Hello all!

I am new to this board, but not new to the site. Was living overseas, so have only used the Europe board until now!

DH and I have just moved to Houston, and I am starting to look at our "abroad" options for next year's travel. My problem? With so many diverse countries in Central/South America, I am having problems narrowing my research to even BEGIN to choose where to go!

Important factors for us:
--child-friendly: our son is a toddler who travels quite well, so wherever we go, we will take him. That said, we tend to slow our pace instead of changing our destinations now that we are parents. (i.e. we took him on our road trip through the former Yugoslavia, and he did GREAT! His presence makes us linger more--a good thing, for sure.)
--strong dollar
--both DH and I speak some Spanish, and with a trip in the works are looking for conversational lessons (Brazil might be out for now!)
--love hiking, camping, nature stuff; in a big city/small places breakdown, we're looking at 25/75 or maybe 33/64. We want local flavor but would never miss Buenos Aires, for example.

Any leads, suggestions about where to start, etc. would be more than appreciated! The hours of research that I was able to perform in my pre-mom life are significantly abbreviated by my sweet 13-month-old!

Thanks,
MacPrague

Hi, MacPrague - we're big fans of Costa Rica. If you love hiking and nature, it would be a great spot for you. It has active volcanoes, waterfalls, amazing wildlife like monkeys and sloths, and nice beaches. I speak very basic Spanish, and we rarely had to use it because most people were fluent in English - fun to practice though. Let us know what you're interested in, and we can help you narrow it down.

For a cultural blast check out Guatemala - a unique and memorable experience. I love Honduras and Belize, too. My pictures and travelogues are here if you're interested:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections/

Happy trails!

Macprague- much like you guys, I have traveled extensively in Europe but was new to South America/Central America. Recently, I traveled in Costa Rica and it was amazing. The hiking is great. The nature- jungle and nature preserves and fishing are great. I wasn't traveling with a little one, but I think several of the big parks-manuel antonio etc- would be child friendly. Also, it is relatively inexpensive. I hope to travel more in Central America/South America and I'll let you know what I find!

MP, we're in Houston too; Costa Rica is only a 3 hour flight for us. We were big Hawaii fans until we discovered CR - more affordable, easier to get to, no time change, and it's amazing.

vgirl -- Really...only 3 hours? You're so LUCKY! It takes us close around 10 from Seattle on AA with a stopover. Oh, well...it's worth it.

Hi, hip! Yes - only about 3 hours; I can't believe it takes you so long, but yes it's worth it. I think it took us about 8 to get to Hawaii. That trip would be a little quicker for you guys, wouldn't it? For CR, we just get right on Continental and go straight to San Jose. I love it because we don't have to give up a day's vacation on travel time.

It's probably 7-8 hours travel time...but with the layover, yeah. It's about 5 to HI. Haven't been there for a while though...However, my co-worker took a last minute trip a couple weeks ago and got a round trip ticket for $228.00!

Oh you girls are both making me jealous. That flight out of Houston is GREAT. I have a free ticket coming with Continental too. Credit card points. . .but I'm limited to their choice of days. Will probably not be able to use it until next summer.

MacPrague, you should know that Costa Ricans LOVE children. We have taken our granddaughter there since she was 5 months old--every year. My fondest memory is at a restaurant in Monteverde where our male waiter asked if he could hold her after he served our food. He did, and she fell asleep with him walking her while we ate. That's typical. You'll get a lot of smiles! It's a great place. I'd stay out of San Jose (it just wouldn't be easy with a baby, my opinion), but the rest of the country will leave you begging for more!

hip, that airfare is a major find. I am so jealous! What a great life to take a last minute trip to Hawaii!