Lillie Echevarria – Peruvian World Traveler

Lillie Echevarria was born in Lima, Peru. Since an early age, her father subscribed her to a weekly Animal
Kingdom Encyclopedia mailing where her love for animals around the world developed; and, in school - she
found herself dreaming about visiting those remote locations described in her History and Geography classes.

In her late secondary school years, she had the opportunity to become an exchange student in USA – an
important step later to permanently move to the USA for college education and professional growth in the San
Francisco/Bay Area. For ease of travel, she decided to get USA citizenship as problems with the Shining Path
militia were expanding in her homeland.

While working in corporate America, Lillie took every vacation opportunity to visit a new country in the world –
her passion for travel was further ignited by joining several travel groups where she discovered interesting
locations beyond the normal travel routes.

Initially, Lillie set a personal travel goal of visiting 100 countries before she died but then expanded to all 193 UN
countries (+2 UN Observers) when she completed her initial goal in her early 40s.

Lillie is now retired and travelling full time! The nomad lifestyle has been easy except when COVID hit and a
nine-week travel hiatus was spent in lockdown in California… this is also when she decided to complete 3 other
goals of visiting: 1) all 24 regions in her homeland (completed in 2021); 2) All 50 USA States (completed in
2021); and, 3) All USA National Parks (currently at 56 out of 63).

Her vision of visiting the entire world is becoming a reality as she approaches her ultimate goal!

Email: lillietravels@gmail.com

WhatsApp: +1-925-495-7056

Facebook: Lillie Echevarria

1. How many UN countries and Travelers Century Club (TCC) regions have you visited as of today April,
2023? Which were the most challenging to visit?
As of EOM April 2023, I have visited 178 UN countries (out of 195) and 272 TCC regions (out of 330). Most
challenging countries were those in political turmoil or visa availability… West Africa in general is on top of
the list and foresee getting to North Korea could be challenging.

2. How long did you wait for the ship to Tristan Da Cunha and Ascension Island?
My Ross Sea trip was cancelled in 2022 thus when rebooking for February 2023 I learnt the Atlantic Crossing
cruise going to Tristan and Ascension among other places was scheduled a week after my arrival in Ushuaia
– thus, it was an easy transition to continue along (Both trips were managed by the same cruise line in
different ships).

3. What were your last 5 trips?

a. Atlantic Crossing: Ushuaia- St Georgia Island – Tristan Da Cunha Island – St Helena Island – Ascension
Island – Cape Verde (Feb-Apr ’23)
 Lillie Echevarria – Peruvian World Traveler
b. Tasmania (Australia) – New Caledonia – New Zealand – McMurdo Sound (Antarctica) – Ross Sea
Dependency (Antarctica) – Antarctica Peninsula – Ushuaia (Argentina) – (Jan-Feb ’23)
c. Thailand – Myanmar (Nov-Dec ’22)
d. Germany - Italy – Spain – Nigeria (Sept-Oct ’22)
e. Rwanda – DRC – Burundi – Comoros – Mayotte – Reunion – Rodriguez – Mauritius – Seychelles (jul-
Sept ’22)

4. What are your upcoming trips? Currently, I am planning to travel in Asia to complete some of the
remaining countries and regions I am missing… but nothing set in stone.

5. Your TOP 10 best trips (provide photos and details)

a. Motorcycling South America – starting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after Carnival thru Paraguay, Uruguay
and finishing in Buenos Aires, Argentina 3 weeks later on a BMW RGS 1100 as a passenger. I learnt
how to pack lite by only having a small saddlebag to hold my luggage… and survived 😊 – You can
read about this adventure on an article I wrote for ITN magazine when asked if a travel book had
inspired a trip – my story is ½ way into the article.
b. Volunteering at Ngamba Chimpanzee Orphanage in Lake Victoria, Uganda – an eye-opening
experience learning about Chimpanzees and Wildlife Conservation. To prepare, I took a six-month
Docent training course at the Oakland Zoo, California.
c. Road tripping thru Siberia and Mongolia – a month camping expedition from Barnaul (Altai) and
Tuva regions in Russia thru the Mongolian Steppe to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Learnt to pitch a tent,
camp in the wilderness and wash in the river – an out of my comfort zone experience for a city
person.
d. Camping expedition in Chad – in two occasions thru Ennedi and Tibesti Regions. Harsh areas to visit
with amazing landscapes.
e. Sailing the Caribbean – crewing on a private boat from Guadalupe Island (France?) to Aves Island
(Venezuela) and finishing in Dominican Republic and Haiti.
f. Adventuring in Africa for the first time – a month tour thru Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe & South
Africa admiring migration, wildlife, Victoria Falls, Blue train, diamond mines, wine country and
breathtaking landscapes.
g. Participating in the National Porsche Convention – driving my car from San Francisco, California to
Kamloops (Canada) via the Pacific Coastline thru California, Oregon, Washington States and thru the
rugged Canadian British Columbia region.
h. Hiking through Utah National Parks (USA) – a memorable time visiting Arches, Bryce Canyon,
Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion.
i. Gorilla trekking in Uganda, Rwanda and DRC – the perfect trifecta to watch this amazing primate
j. Road tripping in Northern India – Nagaland, Assam & Arunal Pradesh to meet the Apatani Women
and Head Hunters to Kashmir area through the Zaskar mountains into the Ladakh monasteries.

6. Do you have a problem when traveling as a woman?

On a few occasions I have had some experiences with men crossing the line or being disrespectful in
locations where a female is considered inferior yet nothing threatening.

