In my ideal world, we’d all live within walking distance of a beautiful blue lake surrounded by (hopefully dormant) volcanoes. This shot from flickr user Matt Coats illustrates just what I’m talking about. Visitors to
With many of our travel budgets shrinking this season, now is a great time to consider the halfway point between that costly trip to Europe and the staycation that you’ve been dreading. Oh yes, I’m talking about Central America. Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua have a lot to offer and are a great alternative to sinking a large chunk of cash into a heavy vacation. They’re close enough so that you can get away for a long weekend, not stuffed with tourists like many of the Mexican port towns and warm enough to cure those chilly fall hangovers. Why else would we move our Thanksgiving family dinner from Providence down to Panama City? Check out four good reasons below. Plane tickets are inexpensive: Partially motivated by a slew of fare sales from Continental Airlines, destinations across the entire isthmus are dirt cheap right now. Many fares out of the country this fall are less expensive than domestic tickets across the US. Diversity of activities: While the region may not have the cliche anglocentric activities you’re used to on vacation, the natural beauty alone is enough to keep vacationers busy ziplining through the forest canopy, sea kayaking or loafing on the beach. Mix in a heaping scoop of American history, keen architecture and an emerging nightlife and you’ve got a winning combination. Tourism is booming: San Jose, Costa Rica is the perfect model that shows why tourism has worked excellently in Central America. Labor is inexpensive and resources are rich, so tour companies and travel agents will be competing to book your snorkeling trip and give you the best price on your jungle adventure. Furthermore, with the tourism base growing in each respective country, more and more content is now available by word of mouth, through tripadvisor or on gather.com for you to do more organic research. Piqued your interest? A great place to start your research on a trip to Central America is right here on Gadling. Take a look around our articles on Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua and check your sock drawer — you’ve got enough rainy day money for a small vacation this fall, right? Matt Coats wrote in his description about this picture that he took it from a “secret vantage point” in Guatemala. I’m reminded about the time I stood on a street corner in Hoi An, Vietnam taking pictures of people in various groupings as they passed by on bicycles or cyclos. It took several shots to get the few that were halfway decent. I wonder where Coats was standing and how did he find his vantage point. Is he in a shed? There is a towel hanging in the shadows. The blues and the reds in this picture are what first caught my attention. The framing could not be more perfect. If you’ve captured an image from a vantage point that served you well, send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr Photo Pool. It could become a Photo of the Day. The dollar has hit a new low against the euro, America is on the verge of recession and global food prices are on an upward spiral. In fact, global food prices have risen by 40% in the last nine months. Add to that the fact that food reserves are at their lowest in 30 years and the global economic situation looks grim. But beyond percentages and figures what does this really mean? To showcase the real effects of the global rise in food costs the BBC has put together an interesting piece featuring six families from around the world, their shopping lists and exactly how their shopping habits have changed because of the rise in prices. The six families are from Guatemala, India, Kenya, China, Egypt and the UK. In Guatemala the Rodas family has gone from eating meat five times a week to two. In Egypt the Abdulwahab family speculates a household used to be able to eat for one Egyptian pound; today it costs more than five. The article also itemizes each family’s shopping list, which provides for some eye-opening figures. The Classik family from the UK spends 10% of its monthly income on food, while in Egypt, the Abdulwahab family spends about 80%. Makes you think twice about complaining about how expensive everything is going to be on your next trip to Europe; travel is still a luxury. Read the whole BBC article here. There’s so much to love about the Caribbean, and so much to hate. The “hate” category exists because the Caribbean we have all come to love is now loved by too many; there are too many hotels, too many tourists, and too much development. But there are exceptions. Thankfully, the fine folks over at Condé Nast Traveler have compiled a fantastic guide to the less touristy places along the Caribbean side of Central America that “are still under the radar” — such as Corn Island in the photo above. This also includes the coasts of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. No, you won’t find the swank, sophistication, and luxury yachts that populate the rest of the Caribbean, but you will find the peace and solace that comes with small coastal villages, empty beaches, and modest accommodations. This is the true Caribbean, the way it used to be. Visit now before it becomes just another Cancun.Four good reasons to visit Central America this fall
The (relative) strength of the dollar: Sure the American dollar has made up some ground against the Euro in the last two months, but hotels in London and Paris are still going to cost you dearly per night. Compare that with some of the four star hotels that go for a third of the price in Panama City then factor in the price of food and entertainment, and you’re saving a ton of money over EuropePhoto of the Day (9-3-08)
Global rise in food costs: The real effects
The less traveled part of the Caribbean