Hey there, Travellers,

This week's edition of The Detour is a pretty special one. Once again, it's our monthly Community-focused newsletter, where we see what you've all been up to over the last few weeks. However, this time, we even have a guest post to share from our very own Jack's Traveller Liz. 

Having first met Liz while traversing Europe on trains last year, I was delighted to hear that she was also a Jack's Flight Club member. She's always sharing her tips and tales in our Facebook Community, sending us Postcards from her trips, and letting us know when she's bagged another fantastic Flight. Next up - Svalbard in January!

Today, she's telling us all about her solo 50th birthday trip around South America, where she combined a bucket-list adventure with retracing her family footsteps.

If you'd like to share your own travel story - no matter how short, long, exciting or even mundane, hop over to the Members Lounge and click 'Contribute' to submit it. We'd love to publish more of your tales and share them right here in The Detour.

Happy travels and safe landings,

Katy - Editor of The Detour

Picture your next trip...

Maybe it's Mexico this winter to escape the cold, chasing cherry blossoms in Japan, or just a spontaneous city break for a change of pace.

Or perhaps you don't even know where you want to go yet?

Good thing finding Flights for your next adventure is kind of our thing!

Right now, you can get a whole year of Takeoff membership for half price! That'll get you 4x as many Flights in your inbox, meaning 4x as many chances to take that next amazing trip. 

Submitted by Liz

Based in the UK, but with family connections spread far and wide, join Jack's member Liz on her 50th birthday solo trip retracing her ancestry across South America.

I’m sure this isn’t the headline you’d expect in The Detour, but I’ve never been one for following the expected path.

I turned 50 in January and wanted to celebrate in an unusual way. While most people head to Machu Picchu or the Bolivian salt flats, I set myself a different mission: to follow my ancestors’ journey through South America, retracing the route they travelled between the late 1870s and 1926.

Armed with family trees, old letters and historical documents, I set out to bring their story to life. Of course, I still found plenty of time for a few tourist adventures along the way.

Following Their Footsteps

Our story begins in the early 1870s, when William and Frances Walters left York for Australia. The entire Walters family emigrated there, and most of their descendants remain in Australia today—perhaps that’s a journey for my 60th birthday.

William and Frances didn’t stay long. Their daughter, my great-grandmother Lucy, was born in Sydney before William accepted a position as an engineer on the Chilean railways, taking the family to Santiago, Chile.

William Walters


Frances Walters

Around the same time, a young boy named John Mutch was growing up around Aberdeen and Stonehaven, Scotland, where generations of the Mutch family still live today. 

John had bigger ambitions, though, and travelled to Santiago to build a career in banking, securing a job at the Anglo South American Bank.

There he met Lucy.

John Mutch

Lucy Mutch

Santiago, Chile

Naturally, Santiago was my first stop. While there, I conquered my fear of heights by riding the historic Funicular de Santiago to the summit of Cerro San Cristóbal. The panoramic views were well worth the shaky knees.

I also explored San José de Maipo in the Andes. On the journey back, my guide made an unscheduled stop at one of the original railway tunnels built during my great-great-grandfather’s era—a special moment that brought the family story vividly to life.

Back in Santiago, I visited Estación Central, the Railway Museum, and spent a peaceful afternoon wandering around Santa Lucía Hill.

Montevideo, Uruguay

My next destination was Montevideo. It was there, in 1906, that my grandmother Gladys was born. At just 32 years old, John had become an assistant bank manager. Not bad for a wee boy from Aberdeen. Only a couple of years later, another promotion took the family to Iquique, Chile, where he became bank manager. Sadly, I could not make it to Iquiqui on this trip.

It felt important to spend my 50th birthday in Santiago. I visited the bank where my great-grandfather had worked and stood outside the family home where they had once lived. 

Before leaving the UK, I’d discovered the location of my great-great-grandmother Frances’ grave. On my birthday, I packed a picnic and spent several hours sitting beside her grave, telling her all about the generations that followed. She probably wished for another hundred years of peace and quiet after that.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Being so close, it would have been rude not to hop across the Río de la Plata to Buenos Aires.

I had grand plans but ended up needing a little rest instead. I still enjoyed exploring my neighbourhood on foot, although I never quite made it to the tango show I’d planned. I suppose that just gives me an excuse to return.

Cusco and Ollantaytambo, Peru

Next came Cusco and Ollantaytambo, where I’d scheduled in a few quieter days. Rather than taking one of the expensive tourist transfers, I travelled by local colectivo—a shared minibus costing around £10 each way.

Although I chose not to visit Machu Picchu this time, Ollantaytambo itself was breathtaking. My accommodation overlooked a mountain stream, and I spent my days wandering through the ancient streets, visiting the old Inca Bridge, and simply enjoying everyday life alongside the locals. 

I also tried alpaca meat for the first time. It quickly became one of my favourite meals and featured regularly for the rest of my trip.

A Change of Plans

My next stop was supposed to be Arequipa, but storms grounded my flight. After a little negotiation, the airline flew me two days earlier than planned to La Paz, Bolivia, instead.

Sometimes travel disruptions become the best stories.

La Paz, Bolivia

La Paz was perhaps the most emotional stop of the entire journey. This was where my great-grandfather died in 1926, aged just 52. At the time, he was overseeing the relocation of Banco Mercantil’s headquarters from Oruro to La Paz. In a letter dated 11 June 1926, he wrote to his son Bobby, suggesting they meet while Bobby was working in Peru.

Sadly, they never did. He died during a work trip to La Paz on 17 July 1926. I visited the bank headquarters, although I was unable to locate his grave due to local burial customs.

La Paz itself is an extraordinary city. I wandered through the Witches’ Market, explored the streets, and discovered that even coca tea and altitude tablets couldn’t entirely prevent the effects of the thin air. Fortunately, an Andean massage helped enormously.

One unforgettable highlight was taking the cable car up to El Alto to watch the famous Cholitas Wrestling. Don’t miss it if you ever visit.

Read more about Liz's trip, including Lake Titicaca and meeting her cousin in Lima...

By Akasha

With journeys spanning more than 30 countries and ten years, Akasha's best memories live in the pages of her passport. She always consults her tarot (and her cats) before any big trip. Currently based in Ireland, when she isn't travelling, she’s probably drawing in a café somewhere.

I truly believe, in my heart of hearts, that traveling solo is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. It empowers and challenges you and teaches so many lessons about yourself, your values, your desires, your shadow side, and your north star. 

And honestly, there’s nothing that compares to the feeling of being on the opposite side of the globe, completely alone. Not being able to understand the language that brings out the best in you and helps you get where you need to go. It shows you parts of yourself that you haven’t met yet, and allows you to connect with others on a deeper (albeit painfully temporary) level than everyday connections. 

Don’t be fooled, though. It’s not all cotton-candy sunsets and beach-side brunches that Instagram loves to boast about.

It’s also about the times when you feel lonely and scared, with nothing but your own intuition guiding you. 

But through every discomfort comes a deeper trust in yourself; you meet a side of yourself that’s curious, adaptable, and more resilient than you’ve given yourself credit for. You find liberation in isolation just as much as community. 

But it all starts with a leap of faith. 

Now it’s over to you, Jack’s Travelers. Where did you take your leap of faith? Tell us about your first-ever solo trip, where you went, and what it taught you! Reply in the comments :-)