El Cafecito Travel Talks

What happens when a trip you never planned changes the direction of your life?

Hannah, a nurse from Wales, never imagined herself becoming a long-term traveller. A friend invited her on a trip through Southeast Asia, where a series of unexpected encounters eventually brought her into Sean’s orbit, a Canadian solo traveller who had already left his job to spend months on the road.

They went their separate ways, but their story did not end there.

In this episode of El Cafecito Travel Talks, Hannah and Sean reflect on how an unexpected connection led to a much bigger adventure, what it is like to move from solo travel to travelling together, and how two people with very different personalities navigate life on the road.

We talk about family reactions, planning versus spontaneity, learning Spanish, the challenges of sharing a long journey, and the personal lessons that can emerge when travel pushes you outside your comfort zone.

For Hannah, travel has also meant discovering that the people who take big trips are not necessarily so different from the rest of us.

Sometimes, you simply have to try.

 El Cafecito Travel Talks
Real people. Real journeys. Real stories from the road.

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Travel Advisor - Latin America:
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LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

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New episodes are released every Tuesday.

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What does “enough” really mean?

Dave spent around 20 years working in accounting and finance before eventually realising that the life he had built was no longer the life he wanted. At 45, he stepped away from that career, became a bartender, and later began building a life centred around long-term travel.

In this episode, Dave talks about travelling for months at a time, balancing expensive destinations with more affordable ones, and learning how to shape a life around what matters most to him.

He also shares some unforgettable moments from the road — including an accident at Angkor Wat just days into one of his first major trips, unexpected dental care in Thailand, and a chance encounter that landed him at a special International Hobbit Day celebration in New Zealand.

But the heart of the conversation comes down to one question:

What is enough for you?

Dave explains why understanding that answer can change the way you think about money, work, freedom and the kind of life you actually want to live.

A conversation about travel, changing direction, taking chances, and dreaming bigger than you once thought possible.

Follow Dave on Instagram: 

@uncle_traveling_dave

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El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

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If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

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What does it mean for a woman to enter the world of plant medicine — especially in another country, placing her trust in people she may barely know?

Phoenix grew up between two worlds: New York and Ecuador. Those experiences eventually brought her back to Cuenca, where spirituality, Reiki, women’s circles and San Pedro became an important part of her life.

In this episode of El Cafecito Travel Talks, Tony sits down with Phoenix at her Sol Studio in Cuenca to talk about her journey from fear and uncertainty to becoming a facilitator herself.

Phoenix shares a distinctly female perspective on plant medicine: the importance of trust, the vulnerability of giving up control, concerns about personal safety, and why she believes women can bring a different kind of nurturing energy to these experiences.

They also talk about Phoenix’s life as a mother, raising binational children, the accident that led her to Reiki, and what it means to move between the very different worlds of New York and Ecuador.

This isn’t a conversation about convincing anyone to try plant medicine. It’s one woman’s story of how spirituality, culture and community became part of her life.

In this episode:

• Growing up between New York and Ecuador
• Phoenix’s journey into Reiki and natural medicine
• Women’s circles and the feminine perspective
• San Pedro and its place in Phoenix’s spiritual practice
• Why trust and safety matter, particularly for women
• Knowing when someone may not be ready
• Returning to everyday life after a spiritual experience

Guest: Phoenix
Sol Studio — Cuenca, Ecuador
Instagram: @Phoenixdevenus

The experiences and views discussed in this episode are Phoenix’s personal perspectives and should not be considered medical advice.

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Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...

How do you travel for six months without spending like a tourist every day?

In this episode, I speak with Mirella, a young traveller of Cameroonian heritage who grew up in Germany and France and has spent several months travelling through Latin America.

Along the way, she volunteered in Colombia and Ecuador, including as an English teaching assistant, at a refugee shelter, and with an Afro-Ecuadorian organisation in Cuenca.

We talk about why volunteering can make long-term travel more affordable, how it helps you connect with local people, and why sometimes the people you meet become just as important as the destination itself.

Mirella also shares what she has learned as a solo Black woman travelling through Latin America, the advantages and challenges of volunteering, and what she would ask before accepting another placement.

