Let's Go Places Travel News

Hello

Hope your month is wrapping up well! Can't believe we're halfway through the year and July 4th is right around the corner. Let me know if you have any fun plans or going somewhere!

If the flight gods are on our side, we will be heading to Germany for a few weeks, with a 5-day cruise to Southern Sweden that I will be enjoying sans kids who will be spending time with their German grandparents and cousins. I can't wait for this little getaway :).

As usual, I'll be working from there so keep on sending me your vacation inquiries! My response time might be a bit slowed. Thanks for your understanding.

The good travel news this month is that flight connectivity to Latin America is increasing which hopefully means, flight prices will be dropping.

Flight options are added for Costa Rica and the first route with JetBlue's new upscale MINT service will be between Los Angeles and Guanacaste's Liberia Airport.

JetBlue is also stepping up service to Central America from the other coast, announcing that they'll fly between JFK Airport in NYC to Belize starting in December, three days per week.

The LATAM/Delta partnership will result in more routes to South America in the fall, with a daily Miami to Medellin flight, Atlanta to Lima options, Atlanta to Cartagena connections, and Minneapolis to Los Cabos.

Not to be outdone, American Airlines announced its largest schedule ever to Latin America and the additions from Charlotte include Cancun, Los Cabos, Belize, and Liberia CR.

Safe travels!

Anja

Belize

Experience More Than The Beach When In Belize With These Five Attractions

Belize may be a tiny country but there are lots to do to fuel your curiosity and adventurous side. This Central American nation is a melting pot of cultures, languages, and food, making it an interesting vacation destination. Although the official language is English, many of the locals speak Spanish, Kriol, Maya, or Garifuna.

Of course while in Belize, relaxing at the beach and eating great food is a must, but here are five attractions that will have you on your toes.

Panama

I’ve Traveled To Six Continents And Bocas Del Toro, Panamá Is About To Become The Coolest Place On Earth. Here’s Why

If you drill into it on Google Earth, it’s not hard to see why “Bocas” has become one of the hottest new spots on the global hipster travel map.

Geographically, Bocas Province is made up of hundreds of uninhabited islands, several indigenous tribes, multiple marine parks, surf breaks that can reach 20’, ancient coral reefs, and some of the best beaches in the Western Hemisphere. It’s also home to a mind-boggling array of species biodiversity both above and underwater—including sting rays, sea horses, nurse sharks, three-toed pygmy sloths, and the strawberry poison dart frog.

Around The World

The prettiest countries in the world

Every country in the world has something to offer – local cuisine, groundbreaking architecture, and much, much more. But beauty is a hard thing to quantify, which is why we let the World Economic Forum do much of the work for us: every year, the foundation releases its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, a survey that ranks the world's countries based on various factors, from safety to life expectancy – and yes, even natural resources. The latter takes into consideration details such as total animal species, number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, and ‘attractiveness of natural assets’.

Just For Fun

Science Says Being Surrounded by Birds Can Make You Happier

A new study conducted in Germany has found that the more often we see and hear birds chirping and singing, the happier we are.

A team at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research discovered that being surrounded by a wide variety of birds can offer increasing life satisfaction equivalent to $150 per week of added income.

About

This travel update is brought to you every month by Anja Phillips, owner of TropiQ Trips. If you enjoy these free, curated updates and want to help out a small business, please forward our sign-up page and share it on Social Media. Thanks so much.

TropiQ Trips provides customized tours to Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, Nicaragua, and other countries in Central America & the world. We create unique travel experiences - at no extra cost to you!

Planning a Panama vacation or just curious about this tiny but oh-so-diverse country? Make sure to join our private Panama Travel Community.

Ready to travel? Check out our Packing List. We’ve rounded up all the things you may need to bring on your trip.

Tourism is a critical revenue source for nearly every country in the world. We work with local agencies in each of our destinations. When you travel with us, you support small hotels, businesses, and local families, not big cooperations - here and there.

If you’d like to get started with planning your once-in-a-lifetime vacation, please reach out by replying to this email, emailing us, or scheduling a call.

I can't wait to work with you!

Anja

P.S. Have you already booked a trip? Do not overlook travel insurance. We have partnered with InsureMyTrip because they are the best option to compare plans and find the right coverage for you.