Traveling by air is the most common way to get to Ecuador. Quito and Guayaquil both have international airports with frequent direct connections to Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. Nearly all flights from Europe and Australasia go via these US cities or through the Caribbean.
Some airlines also fly direct from a handful of Central and South American countries.
You can also get to Ecuador by land or by sea, but as air travel is much more convenient and roughly equivalent in price, few travelers opt to do so. Overland travel on public buses from both Colombia and Peru presents no problems. Occasionally, cargo ships use Guayaquil as port of call, but as the days of steamer hopping are long-since over, it's a rare traveler who secures this type of passage. Due to the October 1998 peace treaty, new border crossings with Peru may be opening in Ecuador's eastern region. It also has the virtue of being a small country, and relatively cheap, which allows even budget travelers the option of an occasional internal flight.