About

Want to travel in a way that gives you a deeper connection to the places you visit? If you’re someone who craves authentic travel experiences that connect you with the heartbeat of a place, you’re in the right place.

Roaming the Americas is a resource for immersive travel in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

This is a space for everyday adventurers and curious minds who want to go beyond checking things off a list or rushing through an itinerary.

Immerse Yourself in Nature

If you love being in nature, consider yourself outdoorsy-ish, but are maybe sometimes intimidated by the outdoor industry…Hi, welcome. I’m right there with you. Here at RTA, I offer resources for everyday adventurers like you to connect with nature (and yourself) through outdoor experiences. This might mean exploring new places by bike, seeing a landscape with an Indigenous guide, escaping on a nature getaway, going whitewater rafting, learning to read a compass, or taking a waterfall road trip.

Maybe we’ll try something new along the way.

Immerse Yourself in Culture

Or maybe you’re curious about culture and want to connect with people and places in a meaningful way. Learning about a place doesn’t have to feel like writing a research paper or taking a high school history class.

It could be uncovering those less-touristy experiences, or maybe seeing iconic places in unique ways–like taking a hard hat tour of the abandoned hospital on Ellis Island. It could look like learning a language, listening to podcasts before a trip, or taking a cooking class to learn the cultural significance of local dishes.

With curiosity as our guide, there are so many ways to enrich our travels through learning.

Hang around for a bit to discover content that invites you to slow down, savor the moments, and truly connect with the places you visit.

About Naomi

Hey! I’m Naomi Liz (Figueroa)—a writer, photographer, and lover of all things Latin America. I’m a small-town girl from Maine, transplanted to the Philadelphia area for 20 years, and now getting back to my New England roots at my home base in Connecticut. 

At various points in my travels, I’ve picked up my camera and my pen to not just document what I’ve experienced, but to communicate something about what it felt like to be in those places.

My love for the outdoors was instilled at a young age as I grew up traipsing around rural Maine, where camping and hiking were our family “vacations.” As an adult, I’ve realized that I need to learn some practical skills since I no longer have a nurse and an outdoor guide (AKA Mom and Dad) along with me, so I still feel like a beginner in many areas. 

In 2004 I studied abroad in Costa Rica, and it was a catalyst in transforming the way I see travel. Aside from the experience of living with my Tico family, I was pushed out of my comfort zone continuously with assignments that required me to dig below the surface of my assumptions. I had to approach people on the streets and ask them about current events, race relations, immigration, and more—in Spanish. 

What. I’m an introvert. It was terrifying.

But it also taught me that visiting a place isn’t just about seeing new landscapes or tasting exotic foods—culture lives in the people who shape it and are continually shaped by it. 

Nowadays when I travel, I’m guided by my curiosity and belief that every place has a story to tell. And I try to get outside as often as I can in the midst of life as an adult because nature is my retreat and space for reflection. 

Through my content on Roaming the Americas, I’m here to spark some ideas, give you inspiration to get out there and engage, and offer plenty of useful resources for planning your trips.