If you have ever thought about travelling longer, spending less, and becoming more connected to the places you visit, this episode may give you another way to think about the journey.

Topics include:
Volunteering while travelling • Long-term travel • Solo female travel • Black travellers in Latin America • Cultural immersion • Volunteer placements • Budget travel • Colombia • Ecuador

El Cafecito Travel Talks
Real people. Real journeys. Real travel experiences.

Support the show

Connect info:

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...

What happens when the life you planned abroad suddenly changes?

In this episode of El Cafecito Travel Talks, Tony heads into the countryside outside Cuenca, Ecuador, with Mary and three dogs  for a conversation about travel, relocation, community, loss and starting over.

Mary had already lived around the world before eventually settling in Colorado, where she spent decades working in real estate and breeding horses. An unexpected accident changed everything and eventually brought her and her partner to Ecuador.

Nine years later, Mary talks openly about the realities they faced when her partner became seriously ill: finding medical care abroad, preparing powers of attorney, navigating different laws, dealing with death and funeral arrangements in another country, and relying on the community she had built around her.

But this isn’t an episode about death. It’s about what comes afterward.

For the first time in her life, Mary is living alone, improving her Spanish and discovering what she wants her next chapter to look like.

As she puts it:

“Now that I don’t have to compromise on anything, how do I really want it? What is it that I want?”

Whether you’re thinking about moving abroad, already living overseas, or simply wondering what happens when life doesn’t follow the plan, Mary’s story is a reminder that relocation is about much more than choosing a destination.

 El Cafecito Travel Talks — real people, real travel, real life abroad.

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Connect info:

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...

What happens when rising rent makes you rethink not just where you live — but how you live?

Chris worked in construction in the United States before deciding he’d had enough of paying rent. That decision led to four years of van life and, eventually, a journey through Latin America.

Over tea at El Cafecito in Cuenca, Ecuador, we talk about how an unexpected trip to Colombia for affordable dental work opened the door to a completely different way of seeing the world.

Chris shares his experiences traveling through Colombia and Ecuador, spending two months in Guayaquil, learning some hard lessons in Medellín, and discovering how affordable travel can be when you’re willing to get away from the usual tourist trail.

Now he’s thinking about what comes next: perhaps buying a few hectares, building something of his own, and creating a simpler, more self-sufficient life in South America.

This isn’t a story about having unlimited money or a perfectly planned escape. It’s about realizing there may be another way to live — and being willing to go looking for it.

Topics: Van life • Colombia • Ecuador • Guayaquil • Medellín • budget travel • long-term travel • relocation • off-grid living • South America

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Connect info:

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...

Someone listening to this series may inevitably be wondering: 

Is ayahuasca for me?

That’s where we begin the final part of my conversation with Daniel Hannah.

Daniel talks about mental preparation, intention and respect for the traditions surrounding ayahuasca. We discuss what someone should look for when choosing a retreat, whether doing ayahuasca in its traditional South American setting matters, the advantages and disadvantages of working with Indigenous healers, group size, integration after a ceremony and the importance of having adequate support.

We also get into the less romanticized side of the experience — purging, difficult emotions, confronting trauma and the potential psychological risks for some people.

This isn’t a conversation about convincing anyone to take ayahuasca. It’s about asking better questions before deciding whether to take it at all.

 Important: Ayahuasca can involve significant physical and psychological risks and may interact dangerously with certain medications or medical/mental-health conditions. Daniel is sharing his personal experience and opinions; this episode is not medical advice. Anyone considering ayahuasca should seek appropriate professional medical guidance and carefully investigate the safety and credentials of any retreat or facilitator.

 Daniel Hannah on Instagram:
@daniel.e.hannah⁠

Support the show

Connect info:

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...

What happens when you remove almost everything we normally depend on, food, water, phones, entertainment and even our sense of time?

In Part 2 of my conversation with Daniel Hannah, we move beyond ayahuasca itself and into one of the more extreme experiences on his journey: a four-day, four-night vision quest in Peru’s Sacred Valley.

Daniel describes entering isolation at roughly 3,500 metres, with no food or water, and what happened physically and mentally as the days progressed. We talk about discomfort versus suffering, the moment he began wondering when they were coming to get him, and what something as simple as a glass of water meant after days without it.

