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I was visiting an indigenous community in Ecuador during my winter break, in an area known for its beautiful Andean landscapes. However, my favorite photo of this trip is not of mountains, it is of the indigenous women preparing a community dinner on a Sunday parents' meeting outside the local school, on a bonfire. The women were kind enough to let me photograph their cooking. The smells, the crackling fire and the constant stirring and toasting of peanuts will forever be in my mind. I even had a taste of roasted guinea pig!

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A Community Dinner
by Michelle Arevalo, Berkeley, CA

Michelle's Dream Trip
Africa: From Zambia to Zanzibar

This trip of a lifetime would be an escape into fantastic resorts as well as a grounding in Africa's reality, in the company of my best friend and fellow traveler-for-life: my husband. Together, we would explore the Africa of dreamy portrayals in novels and learn from the strength of communities we read about in the newspaper.

Visiting Africa would appease a curiosity for the continent I have had my entire life, starting when I was a child and dreamed of riding through the bush in a jeep, with eyes wide open to spot the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo). As I grew older and became a refugee legal aid councilor, I learned of the proud African people, their rich culture, and their struggles for survival—the itinerary for this trip has always been clear in my mind.

The first portion of our dream vacation would be overland—the best way to live my destination. We would begin in Zambia at Victoria Falls and continue on a tour that would take us through Namibia and end in Cape Town. We would experience Africa intensely: hear what the Zambezi river sounds like, smell the red sand of the Namib desert and listen to stories from the elders of the Himba tribe.

We would then criss-cross the continent to the second portion of this adventure to indulge in a fantasy at Kenya's Cottars 1920s camp. This idyllic old-fashioned safari could not be more authentic, with the grandson of Calvin Cottar himself as a guide. We would bid farewell to Africa in style at Palms Zanzibar Resort, where I would watch the sunset while lingering over fresh Tanzanian coffee, cherishing memories from the trip.

Michelle's Travel Tips

• Carrying a mobile during longer trips abroad can be a lifesaver, but you don't need to pay expensive roaming charges. Buy SIM cards locally, then all you need is an unlocked cell phone.

• Learn about the laundry situation at your destination before you pack. In some countries, you can find cheap laundry services outside the hotel. If this is not the case, this can make all the difference, especially if you find out it is less costly to buy a whole new outfit for what your hotel would charge you for laundry services—a great excuse to go shopping!

• Make souvenirs more memorable by shopping in local NGO shops. When we were in Cambodia this summer we found no lack of opportunities to shop for a cause, be it music CDs from a landmine-survivor ensemble or postcards benefitting a local orphanage.