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…
- 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 - I Survived a Dangerous Fish on the Rio San Juan, Nicaragua’s Wild Frontier
The Rio San Juan is a steamy river that weaves its way through lush tropical rain forest along Nicaragua’s border with Costa Rica. Here the intrepid traveler can explore sleepy riverside towns or take a boat through crocodile infested waters. You can also hike through the jungle trails of the Indio-Maíz Biological Reserve. A few unlucky tourists, like myself, might get attacked by a fish. But the Rio San Juan is more than just a home to exotic, dangerous animals. It’s also a river full of history, from the marauding pirates of the Spanish colonial era to the opulent Vanderbilt… Read more: I Survived a Dangerous Fish on the Rio San Juan, Nicaragua’s Wild Frontier - Uncovering the Magic of Isla Ometepe: a Travel Guide to Nicaragua’s Twin Volcanic Island
The first thing you’ll see when traveling to Isla Ometepe will be two magnificent volcanoes rising up from the waters of Lake Nicaragua. One sits dormant, slopes draped in coffee farms and lush forest, its summit draped in heavy clouds. The other is barren and rocky, belching threatening smoke into the sky. There are few other places in the world like Ometepe. The twin peaks of its volcanoes dominate the scenery, but the island is full of a thousand beautiful corners to explore. There are rural villages, beaches, hiking trails and swimming holes. Isla Ometepe is a must visit destination… Read more: Uncovering the Magic of Isla Ometepe: a Travel Guide to Nicaragua’s Twin Volcanic Island - León Was Nicaragua’s Biggest Travel Letdown
León seemed like the kind of place I would love. Before I arrived, I did what most travelers do and read all the travel guides and blogs I could about Nicaragua’s second largest city. A city filled with crumbling colonial architecture, burning with both tropical sun and leftist political fervor. Young Nicaraguans would fill the coffee shops and bars discussing Lenin in the shadow of volcanic peaks. But like the outcome of all too many a revolution, the reality of a travel destination often falls short of the expectations. León wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t particularly welcoming and ended up… Read more: León Was Nicaragua’s Biggest Travel Letdown