Caribbean and Latin America

Noche de San Juan at a Glance Noche de San Juan (Saint John’s Eve) is one of Puerto Rico’s most beloved traditions, celebrated every year on the night of June 23, the eve of the feast of Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint the capital city of San Juan is named for. As midnight strikes, Puerto Ricans crowd the …

Overview: The Culebra and Vieques Ferry The ferry is the most affordable and scenic way to reach Puerto Rico’s island municipalities of Culebra and Vieques. Both routes are run by a single operator, Puerto Rico Ferry (operated by HMS Ferries, anchored by Hornblower), and, this trips up a lot of visitors, they now depart from Ceiba, on Puerto Rico’s east …

TLDR — Is Air Flamenco Good? Air Flamenco is one of Puerto Rico’s oldest island airlines, flying small Britten-Norman Islander aircraft between San Juan, Ceiba, Culebra, and Vieques, with charter service across the wider Caribbean. Founded out of Flamenco Airways in 1976, it’s a long-established local operator and reportedly the largest Britten-Norman Islander operator anywhere. For travelers heading to Culebra …

Boquerón Pride 2026 at a Glance What: Orgullo Boquerón, one of the Caribbean’s largest LGBTQ+ pride festivals Where: El Poblado de Boquerón, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico (West region) When: June 12 to June 14, 2026 Parade: Sunday, June 14, starting at 12:00 p.m. from Boquerón Beach Cost: Free to attend This is the 2026 event page. For the full story …

TLDR — Boquerón Pride at a Glance Orgullo Boquerón (Boquerón Pride) is an annual LGBTQ+ pride parade and street festival held each June in the beach village of Boquerón in Cabo Rojo, on Puerto Rico’s southwestern coast. Founded in 2003, it draws up to 40,000 attendees and ranks, alongside San Juan Pride, as one of the two largest pride events …

After our experiences in crossing the Mexico and Belize borders, we had a lot of questions about how the Guatemala Honduras Border crossing compared. The vast majority of tourists traveling to Honduras never pass through the mainland, while we were traveling exclusively from the Rio Dulce area in Guatemala to Copán Ruinas. In Honduras, Roatán and Útila are far more …

Planning to head from south from Belize towards Guatemala? Or perhaps you are heading northly through Belize? Even to Mexico? Traveling to and fro between Guatemala and Belize is a common undertaking for travelers, especially among the backpacker communities. Guatemala shares Belize’s largest stretch of border. Although a large majority of the Belize Guatemala border is covered by thick brush …

Of all of the places that I’ve traveled, Belize is one of the most unique. In this context, when I say unique I don’t necessarily mean that I liked everything about it. It’s quirky; it’s unexpected; and it was surprising in a lot of ways. Belize has an incredibly small population If you have never looked, the population of Belize …

If you are looking for a warm escape, then you may have heard of the village beach community called Placencia, Belize. Perhaps you are looking for relaxing beaches or maybe even an excursion to see the black howler monkeys. As you do your research into Placencia, we’ve written this article to try and give you some first hand perspective from …

Looking to escape the winter? Or perhaps, work remotely from somewhere while you get your diving certificate. But as a remote worker you know, that working remotely has its challenges. With access to the internet, distance is no longer the factor, well as long as you do in fact have the internet. Enter, the digital nomad’s dilemma. So what is …

If you are planning to cross the border from Mexico into Belize via the Subteniente López (near Chetumal) and Santa Elena crossing then you are probably wondering what it is like to cross the border. Is there a tax to leave Quintana Roo? Does a corruption scandal exist in that border crossing? Will the border agents request a bribe? Is …

The time has come. The schedule is made, the 2026 Yauco National Coffee Festival will take place from February 22nd to March 1st. The Yauco Coffee Festival, known locally as Festival Nacional del Café de Yauco Freddie León Maldonado will kick off its 51st annual event honoring the coffee harvest on the morning of February 22nd. 2026 Yauco Coffee Festival …

The Festival Nacional del Café de Yauco is an annual festival held in the town of Yauco, Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican coffee festival honors the region’s tradition of coffee cultivation, which has been a staple in its economy since the 19th century. It is significant both as a celebration of a key agricultural industry and as a showcase of …

A Town Built by Coffee and Corsicans Yauco wears its history on its streets. Walk through Yauco Pueblo, the town’s historic center, and you pass mansion after mansion built by the families who made this the coffee capital of Puerto Rico. The story behind them is what makes them worth more than a glance: in the 19th century, waves of …

Yauco, Puerto Rico, might be a town that you have never heard of but in terms of Puerto Rican history it has quite the sleepy legacy. Presently, known as the “El Pueblo del Café“, or the town of coffee, Yauco was once the Taíno capital of the island prior to the arrival of the Spanish. Led by chief Agüeybana, and …

