Important Things to Consider When Booking a Trip to Latin America
Latin America is full of incredible destinations, hidden gems, and unforgettable adventures, but planning a trip through the region can come with a few surprises. In this episode, Lisa chats with travel experts Kathleen Hall and Melanie Marsell about the best times to visit, navigating transportation, avoiding peak-season crowds, and why "sold out" doesn't always mean sold out. They also share some of their favorite overlooked destinations, including Panama, Chile's Atacama Desert, and Brazil's Pantanal!
When you think about traveling through Latin America, where does your mind go first?
Maybe Costa Rica. Maybe Peru and Machu Picchu. Maybe Mexico, Brazil, or the Galápagos. But the truth is, Latin America is huge, incredibly diverse, and full of places that many travelers never even consider.
Kathleen has lived in Costa Rica for more than a decade after originally moving there to study abroad, while Melanie grew up in Costa Rica and has worked in tourism since 2011. Together, they run travel agencies focused on helping travelers experience Latin America in a more authentic and personalized way.
If Latin America is on your travel list, here are some of the biggest takeaways from our conversation.
If you’re interested in visiting Latin America, check out exploretheamericastravel.com!
You Don't Have to Visit During "The Best Time"
One of the first things we talked about was something travelers hear constantly: when is the best time to visit?
For Costa Rica, you'll often see December through April listed as the ideal travel season. But Melanie doesn't necessarily agree. In fact, she thinks the rainy, or "green," season can be one of the most beautiful times to visit.
There are several reasons to consider traveling outside of peak season:
You'll often encounter fewer crowds.
You may have more flexibility with accommodations and activities.
The landscape can be incredibly lush and green.
Wildlife experiences can be fantastic.
You may get to experience a destination in a completely different way.
Of course, not everyone can choose their travel dates. School schedules, work, and other commitments can make December or other peak travel periods the only option.
That's where being strategic with your itinerary can make a huge difference.
One Simple Way to Avoid Crowds
If you're traveling during peak season, Melanie recommends getting creative with the order of your itinerary.
Many travelers search online for the "perfect Costa Rica itinerary" and end up following essentially the same route. Instead, consider switching things around.
Simply changing the order in which you visit destinations can help you avoid being in the exact same places at the exact same time as everyone else.
It's a small change that can have a surprisingly big impact on your trip.
A few ways to make peak-season travel easier:
Consider traveling to less-mainstream destinations.
Change the traditional order of your itinerary.
Be open to alternative destinations.
Work with someone who knows the region well.
Don't assume that what you see online is your only option.
Kathleen also points out that having someone familiar with the entire region can open up possibilities you may not have considered. If Costa Rica is sold out or doesn't quite fit what you're looking for, maybe Belize or Panama would actually be a better match.
Why TripAdvisor Isn't Always Enough
You can absolutely plan a trip to Latin America yourself. But there are certain things that are difficult to figure out from a Google search or a TripAdvisor review.
One of the biggest advantages of working with someone who lives in or regularly travels throughout the region is on-the-ground knowledge.
Kathleen gave the example of trying to find a great local restaurant while driving between destinations. A website might tell you about the most popular restaurants in a city, but it probably won't tell you about the little family-run restaurant that's the perfect place to stop along a particular driving route.
And that kind of information can make a trip feel much more authentic.
On-the-ground knowledge can help with:
Local restaurants and hidden gems
Current opening hours
Transportation logistics
Road conditions
Local guides and drivers
Hotels and accommodations
Less-touristy destinations
Knowing what is actually worth your time
Melanie also points out that online reviews are inherently limited. Someone might have visited a country once and had an amazing experience, but that doesn't necessarily mean the same experience will be right for you.
The goal isn't just to find something that is good. It's to find something that's good for you.
Transportation Is a Bigger Deal Than You Think
This was one of the biggest practical takeaways from the conversation.
Don't underestimate transportation in Latin America.
A destination can look incredibly close on a map, but that doesn't mean getting there will be quick.
A drive that looks like it should take 30 minutes could take several hours depending on the roads, mountains, and other conditions. And in parts of South America, domestic flights are simply part of the experience.
Things to think about when planning transportation:
How long will the drive actually take?
Will you need domestic flights?
What happens if your flight time changes?
Are you comfortable driving in another country?
Are you comfortable driving at night?
Do you speak enough of the local language?
What are the roads like?
Would a private driver make more sense?
These are the kinds of details that can easily get overlooked when you're piecing together an itinerary yourself.
Should You Rent a Car?
Renting a car can be an amazing way to explore certain parts of Latin America, but Kathleen recommends asking yourself a few questions first.
