2TravelDads Podcast Rob Taylor

Yes, visiting the Andes in Peru has been at the top of our bucket list for a long time, and yes, Machu Picchu was awesome... but did we have the best experience? Will we talk about it for years to come for all the right reasons? Ehhh... But let's talk about it today!
We did have a very interesting time in the Andes. The Sacred Valley and learning about the Incas was fascinating and beautiful. Machu Picchu was really cool and stunning; remarkable for sure. LLamas are lovely. I'll tell you though, our experience with altitude sickness was intense though, and we could've avoided it with more time. In this episode we share what we loved and wowed us, as well as the harsh reality of touring the Andes the way we did. 
We've got details from cool places to stay in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, beautiful train travel between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, and how YOU can make your own visit much better than ours. I know, this sounds like a confusing bummer of an adventure, but really, give it a listen and see how YOU can plan the actual dream list into the Andes of Peru.

I am so excited to share our Amazon Rainforest podcast with you! There are few places that leave me speechless or move me to tears, but sitting in a boat on the Amazon River at sunset watching monkeys above me did it. In this episode we dive into just what our Amazon jungle experience was like, from getting to the rainforest and our unforgettable accommodations in a treehouse, to seeing some of the most unique wildlife we'd only dreamed of.
The Peruvian Amazon is an exceptional destination for many reasons, but our experience was truly unique, particularly since we got to share it with our kids. If you're thinking about visiting the Amazon rainforest or didn't really think this was an attainable travel goal, this is the episode for you! To give a bit more info about our conversation without giving away the farm, our time in the jungle really was exceptional due to our lodging. You'll be surprised to hear about what staying at the Treehouse Lodge meant for our visit, and how our personal guide made each day a special adventure.
For more about our time visiting four different regions of Peru, check out 2TravelDads.com and listen to our other podcast episodes. Between seeing penguins and flamingos in the same day to our disgusting altitude sickness in the Andes, we've got some great stories and gross realities to share.

We just had an incredible two weeks in Peru, exploring from Lima to the Andes to the desert to the Amazon rainforest. Putting together this trip was no easy feat and required both research and help. In this episode, we talk about how we landed on Peru for our family's first South American adventure, what planning looked like, a bit about getting around in Peru, and then our general itinerary.
We have more Peru podcast episodes including All About the Andes; Peru at Sea Level - Lima, the Desert and Islands; and the Peruvian Amazon! All of this and more is also available for reading and booking on our website.
In this episode:

Why Peru?
Our transportation throughout Peru
Itinerary highlights from Machu Picchu to seeing penguins and monkeys
Tips for making the most of your Peru trip

Stay tuned here and on 2TravelDads.com for more fun, stories and information all about traveling through Peru!
And if you want to join us for an adventure in the Amazon rainforest, join one of our group trips (Nov 2024, Mar 2025)!

As adventurous parents we see the full value of taking our kids out to explore, and our adventure in Hawaii with UnCruise aboard the Safari Explorer was incredible for us. Daily expeditions of snorkeling, hiking, kayaking and more had us immersed in both science education and Hawaiian culture. In this podcast episode we've got our two kids on with us (12 and 9 years old) talking about some of the things they really enjoyed and learned about during our sailing with UnCruise.
UnCruise Hawaii on the Safari Explorer
From hiking in lava tubes on the Big Island of Hawaii to swimming with beautiful creatures, birdwatching to seeing humpback whales breach all around us, there's a lot to process and share.
Please check out our full experience on the Safari Explore ship on the blog. We've detailed what activities and ports we had, as well as shared lots of photos of the whole expereince. The UnCruise brand is a unique type of travel and each sailing is quite different, so we also dig into that a bit.
If you're looking for more Hawaii travel ideas...:

Hawaii Island Hopping
Big Island Itinerary - Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Things to do on Maui - Haleakala National Park
Kauai 5 Day Itinerary - Things to do on Kauai

Acadia National Park in Maine is extremely busy in the summer, but there are some beautiful overlooked parts of the park. Also, did you know that despite the potentially extreme winter conditions that sometimes roll through, Acadia NP is beautiful and OPEN in the winter? On this podcast episode we have expert and three-time Acadia Artist in Residence, Colleen Miniuk, sharing about the less visited parts of the park.
What makes this conversation even more interesting is that being an Artist in Residence thrice over, Colleen has experieces across the seasons and insights into what this particular National Parks program means for visitors. Give a listen as we chat about Acadia National Park, photography in Maine and more. I think it's fascinating to hear from somebody with a completely different sort of experience in a place I love; it broadens my perspective.
If you want to learn more about Acadia National Park or Maine in general, we have several great articles to help plan a visit to this beautiful destination:

Visiting Acadia National Park (guide)
Maine Summer Road Trip Plan
Visiting Maine in Winter
Lighthouses to Visit in Maine (including Bass Harbor in Acadia NP)

Enjoy listening to this episode and more. And if you would like to leave questions for us for FUTURE podcast episodes, please complete our form on our website, 2TravelDads.com.

We are not cruise people, but we love to see the world from the water. We recently completed an UnCruise Adventure sailing on a small ship, the Safari Explorer and we have A LOT to say about it. Give a listen an see just what an UnCruise is and how this varies from an actual cruise. From ship size (you'll be shocked) and crew to passenger ratio (you'll be more shocked!), to the custom daily adventures, we dig into it all.
Have you ever wanted to sail to small inlets or the backside of remote islands WITHOUT lots of people? Ever thought you'd enjoy spending a week at sea learning about nature and culture while getting to know a new group of like-minded people? Excellent, then this episode is for you! UnCruise Adventures is very unique.
Read all the details about UnCruise here! - What you'll find:


What is UnCruise?


Why choose an UnCruise vs land adventures?


Why spend $6k per person on UnCruise?


What’s different about UnCruise vs mega cruise?


Our first expedition sailing was island hopping in Hawaii, but we have an Alaskan small ship sailing coming up later this year. If you have any questions about this experience or need UnCruise route/ship recommendations, let us know!