Thank you for reading Shipped! I hope you enjoyed Henley and Graeme’s story as much as I loved writing it. Although Shipped is a work of fiction, most of the island settings described in the novel are based on real locations in the Galápagos. There are indeed cafés along the waterfront in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristóbal Island, albeit without Walsh’s bad milkshake (still, don’t drink the water—ice cubes included). You can hike to Suarez Point and snorkel in Gardner Bay on Española Island and drop off a postcard in the historic post barrel on Floreana Island. On Santa Cruz Island, there are wild tortoise–spotting opportunities in the highlands and a wonderful recycled glass art gallery in the main town of Puerto Ayora. And the stairs leading to the top of Bartolomé Island gifts you one heck of a stunning view.

And while Seaquest Adventures is a fictional cruise line, there are small ship adventure cruises that operate in the Galápagos and all over the world. If you’re fortunate enough to have the means and opportunity to travel and you’re considering booking a cruise, I encourage you to research your options. Lindblad Expeditions, for example, is a longtime leader in sustainability and responsible, eco-friendly travel (and my personal favorite).

As for other locales, the research station and tortoise breeding center that Henley and Graeme visit is fictional, but was inspired by the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galápagos National Park Directorate’s tortoise breeding center in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island.

But fun facts aside, one of the most important elements I included in Shipped is not at all fictional, although I wish it were. The parasitic fly Philornis downsi is quite real, and so is the impact that it and other human-brought invasive species are having on the islands. I first learned about invasive species like Philornis in the course of my day job working in the realm of corporate philanthropy, but it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to travel to the Galápagos in 2016 that I truly understood the importance of managing invasive species to protect native wildlife.

Part of the wonder of Galápagos is the chance it offers to deeply connect with nature in a way that’s not often available. Because the Galápagos Islands have so few natural predators and people didn’t arrive until 1535, the wildlife there evolved with no inherent fear of humans. When is the last time you approached a bird and it didn’t fly away? Walked by an iguana and it only turned its face into the sun instead of scurrying under a bush? Snorkeled alongside inquisitive—not frightened—sea lions or penguins (penguins!)? These are some of the special wildlife encounters I experienced in the Galápagos, and they took root in my heart and touched my soul.