I’ve been traveling through South America for almost three months now and in every hostel, hotel or tour I’ve pleasantly discovered a mix of traveler age groups.

South America, refreshingly, is not filled with eighteen year olds. I don’t have anything against the late teens and early twenties explorers who set off to discover the world, but I’m pleased that the South American hostel crowd is made up primarily of people in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties.

During my travels last year, especially through Europe, I often felt somewhat left out of the hostel groups since it’s been a long time since I was eighteen. I wasn’t particularly interested in partying every single night and going through the hours of make-up and outfit decisions prior to actually leaving. I’m over that and have been for a few years now. Yes I love to drink with good people, sitting in an awesome bar or playing cards, talking and laughing the night away. It’s what I want, and is exactly what I’ve found here.

Cartagen Crads

Great night of drinking and cards with early thirties travelers in our Colombia hostel.

There is a mix of both travelers and expats in South America resulting in a nice diversity of ages. I’m currently in Cuenca, Ecuador which is the most popular city in South America for international retirees. Everyday I walk through the city or eat lunch in a café and am surrounded by mainly American retiree expats and they’re great to talk to! I love striking up conversation that is the very standard, “Where are you from? How long are you here for?” But end up talking about completely different subjects than I would with a younger hostel crowd.

I’ve been on two tours so far through Galapagos and Ecuador/Peru and both have had a good mix of ages and personalities. At first I was surprised by the number of travelers over the age of sixty here, but as I discovered this continent has a mix of attractions for everyone.

Galapagos group

My Galapagos tour group had an excellent mix of a couple of teenagers with their parents to late twenties and early thirties, to travelers in their sixties. We all got along brilliantly.

I think because South America is a more difficult continent to travel through, there aren’t as many people in their late-teens and early twenties here. It’s not like Europe where the Eurail is prevalent and easy, many people speak English and you can snag some cheap flights. Transport here is loco (crazy). The initial flight to get here from Australia was expensive. Buses traverse all countries but may be stopped for hours due to accidents, mud slides, festivals or just because the driver feels like it. Spanish is the dominant language other than in Brazil and it’s the only language the majority of locals speak. As a native English speaker I’m currently studying Spanish because I would like to have actual conversations with people, rather than relying on Spanglish and sign language. Yes you can travel here speaking English only, but you will have far more confidence, success and enjoyment knowing at least some Espanol.

These reasons, I feel, make South America a more intimidating continent, keeping the younger generation away. Those that I’ve met on the road have all loved the challenges we face and have the excitement and energy to continue on, even those in their seventies or eighties.

Don’t get me wrong, there are millions of backpackers here, and the path is extremely well trodden. But everyone deals with the same crazy situations, and there’s not getting around them. Whether that be traveling by bus for 22 hours straight, or having cold showers for weeks, or discovering that you’ve accidently ordered Cua (roasted guinea pig) for dinner because you just kept saying, ‘Si’ to the waiter.

A few weeks ago I was on a bus traveling through Peru and a woman suddenly started walking down the aisle looking under everyone’s seats. After sitting on an old bus with a few other tourists and locals for 6 hours no one really cared what the woman was doing. Then suddenly from the front a man yelled and she rushed forward to collect her guinea pig that had escaped. It turned out the woman had three guinea pigs in a plastic bag at the back of the bus and one had managed to get out, running under everyone’s seats from the back to the front. How it didn’t get squashed by feet or luggage I do not know.

Stories like this are typical of South America and exhilarating for those who chose to adventure here. I’ve made great friends with people I’ve met on the road, and the fact that they are of a similar age and level of experience is refreshing and awesome.