Before renting a car, consider:
Have you driven in a foreign country before?
Are you comfortable driving on unfamiliar roads?
Can you communicate in Spanish if needed?
Would you know what to do if you got a flat tire?
Are you comfortable driving at night?
Are you comfortable driving on roads without much lighting?
None of this means you can't rent a car. It just means you should be realistic about what the experience will involve.
And sometimes, a private driver is simply the easier option.
Private Drivers Might Be More Affordable Than You Think
When you hear "private driver," it can sound like an expensive luxury reserved for high-end trips.
But Kathleen and Melanie explained that private transportation can sometimes be comparable in price to renting a car once you factor in all the additional costs.
With a rental car, you have to think about things like:
Gas
Insurance
Navigation
Driving yourself
Parking
The stress of getting around an unfamiliar country
A private driver takes much of that off your plate.
And there's another benefit that isn't necessarily reflected in the price.
Local drivers know things.
They know where to stop for food. They know which places are open on certain days. And sometimes, they even know where a sloth has been hanging out in a tree along the road for the past few days.
Those little moments can end up being some of the most memorable parts of a trip.
"Sold Out" Doesn't Always Mean Sold Out
Here's one of the most interesting tips from the episode, especially if you're traveling during peak season:
A hotel being sold out online doesn't necessarily mean there are no rooms available.
Local travel agencies can sometimes have access to rooms that hotels have set aside specifically for their partners. Those rooms may not show up when you're searching online yourself.
So if you've found your dream hotel and it appears to be completely booked, it may still be worth reaching out to a local travel expert.
You might have more options than you think.
Don't Overlook These Latin American Destinations
Of course, we couldn't have an entire conversation about Latin America without asking Kathleen and Melanie where travelers should actually go.
And their answers gave us a few new places to add to our travel lists.
Panama
Melanie's first pick was Panama. Many travelers associate Panama primarily with Panama City and the Panama Canal, but there's so much more to explore.
She specifically mentioned areas like:
Boquete
Chiriquí
Panama's coast
If you've already traveled to Costa Rica and want to explore somewhere with a similar sense of adventure but fewer crowds, Panama could be an excellent next destination.
Atacama Desert, Chile
Another destination Melanie loves is the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.
Patagonia tends to get much more attention, but she thinks Atacama deserves a spot on more travelers' lists.
One of the biggest draws?
The stargazing.
The area is known for incredible night skies, along with beautiful landscapes and high-end accommodations.
Brazil
Kathleen's answer was Brazil, and it's easy to see why.
Brazil is enormous, meaning you could visit multiple times and still barely scratch the surface.
One of her favorite recommendations is the Pantanal, a massive wetland where travelers can experience wildlife in a way that feels surprisingly similar to an African safari.
You might see:
Jaguars
Giant anteaters
Capybaras
Incredible birdlife
Other wildlife in the wild
And according to Kathleen, it's a part of Brazil that many travelers don't even realize exists.
Why Book With a Local Travel Expert?
At the end of the day, you can plan a Latin America trip yourself.
But there are some serious advantages to working with someone who actually lives in and regularly travels throughout the region.
Kathleen and Melanie emphasized the value of:
Current, firsthand knowledge
Relationships with local providers
Knowing multiple countries and how they compare
Access to accommodations and experiences
Understanding transportation logistics
Finding authentic, less-touristy experiences
Customizing a trip around you
And perhaps most importantly, they aren't simply selling you the same itinerary they give everyone else.
They want to understand what you actually enjoy and then find the destination that fits.
That might mean Costa Rica.
Or it might mean Belize, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, or somewhere else entirely.
Travel Local When You Can
Another thing that's important to Kathleen and Melanie is supporting local businesses and communities.
They strongly believe in booking with local agencies and providers when possible, keeping tourism dollars within the communities where they can have the most impact.
And because their team is based throughout Latin America, they're constantly traveling, visiting hotels, experiencing destinations, and building relationships that they can then use to create better trips for their clients.
It's one of those things that can make a big difference behind the scenes, even if you never see it on your itinerary.
Ready to Explore Latin America?
If Latin America has been sitting somewhere on your travel list, hopefully this episode inspires you to move it a little higher.
There is so much more to the region than the destinations that tend to dominate travel lists, and having someone with firsthand knowledge can help you discover places and experiences you might never find on your own.
Kathleen and Melanie's company, Explore the Americas Travel, specializes in creating customized trips throughout Latin America. They also have a newsletter where they share their travels, new destinations, and ideas for travelers.
You can find them at Explore the Americas Travel and follow along with their adventures on Instagram.
And fair warning: after talking to them, your travel bucket list is probably going to get a whole lot longer.