JB Journeys

18/05/2025

Good times in Costa Rica. Rafting there is the best!!

09/05/2025

08/05/2025

Who Needs a Yellow Fever Certificate to Enter Ecuador?
This requirement applies to:

- Citizens and residents of Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil

- Travelers of any nationality who have spent more than 10 days in any of these four countries directly prior to their arrival in Ecuador, even if they are Ecuadorian nationals

You will be asked to present your vaccination certificate when boarding your flight, bus, or boat to Ecuador. Authorities may also request it again at the point of entry.

Exemptions: The requirement does not apply to individuals over 60 years of age.

02/05/2025

Can TSA search your electronic devices?

Here’s when you need to hand over your device, and whether you must provide passwords when you do.

22/04/2025

Let's make Earth Day EVERYDAY.

03/04/2025

GOOD TO KNOW.

Here’s when you need to hand over your device, and whether you must provide passwords when you do.

15/03/2025

Spent the morning at the Zapotec site Monte Alban outside of Oaxaca.

08/03/2025

Today, on International Women’s Day, I would like to think and honor all the women I’ve worked with in my career in the travel industry.

07/03/2025

Celebrate International Woman's Day by purchasing coffee from the woman's group of De la Gente coffee growers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9t4RiVTXKs

The Women Caficultora Network, supported by De La Gente, is more than just a group of coffee producers. They are a group of strong women who work towards eco...

21/02/2025

Today, Feb 21, is INTERNATIONAL TOUR GUIDE DAY!!! JB Journeys wants to thank all the excellent guides we work with. Each is a credit to their country and the profession, and makes me, the tour company, look really good!!
- Elizabeth Bell of Antigua Tours in Guatemala
- Gaby Gudino in San Cristobal de las Casas, in Chiapas Mexico
- John Cahill in Guatemala and Colombia
- Maikel Canizares and Maydiel Canizares in Cuba

Tourism is a tough business but these professionals make it a pleasure!

23/01/2025

Birders from Travis Audubon Society at Tikal with super guide John Cahill.
JB Journeys has worked with John and Community Cloud Forest Conservation for 8 years, sending birders who eventually become donors.
An excellent example of sustainable tourism.
Interested? [email protected]

07/01/2025

I went for a walk this afternoon in our neighborhood about 1 hour east of Austin Texas. As I bundled up, I realized it’s colder here than it was in Antarctica just 2 weeks ago. What’s up with that?

Yes, I’m home but still thinking about the trip and have more to add. And lots of beautiful pictures still to come.

There is a regulation that only 100 people can be on land, and the largest ships allowed in the region have 500 passengers. HX’s new ships, the Amundsen that we traveled on and the Nansen, its sister ship, each hold 500. Until just a few years ago, larger ships could do a ‘drive-by’, so that passengers could at least see the Antarctic peninsula and continent, although they could not stop. Their size and the heavier fuel was considered a detriment. HX ships are among the largest now allowed and with their alternate battery usage makes them a safer ship for the fragile environment.

Our departure had 240 passengers, so the ship was half full. The next group was to be about 400. I asked expedition staff how this was handled. We each were assigned a boat group number and had a patch to attach to our expedition jacket, so crew could keep their eye on things. They staggered group departures and mixed up the order so that group 1 wasn’t always first. Once we made a landing, we were given a fixed time to wander and wonder, then return to the zodiacs to take us back to the ship. As mentioned, 100 people can be on land at a time, and zodiacs are constantly coming and going, dropping off 12 and picking up 12. With more passengers, this process goes on for several hours. The staff is amazing at timing, coordination, safety.

These 2 ships work in other areas of the world where that would be considered small, like Alaska. For example, this summer Princess Cruises will offer “155 total departures, with 18 unique itineraries ranging from 4 - 22 days”. Their 7 ships “visit 21 destinations and four glacier-viewing experiences, highlighted by 88 visits to Glacier Bay National Park (more visits than any other cruise line).” The Grand Princess takes 2,600 passengers; Discovery Princess 3,660. Yikes. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Bliss will sail Alaska this summer, with just over 4,000 guests. I remember sailing on a Holland America ship in Alaska about 20 years ago, on a ship that took about 1,800, now considered a small liner. When all the ships were lined up, and you walked on the dock, it was like walking next to a 10 story building. The ships blocked the sun!