Travel Destinations
“You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”
Ernest Hemingway in The Sun Also Rises
One of the most difficult decisions to make when deciding to travel, is also probably the most important: choosing where to travel to. Below is a collection of various travel guides to different destinations spanning from Latin America to East Asia. Check back frequently, as we’re always adding more. Or better yet, sign up for the mailing list!
Keep in mind wherever you travel that we have a certain responsibility as tourists. Especially as tourists from rich countries visiting poor or developing countries. Many of these countries have suffered for decades at the hands of our governments and corporations. The least we can do is be respectful when we visit these amazing places. The people in these countries have welcomed us, we should behave as grateful guests. Be mindful of local customs, be prepared to pay a little extra sometimes and remember that most people really want you to have a good time in their country!
Central America
Asia
The Latest Travel Posts from Various Destinations…
- 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, monkeys, snakes, anteaters and more. I wasn’t as in love with the two times we almost died. Once during a surprise thunder storm on the boat ride into town. Later we faced down a troop of angry monkeys. Okay so maybe the monkeys probably weren’t… Read more: Facing Near Death in Drake Bay: a Guide to Visiting and Surviving Costa Rica’s Wild Osa Peninsula - Stalking Sea Turtles in Tortuguero and Exploring Costa Rica’s Remote Jungle Paradise
The village of Tortuguero, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, is a paradise for nature lovers. Aquatic birds like herons and cormorants stalk the banks of the region’s canal network as caimans glare out from the surface of the muddy brown water. Iguanas and monkeys dangle from low hanging branches and parrots and tropical insects flutter amid the thick jungle canopy. Let’s not forget the massive green sea turtles that lumber up onto the beaches to lay their eggs. Tortuguero offers some of the best animal spotting opportunities in Costa Rica, a country with no shortage of animal spotting opportunities. There… Read more: Stalking Sea Turtles in Tortuguero and Exploring Costa Rica’s Remote Jungle Paradise - Why You Shouldn’t Skip San José, Costa Rica’s Concrete Jungle
San José is Costa Rica’s bustling, gritty, kind of dirty, capital city. That urban grit stands in surprising contrast to the rest of a country that’s famous for its natural environment. The only jungle you’ll find in San José is the concrete variety that Grandmaster Flash and Axel Rose once sang about. Maybe that’s why most travelers leave San José off of their Costa Rica itinerary. I think this is a mistake. San José is Costa Rica’s modern beating heart, the center of the country’s history and culture. This is where you can go to not only learn about Costa… Read more: Why You Shouldn’t Skip San José, Costa Rica’s Concrete Jungle - Monteverde: A Guide to Costa Rica’s Misty, Magical, and Touristy Cloud Forest
Monteverde is one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations. There’s a reason why. The cloud forests of Monteverde are misty fairy lands that cling to the mountainsides. The trails of the area’s various reserves are dripping with vegetation. Vines and mosses hang from the limbs of towering trees and the forest shimmers with more shades of green than you ever knew existed. Bird songs and the rustling of forest creatures echo through the mist, but the forest is so thick here the only animal life you’re likely to see are the groups of other tourists stomping through the muddy trails.… Read more: Monteverde: A Guide to Costa Rica’s Misty, Magical, and Touristy Cloud Forest - La Fortuna and Arenal National Park: Costa Rica’s Most Loveable Tourist Trap
Are you looking for Costa Rica Travel 101? Then you might want to sign up for the small town of La Fortuna. La Fortuna, as well as nearby Arenal Volcano National Park, is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations, but for good reason. La Fortuna ticks practically all the Costa Rica travel boxes: lush tropical forest? Check. Abundant animal life? Check. Overpriced tacky souvenir shops? Double check!! However, La Fortuna has somehow figured out how to be touristy without feeling suffocating. Maybe it is the tackiness. It feels more Wisconsin Dells than Miami Beach. Unlike Wisconsin Dells, La… Read more: La Fortuna and Arenal National Park: Costa Rica’s Most Loveable Tourist Trap - Come to Costa Rica: A Travel Guide to the Tourist Hotspot I Still Love
Costa Rica has almost become synonymous with tourism. Ziplines rip through forest canopies, resorts clog the edges of pristine beaches, and colonies of North American retirees build their pickleball courts amid misty cloud forest. In many ways, Costa Rica could be a cautionary tale of over tourism. But, somehow, despite the over-abundance of tourist traps and expat enclaves, Costa Rica still maintains a lot of the charm that made it a must-visit destination in the first place. The country has plenty of places where you can still wander away from the beaten path and discover hidden gems to call your… Read more: Come to Costa Rica: A Travel Guide to the Tourist Hotspot I Still Love