Listed below are some of the best-ranked Latin American properties starting at less than $200 USD a night. All are multi award-winners and ideal for paradise-seeking travelers on a budget. So if your need for tropical holiday heaven is high but your budget is low, read on:

Almond Beach Resort (Belize)

Located along a pristine beach, this cosy little gem has all the necessary features for a fabulous warm-weather getaway. There are two outdoor swimming pools, a hot tub, a waterfront Tiki Bar, beach barbecues and plenty of free activities around the resort to enjoy. And naturally, there are lots and lots of hammocks — because what’s the point of a beach escape without hammocks?!

Nightly rates start at $138 USD for an ocean-view room with balcony.

Villa Caletas (Costa Rica)

Towering 1,150 feet above dramatic Pacific Ocean coastline, we dare anyone who stays at Villa Caletas to complain about the views. Situated atop a lush rainforest hill, this luxury boutique property boasts its own volcanic private beach as well as a vast infinity pool overlooking one heck of an amazing panorama. Bonus: There’s a scenic trail down to the beach which features plenty of wildlife sightings ranging from monkeys to toucans — but if you’re feeling lazy, there are hourly transfers down too.

Nightly rates start at $173 USD for a standard room.

Privillage Praia Pousada de Charme (Brazil)

Oceanfront location? Check. Outdoor pool? Check. Extensive sun deck with comfy lounge chairs? Check. Fragrant onsite gardens? Check. Hammocks galore (including a few in-room)? Check. Candlelit al fresco dinners? Check! In short, whatever’s needed for a successful, sun-soaked holiday, this place ticks off all the boxes.

Nightly rates start at $163 USD for a standard room.

Hostal Kundalini (Ecuador)

Ideal for the more social traveler, this budget-friendly joint offers plenty of chances to mingle in addition to comfortable oceanfront accommodation. Just steps away from the surf beach of Montanita, the hostel serves up a friendly, laid-back vibe and is within walking distance from an assortment of nightclubs and waterfront lounges. A double room here can fit a couple or two friends, has a private bathroom, a furnished outdoor balcony and comes complete with breakfast.

Nightly rates start at $50 USD for a double room.

Karmairi Hotel Spa (Colombia)

Conveniently located in Cartagena, but tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city along a quiet strip of the Caribbean Sea, this high-end refuge will have you feeling blissed-out in no time. In addition to a top-notch spa and an acclaimed restaurant, guests’ senses will be piqued with a variety of complimentary adventure activities including horseback riding along the beach and outings with local fishermen.

Nightly rates start at $94 USD for a standard room.

Aqua Wellness Resort (Nicaragua)

An eco-luxury retreat nestled along a private white sand beach, Aqua Wellness Resort boasts an organic onsite restaurant, infinity plunge pools and an oceanside yoga platform. The best part? Everything from the yoga mats to the products used at the onsite spa are environmentally-friendly — the resort even has community outreach and turtle protection programs that guests are welcome to take part in.

Nightly rates start at $139 USD for a standard room.

(* Rates quoted include all taxes and fees and are all dependent upon dates and rooms booked.)

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In South America: Untamed Winds from Peru For Less

Three German filmmakers went on a three-month trip through South America, armed with cameras and a moody Land Rover. They captured the varied landscapes of five different countries: Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and southern Brazil- and afterwards made a five minute and thirty second video. The scenes highlight the stunningly diverse landscapes and instill travel envy at its very finest. And while the filmmakers, Stefan Templer, Clemens Krüger and Vincent Urban, don’t speak during the film, they actually have something interesting to say. You can read the original interview at CNN, though unfortunately we never find out what’s up with the guy with the axe (can you find him?).

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Many of us have grandiose and romantic ideas about setting out on record-setting expeditions, or saving the world, but only a small percentage of us actually make them happen. Greg Clarke aims to be one of those people.

