Guys I’m here to tell you all of you that Panama is not a favourite destination for tourists anymore due to rampant corruption in the city that is on the rise. To add on, kidnappings and street crime are largely responsible for the deterioration of panama tourism. For more information, please log in to http://blackpanama.blogspot.com/

I have couchsurfed quite a bit in South America but it doesn’t seem to be as developed in Central America. I wish I had couchsurfed in Panama City though, I think it would be an entirely different experience.

I use World Nomads and really like them, but I’m Canadian and I don’t think we get internationalSOS so it wasn’t an option for me.

As for phones it does matter where you are from and whether it’s unlocked or not.

Hi Shannon, what country are you from? Dumb question, I know, but it will effect people’s advice on phones and insurance, etc.

Soon I will embark on my first solo trip. I will be starting in Nicaragua and ending in Belize, my travel time will total about four months. I need a little advise on a couple things, first of which being what to do with my cell phone? I know I can get a global plan [...]

Hi guys, I know I’m a little late in responding but thought I’d chime in since I started this trip in Guatemala. I was mostly in Guatemala City and Antigua, so my experience is limited, but I agree with Ayngelina on everything she said about Antigua. I went primarily for language study and because I [...]

That the “restaurant options are very typically American” is an understandable shame. I’m guessing that’s because the majority of people who eat out are visitors from the States? Have you started Couchsurfing yet, @Ayngelina? I think you were thinking about it a little while ago? (My memory is rubbish, so apologies if I got that [...]

Well it’s not entirely surprising. In some cases a culture simply doesn’t embrace eating out as much. For example, Andi Perullo just wrote about how disappointing the food was in Cuba. It’s not necessarily that Cuban food is bad, only that the dining out options are bad. If I had been able to couchsurf or [...]

Coming from an English-teaching background (and we still keep our hand in), I’m not surprised that teachers are being underpaid or completely unpaid; same goes for host families. I’ve spoken to many teachers where this was true. In one case, a girl flew from Australia to Poland to teach, then got below-minimum-wage for a year [...]

Nice to know, especially the warning about tickets out. A lot of countries have those requirements, but many don’t seem to care. It’s so important to know which ones will, and which ones just need proof of funds. I’m surprised you recommend the markets if the food culture is so bad. Seems like a bit [...]

Thanks for the info Michelle. Would love to hear more if you can dig up your journals

Hey there all, I spent two months in Guatemala (admittedly this was a decade ago!) and I hope to go back one of these days. I did Spanish classes in Antigua and despite the mass tourism feel of much of the area, I really enjoyed it. It was a good base for meeting other travellers [...]

@pegmcp I just saw a post of yours saying you took Spanish classes in Quetzaltenango, can you tell us more about your experience?

How long did you take classes? Did you do a homestay? What else should I know about studying Spanish in Quetzaltenango or anywhere else in Guatemala.

Thanks Ayngelina I would really like to hear more about learning Spanish in Guatemala from people who’ve done it or know about it? Can anyone recommend a particular school? City? Personal vs group lessons? Costs? I plan on traveling solo and am interested in doing a homestay. Has anyone done it? How long do they [...]