Over the holiday break between 2018-2019 I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit Panamá and Colombia. It was my second time in Central/South America as I had previously visited Ecuador for 10 days, spent a brief few days in Costa Rica, and lived in the Caribbean in Puerto Rico for about a year. This trip to Colombia …

Recently, completing my article of things to do in Ecuador in 10 days. I thought it would be helpful to add some travel tips and advice for Ecuador as well. Ecuador was my first visit to South America; hopefully the first of many. I’ve been to other LATAM areas such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and lived in on the Caribbean …

Interested in visiting Ecuador, but not sure if 10 days is worth it? I asked myself the same question. Last year I was in transition between jobs and was looking for a new destination to visit. I had not been to South America before and wanted to experience it, especially after spending time traveling in Puerto Rico and backpacking through …

In 2017, I was able to take a short trip to Ecuador. Though brief, the experience was very enriching. I was able to visit 2 of the 3 major regions of the country and see several cities along the way. It was my first time in South America although since then, I have been able to visit Colombia as well. …

The Safety Question of La Isla del Encanto Is Puerto Rico really as dangerous as they say? Dwelling in the topics of safety and travel are not typically terms that I like to associate with one another. In fact, they are typically things that I like to disassociate with one another. However, even I will admit, there is a safety …

But it was totally worth it… Not to over-dramatize things here, but I did have a close call with my end while hiking in the backwoods of Puerto Rico. Now don’t misunderstand me, I am alive and well and live to tell the tale. Even though I had a briefly contracted a mosquito born illness while on the island, the …

Helpful Tips for Traveling in Puerto Rico   1.) Plan out your accommodation beforehand One of the most frustrating things about Puerto Rico is the lack of accommodation, or affordable accommodation, for backpackers. Thousands of tourists visit San Juan annually  and stay in the fancy beach front hotels, or one of the other numerous resorts around the island. However, if …

The Original Boricuas I have been wanting to write an article explaining a side or founding block of Puerto Rican culture that few outside of the island know about. It is a legacy that goes back several hundred years before the arrival of the Europeans and the creation of the so say “new world”. It is a root that has …

When I lived in Puerto Rico, I was always amazed at how little people did on the island. So many people visit the island annually, but completely miss out on what the island has to offer. Puerto Rico might be a strange place, but if offers a dynamic and unique list of things to do. I didn’t do absolutely everything …

Photo Journey through Puerto Rico I’ve finally reviewed and gone over most of my pictures from Puerto Rico. I’ve concluded with these as being my favorites. These pictures were taken in many places around the island from San Juan to the islands to the rain forests. I have tried to include variety in this so that you can see some …

Puerto Rico’s street art scene I think that few people really ever enjoy the street art scene in Puerto Rico. San Juan in of itself, has some great works by some very renown artists. One of the things that I noticed a lot was there are many works that are attempting to beautify areas of the city that are otherwise …

Driving in Puerto Rico and the Various Alternatives Should you? Transportation in Puerto Rico and Tips for Getting Around the Island I recently spent 8 months living in Puerto Rico. I know that a lot of Americans, and other foreigners, would ask lots of questions about getting around Puerto Rico via public transportation and/or driving around the island, riding a …

The Short Version San Juan is Puerto Rico’s capital, its busiest gateway, and the oldest European-founded city in the Americas, settled in 1521. Most visitors stick to the forts, a beach, and a piña colada and never see the rest. This list runs from the classic must-dos to the local corners I love, so you can build a trip that …

Street Food in Puerto Rico Food is an important aspect in all areas of the world. Puerto Rico is no exception. Since I came to Puerto Rico, I’ve learned one important thing: Puerto Ricans take their food seriously. The food is never fried and always healthy. (That is a joke by the way. Go on, you can laugh 🙂 ) …

I have done urban exploring several times in the past. One of my favorites was Hotel Belvedere in Dubrovnik Croatia. I never got around to making a post on that one though. Perhaps, I should. Since I arrived in Puerto Rico, I’ve noticed that there is a fairly high quantity of abandoned buildings. That is why I chose to label …

A Budget Friendly How To Do-it-Yourself Guide to the Bacardi Tour in Puerto Rico I recently took the tour of the Bacardi distillery near San Juan Puerto Rico, and I learned a lot of things that I thought I would share with you. I found the tour to be fun and interesting, but learned that it doesn’t need to be …

La Isla del Encanto The Island of Enchantment Puerto Rico for me has been a long time coming. I have had vested interest in it because I’ve got family here somewhere and I am fascinated to learn more about both Caribbean history and island-culture. Before leaving for Puerto Rico, I had a lot of mixed emotions and thoughts about what …