THE RAMBLER

Responsible Travel. Creating Community.

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Hi Reader!

Before anything else, we want to tell you about a friend of ours who needs help.

Angel Paz Urgently Needs Heart Surgery

Not all of you will know Angel Paz, but many of you have heard us talk about him — a pioneer of eco-tourism and bird conservation in Ecuador. Angel needs urgent open heart surgery, scheduled for August 12, and his family is racing to raise the funds to get him there.

When he got the news, Angel told his son Vinicio:

"Quiero continuar con mis pajaritos."
"I want to keep going with my birds."

His aortic valve is severely diseased and his aorta has become dangerously enlarged. His doctors say surgery isn't optional. It's expected to cost $33,000 at minimum. We're hoping to raise $40,000 to cover the surgery, his hospital stay, and lodging for family nearby while he recovers. We've raised $31,000 so far — we're almost there.

Angel is 61, with many more years of guiding, conservation work, and mentorship ahead of him. He just needs our help to keep going with his birds.

👉 Donate here: Angel Paz Urgently Needs Heart Surgery

Thank you for reading this far, and for anything you're able to give. Now, back to rambling: here's what else we've been up to.

Does a Casual Birder Need a Spotting Scope?

Scott's been testing a spotting scope all season, and this one's for the birders who aren't sure it's worth the extra gear — including for spotting Tufted Puffins, the reason he went looking for one in the first place.

👉 Read it here: Does a Casual Birder Need a Spotting Scope?

Community Tourism in Cuemal, Peru

I wrote up our experience with community-based tourism in Cuemal, a small town in Northern Peru — dancing, local hosts, and a different way of traveling.

👉 Read it here: Dancing Like the Chuquiaj in Cuemal, Peru

El Grito de la Independencia

August 10 marks the anniversary of Quito's first cry for independence — one of the earliest declarations against Spanish colonial rule anywhere in the Americas. If you're curious about the history behind the date, we dug into it a few years back.

👉 Read it here: The First Cry for Freedom: A Story of Ecuadorian Independence

A quick note on how this site stays afloat. We keep this newsletter and our articles free through affiliate marketing and the occasional sponsor, and we're picky about both: affiliate partners are gear and products we actually use and love, and sponsors have to pass a similar test: is it actually useful for someone traveling? We turn down the ones that don't fit. Today's sponsor up top is a news aggregation tool, handy for staying on top of things while you're traveling. That said, here are a couple of affiliate picks that might work for you too:

New Affiliate Partner: Handful

We've got a new favorite bra brand, and it's based right here in Portland: Handful. They'll be showing up properly in our upcoming gear guide, but they've got summer sales live right now and we didn't want you to miss out before then.

👉 Shop the sale

Going's Summer Sale (Still On)

Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) is still running their summer sale — 50% off Premium and Elite memberships. Their free tier stays free, always, if you just want to dip a toe in.

👉 Check out the sale

A Few Free Discord Spots Still Open

We're still filling out Travel in the Americas, a forum in our Discord server, NYAA Ramblers, for trip planning questions and destination advice: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, the US, wherever you're headed. There's still room in our free founding-member spots before it moves to a small paid membership.

👉 Join here: https://discord.gg/P8wRkTusq

(And don't miss #gear-deals while you're in there — our most active channel, where we post outdoor gear and clothing deals as they land on our desk.)

We'll be headed back to Cannon Beach ourselves soon, testing another new spotting scope against the Maven. Wish us luck spotting a Tufted Puffin this late in the season.

Thanks for Rambling With Us,

Angie & Scott

Living life to its fullest, one day at a time.

P.S. If you've read this far, you're amazing! Want to support our work at no extra cost to you? If you plan to shop on Amazon, click ⇒ this link ⇐ first. We earn a small commission, and it helps us keep writing, reviewing, and traveling. Thank you! ❤️