WILD FRONT: Corcovado Beach, Costa Rica (Linda Long)
Flying from San Jose to the Osa Peninsula on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica may be an adventure in itself, but what awaits you amongst the beaches and jungles of Corcovado is worth every minute. Miles and miles of beach stretch out in both directions, all fringed by the dense, biologically diverse jungle of 168,000-acre Corcovado National Park. Scarlet macaws dance in the palm trees, hermit crabs make their way to the ocean, and the occasional "quadimundi" may honor you with its presence. In addition, jaguars, tapirs, crocodiles, squirrel monkeys, almost 100 species of trees, and close to 400 species of birds call Corcovado home. Spend your days exploring the rainforest canopy from a 120-foot platform, swinging from palm-shaded hammocks, building sandcastles on a deserted beach, learning to surf, or riding horses into the sunset. The sound of waves crashing against the beach in this secluded slice of paradise will lull you to sleep at night.
Following the effort of getting our one- and three-year-old to Scotland on our last family vacation, my wife and I swore to dial back our prospective travel radius on our most recent trip this May. Wherever we decided to go, it had to be within two hours by air for us to contemplate taking the kids. That meant Brazil was out (besides, Grandma and Grandpa were too busy to babysit). Living in the Washington, D.C. area, we therefore trained our sights down the Atlantic seaboard, researching beach options in South Carolina, Georgia, or Florida.
Amelia Island, a low-lying barrier island about 35 northeast of Jacksonville, was where we unpacked our beach toys. More specifically, we unloaded at the Amelia Island Plantation—and didn't leave the property for five days (except one brief foraging run to a nearby grocery store; more on that later). This 1,350-acre resort offers a range of different lodging options, several challenging golf courses, a world-renowned resort tennis program, and great access to Amelia Island's gorgeous, near-deserted beach.
Easy, Tiger: Respect local culture and customs before stripping off (John Foxx/Stockbyte)
I've had a hard time writing this blog because each time I start it (this is my fourth effort), I end up sounding like someone other than myself. So let me just say from the start, I'm not a conservative. Or a prude. Or someone who often wears a one-piece bathing suit. But despite all of those things, it really bugs me that travelers are so quick to go topless or nude when they're on their beach vacations. It seems that when faced with the decision between having a perfect tan and offending local residents, the tan wins out. I can't count the number of times I've seen locals swimming in oversized T-shirts trying their best to overlook the scantily clad foreigners stretched out in the midday sun. I don't get it. For most people, it'd be like going to your neighborhood playground and seeing a bunch of foreigners sunbathing nude. It'd be upsetting and disrespectful (not to mention illegal in all 50 states).
So why do it? I think it's easy to travel to another country and to do whatever you're used to doing at home. Especially when you're heading to a place that caters to foreign travelers. From bagels and Bud Light to rental cars and English speakers, you can travel to just about any beach destination and experience some semblance of your everyday life. But, part of the rush of traveling is to experiment trying new things—c'mon, how often are you going to eat a mango on a stick? Or dune surf? Or ride in an overcrowded chicken bus? Traveling can be a life-changing experience, giving you an insight into different cultures and ways of doing things. Sounds cliché, I know, but I wholeheartedly believe it.
Relax and recharge at Mexico's Costa Azul Adventure Resort (courtesy, Costa Azul Adventure Resort)
Stuck with the vacation-planning blues? Faced with too many options and too little time? Fear not, friends, we've recruited the adventure-travel experts at GORPtravel.com to join our crack team of travel bloggers. Part of a regular series, this column will help you pinpoint that trip of a lifetime, whether it's a supported trek through the Swiss Alps, a multi-day family rafting adventure, or a quick outdoor getaway for next weekend. -- The Away.com Editors
If the mighty Pacific Ocean is calling your name then look no further than Mexico's Costa Azul Adventure Resort. Located about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta in the historic, cobblestone-paved town of San Pancho (officially known as San Francisco), all of the rooms in this undiscovered retreat come with an ocean view and are steps from a gorgeous three-mile stretch of beach. There is no escaping the soothing sound of the ocean here!
Regardless of the weather in the Lower 48 (winter ice storms, too-crisp spring mornings, the dark shiver of late autumn), it's always summer on Mexico's Costa Grande, anchored to its north and south by the big resorts of Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, respectively. In between lies a spectacular, 200-mile stretch of Pacific Ocean coastline, which offers respite even during the dog days of August with its slow-paced vibe, white-sand beaches, aquatic distractions, and indulgences like yoga and massage (to say nothing of the margaritas).
Writer Karen Kefauver headed south to check things out, where she hung out in Zihuatanejo, daytripped to Barra de Potosi and Troncones, and plotted a few overnight excursions to get acquainted with the laid-back local lifestyle. She also took a mini road trip south to the La Tortuga Feliz turtle sanctuary, part of the eco-minded Playa Viva resort community in the beach town of Juluchuca (about 30 minutes south of Zihuatanejo). Check out Karen's video below of baby leatherbacks making a break for the big blue. Additional photos come courtesy of Oceana, together with which Away.com has recently partnered to spotlight sea-turtle conservation efforts. Get more facts here about threats facing sea turtles and ways you can help to protect one of the ocean's gentlest residents, plus view an exclusive photo gallery of sea turtles.
