Home Podcasts El Cafecito Travel Talks
El Cafecito Travel Talks

El Cafecito Travel Talks

Tony Lloyd 51 Episodes Oct 11, 2026

El Cafecito Travel Talks is a travel and cultural podcast hosted by Tony Lloyd, a travel planner and hostel owner with over 25 years in Latin America. Each episode features conversations with travelers, expats, and community leaders about their experiences stepping outside their comfort zones. The show explores travel, culture, community, and identity, with a focus on Latin America and Afro-descendant communities. It aims to inspire listeners to see the world through different eyes.

Episodes

#73 Ride Through the Fear
#73 Ride Through the Fear Oct 11, 2026 1259 Andrii left Ukraine years ago, lived in Belgium and Canada, and eventually decided to take on a journey he had dreamed about for a long time.Now he is travelling through South America by bicycle, carrying everything he needs with him and moving one day at a time toward Ushuaia.In this episode, we talk about what pushed him to begin, what it feels like to travel through fear instead of waiting for
#72 One Trip Changed Everything
#72 One Trip Changed Everything Oct 6, 2026 1397 What happens when a trip you never planned changes the direction of your life?Hannah, a nurse from Wales, never imagined herself becoming a long-term traveller. A friend invited her on a trip through Southeast Asia, where a series of unexpected encounters eventually brought her into Sean’s orbit, a Canadian solo traveller who had already left his job to spend months on the road.They went their sep
#71 What Is Enough? Choosing a Life of Travel
#71 What Is Enough? Choosing a Life of Travel Oct 3, 2026 1289 What does “enough” really mean?Dave spent around 20 years working in accounting and finance before eventually realising that the life he had built was no longer the life he wanted. At 45, he stepped away from that career, became a bartender, and later began building a life centred around long-term travel.In this episode, Dave talks about travelling for months at a time, balancing expensive destina
#70 A Woman’s Journey Into Plant Medicine
#70 A Woman’s Journey Into Plant Medicine Sep 26, 2026 1369 What does it mean for a woman to enter the world of plant medicine — especially in another country, placing her trust in people she may barely know?Phoenix grew up between two worlds: New York and Ecuador. Those experiences eventually brought her back to Cuenca, where spirituality, Reiki, women’s circles and San Pedro became an important part of her life.In this episode of El Cafecito Travel Talks
#69 Travel Longer by Volunteering
#69 Travel Longer by Volunteering Sep 19, 2026 879 How do you travel for six months without spending like a tourist every day?In this episode, I speak with Mirella, a young traveller of Cameroonian heritage who grew up in Germany and France and has spent several months travelling through Latin America.Along the way, she volunteered in Colombia and Ecuador, including as an English teaching assistant, at a refugee shelter, and with an Afro-Ecuadoria
#68 Starting a New Chapter Abroad
#68 Starting a New Chapter Abroad Sep 13, 2026 1204 What happens when the life you planned abroad suddenly changes?In this episode of El Cafecito Travel Talks, Tony heads into the countryside outside Cuenca, Ecuador, with Mary and three dogs  for a conversation about travel, relocation, community, loss and starting over.Mary had already lived around the world before eventually settling in Colorado, where she spent decades working in real estate and
#67  I Got Tired of Paying Rent
#67 I Got Tired of Paying Rent Sep 9, 2026 1009 What happens when rising rent makes you rethink not just where you live — but how you live?Chris worked in construction in the United States before deciding he’d had enough of paying rent. That decision led to four years of van life and, eventually, a journey through Latin America.Over tea at El Cafecito in Cuenca, Ecuador, we talk about how an unexpected trip to Colombia for affordable dental wor
#66 Ayahuasca: Beyond the Ceremony (Part 3 of 3) Before You Try Ayahuasca
#66 Ayahuasca: Beyond the Ceremony (Part 3 of 3) Before You Try Ayahuasca Sep 3, 2026 1130 Someone listening to this series may inevitably be wondering: Is ayahuasca for me?That’s where we begin the final part of my conversation with Daniel Hannah.Daniel talks about mental preparation, intention and respect for the traditions surrounding ayahuasca. We discuss what someone should look for when choosing a retreat, whether doing ayahuasca in its traditional South American setting matters,
#65 Ayahuasca: Beyond the Ceremony (Part 2 of 3) The Vision Quest
#65 Ayahuasca: Beyond the Ceremony (Part 2 of 3) The Vision Quest Aug 28, 2026 1418 What happens when you remove almost everything we normally depend on, food, water, phones, entertainment and even our sense of time?In Part 2 of my conversation with Daniel Hannah, we move beyond ayahuasca itself and into one of the more extreme experiences on his journey: a four-day, four-night vision quest in Peru’s Sacred Valley.Daniel describes entering isolation at roughly 3,500 metres, with
#64 AYAHUASCA: BEYOND THE CEREMONY (Part 1 of 3) The Journey Begins
#64 AYAHUASCA: BEYOND THE CEREMONY (Part 1 of 3) The Journey Begins Aug 24, 2026 1460 What leads someone from ordinary travel into the world of plant medicine?In Part 1 of this three-part conversation, Tony sits down with Australian traveller Daniel Hannah to talk about the journey that eventually led him to ayahuasca and a very different way of looking at healing, spirituality and personal growth.Daniel shares his story of travelling since 2016, his early experiences with psychede
#63 What Does an Ecuadorian Look Like?
#63 What Does an Ecuadorian Look Like? Aug 22, 2026 1520 Douglas Chang was born in Ecuador, but his family story began thousands of kilometres away in China.Three of his grandparents came from China to Ecuador with very little, eventually settling in small communities near Guayaquil. Douglas remembers stories of his grandmother, his father leaving school at 12 to work, the family running small businesses, and the importance of cacao at a time when it re
#62 Finding Family In Ecuador
#62 Finding Family In Ecuador Aug 16, 2026 1467 When Hannah O’Hare Bennett arrived in Ecuador as a Peace Corps agriculture volunteer, she wanted more than travel...she wanted to build relationships and truly understand a place.Placed in a small rural community near Saraguro, Hannah initially struggled with isolation, limited Spanish and the thought of spending two full years away from home. But through the patience, humour and warmth of her hos

Recommended