By: Lola Méndez Many architecture fanatics and door lovers have been enamored by the beautiful ancient door knockers, known as aldabas, which can be spotted around Cartagena, Colombia. Long before electronic doorbells were invented, door knockers were used to alert a homeowner of the presence of a guest. The fancy door knockers which adorn the city’s façades are more than just aesthetically pleasing—they reflect the city’s complex colonial and social history. Cartagena was colonized in 1533 by the Spanish empire. The door knockers came along with colonization. In Spain, the type of aldabas used on a door symbolized the social status, wealth, and career of those who lived in the home. This tradition of specialized door knockers was carried over to many of the lands the Spanish stole including Cartagena, Colombia. Many of the intricate knockers use the likeness of various animals—each which has a different meaning behind it. A sea creature, such as a fish, sea horse, or a mermaid, was used to symbolize that the homeowner is involved in an ocean-related trade. An iguana-shaped aldaba means that the dwellers were either of the Spanish royal family, nobles, or in close cahoots with the monarchy. Some of the dramatic door knockers are shaped like human hands which also have significance. The hand knockers were for those in the clergy as it’s meant to be the hand of the Virgin Mary of Fatima. A lion head door knocker meant it was a military household. Cartagena was a fortified city so many residents were involved in the military. After the Spanish stole the land they protected it from pirates and other colonial powers. For instance, the first home in Cartagena of Simón Bolívar aptly features an aldaba shaped like a Lion. Bolívar was Venezuelan and known as “the Liberator” of Latin America as he was involved in helping countries gain independence from Spain. Bolivia is named after him and he served as the president of Gran Colombia which was a union of Ecuador, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. Beyond the symbolic shape of the aldaba the size, intricacy, and material also determined Cartagena’s social hierarchy. Any passerby could guess the wealth of the homeowner based on the aldaba that adorned the door of their residence.  Many of the original aldabas can be seen in the colorful Old Town section of Cartagena where the wealthy have always resided. You’ll notice that in this neighborhood the wooden door frames are significantly larger and consist of a smaller door within the main door. The large doors were installed in the luxurious homes of wealthy Spanish colonizers who’d enter their residency on horse or in a carriage. The small doors were reserved for enslaved people or servants who had to enter the house on foot. It’s still common to use an aldaba, but today homeowners stray away from tradition and choose whatever symbol they’d like regardless of whether they’re a prince or a merchant. You may come across an owl or a bearded man’s face utilized as door knockers across the colonial port city. Big knockers remain quite fashionable.   Are you planning a trip to Colombia? Let Barefoot Journey’s take the stress out of planning a trip, we’ll take care of everything. With knowledge from a network of local experts, we’ll custom design an itinerary just for you with all the best to see, do, eat and drink. Book your next trip today! 

by Lola Méndez If bouncing in the club isn’t your ideal night out in Miami, don’t fret, there are plenty of gorgeous cocktail bars where you can party in the city. These are seven of Miami’s Best Cocktail Bars.   Nikki Beach Nikki Beach has been a quintessential South Beach place to party. They serve up excellent creative cocktails that you can sip on while lounging on luxurious day beds and enjoying Miami’s picturesque beaches.    Jaguar Sun This tiny cocktail in downtown Miami continues to pull in awards for their celebrated cocktails. Jaguar Sun offers modern tropical cocktails as well as a classic martini cocktail list.    Spanglish Bar The chic Spanglish Bar in Wynwood offers creative cocktails. The Cafetera Old Fashioned poured from a coffee jar and Spanglish and Chill, a tequila-based cocktail with sweet vermouth infused with strawberry, tangerine, lemon and pink pepper, served in a bag topped with caramel popcorn and chicharrón powder.   Kuba Cabana One of Miami’s newest bars is Kuba Cabana which brings the taste and sounds of Cuba to Doral. The unmistakable Cuban flair means plenty of rum cocktails including classic daiquiris and more with many specials for weekday happy hours.   Lapidus Bar If you prefer your cocktails with a hearty dose of opulence head to Lapidus Bar inside The Ritz-Carlton in South Beach. The swanky bar celebrates the spirit of Miami with vintage cocktails inspired by the city’s history and characters.   The Broken Shaker For handcrafted cocktails look no further than The Broken Shaker . Mixologists created infusions with garden-fresh herbs and spices to craft memorable concoctions. The menu of craft libations rotate weekly.   Sugar Located on the top floor of a high rise in Brickell City Centre, Sugar will help you reach new highs. The rooftop lush garden bar has spectacular views of Miami and delicious drinks. 

