Hello and Welcome to On a Road to Nowhere!
Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to visit our humble travel blog. We’re here to inspire unique, authentic, and ethical travel experiences while giving you deeper insights into the history, politics, and culture of some of our favorite destinations. Travel should be about making meaningful connections and responsible exploration, not just ticking popular sights off a list. Read more about On a Road to Nowhere here.
The Latest
- Panama City Travel Guide: It Has a Canal and Some Other Things
Panama City is glitzy, modern and sprawling. Glass and concrete skyscrapers line streets. Cranes and construction sites promise more buildings to come. Swanky hotels and short-term rentals stacked upon cosmopolitan restaurants and posh shopping centers overlook grey, rocky tidal flats. A cement highway rings the Pacific shoreline and traffic crawls like a line of ants. Panama City is located at… Read more: Panama City Travel Guide: It Has a Canal and Some Other Things
Most travel blogs kind of suck. Half the time, it feels like you’re reading a pitch for a multi-level marketing scheme. At On a Road to Nowhere, we’re trying our best not to suck. Our travel guides provide honest opinions and insights into local history, culture, and politics so you can actually understand a place before you visit.
Central America
Asia
Gain insights and information about adapting to new cultures and navigating life overseas. Here we share stories and advice about the joys and harsh realities of living in a new country and culture. Click here to explore some of the latest posts…
- Rethinking Travel Safety and Crime in Latin America
- How to Talk to People Who Don’t Speak English Good
- What is Culture Shock? My Personal Experience in China
- Loneliness, Holidays and Living Overseas
- How to Vote in the Primary From Overseas
Mastering a new language can open both doors and windows to deeper connections and richer travel experiences. Whether you’re a casual tourist or a long-term expat, we have tips and guides for saying more than just “where is the library?” Read more here.
- The Best YouTube Videos for Learning Chinese: Your Ultimate Guide
- How I learned Chinese (and So Can You)
- How to Talk to People Who Don’t Speak English Good
- Bad Advice: Things You Shouldn’t Do When Learning Chinese
- Studying Chinese in China
- Panama City Travel Guide: It Has a Canal and Some Other Things
Panama City is glitzy, modern and sprawling. Glass and concrete skyscrapers line streets. Cranes and construction sites promise more buildings to come. Swanky hotels and short-term rentals stacked upon cosmopolitan restaurants and posh shopping centers overlook grey, rocky tidal flats. A cement highway rings the Pacific shoreline and traffic crawls like a line of ants.… Read more: Panama City Travel Guide: It Has a Canal and Some Other Things - Santa Catalina and Coiba National Park: Panama’s Worst-Kept Beach Secret
I’ve heard rumors of a mythical off-the-beaten-path beach destination for years. A tiny town where the local fishermen outnumber the tourists. Where people haven’t even heard the words “spring break” or “digital nomad.” I’ve traveled the globe for years looking for this mythical beach town, only to be sorely disappointed. I have to say that… Read more: Santa Catalina and Coiba National Park: Panama’s Worst-Kept Beach Secret - Hiking, Coffee, and Classic Rock: Boquete is Panama’s Pleasant Surprise
The mountain town of Boquete in Panama’s western highlands is sort of like receiving a surprise bouquet of flowers. It’s unexpected, but delightful. Boquete was unexpected, because on paper, it seems like the sort of place I hate to travel to. The town center is very gentrified. It’s a major hub for North American retirees.… Read more: Hiking, Coffee, and Classic Rock: Boquete is Panama’s Pleasant Surprise - Rethinking Travel Safety and Crime in Latin America
Mention traveling in Latin America to almost anyone in the United States and you’re likely to get one question: is it safe? Our newspapers are filled with horror stories of cartel violence. Crime and safety even dominate discussions in hostel common rooms on the road. Not the food or culture or scenery or anything else.… Read more: Rethinking Travel Safety and Crime in Latin America - Passing Through Panama: A Travel Guide to the Country that Connects the Americas
Panama is the little snake sliver of land that connects North and South America. It’s home to the famous canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Depending on your travel itinerary, you may even have a connecting flight at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. Maybe you could say Panama is the land of… Read more: Passing Through Panama: A Travel Guide to the Country that Connects the Americas - Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica’s Most Disappointing National Park
Life is full of disappointments. Maybe you’ve been craving hummus all day, but your favorite Lebanese deli is closed. Maybe the person you’ve fallen madly in love with told you they just don’t find you physically attractive. Or maybe, worst of all, you’ve wasted time on your Costa Rica trip visiting Manuel Antonio National Park.… Read more: Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica’s Most Disappointing National Park - Bijagua is Costa Rica’s Best Destination for a Lovely Stroll
The small town of Bijagua is one of my favorite places in Costa Rica. It might be one of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled to, although not for reasons that I would have expected. As travelers, we’re often adventure seekers. We hop on surfboards, climb volcanoes or trek through jungles in search of thrilling… Read more: Bijagua is Costa Rica’s Best Destination for a Lovely Stroll - Facing Near Death in Drake Bay: a Guide to Visiting and Surviving Costa Rica’s Wild Osa Peninsula
Drake Bay is a small town on the shores of Costa Rica’s magnificent Osa Peninsula, and I absolutely loved it. I loved the muddy roads that climb up from the beach past ramshackle tourist restaurants and palm trees full of nesting scarlet macaws. I loved the outstanding Corcovado National Park, where you can see tapirs,… Read more: Facing Near Death in Drake Bay: a Guide to Visiting and Surviving Costa Rica’s Wild Osa Peninsula
As tourism becomes more popular worldwide, the travel industry has grown increasingly exploitative and damaging. Instead of supporting local communities, tourist dollars often end up lining the pockets of foreign millionaires, while gentrification tears communities apart.
At On a Road to Nowhere, we want you to think critically about your impact as a traveler. Are you contributing to neo-colonial exploitation? Or are you striving for a meaningful cultural exchange? It’s important we challenge our own perspectives and do our best to contribute to travel ethically and responsibly. In other words: don’t be a jerk.