Sep 23rd, 2009 at 9:00AM:
When I heard that flights from Chicago to San Jose, Costa Rica were going for just $260 per person this Fall, I immediately called my husband and asked if we could go for Labor Day weekend. Despite the fact that neither of us has ever expressed a burning desire to go to Costa Rica, he agreed. What can I say - we're suckers for a deal.
We knew that prices were so low for a reason. May to ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
costarica posts
Tips for traveling to Costa Rica (or anywhere) in rainy season
Sep 23rd, 2009 at 9:00AM:
When I heard that flights from Chicago to San Jose, Costa Rica were going for just $260 per person this Fall, I immediately called my husband and asked if we could go for Labor Day weekend. Despite the fact that neither of us has ever expressed a burning desire to go to Costa Rica, he agreed. What can I say - we're suckers for a deal.
We knew that prices were so low for a reason. May to ...Voluntourism in Costa Rica doesn't have to be expensive
Sep 2nd, 2009 at 4:00PM: Tropical Adventures is making it pretty easy for travelers to save the world. The company's new Cultural Encounter Package offers a six-night/seven-day package at a steep discount of 45 percent. The first two nights are at the historic Hotel Don Carlos, with the other four in the Bamboo Cultural Center's rustic accommodations in the Talmanaca Indigenous Region. The package includes all meals and ...The Highest Cities in the World
Mar 15th, 2009 at 10:00AM: The BootsnAll Travel site has a great article up listing the highest cities in the world. Amsterdam doesn't make this list however, as we're talking the cities that fall at the highest altitude. These mountain communities will have you gasping for air as soon as you step off the plane, both with their thin air and stunning mountain scenery. Topping the list as the highest city in the world is La ...Costa Rican rooms have volcano view at a bargain
Mar 7th, 2009 at 2:00PM: How many hotels give you a great shot of one of the 10 most active volcanoes in the world? Shoot down to Arenal, Costa Rica for a few days, and you'll see it first hand from your room at the Lost Iguana Resort & Spa. This top-shelf property has only 42 rooms right in the rainforest. You'll be surrounded by trees that have more than three centuries behind them, and the hiking trails through the ...An open letter to US Airways
Jan 8th, 2009 at 10:30AM: I just got back from spending a week visiting a friend in Puerto Rico. Considering I am tan, well-rested and had perfect weather, I guess it was a successful trip. But it was almost derailed from the very beginning when US Airways lost my luggage.
You see, I was forced to check my luggage because the overhead compartments were full. When I asked the US Airways representative why people in our ...US retirees changing the face of Central and South American communities
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Aug 5th, 2008 at 9:20AM: In warm-weather locales all over the Americas, the same scene is unfolding: US retirees, marching in lock-step in their all-white orthopedic shoes, are ditching traditional retirement communities and spending their golden years in destinations both less expensive and more exotic. And who can blame them? Prime real estate in these beautiful warm-weather countries-- places like Costa Rica, ...No Wrong Turns: How to Surf, by a Wannabe Surfer
Apr 21st, 2008 at 3:00PM: I believe the time people put in working, running errands, going to the gym and all the other daily stuff we feel we have to do starts to take its toll on how we live and think. This is a big reason why Tom and I decided to pack up and leave for a little while...to put things in perspective, do a bit of work on the road and to surf (ok...learn to surf for me). My surfing experience is limited to ...Fresh fruit, Costa Rican style
Mar 18th, 2008 at 12:00PM: One of my most vivid travel memories was the first time I tasted fruit in Costa Rica. I was staying with a host family, and upon arrival they served me a plate of pineapple as a welcome snack. Nothing could prepare me for that first bite. It was sweet and tangy beyond belief, like a piece of sour candy that had just been plucked straight off the plant. I certainly did not lack for fresh produce ...Photo of the Day (03-04-08)
Mar 4th, 2008 at 1:30PM: This photo of the Volcán Arenal in Costa Rica from ohad conjures a certain feeling of an invigorating hike on a warm, bright, summer's day. So what if I told you it was taken in the middle of the night? Pretty unbelievable, huh? But that's exactly when it was taken, and on the evening of the eclipse to boot. How did he do it? With some fancy camera work, a tripod and a 117-second exposure. ...The most remote (and beautiful) corner of Costa Rica
Feb 1st, 2008 at 2:00PM: If you want to experience Costa Rica for its natural parks and avoid beautiful-but-touristy places (such as Quepos) head over to Osa Peninsula, home of Corcovado National Park, which is the largest park in the country (and much of Central America). I was just there in November and would recommend it to anybody who is looking for adventure travel. November is a good time to go, too, because it is ...Latin American airlines rock! Can we have them here?
