"The lodge was a dream that had been gestating since we met in college in 1991. We both wanted to pursue a largely self-sufficient lifestyle and escape the trappings of the work and consumer driven 'global north'. After reading a newspaper piece entitled 'Panama, The Oddest Country in Central America', we decided we needed to visit."

Panama City's man-made causeway is the perfect spot to go for a bike ride, drink a tropical cocktail or savor some typical Panamanian fare. In the last five or six years, dozens of residential luxury developments have popped up near the Amador Causeway and if you can afford it, this is one of the most pleasant areas of the city to live in.

Most of us take our morning cup of coffee for granted, not realizing the amount of processing and preparation that goes on between seed and hot cup of coffee. During my trip to Boquete this past May, I was invited on a private tour of Kotowa Coffee Farm by Hans van der Vooren, who owns and runs Coffee Adventures along with his wife Terry.

Whenever I travel anywhere in Latin America, I’m always intrigued by expats I meet who’ve chosen to leave everything behind in the U.S., Europe or Canada to settle in Central or South America. And I don’t mean backpackers or embassy employees stationed somewhere for a couple of years; I mean those who back up their [...]

So you finally did it: You quit your job, sold your home and bought a one way ticket somewhere south of the U.S/Mexico border; fast forward a couple months and you're living the so-called dream life somwhere near the Equator but it's not exactly the glamerous existence you'd been anticipating.

If your idea of retirement is living a simple life in a small house far outside any major city, then yes, you can probably live on $1,000 a month. Of course, if you want to live in a nice apartment in a nice part of town in a large city, your cost of life goes up. But the truth is, it's really quite hard to answer this question because some countries are more expensive than others and some cities are pricier than others.

It's every traveler's worst nightmare: You're happily sightseeing in your Hawaiian shirt and bright green crocs when you reach down into your fanny pack to grab your wallet and pay for your I Love _______ t-shirt when you realize your cash is missing. And so are you credit cards and...your passport, naturally?

You won't have to wait long before a very professional waiter or waitress approaches you. But while Colombian servers and baristas generally acknowledge your existence in a friendly way, sometimes they forget about you and you, the customer, are not necessary always right.

El Valle de Anton is my favorite place in ll of Panama. At just two hours outside Panama City, it makes a great weekend getaway: Forget skyscrapers and sweltering temperatures; here, it’s all year-round spring-like weather, breathtaking natural beauty and quaint B&Bs, making el Valle one of Panama’s most relaxing and picturesque destinations.

This city of sweltering days and sultry nights may be best known for the Panama Canal, but Panama City is quickly becoming one of Central America's favorite adult playground