On my first day in Ecuador the entire cast was finally united and we strolled through Old Town on our way to El Panecillo (the Little Bread Loaf), a famous hill with incredible views of Quito.

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(QUITO: Premières impressions)

I have been in Quito for two weeks now. I do like this city a lot, and love Ecuador even more. I feel at home.

Voici deux semaines que je suis à Quito. J’aime beaucoup cette ville, et l’Equateur encore plus. Je me sens chez moi.

Hi reader/viewer/tweeter/traveler/fan/ray of light (you’re more than one thing, why should I box you in?).  I’m Courtney and I’m also more than one thing.

Once, confined to a New York City cubicle I daydreamed of a life less regular.  One without constraints, without punch cards, without pant suits, and without rules.  Then in 2007 I quit my job to find said life and moved to Italy solo.  It was magical.  I started a blog.

My initial findings were anything but predictable:  real chicks do eat pasta, not all toilets have seats, and somewhere inside me was a new me.  A me that doesn’t need a television or someone telling me what to do (“Excuse me, could you please file my Awesome notes on my Awesome Idea in my Awesome Idea folder, please?”).  I found a me that can consume an entire jar of Nutella in one sitting.  The me that likes bicycles with baskets and fumbling through foreign languages and seeing the look on people’s faces when you tell them that they control their own destiny.

Ok, I got carried away.

But this new life of new-age travel journalism DOES suit me. I have spent the last three years feeling gloriously free, professionally satisfied, and pitifully underpaid. And what more can you want out of your twenties?  Besides dancing in drum circles and seeing how long you can feed yourself on supermarket samples (because those are good things to want out of life, too).

I don’t feel bad for inspiring others to quit their jobs or for wearing spandex as pants.  I do feel bad for people who are in an perpetual state of waiting…for what?  Why let your preexisting expectations of “grown up” hold you back?  Dance more and extract yourself from the cube. I’ve tried it. You’ll love it. (Psst: It’s MY Awesome Idea. Suck on that, Corporate America.)

Get the skinny on my big fat adventure here or get the scoop directly from the source—me!—at Courtney@jetsetzero.tv.

We’ve got an announcement – a big one.

Starting tomorrow we will start releasing content and stories from a whole new group of Jet Set Zero cast members, in a whole new location – Italy.

Not only will this be the first time that we have had a season in Europe, it will also be the first time that we have done two seasons at the same time.  It will be a big challenge, but we’re excited to share stories of travelers from around the world and we couldn’t think of a better next location than Italy (I know the moon would totally be better, but give us time).

Check back tomorrow as we start to reveal the identities of the new cast.  As of tomorrow you’ll also be able to go to www.jetsetzero.tv/italy for updates on what happens with the cast on their Italy adventure or www.jetsetzero.tv/quito for updates on the Quito cast.  And as always jetsetzero.tv will be a home for the stories and videos from all the locations.

We couldn’t be happier to have this new team on board and be able to share their journey with you.  Check back all week for introduction and on June 4th for their first day in Italy.

-Brian

Finally arrived in Quito after a strenuous 30 hours of traveling. (more…)

This past weekend I was blessed with good weather and good friends as we celebrated my 28th birthday with a little cerveza, guacamole and a full mariachi band.  I want to thank everyone who was able to make it out and make this the best birthday I’ve ever had on any continent. Here are some pics and a short video to give you a taste of the festivities. Wish you all could have been here!

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(Version française plus bas)

In his last post Freddie described our weekend at Mount Puñay. And yes, the hike was a little challenging but definitely feasible, the sunset beautiful, the sea of clouds a breathtaking sight.

BUT, and this is a big ”but”, this is not the trip we paid for.

The man we all know as "Evan-the-cameraman, at sunset."

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(Version française plus bas)

Ryan arrived at Quito airport two days ago, at the same time as the relics of an Italian nun that are touring South America.

Jenna arrived late last night after a long bus trip from Colombia to Quito.

Now the JS0 team is complete! Let’s rock and roll!

Ryan´s arrival!

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It’s Friday.  You know what that means – another new episode.

This week sees the girls exploring different paths – Kris shops for a motorbike, Serene reveals a recent relationship close to her heart and Jen says goodbye. 

How do the girls deal with the realities of relationships on the road?  What does this mean for the team as they move forward in Saigon?

As always great work by our Field Producer/Editor Evan, and stateside editor Jed. 

Got a comment or suggestion? Let us know what you think.  We read every email and appreciate each and every piece of feedback (web@jetsetzero.tv).

Enjoy.

NEW EPISODE HERE

One of my biggest goals this year was to explore the Andes mountains. This past weekend Laurene and I with the help of our trusty guide, Mauri and a burro made the ascent to the top of Mount Puñay which is about a 6 hour bus ride from Quito. Puñay is over 3 km above sea level and a hell of a hike if you haven’t hit the gym in a few months as was the case for me. The reason we chose this mountain was that at the summit was a long forgotten temple that only recently was rediscovered by surveyors flying over the area. Mauri, a university student majoring in Ecotourism was a wealth of knowledge on this trip and gave us a great deal of insight and perspective. We were told that the temple, known as Huacacñay, was built some 3,500 years BC as an observatory to study the stars and skies. At the top we were welcomed by clouds everywhere we looked. The views from the peak are simply breathtaking and rewarding after climbing for hours in the blazing Andean sun. We ended up camping on Puñay and setting up our tent behind a wall of the temple to avoid having the winds carry us away in the void while we slept. The views at sunset were among the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Can’t wait for Machu Picchu later this year.

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