Perhaps you meant to spend a little more time studying Spanish before your trip, or if you did, your mind just happened to draw a blank the second you got yourself and your bags into the taxi. ¿A dónde quieres ir? Uh… where’s that phrasebook? Nothing’s better than speaking the language—even if you can’t do...

Years ago, I used to be the major planner on my trips. I’d do extensive research of the area I planned to visit, complete with restaurant reviews, entertainment schedules and seasonal activities. When my feet touched the ground in my destination, I intended to know exactly what I was going to do. Skip forward to...

Until I visited Colombia, I thought that my favorite hot chocolate was from Mexico. The dose of cinnamon (and sometimes, chile) has caused me to squirrel away a box of Ibarra or Abuelita for those moments when I crave it. But then, in Bogotá, I found something that was even better. Chocolate Santafereño is, at...

The best way to get an in-depth look at a culture is to travel to where it is. No guidebook, TV show or movie can replace the experience of being immersed in the daily life of a place. But when it’s not possible to go everywhere you’d like, books, films and festivals certainly help. If...

As vagabonders, we love the feeling of "getting into the culture." Where you finally understand how the people think, how their society works. Inc magazine had a fantastic article titled A Constant Feeling of Crisis , about the struggles of entrepreneurs in Argentina. I once talked to Antoni, the New Zealand owner of a gourmet...

It's that time of year again when STA travel picks this summers World Traveler Interns and the two lucky candidates have been announced. The 2011 interns are Brigette Muller and Dutch Simpson. You can read more about who they are and what inspired them to apply for the position here , on the STA website....

If you’re yearning for a weeklong wine harvest festival, pack your bags for Mendoza, Argentina. Here, in the foothills of the Andes, the first week of March is the annual Vendimia Festival , which lures wine lovers from around the world. Held since 1936, the festival celebrates winemaking in the heart of Argentina’s wine country....

Looking for something to do on December 31? Head over to Rio de Janeiro and usher in the New Year with Iemanjá, goddess of the water, revered by the Umbanda and Candomblé religions of Brazil. The unofficial patron saint of Rio de Janeiro, Iemanjá grants good fortune and blessings for the New Year to people...

Want to run away and live in a sustainable treehouse community? Go to Finca Bellavista in Costa Rica. You can build your own stilthouse or other "arboreal dwelling", as long as it abides by the community guidelines , which include such things as small square-footage structures, getting rid of waste through a compact biodigestor, and...

We all have them, whether it’s the extra time we could have spent in a destination, or bringing far too much gear on our travels. Many times, travel regrets don’t stick with us for very long after we return home. When they do, they can be a lesson for future trips. One of my biggest...

If you’re in South America and looking for a grand cultural festival in June, head to Cusco, Peru, for the Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice. Every year, on June 24, more than 200,000 people gather at the Incan fortress of Sacsayhuamán for Inti Raymi —the celebration to honor Wiracocha, the Sun God. The original festival was...

Travelers with a preference for environmentally sustainable practices don’t have a wealth of resources when on the road. As with travel in general, it’s often necessary to carve together information from a variety of sources—from books and magazines to online resources to word of mouth. Sometimes it’s like a treasure hunt to find the ideal...

In July 2010, the 34th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will meet in Brasília, Brazil, to determine what new properties it will add to the UNESCO World Heritage List . Currently, the list includes 890 properties (689 cultural, 176 natural and 25 mixed) that the World Heritage Committee has determined have “outstanding universal...

Spring is just around the corner, as are a handful of festivals in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. If you’re looking for a break, but want to avoid typical Spring Break destinations, here are the spots to hit in late March through early May: The BVI Spring Regatta lures sailors and landlubbers...

After the 8.8-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck central Chile on the morning of February 27, the country is focusing on cleaning up, getting aid to affected regions and attempting to return to functionality. What do you do if you’re traveling or scheduled to travel in the country? Citizens of the United States are...

Got a craving for Carnival? If you can’t get to Rio, don’t just give up and stay home. There are plenty of places in Mexico and the Caribbean, from Mazatlan to Dominica, to celebrate the annual bacchanal. And there’s still time to get there! The Mazatlan Carnival lasts six days (in 2010, it’s from Feb....