The best way to explore an off-beat destination

I never thought I’d have such an epic adventure in the Puerto Rico, until I discovered the el Yunque Jungle Bed and Breakfast that has it all. Want to know a little secret about how I plan my adventures? I zoom in on maps and look for big patches of green, tiny islands, or interesting names, then I look them up to see what they look like. That’s how I planned my jungle adventure in Puerto Rico. Try it! Google “Puerto Rico”, zoom in on the biggest green patch, and click where it says El Yunque National Forest . From there, you can click the website it suggests to see the official National Park page, or you can follow another little secret I have to find a place to stay in the jungle. While still zoomed in on the area of interest and with the name of it still in the search bar, type “hotels near” in front of El Yunque and voila! You can see all of the hotel options and their information. The one I clicked was obviously the one that was furthest in t...

Posted: 03/01/2014 | March 1st, 2014 Located in northwest Nicaragua, León is a college town often overlooked by tourists who stay south, near Granada, Ometepe, and the beaches. However, given that the area has so much to do, I expected a lot of tourists but instead found mostly empty hostels and few gringos wandering the streets during my visit. I’ll tell you: all those absent travelers are missing out. León, a city filled with history, delicious food, outdoor activities, volcanoes, and nearby beaches, was one of the highlights of my trip to Nicaragua. The city is named after León, Spain. After Nicaragua was granted independence in the 1800s from Spain, the elites of León and Granada struggled over which city would become the capital (eventually Managua was picked). During the struggles between the Sandinistas and Somozas in the 20th century, the city changed hands many times between the two and was a scene of constant and intense fighting (you can still see bullet marks on some b...