About Us
Welcome to Jet-Setting Duo!
We are Lance and Pedro, the “Duo” behind this blog, and we are passionate about traveling around the globe. For the past 18 years, we’ve travelled as much as possible . As a result, to date, we have visited more than 70 countries on six continents. It is difficult to imagine life without exploring the world.
Traveling makes you a better person. For instance, not only do you discover diverse cultures, you become more social as you meet locals and expats everywhere you visit. You learn about their beliefs, values, triumphs, struggles and perceptions of the world. Consequently, traveling gives you new perspectives on life. On top of that, it is very rewarding to learn the differences and commonalities in other cultures.
Challenges and opportunities . . .
Travel teaches you flexibility as no matter how well you plan a trip, there is always something that will not go according to plan. Hence, you learn to adapt, change courses as needed, and keep going. It teaches you to deal with stress; you either choose to tackle the changes or let it ruin the rest of your trip. The goal should be to always make the best out of your trip and turn the challenges into positive experiences.
Travel provides a myriad of opportunities that you wouldn’t otherwise have. It gives you the confidence to try new activities, taste a variety of new and sometimes unusual foods, and take part in new adventures. For us, this has translated into scuba diving in exotic locations, taking cooking lessons as a way to explore different cuisines, trying some of the best restaurants around the world, going on helicopter rides, hiking glaciers, doing a photography safari, and parasailing on international beaches.
Our love of good food and friends . . .
Gastronomy is a big part of the travel experience. It gives you the opportunity to try different cuisines and explore flavors you never knew existed. Just like the expression “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, one great way to learn about another culture is through its cuisine.
Good food does not have to be expensive; it can be simple food from a street stall, a home cooked dish by a local family, or a gourmet meal at a fancy restaurant. Good food comes in all kinds of colors, shapes, textures, flavors, tastes and smells. The excitement is in trying an array of new things and gaining a new point of view by sharing meals while traveling the globe.
And travel allows you to make friends all over the world. Although we may not see each other often because we’re always in different parts of the globe, we stay in touch with many of our friends through social media, reuniting from time to time for special occasions such as weddings, milestone anniversaries and birthdays. It is incredibly gratifying to belong to an international community.
Searching for value . . .
Both of us are urban creatures. We are always looking for unique and well-designed hotels, hot new restaurants in all price ranges and styles, and distinctive, exciting experiences. Over the years we learned that to take the best advantage of our travel experiences, we must do a lot of planning ahead of time, including extensive research.
Our goal is simple: to figure out how to get the best value for our trip experiences. It’s a matter of finding good deals for transportation and accommodations, researching where to find the best food for the right price, weighting the worthiness of indulging on highly priced once-in-a-life-time meals at globally renowned restaurants, or identifying unique experiences that might be part of a bucket list or a must-do list.
Making it happen . . .
So 2020 became the year that we decided to retire early and dedicate our time to our passion for traveling. The idea is to have the freedom and flexibility to spend more time trotting around the globe and taking advantage of what we enjoy best. Even though we always say “there are so many places to visit but so little time to do it”, we hope this will afford us the opportunity to put a bigger dent on all the world has to offer us.We want to share those experiences with you.
Sharing our experiences . . .
Over the years, the more we traveled and shared our experiences, the more family and friends from different parts of the world started coming to us for guidance and advice. Or they simply thanked us for sharing parts of the world they never imagined visiting. With that in mind, we thought this blog would be a fun way to share our travel, gastronomic experiences and tips with you, and to provide some insight when you plan your own world journey. We hope it will inspire you to get out there and enjoy many experiences around the globe.