The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

John Telford

5 Amazing, Breathtaking Costa Rica Destinations

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With over 1.7 million visitors each year, Costa Rica is a popular destination for tourists — and it’s not hard to imagine why.

There’s something for everyone.

With its bustling cities, beautiful scenery, and amazing wildlife, there are very few people in the world who wouldn’t find somewhere they loved in this amazing, diverse country.

The main issue is narrowing down your options!

Although Costa Rica has endless, stunning places, these are the Costa Rica destinations that should be top of your list.

1. San José

San José’s first impression doesn’t do the city justice. It doesn’t have the amazing scenery that some other places in Costa Rica do but with its charm, food, and nightlife, the capital of the country is well worth a visit.

It’s a great base to explore or start off from. You could even spend a day there before moving on. Fortunately, most major cities have places to store your luggage if you’re only there for a few hours and don’t want to get a hotel.

2. Conchal Beach

When planning your trip, chances are you’ll want to look into the best beach destinations in Costa Rica.

Look no further than Conchal Beach.

Costa Rica beach destinations are plentiful, but Conchal Beach is special. This beautiful beach with its white sand and tranquility is the ultimate place to go to relax and soak up some rays.

3. Monteverde

Home to the cloud forest, there’s nowhere else like Montverde on earth.

It’s one of the top destinations in Costa Rica due to the amazing tour of the plants and wildlife. It can be beautiful and relaxing if you stay in one of the reserves, or you can visit somewhere like the Bat Jungle for a little more excitement.

4. Tortuguero

A little town on the northern Caribbean coast, Tortuguero is famous for its wildlife. Sea turtles aplenty can be found here, and there’s a dense jungle with exotic species of monkeys and birds that people desperately hope to get a glimpse of.

If you’re an animal lover, this is the place to visit. You can hire local guides to explore on foot or by boat, and they’re sure to help you get the most out of your trip.

5. Arenal Volcano

The youngest volcano in Costa Rica’s activity hasn’t put tourists off visiting. It’s safe to do so if conditions are allowing it though, so don’t worry!

See an active volcano, take a dip in the hot springs there, and visit the nearby town of La Fortuna. There’s plenty to do around this place, and seeing an active volcano is, in itself, pretty awesome.

These Costa Rica Destinations Are Only Some of What’s on Offer

More and more people are beginning to realize what Costa Rica has to offer. It’s truly a wonderful country, with so much exotic wildlife and wonderful scenery that it makes for a dream vacation.

It doesn’t matter what you like or don’t like — there are Costa Rica destinations for everyone!

For more travel advice and tips, check out the rest of our blog!

6 Reasons You Should Go Camping This Summer

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Beach holidays are great for relaxing and escaping from your daily routine. Cultural city breaks give you the chance to visit historical sites and learn about something new. While both are amazing vacation experiences, going camping is a great alternative that offers much more than you think. Here are six reasons you should go camping this summer.

1. Reconnect

Camping gives you the chance to reconnect with loved ones. With poor signal and a lack of WiFi, you can encourage your children to look up from their phones and switch off for the weekend. Sharing a tent together also gives you the chance to develop the emotional bonds that might have faded due to city life. The tent in this Alpha Cabin Tent review is perfect for families to camp together, but still have enough personal space to keep to their own.

2. Scenery

Rivers, trees, mountains, and lakes are just some of the scenery options you are treated to when you go camping. The natural beauty surrounding many camping locations offers a much welcome alternative to the city. Who wouldn’t want to swap their commute to the office with a commute to a water spring?

3. Stargazing

Did you know that by living in the city, you can only see a small number of stars? Camping gives the chance to gaze upon a whole host of new constellations in the untamed hinterland. There are breath-taking meteor showers to be seen by stargazing while you are camping, as well as the chance to learn a bit about astronomy.

4. Food

The food on a camping trip always tastes sweeter. Cooking your food out in the open gives it a unique taste, most likely due to the further distance between your ingredients and the toxic fumes of the city. Your taste buds are also more receptive when you’re camping, since you have less time to snack and take part in more physical activities and adventures. When you finally get a chance to sit down and eat, you will find that you enjoy your food a whole lot more.

5. Confidence

Going camping can greatly boost your confidence. Whether it’s taking on the challenge of gathering firewood and starting the campfire, taking charge of the family hike around the local mountain area, or even finding materials to construct a handmade bow and arrow, camping gives you the opportunity to learn a new skill and boost your confidence as you do it.

 

6. Affordability

Vacations can be expensive, especially in the summer holidays. Heading into the woods can be a great cheaper alternative. More importantly, once you have already invested in the right camping gear, you won’t need to buy anything new the next time you want to go. Another way to save money is by avoiding private campsites and heading instead into publicly-owned national forest lands. You can also explore other options around the area you are staying. There are a ton of things to do in Manitou Springs, if you choose to stay around there. Most of them also don’t need to cost anything, like the Manitou incline or various hikes around the area.

