If you’re doing a South America trip and flirting with the idea of going “a bit further” for something special, but restrained by time or money, you’ll probably end up weighing up the Galápagos Islands versus Easter Island. They’re both remote. They’re both expensive. They both look incredible on Instagram. But beyond that, they’re completely different experiences—and picking the wrong one for your travel style may feel like a very costly mistake. Here’s the honest view - we

Like Madrid, Quito was simply an overnight airport stop. We booked the Holiday Inn Quito Airport  on points, mainly because it offered a shuttle bus. Immigration was painfully slow — one of those queues that barely seems to move. By the time we finally emerged, we were exhausted. Thankfully, the shuttle was waiting right outside, which felt like a small but significant win. In hindsight, we probably should have chosen the Courtyard by Marriott Quito Airport , which was walkin