About Us

About Us

Who are we?

Greetings! It’s really nice that you want to know more about us!

We are Andres and Ashita, a backpacker couple that has been together since September 2018. But our traveler’s adventures started separately long before.

Andres was a web developer working and living in Italy. He was doing great! But when the company he worked for offered him a lifetime contract, he started questioning his life plan. Finally, he decided that he wanted to see the world. He bought a one-way ticket to Mexico, where he spent 3 months living the good life. His journey took him through Belize, Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panamá. 

I started my journey when I got the opportunity to work on a cruise ship as a children’s animator. Back then, I studied psychology and worked in the family business. Once I tasted the nomad lifestyle, I knew I could never go back to “normality”. So when I went back to Argentina, I decided to go on a backpacking trip through South and Central America. I started in Brazil, but I felt in love with the Country and spent almost 3 years there! 

When I was ready to continue my path to the north, Andres and I met during our time in Colombia

Since then, we have shared our last 2 months in Colombia and worked during the summer season in Ecuador. We spent 6 months in Peru nearly for free! After that, we crossed the border to Bolivia, where we volunteer at a hostel in La Paz. 

We have been briefly in Argentina, where we volunteered at Cordoba and spent time with my family and friends in Buenos Aires. In Uruguay, we visited Andres’s family and enjoyed Montevideo and its surroundings. 

Now, we are writing Maps and Words from Brazil, where we had been for over 8 months.

about us

During this time, we worked at hostels, bars, and restaurants. We tried sandboarding on the Huacachina desert and watched the snow falling in La Paz. Visited islands, mountains, and beaches. Enjoyed big loud cities and quiet tiny towns. Hitchhiked our way, traveled by buses, by motorcycles, boats, and planes. Slept at hostels and rented our own houses. But our most important achievement: we made friends from all over the world and shared unforgettable moments with the most amazing people.

Our next adventure? It could be anywhere!

Do you have any question or comment to us? Use the Contact Us page to get in touch. We will be happy to answer you as soon as possible!

Authors

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Andres Viviani

Hello! I'm Andres. I'm from Italy but I grew up traveling around with my family. I have been backpacking for 2 years now trough Central and South America. I'm a freelance web developer, and with Maps and Words I found the way to combine my two passions: traveling and developing.

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Ashita Lopez

Hi! My name is Ayelén, but everyone calls me Ashita. I'm from Argentina. I have been traveling for over 5 years. When I'm traveling, I work as a bartender and waitress to support my nomad lifestyle. I have recently started my freelance career as a content writer and translator.

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