backpacking the gringo trail

Ultimate Guide to Bocas Del Toro Panama

Ultimate Guide to Bocas Del Toro Panama

So, you want to go to Bocas Del Toro, but don’t know what to do when you get there? Well, I just got back from Bocas and will give you my ultimate guide to the best things to do there all week (or weekend) and the heads up on what places are going strong!

Best Hostels in Bocas Del Toro, Panama

Best Hostels in Bocas  Del Toro, Panama

So you're planning your trip to Bocas Del Toro and don't know where to begin. There are so many places to stay it can be overwhelming trying to decide what's best for you, especially if you've never been there before. Well, I have some good news for you, I've been there and with a little help from my friends I've got the ultimate guide on choosing the best hostel possible!

Sometimes Everythig Goes Wrong and it Makes Everything Right: 2015 in Retrospect

Sometimes Everythig Goes Wrong and it Makes Everything Right: 2015 in Retrospect

If a year ago today you would have asked me if I thought I would be traveling in and out of the United States more in the next year than I had in the past 4 combined, I would have said absolutely not. If you told me I would be going to Central America by myself with a backpack, or making...

The #1 Place Everyone MUST Go in Panama

The #1 Place Everyone MUST Go in Panama

There is a place in the forest in Panama that everyone who has visited has fallen in love with, and everyone who didn't go wishes they had, and it is called The Lost and Found Lodge.

(Not) Hiking Volcan Baru

(Not) Hiking Volcan Baru

I stepped off of a yellow school bus into the city center of Boquete and looked around at the new atmosphere. Very different from the hot islands of Bocas Del Toro I had come from, I was in 60-degree weather with mountains in sight. As I stepped off my bus I caught a glimpse of Hostel Mamallena right in front of me which is where I was headed to ask about their shuttle and sign up to do the overnight hike up Volcan Baru.

Making Friends as a Solo Traveler

Making Friends as a Solo Traveler

Don’t you get lonely traveling by yourself? Do you get bored being alone so much? Aren’t you scared to solo travel? These are just a few of the questions I get asked on a regular basis about my solo traveling endeavors, and the answer is absolutely not. I always manage to make friends when I travel by myself and you can too! For those who question how I do it or those who need a little push, I’m going to give you a few examples of ways to break through that barrier to making new friends!

5 MORE Tips I Learned From 5 Hostels

5 MORE Tips I Learned From 5 Hostels

The next 5 tips for hostels that I promised to share with everyone! These are some things that I just had to learn through experience and some that I wish I had known before checking in!

Swimming Through a Galaxy

Swimming Through a Galaxy

Walking to my hostel in Bocas Del Toro, I came across a wooden sign that said, “Night Tours! Ask Inside!” I kept walking as I thought about what an interesting concept it was, something I hadn’t seen in the other places I’d visited...

What Draws Me To Travel

What Draws Me To Travel

The greatest part about my trip in Central America can not be specified into a certain place, a specific moment, or one experience. I loved the experience as whole, the people, the places, all of it. One of the things that I loved the most no matter where I was was...