The Four Different Worlds Of Ecuador

For a very long time, Michele Graeff, a single mother, has put the needs of others before her own. She's worked two jobs, raised two sons, been a loving daughter, a caring colleague and a loyal friend.

But Michele recently began to look back at her life. "I've been on a plane once when I was in high school, that was many years ago, and it seems like every time I do something, try to plan something, something always comes up, something gets involved with the boys, and (when you're a) single mom, that's what you do, you take care of what needs to get taken care of first," she said.

But things are going to be different: "I would like this to be the start of having me say, 'Hey, Michele, you know what? You can be selfish a little bit sometimes and you know, (the) kids will be fine.' Let me have some fun for a change!"

Her sons Mike and Kevin Graeff couldn't be happier that their mom wants to take a little "me-time." "She's always there for us," said Mike. "And she knows if we're down - she'll come and comfort us whenever we need her."

Step One in her self-help program: applying for an All-Access Pass. Step Two: Getting on a plane with Dave Price and his merry band of travel elves for the trip of a lifetime: to visit Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.

Though they're flying American Airlines into the city of Quito, Graeff will have plenty of opportunities to sample the gorgeous and varied terrain of Ecuador. She'll see the Yasuni National Park, a rain forest in the Amazon; she'll visit the Cotopaxi volcano, which rises above the Andean mountains. And she'll visit Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and that nation's major port.

The centerpiece of her journey, however, will be a visit to the Galapagos Islands, one of the most pristine and unusual wildlife areas left in the world. These volcanic islands lie 600 miles off the Ecuador coast and are home to a wide variety of endemic species which were studied by Charles Darwin when he visited there in the 1830s. Graeff, who likes to kayak and hike with her boys when she takes a break, will get a great workout exploring the islands.

"It doesn't get any better than that," Graeff said when Dave told her about her trip.

For more about visiting Ecuador, go to www.purecuador.com