La Jaimita
About Me
When I was 19 I took my first backpacking trip – it was love at first night train. With generous paid time off from my job, I continued to travel a significant amount after college. Finagling days off, strategically planned flights, and tireless itineraries, I made my way through my ever growing list of places I wanted to see and things that I wanted to do. Both a toxic trait but maybe also a strength is if I’m told I can’t do something, I’ll find a way.
While traveling in Asia, I met people who were traveling long term. They weren’t a slave to an itinerary and they were able to stay in a place for as long as their heart desired. This concept is quite foreign to most people from the US, especially pre pandemic, and it became my goal.
February of 2020, I finally quit my job in New York and was off to India with a one way ticket. After only a month, COVID hit, and I was met with a decision; I could stay indefinitely in a hostel, as India was going into lockdown, or go home. I begrudgingly flew home, and after working for a brief stint in Los Angeles, I resumed my travels in July of 2021. This time I found myself in Colombia and spent the next two years traveling, mainly in South and Central America with a brief stint in Europe and Africa.
I’ve always enjoyed writing, as well as sharing travel recommendations, so I figured, why not learn to make a word press and put all of my ideas in one place. So bare with my amateur writing, iphone photography, and website design skills. Hoping it will help people get the most out of their travels and improve the ability to share tips we all learn along the way.
travel Style
My travel style doesn’t exactly fit into one category, and I hope for that reason, my travel guides can be relatable to many. I’m primarily a solo backpacker, however most of the time, solo travelers don’t travel solo for long. I’ve learned to enjoy my own company, but tend to find myself with other people, either travelers or locals, or even the occasional meet up with friends or family from home.
I’m not the classic digital nomad, but I do love traveling with a purpose. Whether that be learning a language, a side gig, planning future trips, or writing this blog. Thus, I can appreciate a solid coffee shop with people watching, outlets, and high speed internet.
In regards to a budget, I’m on one … I’m not sure how else I would be able to sustain long term travel without a formal income. I’m not afraid of a bare minimum hostel bunkbed, but I’m also not opposed to splurging for an experience, a comfortable hotel or airbnb here and there. Maybe elderly in the travel crowd at age 29, I’ve worked enough, saved enough, that I can straddle the spectrum of budget to find the balance that works for me.
I acknowledge that a travel style is important when reading a blog. That’s why I’m hoping to create a space to collaborate with other travelers with different profiles, interests, time and money allocations to create recommendations for everyone. So please let me know your experiences!
How I Got The Name
The name Jaimita originated in Mexico City, 3 months into my trip. I was complaining that the Uber drivers never let me into the car because my name is Jamie (Jay-mee). Jaime (High-me) in Spanish is in fact a boy’s name, as I’ve been reminded countless times. There is little flexibility in regards to gender neutrality in these regions. Anyways, with a little innovation, Jaimita, “little girl Jamie”, was born.