Clarke is a photographer based in Huntington Beach, California who is fulfilling a lifelong dream of hitchhiking from Alaska all the way down to Ushuaia, Argentina. Having already done the first leg of his journey by hitchhiking from Alaska to his home in California three years ago, Clarke now plans to add an altruistic aspect to the expedition.

Moved by the generosity of the people who helped him on his journey, Clarke has chosen to pay it forward by volunteering at five orphanages during this second phase of his trip. He has arranged for each of the five high schools he works with in California to be twinned with one of these orphanages so that students can fundraise for and correspond with them.

You can find out more about this on Greg Clarke’s blog, the Endless Miracle, or by checking out his indiegogo campaign

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Bus is the chosen mode of long-distance travel for almost everyone in South America. There are few public rail routes these days, and while companies such as SKY are slowly introducing the concept of cheap airlines, flights are still beyond the budgets of many natives and backpackers. Besides, what’s the rush? Life in South America is slower than in many parts of the world, so why not travel accordingly?

Getting Started: Booking Your Bus

While the bus infrastructure in South America is generally reliable, it’s not as organized as you might expect in Europe or the States. Each company basically works independently, and very few allow you to book online. This means the best (and often only) way to reserve your seat is to get down to the local bus station. Depending on the size of the station, you might find yourself confronted with counters for up to 20 different companies, each offering a different selection of routes, times and prices. The sheer scale and bustle of the operation may seem daunting at first, but fear not!

Start by taking a look at the signs and set-ups of the different companies to get an idea of what’s in your price range. Once you’ve selected a victim, head to the desk and see if you can find out availability and prices. A little of the local language is useful here, but don’t worry if you haven’t mastered it — the art of “finger miming” worked just as well for me.

Take the time to shop around until you find something that both you and your wallet feel comfortable with, but try not to be too restrictive with your funds at first. You’ll probably be sitting on these buses for a long time, and striking the right balance between your budget and your butt is something of a trial-and-error process.

The Bus to Barranco, Lima, Peru © Geraint Rowland

Seating and Sleeping: Avoiding the Semi-cama Coma

Chances are your journey will take several hours — maybe more than a day — and at some point you’re likely to be on an overnight route. These generally come with a choice of seat type: cama or semi-cama. Each company seems to have its own take on what those terms mean, but the upshot is: to sleep or not to sleep?

It’s worth shelling out for cama, especially considering the money you’re saving on accommodation anyway.

Cama seats are usually akin to deluxe cinema chairs with (almost) full reclining abilities. At their best, they’re comfortable, supportive and a better night’s sleep than the beds in many hostels.

Semi-cama seats — the cheaper option — are, as the name suggests, only halfway there (if that). Generally quite rigid and not all that cozy, they’re fine for daytime trips, but you can forget sleeping in them, especially if you’re someone who needs quite a bit of legroom.

If you want to avoid spending the next day wandering around your new city like a cramped, hunched-over zombie, it’s worth shelling out for cama, especially considering the money you’re saving on accommodation anyway.

Food

The quality and availability of food on long-distance bus journeys in South America varies wildly. Some companies will offer a choice of pretty passable hot dinner options plus breakfast the next morning; with others you’ll be lucky to get a coffee.

It’s best to research what’s on offer in advance, but even if you end up stranded without supplies, don’t worry. Buses without meal services often make pit stops in small towns and let some of the locals board to flog empanadas and other assorted goodies. This is a good option if your service doesn’t include hot food, especially if you develop an aversion to the wall-to-wall sweetened cheese, ham and mayo sandwiches that pass for catering on many buses. They may seem OK at first, but after a few weeks they can reduce even the most hardened traveler to tears! General precautions about buying from street vendors obviously apply here, but I never had any trouble.

Bus, Bolivia © Michael Fernando Jauregui Schiffelmann

Entertainment

On some buses, the journey itself is all the entertainment you’ll need. The 10-hour ride from Salta, Argentina to San Pedro de Atacama, in the north of Chile, is thought by many to be the most beautiful bus journey in the world, taking you through multi-colored mountains, vast salt plains and into the heart of the world’s driest desert. Quite often, you can even take in the view from the panoramic front window on the top deck, as many locals seem to have a fear of sitting there, meaning the seats are readily available.

