Traveling in Central America is not the same as traveling in any other part of the world so there are some things we should keep in mind, here are 10 of them:
1. This is a great and very important tip. Central America is not the best place to just pull over and wait for someone to help you out with your car if it breaks down for two reasons: As friendly as people is in these countries almost no one stops to help people on the side of the road because it’s a quite common trick used by kidnapers and if someone does stop unless you speak Spanish no one will understand you. So take some time to check the engine of your car and make sure it is ok before you go on a road trip.
2. My advice is to pack some food to save some time and money. This takes me to the next tip. I always recommend trying the traditional food of the places you visit. But I also recommend being careful about where and what you eat because no one wants to get sick in vacation. In Central America is is easy to find street stands and small rustic restaurants, as well as some great well know restaurants. But if you are on the road what are the chances of finding a restaurant right when you get hungry?
3. This one is a short tip that might sound silly, but i fins it very useful. Take some garbage bags with you to avoid the mess. Eating in the car means that there will be garbage in the car afterwards. Plus I’m sure none of us would think of littering the beautiful Central American scenery.
4. We all know that if your air conditioner is on, the engine uses more gas. So unless you’re on the highway you keep the windows open to get some fresh air and save money. But in this case I will have to recommend keeping the windows closed. The reason for it is that just as any other city in the world Central America’s big cities have their share of crime and you wouldn’t want to be robbed as you wait for the traffic light to change to green.
5. Most Central American countries have highways and secondary more scenic roads. So to avoid a stressful ride along a crowded highway enjoy the beautiful sceneries that these counties have to offer.
6. This is a general road trip tip. Driving can be tiring and a bit stressful and if just one person does all the driving for hours it can become a bad and boring experience and the idea of going on vacation is to all have fun. Take turns when driving.
7. One thing you should always remember is to have some sunscreen on at all time because Central American countries are very close to the equator so the sun heat is very strong and you can get sunburned. Even when you are inside the car, it doesn’t matter if the car has tinted windows if you don’t have sunscreen on you will get sunburned.
8. In some Central American highways you might not find a gas station for long distances. So here come a pretty ovbious travel tip: don’t wait until gas is on empty to start looking for a gas station.
9. When planning a road trip always take unexpected stops in to consideration. Because they are constantly being fixed so even if the highway has more than one track on each way you will find traffic jams. Plus bathroom, eating, refilling and gas stops take some time. Plus some highways or roads in Central America only have one track on each way. That can cause waiting in the traffic.
10. To make sure you don’t get lost always bring a real, actual, paper map to Central America, one that doesn’t talk to you. GPS is great but they make mistakes, also in these developing countries roads and highways are always changing.
Marina K. Villatoro, has lived in Central America - Costa Rica and Guatemala for over 10 years. She’s traveled these parts extensively and now loves to organize vacations to these amazing parts of the world. With her first hand experience, she can recommend the best options for you. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!
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