But our conversation also raises a bigger question: what does voluntarily choosing hardship mean when millions of people around the world don’t have the choice?

Daniel reflects on privilege, gratitude, compassion and why the experience changed the way he thinks about some of the most basic things we take for granted.

 Note: This episode describes extreme fasting and dehydration as part of Daniel’s personal experience. It is not presented as medical advice or a recommendation to attempt these practices.

 Daniel Hannah on Instagram:
@daniel.e.hannah

Support the show

Connect info:

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...

What leads someone from ordinary travel into the world of plant medicine?

In Part 1 of this three-part conversation, Tony sits down with Australian traveller Daniel Hannah to talk about the journey that eventually led him to ayahuasca and a very different way of looking at healing, spirituality and personal growth.

Daniel shares his story of travelling since 2016, his early experiences with psychedelics, the powerful experiences that changed his direction, and how his travels through South America eventually brought him into contact with ayahuasca near Cuenca, Ecuador.

Rather than presenting ayahuasca simply as a psychedelic experience, Daniel talks about how he came to see it as part of a much larger spiritual and cultural tradition — one that eventually led him deeper into ceremonies, indigenous traditions and the world of plant medicine.

This is Daniel’s personal experience and perspective, not medical advice. Ayahuasca and other psychoactive substances can carry serious physical and psychological risks and may not be appropriate for everyone.

This is Part 1 of a three-part series.

Episode 64 — Part 1: The Journey Begins

Episode 65 — Part 2: The Vision Quest

Episode 66 — Part 3: Before You Try Ayahuasca

Follow Daniel:
Instagram: @daniel.e.hannah⁠

 El Cafecito Travel Talks — by Tony Lloyd

Conversations with travellers and people whose experiences challenge the way we think about travel, culture and the world around us.

Support the show

Connect info:

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...

Douglas Chang was born in Ecuador, but his family story began thousands of kilometres away in China.

Three of his grandparents came from China to Ecuador with very little, eventually settling in small communities near Guayaquil. Douglas remembers stories of his grandmother, his father leaving school at 12 to work, the family running small businesses, and the importance of cacao at a time when it represented some of Ecuador’s greatest wealth.

Growing up Chinese-Ecuadorian, Douglas knew he looked different from most people around him—but he says he never questioned whether he belonged.

Then he started travelling.

As a teenager, Douglas left Ecuador to study in the United States. His journey would eventually take him to Israel, France, Switzerland, Canada, South Africa and many other places around the world.

And when people ask where he’s from?

Ecuador.

In this episode, Douglas and I talk about what happens when nationality doesn’t necessarily match what people expect to see. We explore his family’s journey from China, growing up Chinese-Ecuadorian, travelling the world, discrimination, belonging, why he has never visited China, and his decision to make Cuenca part of the next chapter of his life.

But our conversation eventually moves beyond nationality.

Douglas talks about being a good citizen wherever you find yourself, remaining curious about other people, and something that has become increasingly important to him: legacy.

After a lifetime of travelling, what can we learn from others—and what can we leave behind?

 Grab a tea or coffee and join us for another conversation at El Cafecito Travel Talks.

In This Episode

• His family’s journey from China to Ecuador
• Growing up Chinese-Ecuadorian
• Building a life through hard work, trade and cacao
• Leaving Ecuador as a teenager
• Studying and travelling around the world
• Telling people abroad, “I’m Ecuadorian”
• Identity, stereotypes and discrimination
• Why Douglas has never visited China
• Choosing Cuenca as a new home
• Being a good citizen wherever you live
• Travel, belonging and legacy

Support the show

Connect info:

Questions, comments, guest suggestions, or story ideas: 

email: [email protected]

El Cafecito Hostel - Cuenca Ecuador
email: [email protected]

Travel Advisor - Latin America:
WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

LinkedIn: Tony Lloyd Wilkinson

Support the Podcast:

PayPal Donation Link

If you have any problem with the PayPal link, please contact: 

WhatsApp: +593 99 99 39 550

New episodes are released every Tuesday.

Thank you for sharing a cafecito or a tea with us...