Our diverse team here at VIP Journeys celebrate "Latin America Christmas" in different ways depending on where they were born or where they live. We thought we would explore and share their local experiences with you.For more than 2,000 years, Christians around the world have celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ annually on December 25. Today, Christmas retains most of its religious symbolism (and also some Pre-Christian pagan rituals.)
Read MoreLast year, in honor of the World Oceans Day, we paid homage to our Top 10 favorite national marine reserves in Latin America around the theme “healthy oceans, healthy planet.” The post, featuring 10 national marine parks taking action to ensure a healthy planet and oceans, as well as providing future generations with amazing places to learn about the world beneath the sea.
Read MoreEarlier this week, the world celebrated the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDBD). This event, held annually since 1993, was created by the U.N. General Assembly "to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues." Although the day originally was commemorated in late December each year, it was moved to May 22 some years later due (at least in part) to difficulties surrounding a date so close to...
Read MoreDespite growing popularity among modern tourists and adventure-seekers, zip lines in some form have been around for at least two centuries and possibly much longer. Today, many zip lines are billed as eco-tourism activities that allow intrepid travelers to get up close and personal with Mother Nature in remote destinations not otherwise easily accessible. Of course, the extent to which zip lines are eco-friendly...
Read MoreTomorrow, February 2, is World Wetlands Day. In honor of this decades old celebration, we’re sharing our Top 10 wetlands of Latin America!Since the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands in 1971, World Wetlands Day has been celebrated annually on February 2 to mark the occasion— that’s more than 45 years! The first meeting was held in the Iranian city of Ramsar, and the Standing Committee of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands...
Read MoreIn honor of the U.S. National Park Service’s centennial birthday celebration this week here at home, there’s never been a better time to share our favorite national parks abroad. From glaciers in South America, to Mayan ruins in Central America, our continental neighbors to the south boast some of the most awe-inspiring national parks in the world. We’ve covered national marine reserves before...
Read MoreEarlier this week, Americans celebrated their independence from Colonial rule. This annual tradition, held each year on July 4, marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence after the Revolutionary War and represents the official separation of the United States from the vast British Empire.Though the holiday wouldn’t be referred to as “Independence Day” for many years to come, the first celebration of U.S. independence took place July 4, 1777...
Read MoreFavorite SCUBA and Snorkel Spots - There's just something about being elbow to elbow under water with marine life that makes a person feel alive. From huge schools of tropical fish to large pelagic dinosaurs, nothing can quite compare to scuba diving and snorkeling in the deep blue sea.Whether you prefer shore, wall, deep or some other variety of dive or snorkel...
Read MoreHere at VIP Tour Group, we agree with author Helen Keller that “life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” That’s why we make it our business to plan distinctive one-of-a-kind journeys to Central and South America for a wide variety of travel styles and personal interests.
Read More10 Best Beaches in Latin America, by our trip designers at VIP Journeys! When filmmaker Bruce Brown followed fellow surfers around the world in The Endless Summer, nomadic surf culture was cemented as a carefree part of the American psyche. But, the seminal 1996 documentary certainly wasn’t the beginning of hanging ten. That honor goes back 200 more years to 1776—
Read MoreAstronomical tourism didn’t begin with the rise of sustainable journeys in the 1970s. In fact, stargazers have been traveling to view dark skies for centuries. Today, however, as the number of humans living in light polluted cities increases and the cost of powerful home telescopes declines, astronomical tourism has become its own freestanding travel segment
Read MoreIf you snap pictures to post on Instagram of everything from wood-fired pizza to the perfect roll of sushi at each restaurant you visit or regularly dine at 5 Star eateries, you might be a foodie. If you turn your nose up at chains and seek out only off-the-beaten path restaurants serving up authentic gastronomic wonders, you might be a foodie.
Read MoreAuthor Mark Twain famously said, “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all of one’s lifetime.” Nowhere is this sentiment more true than cultural travel.Sure, it’s relaxing to sip a rum runner with your toes covered in white sand, and everyone needs some time to decompress and the fine art of doing nothing at all, but to really connect with humanity...
Read MoreIt wasn’t that long ago the World Cup swept through the world’s 5th largest country by population. Tourism in Brazil, the country that makes up 47 percent of the South American continent, already had been growing for some time due to its amazing beaches (including the best beach in the world, according to TripAdvisor), high biodiversity (the country boasts more than 4 million plant and animal species)
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