TWO PLANE TICKETS, NO PLAN, ONE DREAM A celebration of one couple's decision to risk it all and live in one of the happiest places on earth. In this humorous and witty account, Nadine Pisani shares what it is like to follow her dream of quitting her job and starting a new life under the sunny skies of Costa Rica. Along the way, she finds reliable utilities are not that reliable, quirky neighbors are unavoidable, and tackling red tape takes the strength of a linebacker. But with all its challenges, you'll learn why Costa Rica is ranked as one of the happiest places on earth--and you too may want to taste the Pura Vida lifestyle.

A guide to show how cultural travel will change how you see the world.

Full-color throughout, with a free full-color foldout map and a new wildlife chapter with photos. With Frommer's in hand, you'll experience the wonder of Costa Rica's amazing biodiversity, as we point out the best places to see hundreds of unique, colorful species of animals and plants.Completely updated every year, Frommer's Costa Rica features gorgeous color photos of the lush rainforest and the spectacular beaches that await you.Personally researched by a longtime resident, it's the only truly up-to-date guide that gives you such in-depth coverage of this fast-changing country, with recommended accommodations in every price category. This edition also features expanded coverage of the Central Valley, the Nicoya Peninsula, and Guanacaste.Insightful commentary and opinionated reviews. You'll visit rugged wilderness preserves and sleepy beach towns, spectacular orchid gardens and mineral hot springs at the foot of a steaming volcano. There are adventures here to suit all ages and abilities: swooping from treetop platform to treetop platform on a canopy tour, taking a dip in a jungle swimming hole, spotting playful spider monkeys as you hike through lush foliage, windsurfing on Lake Arenal, or watching endangered sea turtles nest on the beach.

The laugh-out-load new travel memoir from the bestselling author of Mousetrapped: A Year and A Bit in Orlando, Florida Catherine Ryan Howard prefers bath robes to bed bugs, lattes to lizards and mini-bars to malaria. So why is she going backpacking?  She doesn't know either...    Catherine isn't the backpacking type. Working for one of the world's biggest hotel chains, she and her employee discount have become accustomed to complimentary bath robes, 24-hour room service and Egyptian cotton sheets. As for holidays, Catherine likes places that encourage lying - lying on the beach, by the pool, in bed... She's been on what feels like one long holiday in Florida when her fearless best friend, Sheelagh, announces plans to backpack across Central America. With Catherine's US visa about to expire, her having no desire to return home to Ireland just yet and her common sense, evidently, on a day off, she agrees to go along.  After all, how bad can this backpacking thing be?  Um... very bad, actually. Catherine soon finds herself showering with the threat of electrocution, living with mutant cockroaches, sleeping on wooden planks, suffering from all but one of the side-effects listed on her bottle of anti-malarial tablets (liver failure, in case you were wondering) and riding a horse up the side of a smoking, lava-filled volcano. And that's just the first week.  Backpacked is the wry tale of what happened when one very reluctant backpacker hit the backpacker trail and discovered that beyond the mosquitoes, bad coffee and flea-infested hostels lie even bigger mosquitoes, even worse coffee and flea-infested hostels whose bathrooms have no doors... Praise for Mousetrapped by Catherine Ryan Howard: "A brilliantly witty, instantly loveable author... I couldn't put Mousetrapped down." --Trashionista.com, Top 10 Reads of 2010 "[Catherine] writes with wit and humor about her time in Orlando. Thoroughly enjoyable and a great read!" --Talli Roland, bestselling author of The Hating Game "[A] unique story that proves that dreams really do come true." --WanderlustandLipstick.com

Full-color guide • Make your trip to Costa Rica unforgettable with 54 maps, illustrated features, and over 250 color photos.Customize your trip with simple planning tools • Convenient overview of each region and its highlights • Practical advice for getting around • Easy-to-read color regional maps Explore Manuel Antonio National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Tortuguero National Park, and beyond • Discerning Fodor’s Choice picks for hotels, restaurants, sights, and more • “Word of Mouth” tips from fellow Fodor’s travelers • Illustrated features on snorkeling and diving, canopy tours, and best beaches • Best surfing, birdwatching, and game fishing  Opinions from destination experts • Fodor’s Costa Rica–based writers reveal their favorite local haunts • Revised annually to provide the latest information Added bonus: At the end of each Fodor’s hotel review, we’ve included snippets from TripAdvisor reviews. Plan your trip with the extra peace of mind that comes from knowing each of Fodor’s expert selections is reinforced by consumer experience and feedback.