Renting a car can be a great way to explore beyond your hotel grounds, especially in the Caribbean, where a short drive often leads to amazing hidden beaches or that "secret" fish shack only locals know about. And where else are there so many countries that can be circumnavigated in a day? You may have to drive some rough roads—and possibly from the "wrong" side of the street—but the reward is well worth it. Here are a few tips on renting cars abroad:
Don't buy insurance (...because you probably already have it). Buying insurance can easily double your rental car bill. Fortunately, most Visa, MasterCard and AmEx cards include insurance (for free or a small fee) when you use them to rent a car abroad. Expect the rent-a-car guy to do everything to scare you into buying a policy—after all, they earn commissions on insurance, not the actual rental. It once took me two exasperating hours to get a car at the Cancun airport; after haranguing me to buy their insurance, the rep claimed the car wasn't there, the car wasn't washed, the key was bent, the moon was out of alignment, everything... but eventually I got my car and saved a bundle in the process. Be sure to review details of your card's insurance before you leave—some don't cover pickup trucks or rentals longer than 15 days, and most require you to pay damages up front and file a claim once you return home. And remember you have to actually use the credit card on the rental to get the insurance—some rental agencies offer discounts if you pay in cash, but you won't activate your coverage that way. Of course, if your credit card doesn't offer insurance, bite the bullet and buy a policy from the agency.
When he took his first surf vacation to Mentawai in October 1999, Dr. Dave Jenkins' was working for a multi-national health organization in Singapore. Widely considered home to some of the best and most reliable surf in the world, the Mentawais are a chain of about 70 remote islands that lie west of the big Indonesian island of Sumatra. Beset by big waves and steady winds that slough in off the Indian Ocean, the international surfing community first took notice of this ocean paradise in the mid-1990s after Quicksilver put out Surfers of Fortune, featuring luminaries like Kelly Slater riding the clean, hollow breaks at Mentawai. However, far from the region's perfect lines, it was the islands' onshore suffering that made the biggest, life-changing impact on New Zealander Dave Jenkins' life.
Taking a break from the waves to explore the tiny village of Katiet, he discovered a community plagued by chronic health problems like malaria, dysentery, and malnutrition. Immediately Jenkins told the village chief that he'd come back with a basic medical kit that he carried as part of his surfer's supplies. When he returned later that day, he was greeted by the grateful chief and a line of sick villagers.
The white-sand wonders of Roatán, Honduras (Nathan Borchelt)
Sun worshippers rejoice! Away.com has just launched its new sun-splashed Beach Travel Guide, featuring extensive coverage and highlights for the top 50 beach locales in the Caribbean and Central America. Destinations covered include popular wave-lapped oases like Montego Bay and Barbados, as well as more remote, adventurous locales like Roatán in Honduras or the little-known, privately owned Mayreau Island in the Caribbean.
Not only a great place to get inspired and informed about your next beach vacation, the guide includes sport-specific reviews and features for activities including scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, and sailing. Seasoned regional experts, with bylines in premier travel guidebooks for Lonely Planet, Fodor's, and Moon Handbooks, have contributed beach-specific reviews for hundreds of hotels, tourist attractions, outfitters, and uncharted beaches. Check back in the coming months for comprehensive coverage for over 100 other top U.S. and Mexican beach destinations.
The last time I went to the Riviera Maya, I was three months pregnant. My monthly checkup was right before I left for my trip, so I figured I'd ask my ob-gyn about any additional precautions I should take. He looked at me very seriously and said, "Whatever you do, don't drink the water." And that was it. He closed his clipboard and sent me on my way. Wow. Thanks, Dr. Wagner.
In retrospect, I guess my doctor was just trying to say that traveling while pregnant, especially if the pregnancy is progressing normally, shouldn't be different than any other sort of travel. But for rookies like me, and even moms who've been around the baby block a couple times, it's always nice to get some tips. Having been on the road for three months while pregnant, here's what I learned:
Our partner site Orbitz.com has taken some of the guesswork out of finding the ideal beach locale with its new My Ideal Beach widget. Plug in your preferences for three variables—traveler type, activity interests, and hotel preferences—and, boom, you're surfside in an instant. The beach-resort finder spits out lodging recommendations based on your search parameters and includes rates, star ratings, and availability. Though it'd be nice to view results on a map, it's a fun way to hone down the many choices through the prism of Orbitz.com's sun- and sand-obsessed experts.
What do you do when your beach vacation has a bit too much, well, beach time? Get active—and make returning to that beach towel all the more rewarding. For more, read Away.com's new article, Bodies in Motion.
Flying from San Jose to the Osa Peninsula on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica may be an adventure in itself, but what awaits you amongst the beaches and jungles of Corcovado is worth every minute. Miles and miles of beach stretch out in both directions, all fringed by the dense, biologically diverse jungle of 168,000-acre Corcovado National Park. Scarlet macaws dance in the palm trees, hermit crabs make their way to the ocean, and the occasional "quadimundi" may honor you with its presence. In addition, jaguars, tapirs, crocodiles, squirrel monkeys, almost 100 species of trees, and close to 400 species of birds call Corcovado home. Spend your days exploring the rainforest canopy from a 120-foot platform, swinging from palm-shaded hammocks, building sandcastles on a deserted beach, learning to surf, or riding horses into the sunset. The sound of waves crashing against the beach in this secluded slice of paradise will lull you to sleep at night.
Following the effort of getting our one- and three-year-old to Scotland on our last family vacation, my wife and I swore to dial back our prospective travel radius on our most recent trip this May. Wherever we decided to go, it had to be within two hours by air for us to contemplate taking the kids. That meant Brazil was out (besides, Grandma and Grandpa were too busy to babysit). Living in the Washington, D.C. area, we therefore trained our sights down the Atlantic seaboard, researching beach options in South Carolina, Georgia, or Florida.
