Argentina is a big place — the second largest country in South America, in fact, and the eighth largest in the world. And that’s why the six weeks I spent there back in 2014 weren’t nearly enough to get a glimpse of all of the country’s 23 provinces — but if I ever went back, there is one province I’d make sure not to miss.

When winter comes around, there’s one question that never fails to pop into my head: why do people enjoy traveling (or living, for that matter) in places where the cold regularly punishes their faces? Plenty of people who live in the Midwest, as I do, deal with the snow and the cold for maybe four to five months out of the year, but why, oh why, would anyone choose to live in a state of perpetual winter?

Winter may not have officially begun just yet, but I’d guess that hasn’t stopped you from thinking about heading to warmer pastures. Unless you’re a complete winter fanatic — and props to you if so — those of us who live in places that experience all four seasons throughout the year tend to wish the cold weather wouldn’t stick around so long.

If you've ever dreamed of being paid to write about your travels — *ahem* like me — there is an opportunity out there right now that you might like to know about. World Nomads, an online travel community that got started in 2002, has been offering travel writing scholarships for a dozen years now, and this year they plan to send three aspiring travel writers on a 14-day trip to Argentina.

It started, as a handful of shenanigans do, with wine and whiskey. One after the other, poured in our little plastic cups as we sat all chummy on a Greyhound-type bus, heading north from the city of Buenos Aires into the Argentinian country side.

One is the capital of Argentina, the other the capital of China, and, amazingly, I've visited both in the last three years.

Colonia Del Sacramento was founded in 1680 and sits in the southwestern portion of Uruguay — a country that, unfortunately, I imagine isn’t on many bucket lists when someone plans a visit to South America.