight call whether I could cross, but I made it! The Panamanian immigration officer asked me for my (doctored in MS Paint) flight ticket to Madrid. And it worked! But then he asked me for proof of sufficient funds, which comesContinue reading

Getting My Yellow Fever Vaccine (+Bonus Shot!) in Trujillo, Honduras

I wrote this post in 2021 many years later after the actual events. Back in 2014, I had barely started the first iteration of this blog (Escapist) and it was basically a Tumblr. So this post about how I got my yellow fever vaccine in Honduras is based on memory and photographs. My First Medical Tourism Experience While hitchhiking from Mexico to Panama, many fellow travelers going up or down the Gringo Trail exchanged information. So basically all insights about travel and vaccination requirements came from hearsay. I was 22 years old and had freshly dropped out of university. AndContinue reading

Trapped in Paradise

There’s a place called Paradise. In fact, there are many of them, all a flight away from Home. But the people that originate from Paradise are often Trapped in Paradise. A Scene: Visitors and Locals At the club in a resort, only the adults stay behind after their children have gone to bed under protest. A day full of tanning until having perfected that lobster shade, letting their spawn wreck havoc, swimming in the hotel’s pool – located next to the sea – is over. The included breakfast, lunch, and dinner have been eaten every day for a week. TomorrowContinue reading