Otherwise, you’re at the mercy of the crew here. As the Rough Guide to South America says, “”¦ your biggest worry will be what video the driver or conductor has chosen.” This is probably meant as a positive, but while some of the films we saw were perfectly passable (save for the odd appearance by Jennifer Aniston), others were downright harrowing. These ranged from incomprehensible time travel/revenge B-movies to one without subtitles that ended with everyone committing some sort of apocalyptic ritual mass suicide. And a quirky little number about a man whose only friends are stuffed dead mice. Arm yourself with earplugs and a sleeping mask if you intend to survive the night unscathed.

Some bus companies take a more interactive approach: on one line, after being subjected to an hour of commercials blaring from the screens, we were nearly harangued by our stewardess into a game of bingo. Different cultures clearly have different ideas of customer service, but the last thing I wanted after struggling through the day on a monster hangover was a high-volume test of my Spanish number skills. Still, it beat the train journey back from Machu Picchu where, having settled down for a little doze after 4 days’ hard trekking, we were rudely awakened half an hour later by pounding bongos and the sight of a steward in full “indigenous” attire and mask doing a sort of tribal dance!

Experiences like that can be hard work after a few weeks on the road. But they’re also part of the joy of travelling — no-one wants to go visit a far-off land only to find that everything there is as boring and predictable as it is back home. Bus journeys in South America certainly have their downsides, but on the whole they’re a thrilling and integral part of the adventure — a great way to meet locals and take in the amazing scenery while you move from place to place.

© Liliana Amundaraín

5 Things to Remember When Travelling by Bus in South America:

• Keep your passport handy — you’ll probably be asked for it when both booking and boarding the bus.
• Make sure you have enough cash (and a money belt) on you — desks at bus terminals don’t accept credit cards and the local food vendors certainly won’t. Just make sure you keep it safe, especially when you’re asleep!
• Earplugs/face mask/sleeping pills — whatever you need to block out the world around you and drift off into slumber.
• Music/reading material — take a book and make sure your mp3 player is charged, otherwise you might find yourself in a hell of bizarre, obscure cinema rejects.
• Food and drink supplies — it never hurts to be kitted out, especially in case you break down or the air-con gives up the ghost.

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According to some, the world is set to end next Friday when the Mayan calendar runs out of days on December 21st, 2012. Others believe that there will be a new awakening among the human race. However a British academic may have poked a hole in both of those ideas.

Before you take off for Belize or buy your tickets to the festival at Chichen Itza, you may want to consult the paper published by Andrew Wilson, who is the Assistant Head of Social Studies at the University of Derby. Wilson claims that the so-called ancient prophecy originates with two New Age books published in the 70s and 80s and can be traced back to a magic mushroom trip taken by ethnobotanist Terrence McKenna.

Read more about it on Yahoo.

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I can only speak about my travels through Latin America, but I suspect many of the reasons listed below apply just as well to other regions of the world.

#1: Price

Luxury hotels and chains will of course be more expensive than any hostel, but $15-20 per night for a bed in an often poorly cared for room packed with ten other travelers isn’t that good a deal. Throughout most of Latin America you can find hotels with similar prices for a private double. Split it with a travel companion and you’re saving money.

You can often negotiate the price too, especially for an extended stay, something you typically can’t do at hostels.

Quiet in Bed © Duru…

#2: Privacy

Not only are hostels usually more expensive, you won’t be enjoying any of the privacy of a separate room. As memorable as spending eight hours rubbing shoulders with locals and their sacks of chickens in the local bus is, doesn’t having your own little space to decompress, plan your next move, and sleep whenever you want for less money sound kind of nice?

#3: Practice Your Spanish (or Portuguese, or Quechua)

Probably half the reason you decided to go backpacking through Latin America was to come back with some serious language skills. That might not happen when you’re constantly tempted to swap travel tales with your American and European bunkmates.