by Lola Méndez We can’t help but daydream about the bucket list destinations such as the Melanesia Island nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Few North Americans have seen this majestic place themselves. 2018 saw 94,627 tourists with only 9% from North America. If you’re looking for a million different journeys, PNG is the place to go once it’s safe to travel overseas again. Here are five reasons to travel to Papua New Guinea.   1. Unparalleled cultural diversity  PNG is home to 1,000 distinct tribal groups making it one of the most culturally diverse countries on Earth. Tribal culture remains intact and each community is unique. Visitors have the chance to learn about the rich cultural heritage through community-based tourism. Don’t miss the chance to attend a sing-sing. These colorful cultural shows bring groups together to showcase traditional songs, dance, and dress and are held frequently throughout the year.   2. Breathtakingly beautiful nature Adventure travelers will love to explore PNG’s lush landscapes and underwater world. The dense forest covers mountains down to the coastline’s volcanic fjords in the Oro Peninsula. There are endless opportunities to witness rare wildlife including the world’s largest butterfly, Queen Alexandra. The island’s incredible biodiversity includes many spectacular birds. Thirty-eight of the known 43 species of bird of paradise can be seen in the country with their spectacular plumage. Travelers who don’t have room in their itinerary to trek into the jungle can visit  Port Moresby Nature Park to get a glimpse of rescued wildlife such as birds of paradise, hornbills, and tree kangaroos.  Snorkelers and divers will find some of the  world’s healthiest coral as they visit many sunken WWII ships while hammerhead sharks and manta rays swim by. Vibrant neon reef walls of hard and soft corals are homes to thousands of fish from tiny technicolored nudibranchs to beloved clownfish.    3. Impactful tourism The country is experiencing under tourism and is unspoiled and uncrowded. PNG receives very few tourists a year and is mostly untouched by modern ways of living even though there have been foreign expeditions for nearly a century. It’s one of the world’s last frontiers.  PNG offers mindful travelers the opportunity to impact local people directly through tourism spending. Villagers collaborate with resorts such as  Rondon Ridge ,  Tufi Diver Resort , and  Karawari Lodge to create immersive cultural tours that allow them to share their way of life with visitors and provide income for their community. The resorts work with the villages to help their economy, as opposed to disrupting it, by creating employment opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have. Travelers spent a total of $205.9 million in 2018, an average of $4,773 for North American travelers.    4. Visa on Arrival For many nationalities, tourist  visas are available on arrival for 30 or 60 days for no fee at Jacksons International Airport in Port Moresby. Your passport must be valid for six months from the date of departure from PNG back home and have at least one blank page. You must have an exit flight to enter the country. There aren’t any required vaccinations and the country is rabies-free.    5. Widely-spoken English As a result of Australia colonizing PNG, English is widely spoken. This benefits travelers who are English speakers as it makes it easier to get around and engage in conversation. There are also at least 852 different dialects spoken in the country.

The Cayman Islands are a dream destination for snorkelers and divers. Our sea is home to many fascinating aquatic creatures including vibrant corals, colorful parrotfish, and lionfish. When we spot these beauties underwater, we have the  Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) to thank. The nonprofit was founded in 1998 to protect coral reefs in the region. For over two decades they've worked tirelessly to conserve the coral reef ecosystems surrounding Little Cayman. Dr. Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley, CCMI’s Director of Research and lead of the 2025 Reef Resilience and Restoration team, shared the progress of 20 years of reef monitoring during a recent virtual Reef Lecture. By documenting patterns and making regional comparisons the team’s findings have supported efforts to conserve the health of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Their efforts are being celebrated by Mission Blue which declared Little Cayman a  Hope Spot . Coral reefs are  critical ecosystems for islands such as Little Cayman which rely on  healthy reefs for tourism. Globally, coral reefs are threatened by human activities that impact the environment including pollution and overfishing. Dr. Goodbody-Gringley explained that increasing sea temperatures have led to  coral bleaching .  “Today the average coral cover across the Caribbean is somewhere hovering around 10% which is a drastic decline from that initial 75% in the mid-1970s,” Dr. Goodbody-Gringley said. Her team does frequent surveys to assess the area’s coral and fish by using a 10-meter area of coral reef and counting and identifying every single coral and fish species in the area. They track each specimen's length, width, and height to assess health status.  