Focus on Central America, Mexico, and the Carribean

With three volcanoes rising out of its emerald surface, and more visible on the horizon, Lake Atitlán is Central America's deepest lake, and considered by many to be the most beautiful lake in the world. Aldous Huxley famously wrote that, "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing." 

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It is no secret that the best way to learn to speak Spanish is full immersion — go abroad, live with a non-English-speaking family, take classes every day, study, practice, make mistakes, then repeat these last three steps until your brain feels like refried beans. Nicaragua is a prime location for your language-learning travails: A cheap and safe nation where for about US$200 a week, you will get 20 hours of instruction, room and board with a family, trips, and activities. In comparison, a similar program in Spain would cost at least $500 a week...

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Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HA-ka) awakens the senses.

This is not hyperbolic promotion, but rather a candid assessment of a place that is ideal for a learning vacation. Immerse yourself in sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and textures that are unique. During the past eight years I have lived in Oaxaca and have had the privilege of getting to know many students. Said one friend and native New Yorker, "When you hang out with Mexicans and you speak Spanish, you are in a different Mexico."

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...Those one million U.S. citizens — as well as the countless Canadians, Brits, Irish, Aussies, etc. who make up Mexico's English-speaking population, came here for a variety of reasons. Many are retired folks who find that their pensions go farther south of the border. Others are business people, taking advantage of NAFTA's gift of easy access to Latin America's largest economy. And some are volunteers trying to make a difference in what, in many places, is still a third world country. But for those like me who are far too young to retire, who have no interest in helping make multinational corporations richer, and who don't have the savings to support an extended volunteer existence, teaching English offers perhaps the best entry into a Mex-pat life...

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In most Latin America countries, the beer is a letdown. One or two brands usually dominate the market and they generally present minor variations on a similar taste profile.

Mexico is an exception to the rule, with a long history of quality beer at good prices, with a wide array of choices. Early inhabitants of the region made a variety of fermented drinks from the agave cactus and corn, but Europeans introduced beer from the homeland as they arrived. Some Mexican brands have surprisingly long histories of a century or more, thanks to German and Swiss brewers that established companies in the 1800s. In a footnote of Mexican history, the Austrian emperor Maximilian ruled much of the country for a brief four years. Left behind were recipes for darker beers, the precursors to Negra Modela, Bohemia Obscura, and Dos Equis Ambar today...

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Often, when people describe Antigua, they refer to the city’s beauty, the colonial architecture, and tourist amenities like yoga classes and bagels. Antigua is seen as “Latin America Light,” a bit of cultural flavor without the unattractive bits. In other words, visitors to Antigua may easily avoid close contact with the poverty, trash, and crime that are often associated with the rest of Guatemala.

Few realize that less than 15 minutes away from this idyllic destination the real Guatemala lies in places like Ciudad Vieja. Though tourists may not perceive surrounding communities such as this one as inviting as Antigua, they are not the treacherous ghettos people fear. Nonetheless, there is a great deal of need. When travelers avert their eyes and avoid seeing the reality of daily life for the majority of Guatemalans, they leave the country without having experienced a true taste of it...

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Spotting a Doubles vendor outside the airport terminal in Tobago is not difficult on this small island about 26 miles (42 kilometers) long and six miles (10 kilometers) wide. Locals and travelers racing in and out of the airport relish this fusion of Indian/Caribbean flavors — a symbol of the mingling of races and cultures...

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...after graduating from college, I lived in the southern Martiniquan town of Le Marin for nine months while teaching English 12 hours a week at a local primary school. For my efforts I was paid around 1,100 per month, 30 percent more than those in similar positions in mainland France get paid. The cost of living in the DOMs is slightly above the average in Europe so all DOM state workers, teachers included, benefit from this bonus. Activities in Martinique range from swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and underwater fishing, to hiking the northern range of mountains dominated by the notorious volcano Mt. Pelle. There is also a sport called canyoning, created in Martinique, which involves hiking and rappelling through steep rocky niches to bathe in various waterfalls and natural pools in the rainforest that covers part of the northern interior of the island...

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TAzine is a monthly Webzine which continues the 31-year tradition started by Transitions Abroad magazine. TAzine features many of the same columnists who wrote for the magazine, a growing group of new columnists, while featuring many freelance writers who wish to share their experiences and expertise within the context of our innovative alternative coverage of work, study, travel, and living abroad.

Founded in 1977 by Dr. Clayton Allen Hubbs, Transitions Abroad magazine was the only print publication dedicated to work, study, living, volunteering, and immersion travel abroad. Its purpose — in print and now as a Webzine — is the dissemination of practical information leading to a greater understanding of other cultures through direct participation in the daily life of the host community.