A Little ¡Vamos!Travel. Learn. Get curious.
A little curiosity goes a long way.

Life's better
with a little
¡vamos!

A world to explore. A language to bring it closer.
Come for the travel stories, stay for a little Spanish—and bring your curiosity.

Travel with Karen →Spanish with Karen →
A little adventure. A little español. A lot of possibility.
White sand and vivid turquoise water from Karen’s travels
A little vitamin sea ☀
Karen smiling with alpacas and snowy mountains behind her
Made a few new friends.
Pack your
curiosity!
A world of possibilities.
Saltwater daysColorful detoursStories worth bringing homeUn poquito de español
My kind of travel

A cooler packed. A new beach every day.
And a really good story to tell when you get home.

Curaçao, you have my heart. ♡
From the travel notebook

Straight from my travel notebook.

Explore the route behind the adventure, starting with a journey through Ecuador's highlands.

Ecuador · June / July 2026

Along the
Avenue of
the Volcanoes.

11 days of discovery →

Markets, mountain landscapes, and historic cities: an Ecuador itinerary that makes room for more than one kind of adventure.

OtavaloCotopaxiChimborazoCuencaQuito
Days 1–2 · Otavalo & the surrounding highlands

The itinerary begins in Otavalo, with town squares, Cuicocha, and Cotacachi on the plan.

Days 3–5 · Cotopaxi & Chimborazo

Hacienda El Porvenir is the base for the Cotopaxi portion, with a Green Trail sunset hike and Laguna Limpiopungo in the notes. The route continues to Chimborazo Lodge.

Days 6–8 · Time in Cuenca

Three nights in Cuenca leave space for a walking tour of the center, the Panama Hat Museum, and a bus tour from Parque Calderón.

Days 9–11 · A Quito finish

The closing stretch includes historic Quito, the Basilica del Voto Nacional, and TeleferiQo before the journey home.

Adapted from Karen's itinerary notes. An itinerary records a plan; it does not confirm every activity was completed.

Places in my travel journal

Oh, the places we go!

Most recent first.

Loading my world…

Visited · select to exploreMap: Natural Earth

Pick a place. Come along.

Choose a shaded country or island to explore my travels.

All stories →Itineraries →Find a destination ↓

  1. Québec City, Canada2026
  2. Cape Coral, Florida2026
  3. Saint Lucia2026
  4. Ecuador2026
  5. Portland, Maine2026
  6. Bonaire2026
  7. Aguadilla, Puerto Rico2026
  8. Honduras2025
  9. Ireland2025
  10. Orlando / Disney World, Florida2025
  11. Sicily, Italy2025
  12. Peru2025
  13. Asbury Park, New Jersey2025
  14. Panama2024
  15. El Salvador2024
  16. Dominican Republic2024
  17. Curaçao2024
  18. Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil & Paraguay2024
  19. Belgium2024
  20. Miami, Florida2024
  21. Guatemala2023
  22. Albania2023
  23. Nova Scotia, Canada2023
  24. Saugatuck, Michigan2023
  25. Costa Rica & Nicaragua2023
  26. Poconos, Pennsylvania2022
  27. Sweden2022
  28. Cape May, New Jersey2022
  29. Rhode Island2022
  30. Naples, Italy2022
  31. Chile2022
  32. Camelback, Pennsylvania2022
  33. Belleayre, New York2022
  34. The Villages, Florida2021
  35. Burlington, Vermont2021
  36. Tampa, Florida2021
  37. Cartagena, Colombia2021
  38. Aruba2021
  39. Key West, Florida2021
  40. Michigan2020
  41. Barcelona, Spain2019
  42. Oslo, Norway2019
  43. Faroe Islands2019
  44. Montréal, Canada2019
  45. Cuba2018
  46. Savannah & Atlanta, Georgia2018
  47. The Bahamas2018
  48. Iceland2017
  49. Marco Island, Florida2017
  50. Mackinac Island, Michigan2017
  51. Riviera Maya, Mexico2017
  52. Hollywood, Florida2016
  53. San Juan, Puerto Rico2016
  54. London, England & Scotland2016
  55. Fort Lauderdale, Florida2015
  56. Switzerland & France2010
  57. Mexico2005
  58. CanadaUndated
Through my lens

A few favorite moments.

My photos. My travels. A little ¡vamos!

Karen waving in front of a white church with blue trimWhite sand and vivid turquoise water beneath a cloudy skyKaren with alpacas and snowy mountains in the backgroundA sailboat silhouetted against an orange sunsetClear blue water seen from a rocky coastal lookoutA surfer on a palm-lined beach at sunset
More from my camera roll
Karen on a swing beneath a leaning palm treeKaren enjoying an evening outdoors with an illuminated temple in the distanceKaren with lush greenery and a mountain behind herGolden sunlight reflected on the sea beneath a palm frondSunlit sand and clear water along a quiet shorelineA volcanic crater with a pale turquoise lakeAn underwater travel snapshot with a bright orange starfishTwo travelers standing above a volcanic crater lake
Karen waving in front of a white church with blue trim
¡Hola! That’s me. — Karen
¡Hola! I’m Karen.

A school calendar.
A world of possibilities.

I'm Karen, an elementary Spanish teacher who makes the most of a school break. My travel history goes from Puerto Rico and Central America to European cities and Ecuador's highlands.

One of my favorite ways to spend a trip? A different Curaçao beach every day, a packed cooler, a sandwich on the sand, and hours in the water. Give me a little adventure and plenty of time to enjoy it.

A Little ¡Vamos! brings together two parts of my life: exploring the world and bringing Spanish to life in the classroom. You'll find my travel notes here alongside the creative projects I make for my students.

Let’s go! — Karen
Spanish with Karen

Un poquito de español.
A whole lot of imagination.

Creative projects and playful ways to bring Spanish to life.

Welcome to my classroom corner.

I'm a K–5 Spanish teacher who loves giving students something to create, explore, and make their own. Visit my Spanish lesson site for activities, lessons, and classroom resources.

Open Pasaporte al español →

My Spanish lesson site · Currently a private preview

In the classroom. Out in the world.Keep a little ¡vamos! in your day.Back to the top ↑