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
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.