Enjoying a historical tour in Río

Ah, the joys of trying to build a YouTube following while navigating the maze of modern technology. Spoiler alert: it’s not for the faint of heart. 😵‍💫

So there I was, excitedly running a giveaway for my brand-new travel channel. You know, the classic move to lure in subscribers like a moth to a flame. But guess what? One of the winners decided that the prize I offered wasn’t to her liking. Yes, folks, entitlement is alive and well, and it decided to manifest in my DMs.

Imagine this: I’m trying to juggle all the things while she bombards me with messages on Instagram and YouTube, demanding a prize of her choosing. 🤦🏾‍♀️ I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the one who reported my channel—nothing says “success” like someone trying to shut you down, right? 😅

But wait, there’s more! As if my email issues weren’t enough, I discovered that my Airbnb account was locked. Apparently, booking a million experiences upon landing in Río raised some electronic eyebrows. Who knew that living my best life could be mistaken for fraud? 😓 After a marathon of phone calls to customer service, I finally got my account back, just in time to jump into my next adventure.

Pro Tip: If you like to live dangerously and book your Airbnb Experiences last minute, give yourself a 48-hour window between bookings. Or, if you’re feeling tech-savvy, consider using a VPN to change your location. I didn’t go that route, but it sounds like a solid plan.

With two precious hours gone unraveling the mysteries of Gmail, YouTube, and Airbnb, I finally managed to catch up on some client work. With a divorce party, moving my stuff into storage, and planning my South American escapade, tax extensions flew out like confetti so I had some catching up to do!

Fast forward to my historical tour of Rio. I was so short on time that I slapped on a bit of brow gel and dashed out without my usual full face of makeup—truly living the travel dream! 🫣 I hopped into an Uber, camera in hand to document the sites outside my window and suddenly found myself gripped by terror. My Portuguese speaking driver was deep in conversation, and I had no clue what he was saying. To calm my nerves, I faked a phone call like a pro until I reached the meetup point.

Now, picture this: my tour guide, Carlos, approaches the car, and I’m half-expecting him to be part of the kidnapping plot. But fear not! He quickly eased my panic and dove into a fascinating introduction to Rio’s history.

As we strolled through the cobbled streets, dodging puddles and bits of trash (reminiscent of my strolls on Bourbon Street), I learned that many of Rio’s historical buildings were not so much “preserved” as they were “neglected.” 🫤 It’s a shame because the history is rich, but the buildings appeared to be quite the opposite.

The tour highlight? The famous Escadaria Selarón! Can you believe this artist created this artistic marvel from 100% donated tiles? Many tiles featured a pregnant African woman who was rumored to be his secret lover. Talk about drama! 🤩After striking my poses on the vibrant steps, Carlos whisked me off to a local restaurant to enjoy my very first caipirinha—the first of many, I assure you!

As it turns out, Carlos is a lawyer, entrepreneur, historian, and hostel owner. The pandemic hit his businesses hard, but his Airbnb experience tours were helping keep his dreams alive.

After a whirlwind day, I returned to my hotel, plowed through more tax returns, and capped off the night with a chat with Plant Daddy. 🥰 Just another day in the life of a traveler balancing chaos and adventure!

Stay tuned for more escapades, and remember: if things go sideways, just fake a phone call. You never know when it might save you!