There is no feeling like arriving in the Caribbean – that humid air, the white sand, that easygoing feeling…but is a trip to the Corn Islands of Nicaragua worth a visit?

With the sounds of surfer talk like ‘gnarly’ and ‘dude’ ringing in our ears, the morning sun could have easily been shining over Santa Monica or Venice, California, but we were actually seated at a restaurant thousands of miles south on the Pacific coast in small beach town called San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.

This weekly series focuses on budget accommodation gems we discover while on the road. This week: Hostel Cabinas El Pueblo in Santa Elena / Monteverde, Costa Rica.

After our first sloth encounter in Monteverde, Costa Rica, we were fascinated by these funny-looking creatures and decided to pop into the brand new sloth sanctuary for a visit to learn more about these creepy-cute Costa Rican animals.

This Yucatan road trip offers a great taste of Mexico: A mix of Caribbean beaches, Maya ruins, cenotes, jungle, delicious food and authentic Mexican villages.

La Fortuna should not be missed on a visit to Costa Rica- a gorgeous waterfall, hot springs and a volcano, plus some of the country’s most beautiful scenery!

Pisa is an easy day trip from Florence and if you have time to include it in your Italy itinerary, definitely do it! It’s just an hour away, and yet …

For those who haven’t been there, what they say about Tuscany really is true: gorgeous hills planted with olive trees and vineyards. While you could spend your trip in a rustic villa, swimming, sipping and sleeping the days away, taking in the culture and public life of Tuscany is fascinating. Read on for our top choices, which may surprise you…

Our Polaroid of the Week this week: The long way up – the climb up Cerro Negro volcano outside of Leon, Nicaragua before we lava-boarded down.

Both huge fans of wine, olives, pizza and pasta , we had been wanting to visit Italy together for years but for some reason, it never worked out. This year we finally made it – and had an incredible trip. Here’s a taste of our time in Italy.