Some things they’re looking out for are signs of disease, indications of bleaching, and parrotfish bites. The collected data shows there's been a rise and fall over the last two decades. The good news is that there hasn’t been a statistical decline in coral cover. “We started in 1999 at around 24% coral cover overall and we’re now hovering for the last five years  around 20% coral cover ,” Dr. Goodbody-Gringley said. There hasn’t been much change since 2013 meaning that the coral has been quite stable for the last seven years. There has been no change statistically in the amount of fish in the area. Little Cayman’s reefs are resilient but not immune to the threats that have tormented other Caribbean reef ecosystems. Dr. Goodbody-Gringley reports that there has been a significant shift in the dominant species on the reef. In the early 2000s, the predominant coral species were large, massive corals. “Some of these coral colonies are the size of a VW bug,” Dr. Goodbody-Gringley said. “We’ve seen a major decline in the predominance of those types of corals towards smaller boulder corals.” Currently, stony coral tissue loss disease is an issue at Little Cayman’s reefs and much of the northern Caribbean Sea. The disease first popped up in Florida in 2014 and rapidly spread down the Florida reef tract. It affects a variety of species and causes a loss of tissue making it appear as if the tissue is sloughing off the coral. The mortality rate is high. If you come across reefs that you may be impacted report it to the  Department of Environmental Health . CCMI is working with them to track the outbreak and develop strategies. To support CCMI’s efforts to preserve Cayman’s biodiversity may  make donations here . While visiting the island you can be mindful of your plastic consumption, use reef-safe SPF, ask for reusable straws and swim out to reefs instead of using  fueled boats where possible. Dr. Goodbody-Gringley said these little things make a difference.    “As a collective whole, if we all make these small changes it has a large impact.”

Costa Rica is a wellness destination with a blossoming yoga scene. Antonio Corrales Dobles is a Costa Rican acro-yoga teacher in San Jose. He’s been teaching yoga for a decade and has seen a recent increase in yoga among Ticos and foreigners. He shares that yoga “is becoming more popular and growing every day.”    “The Costa Rican community is committed to personal transformation, regenerative living, and positive social and environmental impact. You'll find us at the organic farmer's market, sharing a cup of fair-trade Costa Rican coffee, enjoying some live music, and participating in yoga classes,” expat yoga teacher Toby Israel says. Israel offers regular yoga classes and leads yoga and other wellness workshops around the country.   There are several yoga studios in the capital city of San Jose but the easiest way to keep up with your yoga routine while traveling in Costa Rica is to stay at properties that offer classes on-site. Here’s where to practice yoga in Costa Rica.   Rancho Margot   Rancho Margot is a magical place for practicing yoga in secluded mountains. The sustainable farm stay is chemical-free which creates a healing environment that allows you to deeply unite with nature. The open-air yoga shall is located next to a roaring river and surrounded by a lush jungle canopy. During a morning practice led by Israel, I caught a glimpse of a vibrant King Fisher flying by while I was in a warrior asana.  Complimentary yoga classes offered daily at 7 AM and 4 PM for overnight guests. Professionally certified yogis from around the world lead Hatha or Vinyasa flows. Visitors can drop-in to the yoga sessions for $15.    The Retreat   Twice-daily yoga lessons as a part of guest packages at The Retreat . The open-air yoga studio offers panoramic views of the quartz mountains. At 8 AM there’s a flow class that borrows elements from Ashtanga and Hatha practices. The afternoon class at 4 PM is restorative—practitioners hold poses for extended amounts of time to reap healing benefits.  Professional yoga teachers from around the world lead the practices at The Retreat. Specialty courses include aerial and antigravity yoga. One-on-one classes are also available. Outside guests are welcome to drop-in on the yoga classes for $30 per lesson.   Cala Luna   Tamarindo’s leading wellness hub, Cala Luna , offers guests a fitness experience daily including three complimentary morning courses throughout the week. Private classes are available for a fee. The yoga flow is usually Vinyasa or Hatha style.  The open-air yoga-shala is surrounded by dense jungle where monkeys roam freely and the tropical wind carries the scent of exotic flowers into the shala during Savasana. There are occasionally yoga retreats at Cala Luna, typically in September and October.   Blue Osa   Blue Osa is one of the most popular places for yoga in Costa Rica. The center is self-described as a place for “learning, self-study, and transformation.” Blue Osa offers yoga courses led by trained teachers year-round in addition to meditation, breath-work, and mindfulness classes. The curriculum offers many styles of yoga such as Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga, Yin, Restorative, Anusara, Jivamukti, and more. Guests who join the program with the Spa and Best of Costa Rica packages will enjoy one complimentary yoga class per day at 4 PM. Those who seek a more immersive experience to deepen their yoga practice will want to book the Private Yoga Retreat which allows guests to work one-on-one with a yoga teacher for their entire stay and enjoy twice-daily classes. Blue Osa also offers comprehensive Yoga-Alliance accredited yoga teacher training throughout the year. The transformational teacher training courses are offered at 200-hours or 300-hours that prepare new teachers to lead safe and intelligently sequenced yoga classes.    Selina   Those on a budget need to look no further than the Selina hostel chain which offers yoga classes at all 10 of their locations in Costa Rica including San Jose, Manuel Antonio, Jaco, La Fortuna, Puerto Viejo, Tamarindo, Nosara, Monteverde, and two locations in Santa Teresa. The yoga practices are usually a Vinyasa style.  The beach locations are most popular for those who can’t resist an afternoon yoga session as waves crash nearby and salt lingers in the air. Jungle yoga is also very popular as you might just spot a sloth spying on you as you strike a tree pose. It’s best to reserve in advance either at the reception or the Selina app. Outside guests are welcome to join in. Fees for the classes depend on the location but are usually around $5 or less. 

