Some travellers arrive at a place and some try to understand it. Sofía belongs to the second group. She is fifteen, has a passport full of stamps and a habit of always asking what lies beyond the next path. She is the Mundo Traveler explorer and, from now on, the voice that will accompany you through many of our guides.
A life on the road
Sofía started travelling as a baby, in her parents’ arms. She grew up among suitcases, airports and new beaches, and learned early that travelling is not just about reaching a place, but about understanding it, living it and coming back a little different. One summer night in the Canary Islands she watched newly hatched turtles race towards the sea, and one of them decided to follow her. That is how she met Mapi, and they have travelled together ever since.
What Sofía is like
She is curious, independent, warm, brave and observant. She never talks down to anyone: she knows a teenager can be moved by a volcano or a sky full of stars, as long as someone tells them the story behind it. Her motto sums it up: growing up is also discovering.
On our website you will find her in “Through Sofía’s eyes”, short notes that appear across our sections, reminding you that some places are not just visited, they are remembered.
The plans Sofía would choose in the Canary Islands
Ask her for her favourites in the islands and Sofía looks up. In Tenerife, the Teide Cable Car climbs from 2,356 to 3,555 metres in about eight minutes, and in La Palma a guided visit to the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory opens the door to one of the most important astronomical observatories in the world.
She also loves looking inside the earth. In Lanzarote, the Fire Mountains of Timanfaya show that the ground at Islote de Hilario reaches around 250 °C, and the Cueva de los Verdes keeps a surprise at the end of its tour that we are not going to give away. And she is fascinated by the story of the first Canary Islanders: in Gáldar, the Cueva Pintada Museum and Archaeological Park shows pre-Hispanic paintings and a village of more than fifty houses.
Travelling with teenagers, the Sofía way
Sofía’s way of looking at things is also advice for families with older children: let them choose part of the plan, tell them the story of a place before you get there and leave time for them to discover it at their own pace. For ideas, see our guide to the Canary Islands with kids.
You can read her full story, and Mapi’s, on Meet Sofía and Mapi.