If you don't have the time or interest here's a re-post of what happened earlier this week:
TerraDiversa went global yesterday when our own Edd Staton was a guest on Ecuador at your Service, an online radio show broadcast on the Overseas Radio Network (www.overseasradio.com). Hosted by Ashley Rogers & Michel Blanchard, the weekly show features topics of interest about all things Ecuador. These two fine folks also have a travel consultancy and concierge service in Cuenca called Ecuador at your Service(www.ecuadoratyourservice.com), that offers a wide range of customized assistance for visitors and new arrivals.
We were talking about travel, of course, and what's new at TerraDiversa. If you want to listen to the whole broadcast click on Show Archive at the ORN website and choose the second listing for 4/10. But understanding busy schedules, here are some highlights of our chat:
What makes Ecuador a great travel destination?
Most people's knowledge of Ecuador involves the Galapagos but, my gosh, this country has SO much to offer. We have about 1200 miles of unspoiled beaches on the Pacific where you can enjoy amazing sport fishing and from June through October, humpback whale watching. The highlands of the Andes, where Cuenca is located, has birdwatching, active volcanoes, adventure travel, and outstanding cultural experiences. And visitors are often surprised to learn they can visit the Amazon in eastern Ecuador on river cruises or staying in ecolodges. It turns out that little Ecuador, which is only the size of Colorado, is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world!
Tell us about what's new at TerraDiversa.
What's NOT new? We moved to an excellent new location downtown on Calle Larga several months ago. We attended the NY Times travel show in March. A totally new website should be launched by the end of April. We will soon have an exclusive line of logo'd apparel and nutritional snacks for sale, and we are creating some exciting new tours in both Ecuador and Peru. There's a LOT going on!
So why should people use a tour operator instead of doing it on their own?
That's a great question. People who choose to use a tour operator are looking for a different travel experience than do-it-yourself travelers. They want to have comfortable transportation instead of public buses, they appreciate the expertise of trained guides, and they genuinely enjoy the camaraderie of sharing their excursions with others. We consider ourselves travel specialists and work hard to listen to our customers and always exceed their expectations.
What kinds of tours does TerraDiversa offer, and what are the most popular trips?
We have both day trips and multi-day tours throughout Ecuador and Peru, generally grouped into Cultural Journeys and Adventure Travel. And since TerraDiversa's founder, Juan Heredia, started his career as a tour guide in the Galapagos we specialize in that awesome destination. Our most popular tours are to the beautiful Cajas mountains, horseback riding at our hacienda, and for sure Galapagos.
Thanks, Ashley & Michel, for the opportunity to appear on your program. Hopefully listeners picked up some helpful information, and we definitely had a lot of fun!
1 comment:
HI Ed,
We have just received the first of your blogs and are enjoying them very much. We are both retired and are finding it not only difficult to live on a limited budget in the US, but also unfulfilling on a personal level. We both enjoy traveling but it is cost prohibitive. We began to look at relocating and after spending a somewhat disappointing month in Panama we discovered Cuenca. We plan a trip there in the next couple of months and will stay about five weeks, although our limited budget is protesting loudly! We appreciate your candor in describing the city…..we heard you on the radio yesterday ( great show) with Michel and Ashley discussing the fumes, noise etc. Things that don’t readily come to mind when planning the move. After our trip to Panama and having lived in Europe for several years in the 80’s, which we loved , and would be our first choice but for the difficulty in residency visas and a higher cost of living, we are hopeful that Cuenca with its Colonial influence and culture, may be just the place for us. You mentioned that you brought your belongings to Ecuador via container. We have been trying to assess if that would be worth it for us. In trying to gather information on prices, the companies all want specifics. All we want is a ballpark figure of the cost…..are you able to help us with that? Thanks for any assistance you can give….perhaps we will have the opportunity to meet when we come down. Looking forward to receiving your blogs!
Gail and Bill
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