You need to meet locals, and by staying at a hostel you’ve eliminated one of the best ways of doing so.

#4: Avoid Stupid Parties

Most hostels, especially those in a big city, are nothing more than the worst aspects of a fraternity transplanted abroad: slobbishness, excessive partying, and a general disconnect with the surrounding world. Don’t misunderstand me; I was in a fraternity and loved it for reasons too numerous and tangential to list here, but it’s not the lifestyle I crave when I strap on my pack.

Most hostels are crammed with revelers that might make partying a temptation, but I doubt blacking out on the local liquor with a bunch of study abroad students you’ll never see again is the way you imagined yourself exploring the world.

© Barnacles Budget Accommodation

#5: Meet Locals

A surprising amount of hotels in Latin America are nothing more than a few extra rooms in a family home. It’s not unusual to share a meal with the family or even spend time playing with the kids.

Even if that isn’t the sort of hotel you’re staying at, you can often make friends or at least chitchat with the concierge or some of the other guests, which are more likely to be from the same country.

#6: Support Local Businesses

Top-end hotels are often foreign-owned, and hostels are almost always owned by expatriates, but midrange and lower-end hotels are typically run, owned, and managed by locals. Wouldn’t you rather your money go to local families?

I’ll never forget the time I spent a rough night at a rundown hotel in Santa Marta, Colombia for just $6 and thought to myself: I need to stop being so stingy and just stay at hostels. When the next morning I mentioned to the barefoot and shirtless hotel owner that my companions and I were looking for a certain tour agency, he led us by foot through half the city and left us right where we needed to be. That wouldn’t have happened at a hostel.

The post 6 Reasons to Stay at Hotels (Instead of Hostels) While Backpacking Latin America appeared first on Vagabondish.

Do you have good table manners? Sure you may keep your elbows off the table and your napkin on your lap, but do you know what to do with your chopsticks in Japan? Or how to drink your vodka in Russia? Manners get more complicated when you head abroad, so in the spirit of helping you avoid insulting the locals on your next trip, check out this list of 15 surprising food etiquette rules compiled by CNN.

Making an appearance on the list is backpacker favorite, Thailand. If your food shows up with a fork, don’t use the fork to shovel food into your mouth like you would back home. Instead, when eating a dish with cooked rice, use your fork only to push food onto your spoon.

When in China, you should never, flip your fish. In China–especially southern China and Hong Kong–it is considered bad luck to turn a fish over when you are finished eating one side. “To flip the fish over is like saying that the fisherman’s boat is going to capsize,” says Dean Allen, author of the “Global Etiquette Guide” series.

And the rules are limited to food. If you are a guest at a traditional feast in Georgia, called a supra, it is important to know that it is considered rude to sip your wine. At a supra wine is drunk–the entire glass at once–only during toasts toasts.

You can brush up of your international table manners at CNN.

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Tom and Verity Robinson, both 30, took their first “feet photo” in 2005 on Brighton beach in the UK. Since that photo, the globe-trotting couple has continued to photograph their feet as they traveled the world.

They have since travelled through 31 countries taking the shots in places like Vietnam, Peru, Scotland and Australia. The couple now has a collection of more than 90 “feet photos” taken in front of exotic locations and natural wonders.

The couple added a third pair of feet to their photo project in March 2011 when their daughter Matilda was born.

You can check out the couple’s adventures on their blog Feet First.

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New Yorkers got a taste of Brazil smack in the middle of the Flatiron District.

Steps away from Madison Square Garden, Brazil’s tourism office set up a “sunball” in an attempt to draw visitors to the sunny nation.

New Yorkers were invited to step into the giant heated snow globe where they could play in sand imported from Copacabana beach and relax and pose for a one-of-a-kind Facebook photo-op in beach chairs.

The stunt was part of Brazil tourism’s campaign to increase the number of American tourists in Brazil. U.S. tourists comprise the second largest market for Brazil, trailing only neighboring Argentina.

Read more at NY Daily News.

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