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Visiting Tikal, Guatemala Without a Guide
When I was a kid, my life’s goal was to be the girl-version of Indiana Jones. To a girl growing up in the suburbs of the USA, books and movies were my escape into a world of adventure. I can remember summers spent at my grandparents’ house looking through my grandfather’s collection of National Geographic, dreaming of the day when I too could explore these far off places. While the famous archeological site at Tikal, Guatemala is a far cry from discovering a lost city in the jungle whilst fighting off Nazis, it still evoked in me that same sense of wonderment. Walking out from the jungle path, seeing the tops…
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Finding My Happy Place in Tobacco Caye, Belize
Updated: 3/30/23 If you find yourself needing a tropical escape during those cold winter months, Tobacco Caye is the perfect island. I’ve made it my mission to escape winter as much as possible. After rewarding myself upon finishing grad school with a trip to Panama, I’ve created a new winter tradition for myself. Leaving the dreary, cold winter weather and landing in warm, tropical Belize brought me back to life. After spending a couple days in Caye Caulker scuba diving, I met my family in Tobacco Caye—the highlight of my Belize trip and a place I will return to the next time I need to unplug and unwind. We spent four…
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How to Budget One Week in Panamá: San Blas, el Valle de Anton and Panama City
My graduation present to myself after completing my master’s degree was a week long trip to Panamá. This trip was by no means a total “backpacker” trip but I also stayed within a reasonable budget. We stayed in hostels with a private room, splurged a little on food in Panama City, and visited the remote San Blas Islands. My husband and my sister tagged along to help me celebrate, but I’ve broken down our 3-person trip costs to what it cost per person. Accommodations: While we shared basic private rooms for most of the trip, if you divide up the room cost per person, it amounts to about the same…
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Panama’s San Blas Islands: An Adventure to the Perfect Escape
As an elementary school teacher, by the time winter break rolls around I am ready to relax and truly get away from it all! This past December, I also completed my master’s degree. I was ready to celebrate! What I needed was some serious relaxation. All I wanted to do was lay on a deserted beach, take in the sun, and forget all my worries. Panama’s San Blas Islands were the perfect remedy to all my winter woes. Getting There We booked a 3 day-2 night tour to San Blas with Panama Travel Unlimited. I paid a deposit online when booking and the rest was due the day before departure…
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Learning Spanish in Bocas del Toro
Disclaimer: I haven’t been asked or paid to write this post. I wanted to share my awesome experience learning Spanish with Habla Ya in Bocas, everything I’ve written is my honest opinion of the experience! I have always had a passion for learning languages. I’ve taken Spanish classes since the sixth grade, minored in Spanish in college, and studied abroad for a semester in Costa Rica. Fast forward five years after college, despite traveling to Spanish-speaking countries a few times each year, and I’m finding my language skills getting a little rusty. Working a full-time job in the US where I do not work with Spanish speakers, I…
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Relaxing Mountain Escape: Why you should visit El Valle de Anton, Panama
Located approximately 2 hours by bus from Panama City, El Valle de Anton is the perfect quick mountain retreat. I love the beach and the sea, but I also wanted to see some mountains and forest on my trip to Panama. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time in my schedule to make it to Boquete, however, I found my mountain fix in Panama’s small, sleepy town of el Valle de Anton. We arrived early in the afternoon after a 2 hour bus ride from Panama City. Just in time for lunch, we dropped off our things at the hostel and walked around the little town. We grabbed some lunch at a…
