Get creative
Organize your art supplies and get to crafting. Consider creating a scary diablico sucio mask in the style of Panama’s annual festival or try your hand at making a paper mola. Then, try to dance tipico in a homemade pollera!
Pick a film
Watch a movie that relates to your destination. Some ideas for Panama include:
- Reuben Blades Is Not My Name (2018)
- Across the Pacific (1942)
Learn some history
Dive deep into the history of specific sites you’ll visit on tour. Learn how the Panama Canal cuts travel time for ships delivering items all around the world. Find out how scientists use Isla Galeta to study habitat protection. Discover which animals in Chagres National Park are found nowhere else but in Panama.
Choose a book
Read and discuss a book that takes place in your destination or describes the local culture. Consider titles like:
- The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough
- The Tailor of Panama by John le Carré
- The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs by Sandra Markle
Fill up your plate
Arrange a potluck and encourage your friends to bring a traditional dish from your destination. Know a chef? Hold a virtual cooking class with your travel group, or support a local restaurant that offers delivery/take-out of your destination’s cuisine. Make simple hojaldres for breakfast, comforting sancocho (the national dish of Panama), or carimañolas, which are great for snacking!
Learn the language
¡Regateemos! Practice your skills at bargaining – Panama is known for its street vendors. Here, no price is ever final, and you can find a variety of craft arts, fine gold jewelry, and keepsakes to remember your travels.
Did you know?
The national symbol of Panama is the Golden Frog. The frogs are native to Panama and may no longer exist in the wild. Although they are poisonous to humans, they are a symbol of good luck. In 2010, the Panamanian government declared August 14th as National Golden Frog Day.
Meet Your Partner in Travel
Zhané spent her early childhood in the rich, fruit-filled rainforests of Panama. She loves how colorful the country is, and how those colors play such an important role in the nation’s many festivals and parades. From the sunny beaches of San Blas to the lush mountaintops of Cerro Azul, there are dozens of landscapes to explore. At home in the U.S., Zhané stays in touch with her Panamanian roots by cooking elaborate Afro-Caribbean dishes for her family.