Nov 28th, 2007 at 10:30AM: It has been so refreshing to fly those little regional airlines in Latin America in the last couple of weeks. I have taken 4 regional flights so far and I love how well it has worked for me. Granted, the planes look about 50 years old, while the pilots look about 20, but they do seem to know what they are doing.
I appreciate that they operate like trains, without any of that insane ticket pricing ...Photo of the Day (11/19/07)
Nov 19th, 2007 at 2:20PM:
Since I'm here in Costa Rica this week, I couldn't help but use it as a theme for the photo of the day.
Thanks to jahloveforbin for this shot, posted on flickr. ...Costa Rica: No gypsies and hippies allowed
Oct 20th, 2007 at 11:32AM: It is not easy to be a backpacker these days.
I was buying air tickets from New York to Costa Rica (but out of Panama City) over the phone yesterday, using a free voucher. I am glad that I did it over the phone, otherwise I would have been spared this brilliant conversation.
After booking, the Continental operator informed me that a yellow fever vaccine was recommended and that I should have ...What Is Panama Like?
Sep 25th, 2007 at 9:30AM: I am planning a trip to Panama. Not sure why. I don't know much about the country but I have a free Continental voucher to use up and they fly there directly from New York. That's a good enough reason for me. Plus, it sounds like a pretty interesting place.
I am sure many of you have been there already. I hear that Panama is trying to brand itself as the new, wilder (and possibly more dangerous) ...Drivers Beware: The Most Dangerous Roads in the World
Aug 30th, 2007 at 8:07AM: Living near the Rocky Mountains, I thought I had some experience with dangerous roads. The ones I frequent twist and in turn around, over and under the huge, jagged mountains, through avalanche plains, with only a guardrail protecting your car from plummeting off a cliff's edge. It wasn't until I started travelling that I realized that the most dangerous road that I've encountered in Canada would ...Traveling When the Dollar is Weak
Aug 21st, 2007 at 11:28AM: When the dollar's down, what's a traveler to do? Stay home? Welcome to the life of a Canadian for the past decade and a half. We've been avoiding the US for the past few years because it was just too darn expensive. But now we're about on par and I for one intend to take advantage of it. But with the weakened US dollar, there's bound to be less Americans at the Eiffel tower this year. As I know ...World's Sexiest Beaches 2007
Jul 20th, 2007 at 12:38PM: Each year, our friends over at Concierge.com put out a list of the world's sexiest beaches, featuring the best places to "flirt with millionaires, lick the salt off a margarita glass, siesta in a hammock, and gaze at blood-orange sunsets night after night." If these don't make you wish you were somewhere else, you've either got your toes in the sand right now, or you're dead to the world. Here is ...Homemade Sub to Central America!
Nov 20th, 2006 at 6:05PM: Ok, so it's not yet for rent for your next Caribbean vacation, but it's an interesting way to travel, nonetheless. Authorities were alerted when someone spotted three plastic pipes moving through Pacific waters 103 miles off the coast of Costa Rica this weekend.
They found four men inside a 50-foot, wood-and-fiberglass homemade submarine. Oh, did we mention it had three tons of cocaine in it? ...Costa Rica: Jungle for The Masses
Sep 15th, 2006 at 8:00AM: Costa Rica has done a great job marketing itself as an eco-tourism country. It has been generally good to the rain forests. The country is beautiful, well-developed and super-easy to travel around.
The jungle of the Manuel Antonio park in Quepos, on the Pacific Coast, is breathtaking. It is, however, wide open to the tourists and therefore you are getting the clinically clean, safe, ...Word for the Travel Wise (06/09/06)
Jun 9th, 2006 at 8:00PM: Alas, the World Cup games have arrived and it was a sad day for both Polish fans and Costa Rica's Ticos that stormed over to Munich to support their teams. I was fortunate enough to stay inside and watch a good portion of each game, but the one I'm really hoping to see is Trinidad & Tobago vs. Sweden tomorrow. With Trinidad & Tobago being one of the smallest nations in history to qualify ...
