Antigua’s the kind of place where you’ll run into people from all around the world in any number of coffee shops, especially with so many opportune for remote work.
I kept catching glimpses that would take you to Lake Atitlan, Tikal, or even neighboring countries. Tegucigalpa. Belmopan.
It made it easy to start daydreaming of the parallel world where I could turn this weeks-long trip into a months-long string of stays across Central America. I did similar trips throughout my early 20s in different regions and I couldn’t help but be nostalgic for the era when “travel was easy.”
Except… it wasn’t that easy then either. Just hard in different ways. I was completely broke. I deliberately booked flights that allowed me to sleep in an airport, all just to save 18€. The odd jobs I found in between stretches abroad were odd, but they allowed me to see quite a bit.
It was super memorable, but it wasn’t easy. It’s probably even more memorable because it wasn’t easy. But sometimes that detail gets lost in nostalgia.
I try my best, now, not to elevate any other moment over the present, because that’s all I’ve got to work with. It really is special that I get to go places with this family. Seeing my kids discover stuff adds a whole new layer of wonder. It’s something a past me would’ve been so excited to look forward to.