This video covers some of the common expenses you’ll likely deal with while visiting & traveling Panama.

This video covers many of the basic things you’ll need to know, before your first trip to Panama or Central America.

This video covers some great APPS you should consider using while visiting & traveling Panama.

This video shares a handful of the items that we bring on ALL our adventures. Be sure to comment on the video and share what you take traveling!

For those of you watching the entire series this will be repeat information but we can’t stress how important it is to ensure your meet the Visa requirements before arriving in Panama. Some nationalities must apply for Visas months in advance, others such as US citizens simply show up at the customs desk and smile.

Panama is one of the places our US cellphones (ones with GSM technology) work as good as home. Even better than back home in our case, with 3-4 bars of LTE service almost the entire time in Panama. It wasn’t easy learning how to switch our phones over, take the shortcut and watch this video.

Some of the seasons and weather you can expect while visiting Panama.

This is a primer for understanding Panamanian culture, norms, and how to fit in.

Few things in this world are more important than our health. In the excitement of jungle hikes, waterfalls, and crashing Pacific surf, it’s easy to forget about the less exciting things like health care. Do yourself a favor and take just a few minutes to watch this and review your own needs before going on your trip of a lifetime.

The problem with bringing surfboards on a plane is, well… they’re large pieces of foam & fiberglass. What could possibly go wrong!

While it is possible to stay in a three sided hut, with white sand and turquoise waters steps away, you’d be surprised how similar accommodations are to what we’d expect in the US. Nearly anything is possible in Panama, but here’s a handful of the places we’ve stayed, the rates, and amenities offered.

If your time is short, you don’t want to waste hours or days of your vacation stuck in traffic due to political rallies, holiday traffic, or religious events. We’ve found ourselves in a handful of major international holidays and this time, a presidential election. Here’s how we avoided the crowds and got quality beach time in.

While Panama is a very modern country, in large part from the billions the Panama Canal brings into the country, it doesn’t have many roads up to US standards. Roads within Panama City are well maintained, but drive thirty minutes and you might be dodging potholes, narrow shoulders, or steep dropoffs.

Renting a car internationally is often a necessary evil. Public transport is very affordable in Panama, but it doesn’t always fit our needs. Renting a beach house, down a long private road, in a small community left us with few options. We share why we gave up on taxis to spend hundreds more renting our own car, and considerations for your own trip planning.

El Valle De Anton (The Anton Valley) is one of many mountain towns throughout Panama. Some of these tips are specific to El Valle, but there are adventures to be had anywhere you go in Panama with the right sense of adventure.

There are TONS of mountains to climb or hike in Panama. We snagged a babysitter (grandma was visiting), and joined our friends to hike up Cerro Chame. With only a couple thousand feet of elevation gain we didn’t expect much for views, but boy were we wrong! Nearby Panama City and Playa Coronado, this is an easy spot to access.

Many people visit Panama for the vast array of wildlife found throughout the country. Be careful what you ask for! We survived to share our stories but several different occasions we had visitors in, on, or around our house. The worst of the unwanted guests were only mosquitoes, and the rest of them were pretty interesting.

Plenty of markets and grocery stores sell locally caught fish, but how do you know its freshness, was it frozen? Speaking little Spanish, we couldn’t communicate these things clearly. What we could do however, was to meet the fishermen at the beach while surfing in the morning. Most fishermen fish all night, and return with their fresh catch each morning so long as the sea isn’t too rough. Here’s how we cut out the middle man, got the freshest fish possible, and likely supported a local family with fairer prices.

Panama is known for hand crafted items, and any market you visit will have plenty on display. Try searching the definition for Panama, and one result will likely be “hat”. Whether you’re shopping for a “Panama Hat” or other handcrafts, Jenny shares what she found in the markets we visited, and how she got some killer deals on all sorts of great items.

Straight roads are uncommon in Panama. That’s because Panama is comprised of hills, mountains, rivers, and everything wild and winding. Exploring can sound dangerous, but with the right tools and planning, Panama is a great place to explore whether by car or by foot. Here’s how we discovered some hidden gems, without a guide.

Like many East Coasters, we don’t get to surf good waves very often. Sometimes a big northern storm or a hurricane will send swell to Florida, but rarely as good or as big as the beaches in Panama. We share why every surfer should venture off on an international surf trip, and also how we continually enjoyed uncrowded waves.