Waterproof and rugged road and travel map of Costa Rica plus zoomed detail maps of the most popular regions. Updated annually - ground truthed all the way from Cabo Matapalo to Upala for the new 2011/2012 4th edition. Roads are clearly differentiated by color and line width for classes from limited access divided highways down to 4WD seasonal tracks - improved and even easier to see the main route to your destination at a glance. 2 sided, 39 in. x 26.25 in. (4.875 in. x 9 in. folded) Locations and easy to read indexes are included for cities and towns, National Parks and other natural areas, beaches, rivers, peaks, volcanoes, waterfalls and the best hotels, lodges, resorts, restaurants and activities. Exclusives o The only street level map in print for the entire Central Valley from the international airport to San Jose. o Detailed maps of Arenal Volcano/Fortuna, Alajuela, Escazu, Heredia, Manuel Antonio/Quepos, Monteverde/Santa Elena, Playa Jaco, Playa Tamarindo/Langosta, Puerto Jimenez&Tenorio/Celeste. o Every waterproof map location, restaurant, hotel, resort, lodge and even campground is searchable and geocoded on mapcr.com where you can read detailed descriptions from the author of The New Key to Costa Rica (the number one bestselling guidebook over the past three decades). o Proprietary symbols for distinctively Costa Rican attractions like zip-line and hanging bridge canopy tours, butterfly gardens, canyoneering, rain forest horseback rides, SCUBA, deep sea fishing, golf, white water rafting, trails and many more. See at a glance what to do where. o Driving distance table and mini map for calculating trip distances and estimating drive times. o A few dozen useful English to Spanish phrase and word translations are provided in an inset. You will appreciate having 'What is the best way to get there?' and 'Can you please show me on the map?' at your fingertips if you need to ask directions.

December 21, 2012 is an important date for the Maya; it marks the end of the Long Count, a 5,125-year cycle of the Maya calendar, and the world’s transition into a new era. Some believe this transition will be peaceful; others warn it will be nothing short of explosive. But there's one thing everyone can agree on: Traveling to the Mundo Maya in the year 2012 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—and it’s not to be missed.Travelers to Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras in 2012 can expect a yearlong celebration of Maya culture, past and present—and Moon Maya 2012 is the guide to the best of these celebrations. From Palenque and Tulum to Tikal and Uaxactún, from Caracol to Copán, Central America expert Joshua Berman details the top offerings of each destination: Maya-themed sporting events and reenactments, ceremonies, dances, festivals, important archaeological sites, and more. Packed with strategies for planning a 2012 trip, lists of the organizations and tourism boards offering the best packages and tours, and easy-to-read maps to help you navigate your way through them all, Moon Maya 2012 gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience.

Nobody knows Costa Rica like Lonely Planet, and our 9th edition helps you build the perfect itinerary. Whether that 's whitewater rafting down the R o Reventaz n, sunbathing in laid-back Montezuma, quetzal-spotting in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, or swaying to reggaet n at an open-air bar in Cahuita you decide. Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip. In this Guide: Essential highlights chapter showcases the very best of Costa Rica Tailored itineraries for easy trip planningUnique Green Index helps you step lightly on your travels

The two way dictionary allows you to speak the language of soccer, the beach, Carnival and music, vocally, rather than with your hands. Essential phrases get the most from religious festivals and local art. The book includes Brazillian colloquialisms and simple pronounciation tips.

Nobody knows Panama like Lonely Planet. Our 5th edition will take you to the hottest nightlife of Panama City, through the wilderness of the Dari n, to the palm-fringed beaches of Bocas del Toro and high up to the cloud forests of Boquete. Lonely Planet guides are written by experts who get to the heart of every destination they visit. This fully updated edition is packed with accurate, practical and honest advice, designed to give you the information you need to make the most of your trip. In This Guide: Tailored itineraries help you get the most out of your Panama tripColor highlights chapter showcases the top sights and activitiesUnique Green Index makes eco-friendly travel easy