I used my all-you-can-fly pass to get from Phoenix to Los Angeles for about $15. Once I was in Los Angeles, I tapped into my Volaris all-you-can-fly pass and flew to Guatemala for roughly $60 in taxes and fees.
That’s the real power of these passes when you stack them correctly—cheap positioning flights unlock much bigger opportunities together.
To be clear, you do need to purchase the airline passes to use this strategy. Each one has its own rules, quirks, and limitations, which I break down in the blogs linked below for each airline’s pass.
It’s not effortless.
But if you’re flexible and understand how the passes work, the travel opportunities can get very interesting very quickly.
I have always heard the term “Chicken bus,” but I never really understood it until I visited Guatemala!
It does not take a big imagination to understand the term, as almost everyone uses the chicken bus as their main source of transportation within Guatemala. If you ever wondered what happened to the school bus you took as a kid, there is a good chance it ended there.
I visited Guatemala twice (San Jose and Antigua) on my Volaris All-you-can-fly pass (AYCF).
.There are direct flights out of Los Angeles, and in some cases the same plane continues on to San José—so I took advantage of that as well. Using my all-you-can-fly pass, the flight came out to around $60 in taxes and fees.
Once there, you can easily find an Airbnb in either city for $20–$30 a night. If you’re able to stay a full month, it gets even better—around $600 a month for a simple, clean place isn’t hard to find.
That’s the sweet spot where cheap flights meet slow travel.
Stay longer, spend less, and actually enjoy where you are instead of rushing through it.
My first-ever ride on a chicken bus was from San José up to Antigua—a loud, colorful, slightly chaotic introduction to Central America that immediately reminded me why slow travel beats convenience every time. It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t polished. But it was unforgettable—and exactly the point.
My first experience riding the chicken bus was from the capital of San Jose to the amazing city of Antigua.
It was a great way to start the crazy mode of transportation, as the road was relatively straight with no cliffs, LOL. Although nothing would prepare me for the trip to Lake Atitlan was a start.
Lake Atitlán is the deepest lake in Central America—and getting there from Antigua requires a three–chicken bus transfer.
I am not exaggerating when I say I was chicken-shit scared.
These drivers are absolutely fearless, and I swear everyone on the bus was hanging on for dear life as we carved along roads with cliffs on both sides—no guardrails, no mercy, just vibes.
And yes…
I’m fairly certain some of these buses are still running on the same tires they had when we were kids riding them to school.
I plan to write individual blogs about each of the cities I visited in Guatemala, but I wanted to start with the chicken bus—because it perfectly sets the tone for what traveling here is really like.
And somehow… absolutely worth it.
Here are a few videos from inside the chicken bus—
so you can experience the chaos, the cliffs, and the questionable life choices…
from the safety of your couch. 🚌🎢😄
No seatbelt.
No guardrails.
No problem (for you).
Guatemala has a way of pulling you in quietly. The pace, the people, the landscapes—it all feels grounded and real. But Antigua in particular stuck with me. Cobblestone streets, colorful facades, volcanoes looming in the background, and a rhythm that practically forces you to slow down and look around.
Here are a few moments from beautiful Antigua, Guatemala—one of those places that doesn’t need hype to be unforgettable.
One thing that really stood out to me was how Americanized parts of it have become.
Walking through Antigua, I passed a massive McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Burger King—all with outdoor seating, blending almost seamlessly into the colonial streetscape. There was even a Little Caesars that seemed to have a line ten people deep every single time I walked by.
It wasn’t necessarily good or bad—just noticeable. A reminder of how globalized even historic, culturally rich cities have become. The contrast was striking: centuries-old cobblestones and volcano views on one side, dollar pizza and combo meals on the other.
What surprised me most wasn’t that the chains were there—it was how busy they were. It really drove home how travel isn’t just about discovering new places anymore; it’s also about watching cultures overlap, adapt, and evolve in real time.
I normally only get McD for coffee but needed to try breakfast and had a Big Mac attack!
(The breakfast was under $5, and the Big Mac meal was $6ish)
I never once ate at Burger King, Taco Bell, or Little Caesars—because the local food was incredible and ridiculously inexpensive. 🤑
When amazing meals cost less than fast food back home, the choice makes itself.
Eat local.
Spend less.
Enjoy way more.
My favorite part of my experiences in Guatemala was going to Lake Titicaca, which is a hell of a ride from Antigua, as I already mentioned.
The lake has a maximum depth of about 340 metres (1,120 ft)[1] and an average depth of 154 metres (505 ft).[4] Its surface area is 130.1 km2 (50.2 sq mi).[1] It is approximately 18 km × 8 km (11.2 mi × 5.0 mi) with around 20 km3 (4.8 cu mi) of water. Atitlán is an endorheic lake, fed by two nearby rivers and not draining into the ocean. It is shaped by deep surrounding escarpments and three volcanoes on its southern flank. The lake basin is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed by a supervolcanic eruption 79,500 years ago.[5] The culture of the towns and villages surrounding Lake Atitlán is influenced by the Maya people. The lake is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west-northwest of Antigua. It should not be confused with the smaller Lake Amatitlán.
Here are some amazing pictures of the water taxi visiting the cities around the lake that are all surrounded by volcanoes.
Here is my $15 a night Airbnb in Panajachel, Guatemala, which is the biggest town on Lake Atitlan.
I met a local in Antigua that gave me a tour of some of the streets, attractions, parks and Churches.
This Church is over 200 years old! So amazing to set foot in there and imagine all the people before me who did the same.
See you again soon, Guatemala, as you are very top on my inexpensive travel list! 