7. In your opinion, is there a difference how Woman and Man travel?

 Lillie Echevarria – Peruvian World Traveler
Not anymore… in the past, I would find fewer solo female travelers adventuring out to complex locations –
nowadays, women are traveling everywhere and adventuring in solo trips around the world. Personally, I
prefer to travel with a local guide and driver in most challenging locations; otherwise, road tripping has
become a preferred mode of travel whenever possible.

8. Can you provide the top 3 women traveler acknowledgments?

It would difficult to only mention three women travelers… to mind comes those pioneers who were the first
traveling solo such as Jane Goodall with her scientific chimpanzee studies in Tanzania, Emilia Earhardt flying
across the continents to name a few.

9. What have been your top 10 culinary adventures or restaurant around the world you have visited?
My selection is not only great culinary locations but the beautiful settings – some of my favorites are:
 By far my 2 wine tasting vacations in Bordeaux to taste 1 st Cru wines and lodging on a 2nd Cru
working Chateau followed by a week in Provence for cooking classes with Michelin star chefs.
 Another memorable dinner was at Burj Khalifa hotel in Dubai for their progressive dinner. A dish
served in each of their 5 restaurants … a delightful experience!
 I remember dinner to celebrate my 21 st birthday in Chicago (Illinois) – drinks at the 94 th Bar and a
delicious dinner at WhiteHall… (check if it still exists)
 Meals aboard the Hiram Bingham train from Cuzco to Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu (Peru) – a
beautiful celebration of Peruvian cuisine, drinks, music while enjoying the panoramic views.
 While riding the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town (South Africa) enjoying views, meals and
drinks in a relaxing atmosphere.
 Attending dinner at the first 3* female Michelin chef in San Francisco – Atelier Crenn.
 Memorable dinner with beautiful violin music at Millesti Wine Cave (Moldova) – the largest wine
cave in the world (approx. 50km).
 Champagne brunch after ballooning over the Masai Mara Migration while wildlife roamed around
and even approached the impromptu setup location (The cooking staff follows the balloon and will
set up brunch around an area where the balloon would land… given the winds, the location is never
the same).
 Dinner at In The Dark (San Francisco) – a sensory experience inside a restaurant n the dark. You eat
your entire meal in the dark! You pre-order your meal before entering the dining area where the
food is served by blind waiters.
 Devouring fresh caught crab in Kamchatka (Russia) while cruising in the Bering Sea.

10. What are your top cruises in the world you have experience and why?
I am new to the cruising world and honestly not fond of traveling with large groups of people. Recently
though, I embarked on a few; thus, the most interesting ones were:
 Greenland – 17-day cruise from Reykjavik (Iceland) to the East and Western side of Greenland with
Ponant, an equal culinary and scenic adventure.
 The Ross Sea – 33-day expedition from Bluff (New Zealand), down to Ross Sea Dependency and
finishing in Ushuaia, Argentina with Oceanwide Expeditions with helicopter rides.
 Marquesas – 14-day cargo cruise from Papeete (French Polynesia) visiting several islands in the
Tuamotus and Marquesas with Aranui 5.
 Peruvian Amazon – 5-day cruise from Iquitos to the Peruvian Amazon with Delfin Cruises.
 Lillie Echevarria – Peruvian World Traveler
11. Any general thoughts or advice for those planning to travel the world?
With the use of internet and social media, traveling around the world has become an easier task than before
– you can find information almost instantly on anything in a country.
Personally, I would suggest to do some homework and learn a bit on your destination (Learn the basics in
their language [hello, thank you at least] and Identify locations of interest); Take your time, savor the
moment; Travel light; and, have local currency in addition to some Euros and US dollars… not every place is
cashless.

12. Since you are based in San Francisco/Bay Area in California – can you provide some special places for
those wanting to visit?
California in general have so many locations to visit starting with nine different National Parks: Yosemite,
Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Channel Islands, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Lassen, Pinnacles, Redwood. Along the
way, there are: mountain ranges great for hiking, skiing, camping; wine areas, coastal drives, etc. The State
offers a rich diversity depending on your interests. Some of my favorites are: Napa Valley for wine tasting;
San Francisco – a melting pot of many cultures mixed with great Art and Pop scene… nearby you can head
North to walk around the Redwood trees; South to Silicon Valley… a fantastic drive is from San Francisco to
Los Angeles thru the CA-1 coastal road. Best time to visit is September-October when the weather is
comfortable my with less tourists on the road. Hidden gems: whale watching in Monterey year round;
hiking Lake Tahoe/Sierra Mountains; glamping along the Pacific Coastline.

13. As a Peruvian native, what hidden gems would you recommend?

Most people visiting Peru go to Lima-Cuzco/Machu Picchu-Puno/Lake Titicaca-Arequipa-Nazca lines but we
have so much more. The Northern Coast area provides for pre-Inca ruins (Trujillo and Chiclayo areas
mainly); visiting the Amazon beyond Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado could include Chachapoyas area. The
Andean cities of Huancayo and Ayacucho can also serve as midpoint to discover hiking trails in the Andes
range. Visiting during some religious festival can be of interest.

14. And… have you visited Slovakia? What did you like or disliked?
I have briefly visited Slovakia. Took a train from Budapest on my way to Dresden and had a 12-hr stop in
Bratislava. I might need to plan a road trip in the future to discover more!

Send to Lulos.fellner@bubo.sk

WhatsApp +42-1905421836

Photos via Wee transfer