Swap the beach and the city for a more natural location and take your family back to their roots this summer holiday.

Camping Hacks: 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Camping Experience

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young friends have good time on camping trip, relaxing vacation with fun

Looking for some new camping hacks to make your trip a success? Camping is all about good planning. If you don’t pack the right gear, you can’t just whiz home to fix the mistake.

So, listen to the experts. Below you’ll find 5 hacks to make your campout epic. When you’re ready to discover what you shouldn’t forget, read on.

1. Dinner Camping Hacks

Everything takes longer when you’re camping. Yep, that includes washing, preparing for bed, and even cooking. To make your trip successful, do what work you can while you’re still at home.

For the rest, do your best to simplify.

For food, make a simple dish in a single pot. A Dutch oven is the easiest method. It’s a type of all-in-one, multi-cooker pot.

Simply pick one of your favorite Dutch oven camping recipes. Then, perform all the preparation work at home. When you find your camping spot, heat, and serve.

2. Dessert Camping Tricks

Tired of smores? No problem. Instead, pick 3 of your favorite fruits, berries, or nuts.

Now throw them in a waffle cone along with some chocolate chips and marshmallows. Wrap the whole thing up in foil and store it upright in a spot they won’t get damaged.

After you finish your camping cookout, add the desert wrap to the banked coals. Be sure you leave the foil on. Remove your dessert wrap from the fire when it’s good and melted.

Then eat up!

3. Water Bottle Camping Tips

Sure, staying hydrated is important, but what about staying warm? You can use your water bottle as a portable heater.

We recommend a 32-ounce indestructible bottle, like a Nalgene. They’re small enough to curl up with and they won’t crack under the heat.

Simply pour hot water into your bottle and wrap it with a spare shirt or another piece of clothing. That’s to ensure the bottle doesn’t burn you. Then slip into the bottom of the bag to keep your feet warm during the cold night.

4. Lighting Tips for Camping

Headlamps are a must for most campers. They’re portable, hands-free, and last for hours. Unfortunately, they may be too bright.

Have you ever tried to hold a conversation with someone who’s shining their headlamp in your eyes? It’s like staring into the sun. The effect grows worse when the sun goes down.

Instead, pull your headlamp over a 1-gallon jug of water. Point the lamp inward, toward the water. It’ll diffuse the light and brighten a much larger area while keeping it out of your eyes.

5. Mosquito Tips While Camping

Mosquitos are ubiquitous. If you don’t have a plan to repel them, then you’d better have a plan for treating mosquito bites. You’re going to get them.

But with a little proactive thinking, you can discourage the brunt of those little pests. Bug repellant is a tried and true method. But what if you have small children or you’re allergic to the foul-smelling stuff?

You can always try candles that include bug repellant. Citronella candles are one alternative. You can also try burning sage in your campfire.

It’s a naturally repels bugs. You can even pick wild sage if you want to add it to your camping experience.

What’s Next?

Now you have 5 of the best camping hacks to ensure your success. Remember to plan and pack early. That’s the key to guarantee your campout is epic.

If you liked these tips, skip on over to our enormous library full of articles about travel. So long and good luck!

Top Tips to Make Your Vacations More Exciting

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However much you love going on vacation, if you choose to travel to the same area each year, or if you revel in the same activities that you participate in at home, your trip can quickly become boring. If you are fed up with the traditional family vacation and want to enjoy something a little different, here are some top tips to spruce up your next getaway.

1. Stay Somewhere Different

Although hotels might be the easiest option when you have a family, staying somewhere different can allow you to hear about new activities and can help you to feel as far from home as possible. For instance, if you are planning to visit the Arctic Circle on your next trip, why not consider staying in an igloo or an ice hotel? If you are not adventurous to try different types of accommodation, then you should consider staying at themed hotels, such as Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World, which allows you to look out over the park’s animals throughout your stay.

2. Go on a Unique Group Tour

If your family members are starting to argue and get fed up with one another, you should consider going on a group tour. These will allow you to see your surroundings in a new light while also enabling you to meet and mingle with other like-minded travelers. For instance, at Silverscreen Tours, they allow you to participate in Game of Thrones location tours that can take you around the locations of the key scenes from the hit television show in the heart of Dubrovnik.

3. Dump Your Luggage

There is nothing that can dampen your enjoyment of a vacation more than having to carry around heavy luggage throughout your trip. If you are struggling with the weight of your bags, and this is preventing you from being able to participate in all the activities that you have in mind, you should find somewhere safe to store it. If your accommodation does not offer a luggage hold, you should consider researching your local luggage storage centers, which are often located in stations or using luggage storage apps.

4. Be Spontaneous

Although it is essential to make an itinerary for your trip to ensure that you do not waste precious vacation time, there is value in being spontaneous. Rather than creating a timetable for your trip, you should allow yourself to explore and try any activities that catch your eye. This will enable you to experience new things that you did not even know existed before you got on your flight.

