When I first booked my trip to Central America, I signed up for a Spanish program incorporating 4 hours of private tutoring per day, thinking I’d ramp up to 5 or 6 hours by the end of my trip. What a fool I was: learning a language is exhausting. The reason that immersive language programs are so […]
Most tourists who visit the department of Petén in Guatemala see Tikal and nothing else, missing one of the region’s great attractions: the tropical forest. I was bound and determined to see part of the jungle, so my mother and I decided to visit Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas, a small section of Laguna del Tigre National Park. Visiting the
Splendid Nature at Estación Biológica Las Guacamayas Read More »
Let’s play a game: with just a few clues and a handful of photos, you guess the city I’m currently in. First person to guess correctly in the comments gets bragging rights and a postcard from me. (EDIT: Winner has been contacted!) Without knowing anything about this city — or even that it existed — I
Cheesy as it may be, attending a luau on my Hawaiian vacation was on my bucket list. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I had picked the wrong island: every luau on the Big Island received average reviews at best. I wasn’t about to pay $100 for a less-than-stellar experience so I started
I remember my first solo trip fondly: I joined a 10-day cruise to Alaska and tacked on a few extra days in Seattle and Vancouver for a tremendous getaway. Before I went, I was incredibly nervous. Would I be safe? Would I be lonely? Would I be able to have fun? Everything worked out perfectly,
I’m sure I’m not the first person to arrive in Hawaii stressed and overwhelmed. Even halfway through the trip, after fabulous days out on the water and evenings watching the glow of a volcano, I was still tense. Last minute, we nixed our existing plans and instead headed south to the Puna district, with little
Now that I’ve been in Guatemala for awhile — longer than most “normal” trips I’ve taken — I think it’s fair to share a few of my initial thoughts and impressions. I’m sure my views will change as I experience more things and settle in more fully and I’m excited that for once I’ll be
Near Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, are two very famous dive sites known for being the world’s most reliable place to see manta rays. As the story goes, a hotel discovered that the spotlights it beamed into the ocean at night attracted a gathering of manta rays and soon afterwards, started offering trips
Usually, choosing a destination for my next set of travels is a carefully thought out endeavor. However, a flash sale on Delta had me booking tickets to Hawaii without much thought or foresight and then doing my research afterward. It still worked out wonderfully, but if you’re thinking about heading to the Big Island, here’s
Just the Facts: What You Need to Know About The Big Island Hawaii Read More »
