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Costa Rica is an amazing place for a family vacation! You have beaches, rainforest, volcano, wildlife and tons of adventure! This week, we get tips for visiting Costa Rica with kids from Lonely Planet guidebook author Mara Vorhees. Plus, we are giving away two Lonely Planet Kids books — tune in to learn how to enter!
ON THE PODCAST
00:35 – Talking with Kim and Tamara about languages
03:45 – Lonely Planet Kids “First Words” book giveaway
06:34 – Tamara’s trip to Costa Rica
09:28 – Talking with Mara
11:12 – Where to go in Costa Rica
12:55 – Mara’s favorite beach area
14:02 – Recomendations for families
15:10 – Animals on the Costa Rica
16:38 – Activities to do outside of going to the beach
18:36 – Walk through of a family trip
25:06 – Best season to visit
28:17 – Recommended places to stay
31:45 – Renting a car or not?
33:10 – Where to fly in
34:17 – Food in Costa Rica
36:50 – Final tips
37:55 – Place to take a family photo
39:28 – Mara’s favorite travel gear
41:40 – Tip of the week
ABOUT MARA VORHEES
Travel writer and mother of twins, Mara Vorhees writes mostly for Lonely Planet, covering destinations from Costa Rica to Russia. Follow her adventures and misadventures at Have Twins, Will Travel and on Facebook and Twitter.
COSTA RICA WITH KIDS
- When visiting, you may want to split your time between the beach areas and then more inland.
- There are so many fun family activities including: zip lining, turtle tours, hiking, visiting volcanoes, etc.
- If you really want to learn you can take surfing lessons, but be informed that the wave are rather large.
- If you are able to do a turtle tour you may be lucky and are able to see the eggs hatch and the babies make their way to the ocean. This is a fantastic event to see if you are there are there at the right time.
- Ending at the beach is a great way to wind down your trip.
- If you have an interest in coffee you can visit different coffee farms and see the beans being planted, etc.
BEST PLACE TO TAKE FAMILY PHOTO
There is a wonder waterfall called the Llanos del Cortés which is probably Mara’s favorite waterfall in Costa Rica. This waterfall is a great place to cool off and great for all ages due to its small beach area.
FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR
Mara’s favorite thing to wear is her Keens hiking sandalsKeens hiking sandals that she likes to wear for any event.
TIP OF THE WEEK
When travel to an international locations you should checkout CDC.gov to see if you will need any vaccinations.
MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
We are giving away a copy of Lonely Planet Kids First Words: French and First Words: Spanish to two lucky listeners! Just leave a comment below with which book you would want and how you would use it by June 15th at 11:59 pm ET.
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If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email or leave us a voicemail at +1.641.715.3900, ext. 926035# You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening!
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I would love the Spanish version. We just had a granddaughter born who’s father’s side of the family is hispanic and speaks very little english. I would love to win this for her family 🙂
You won the Spanish version and I’ll be sending an email shortly.
I would love a copy of Lonely Planet Kids First Words: French because we are in Canada.
You are a winner! I’ll send you an email shortly.
I would say Spanish as my kids start this in kindergarten. Although French does sound good too since I took 4 years in high school.
I would love a copy of the Spanish version. We have a trip to Costa Rica planned for December with my 2 kids and my parents, thanks for the tips!