5. Enjoy the Journey

Many vacation-goers are put off from traveling long distances because their journeys can often feel like a waste of time. To make your vacation as exciting as possible, you should find ways to enjoy the trip as well as the time spent at your destination. For instance, you could read a book or watch a film that you have always wanted to, play games with loved ones, make exciting stops along the way, or go on scenic detours.

6. Experience Local Culture

If you are tired of the cultivated tourist landscape and want to see the real country that you have decided to visit, you should visit independent restaurants away from the tourist hotspots, speak to residents and consider couch surfing with a local family.

Life on the Road: 6 Things You Can Do With a Converted Camper Van

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Travel Trailer Caravaning. RV Park Camping at Night.

If you love to travel, you’ve probably dreamt of seeing the world by road at least once. What if I told you right now is the perfect time to put that dream into action?

Hotels, hostels, and homestays aren’t very safe right now.

Sure, if you stay at one you’ll more than likely be fine. However, every person at a hotel has been exposed to potentially hundreds of other people and could be sick without knowing it, and you’re no exception. Staying in hotels during the pandemic risks your life and the life of others.

If you don’t want to take the chance, traveling on your own in a converted camper van is a safer option. If you’ve ever wondered about living in a small camper, it’s time to answer your questions. Here are six things you can do when living in a camper van.

  1. Convert a Cozy Kitchen

Running a kitchen out of a van might seem daunting, but there’s no shortage of camper kitchen ideas out there. Gadgets like induction burners and Instant Pots make cooking in a camper van easier than you ever imagined.

If you prefer roughing it, cooking food over an open flame or outdoor grill has great appeal and is a piece of cake when living in a camper.

  1. Build Yourself a Porch

If a van with a porch seems impossible to you, think again. It’s simpler than you might think to create a DIY camper van porch using wooden boards and steel cables.

Easier still is the option of purchasing a camper van awning or porch kit. All you have to do is install and you have an outdoor breakfast spot that rivals the porches of most permanent cottages.

  1. Decorate a Dazzling Ceiling

There’s no way to avoid living in tight quarters in a camper van. One way to make your van seem larger is by painting the ceiling. Endless camper ceiling ideas include night sky paintings, sunsets, clouds, geometric designs, splatter paintings, and more.

Decorating your van ceiling with stickers, clings, or paints is a quick and easy project that will make your van feel homey in an instant.

  1. Light up Your Life

A common hesitation about living in a camper van is that you’re living in a metal box—the inside of an unconverted van isn’t incredibly comfortable.

One easy way to make yourself at home in a van is by adding string lights, paper lanterns, and other light features to give your camper a warm glow.

Make sure that the lights you choose don’t cause a fire risk, though. Living in tight quarters makes fire safety all the more important.

  1. Converted Camper Van Lifestyle Ideas

There are a wide variety of things you can do to a camper van: renovations and upgrades abound for maximum comfort on the road. What you can do with a camper van, though, includes not just mechanical and cosmetic improvements, but refers to a whole camper van lifestyle.

Taking a vacation or living in a camper van long-term requires a lot of lifestyle compromises. If you’re traveling with companions, you won’t have all the privacy and space you’re used to. You won’t always be able to compartmentalize and will have to do all your day’s activities in one small space.

Some of these compromises are downsides of living in campers for some would-be travelers. However, some of these lifestyle changes can lead to a better life for you and your traveling group.

For example, cramped eating conditions can easily be solved by eating outside, whether in chairs next to your van or on an installed awning. Work and leisure activities can also be taken outside. You may be able to maximize your space by taking to the top of your vehicle, too.

These are just a few ways that changing your lifestyle to suit living in a camper van creates exciting new opportunities. The frustration of changing your ways soon leads into great calm stemming from a simpler life.

  1. Making the Most of Your Vehicle’s Abilities

Finally, if you’re asking what you can do with a camper van, perhaps you should take a moment to ask what you can’t do. Camper vans are sturdy vehicles that make all kinds of daring travel easy. If you drive carefully with proper campervan insurance, you can live a life more exciting than you ever imagined for years and years.

Whether you take a safari through wild grasslands, travel along stormy coasts, or set up camp deep in the woods, there’s no denying that living in a camper is key to opening such doors.

You can live in a camper van without going offroad and immersing yourself in nature. However, it’s worth taking advantage of your camper’s intended purpose a couple of times to get a feel for what the machine can do. Combining the comfort of your homey camper with the untamed beauty of the outdoors might open your eyes to an outdoor lifestyle that’s more accommodating than you thought possible.

Travel the World With Peace of Mind

After reading this article, you know six exciting ideas for living in and remodeling a converted camper van. While you’re planning your next trip, take a look at our site for all the advice you need on your globetrotting adventures.

We know it can be hard to find advice suited for British travelers, so we publish articles with you in mind. Click around and look at our other articles and you’ll have a safety net of quality advice to fall back on during your next trip.