Solo travel is one of the most rewarding experiences. You get to build an itinerary around exactly what your heart desires. We asked some of our favorite sustainable travel influencers for their sage advice for solo travelers. Here are their top 10 tips.   1. Arrive during the day “It’s always best to plan your flights so that you arrive during the day. This way you’ll be able to familiarize yourself with the area when people are around. In my opinion, it’s worth the price difference no matter how tempting it may be,” Devorah Walker of Walk With Ms. Walker says.   2. Designate a "backup" in case of an emergency “Since I usually travel alone, my dad is my backup on everything in case of an emergency. He has access to a Google Drive that has copies of my scanned passport, credit cards, insurance card, and other important papers for my house and car. I also added him to my checking and savings accounts, and he has all of my passwords. I share all of my flight and hotel itineraries with him too, so at least one person has a rough idea of where I am,” Brianne Miers of A Traveling Life says.   3. Set clear intentions for your trip "Having a clear intention provides parameters that will simplify decision-making and prevent brain-drain. What you hope to do and what you hope to get out of it. Adventure? Relaxation? Education? It's important because we need our brainpower to travel consciously since our world is currently set up in such a way that sustainable choices are often the less convenient choices to make," Bonnie Culbertson of Earth Regarded Travel says.   4. Research local laws and culture in advance “Learn and respect the laws and culture of wherever you’re traveling to. Research, learn and be mindful to not assume that the world operates just like home. There have been too many unfortunate cases of those jailed abroad or participating in culturally ignorant behavior. When you’re traveling solo and you violate a law or disrespect a culture, you have no allies to bail you out,” Yoli Ouiya of YolisGreenLiving.com says.   5. Learn some of the local language before you travel  “Whenever I travel, I aim to learn at least some basic words of the local language before I go, with apps such as Duolingo. I've found being knowledgeable of the language on the ground useful for both getting me around new destinations and making me feel safer traveling alone because I know enough to understand the situation I'm in and be able to communicate with local people,” Steph Dyson of Worldly Adventurer says.   6. Make sure your phone has service “Get a local or international SIM card with Internet access: This helps a lot, especially when you don't speak the local language or get lost,” Elaine Villatoro of Live More, Travel More says.   7. Utilize reusable menstruation products “If you haven’t switched to a reusable menstrual cup yet, you’re missing out! Never buy another box of pads or tampons again. Practice using a menstrual cup at home to get the hang of it and then bring it with you on your next trip,” Ashley Renne of Hey Ashley Renne says.   8. Turn to social media to make travel buddies “Joining local Facebook groups will help you make friends and connections within the community. It's also a nice opportunity to see and do things with people you might not want to do solo,” Tara Tadlock of Silly Little Kiwi says. “As a solo traveler, I recommend checking out Facebook groups and trying to connect with like-minded people before I visit a destination. I use groups like Girls Love Travel or Pebble Pod ,” Malou Morgan of Skip to Malou says.   9. Eat in restaurants and cafes owned by locals “Spend your money supporting local businesses and putting money into their community. This is a great way to meet locals who are enthusiastic about you trying their traditional food and learn more about their culture whilst traveling. Try to avoid international food chains like McDonald’s where your money doesn’t enter the local economy,” Charlie Marchant of Charlie on Travel says.   10. Connect with locals “As a solo traveler, you can gain great insight into a place and culture simply by connecting with locals. During my travels, I seek out social enterprises, businesses whose core values revolve around the positive social and environmental benefit of the local community, and through discussions with founders or employees, I find myself becoming informed and educated on local developments, with insider tips on the nooks less-traveled, Bianca Caruana of The Altruistic Traveller .