Picture it, Brazil 2025… If you got the reference to that intro, you’re our type of person. If not, no worries—there will be plenty of Golden Girls references to go around.
Towards the end of our trip in Lima, one of our friends—who we met while living in Guadalajara, Mexico, and who now lives in Costa Rica—sent us a very cryptic message. And we say cryptic because “Where will you guys be next week?” can easily cause anxiety depending on who’s asking. Luckily for us, she’s our type of party and always brings a different kind of energy when we link up.
We told her that we planned to travel to São Paulo for a few days and then head to Salvador, Brazil. Her response? “Ok, if you boys don’t mind, I’ll meet you in São Paulo and then travel to Salvador with you.” We were, of course, excited—it’s always nice to see a familiar face while out on the road.
Then, almost on cue, another text came in from a friend still living in the USA who hadn’t gotten the memo that we left. (We honestly told people we were traveling, but said nothing about selling all of our belongings and ending our lease—it felt like less of a headache to explain.) The message read: “Hey, my birthday is coming up and I’d love to come to Charlotte and celebrate.”
We pondered how to respond and ultimately said: “We aren’t home and won’t be by that date, but if you’re up to it, you can meet us in Brazil.” Almost without hesitation, she responded: “I’m there!” Within the span of two days, we had somehow set a group trip in motion—hosting one friend and gladly entertaining another.
São Paulo was a quick stop for us—one week in Brazil’s largest city, home to about 20 million people. We discovered caipirinhas and Brazilian fried chicken while sightseeing in the neighborhood where our Airbnb was.
The first neighborhood (Centro) was a bit intense—think Lower East Side in NYC: artistic, grungy, graffiti everywhere. Not our usual choice for accommodations, which ultimately led us to move to a more central neighborhood (Bela Vista) with more aesthetically pleasing restaurants, lively bars, and a safer feel walking around—even at night.
After two days of exploring, our friend finally landed, kicking off a month-long adventure through the beautiful country that is Brazil. Although we enjoyed our welcome via São Paulo, it honestly wasn’t our favorite. The city felt too big, and for two boys who had already conquered NYC, it was a little been there, done that. We were eager to touch down in Salvador and see what it had to offer.
And when we finally made it—words can’t describe the beauty, the charm, the people, the culture.
On our first night in Salvador we stumbled into an outdoor party where the DJ was spinning ’90s R&B mixed with Brazilian rhythms and house beats. The sound had us all dancing (inebriated, albeit) in the cobblestone streets of this gorgeous city. And yes, like many of you, we are definitely the “Let’s just move here” type of people.
After a few weeks of traveling through the country, we finally slipped into some normalcy—grocery shopping, cooking meals at home, getting back in the gym, and not going out every night. Just as we hit that rhythm, our other friend arrived, and the scene reset itself for another week of drinking, partying, and exploring.
From slow walks along the beach to late-night samba parties in the Rio Vermelho area, there was no shortage of things to do and share with her.
Salvador has this sweet way of reminding you to live. We couldn’t help but notice how kind and accommodating the people were. Their focus on enjoying life—and not taking it too seriously—was contagious.
For us, this was encouraging. A reminder that life is really about the nights laughing with friends, being zoned out off “brownies” that made the sound of crashing waves feel like we were extras in the movie Castaway.
Brazil reaffirmed the idea that even while traveling the world, there is space to create memories with the people we care about. That it’s possible to live a life of adventure and exploration while folding in those necessary check-ins and fulfilling that part of us that longs for familiarity in unfamiliar lands.
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