Welcome MondoExplorer Panama

Mondo Explorer is excited to announce a long-awaited new addition to our online travel guides—the Central American gem of Panama. This small, narrow country bordered by Costa Rica to the North and Colombia to the South will capture your imagination with its breathtaking natural beauty not to be overshadowed by its thriving local economy. Our new virtual guide to Panama is brimming with the best advice from the locals who know and love their country best as they suggest everything from where to stay and when to plan your trip to the best nature hikes, beaches, and local eateries. With the largest rainforest in the Americas outside of the Amazon, Panama is teeming with exotic life, making it one of the most popular destinations for nature lovers. And, since there is simply so much to see and do in this tiny country—don’t forget that it is the only place in the world where you can gaze at the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at the same time—Mondo Explorer has carefully collected the best insider information about the entire country for our users. This country is undoubtedly a tropical paradise, a destination where the comforts of modern living and amenities have left its raw beauty yet untouched and unspoiled. Truly one of the most beautiful spots in the Americas, and we’re proud to add it to our growing publication.

Visit MondoExplorer Panama

Mondo Explorer Editor

Welcome to Mondo Buenos Aires!

Mondo Explorer is brimming with travel-glee to announce the publication of a new guide for one of the most exciting cities in the world, Buenos Aires, Argentina! Once one of the most sought-after and glamorous destinations in the Western Hemisphere, this capital city seems to have it all—the tradition of a place like London, the beauty of Paris, and the energy of New York. And yet this international city is Argentinian to the core, which shows in its unique combination of urban progress mixed local color and tradition that have carried over for hundreds of years.
Our new Buenos Aires travel guide features hand-picked suggestions from locals who’ve loved this city since birth (and to know Buenos Aires is without a doubt to love it, no matter which continent you hail from). To start with, check out our basic information page which will tell you everything you need to know about how the city works, from when to go, how to get there, or how to get around the city, along with a host of other helpful tips that only locals and those who’ve traveled extensively to this coastal city know.
But the most helpful section of our guide will surely be the Explore section, where we give our readers a detailed breakdown of the different vibes for each of Buenos Aires’ many neighborhoods (or barrios, as they are called in Spanish). Buenos Aires is, if you don’t know already, a massive city that is spread out across many miles. Think Manhattan on steroids, then, maybe, you have half of Buenos Aires. And, each neighborhood has a very unique scene and ambience, which can change from street to street. This can be overwhelming for just about anyone (even some of the locals are known to get the neighborhoods confused from time to time). True to the kind of insider, hard-to-find information that MondoExplorer works hard to giving our fellow globe-trotters, this Explore section will undoubtedly become a part of your travel “Bible,” especially as you’re trying to figure out which barrio to stay in and which ones you want to pencil in (or out of) your itinerary (trust us, if you’re going to be in Buenos Aires for less than two weeks, there is little chance you’ll have time to see the entire city, so check out these neighborhoods to see where you want to narrow your focus).
And, lastly, we have our classic guide section where you’ll find listings for basically every kind of venue you’ll need for your stay—hotels, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, museums, theaters, entertainment, galleries, shopping, and the list goes on . . . Here, you’ll be able to easily search through and look up where to stay, eat, and play, and then book your reservations directly from our guide listings. You'll also find out about the hundreds of events that take place daily throughout the city. (Hint: Our favorite? Hands-down, the Teatro Colón. Check our guide for their active season; this is classic Buenos Aires. Also, if you don't see a tango show during your stay, you must not have left the hotel.)
And don’t forget, we always want to hear from other like-minded travelers! If you’ve been to Buenos Aires and want to share your suggestions with us—where to get the best empanada, which barrio is a must-see (or a miss-fire), or who gives the best tango lessons in the city—we want to know. Leave your comments here and we’ll be sure to add them to our guide so that we can share them with the rest of the travel community.
¡Buen viaje!

Miami Becomes the capital of ART

---

Miami becomes the capital of Art On December 2nd until December 5th, once again Miami will kick off its Art Basel Art Show. Few people know that it is actually the largest art show in the United States, and with merchants and buyers coming from all over the world it has also become a destination in the "hip vip" calendar of most of the "in crowd". So is it a good time to come? Absolutely! The only draw back is that it is actually diffcult to find a good hotel rate, but the weather is at its best, the crowd is great, and all of the parties and social events really dress up Miami with a touch of art and class. So if on a budget call your long time friend who lives in the city, or if you can afford it, reserve right now so you don't miss the opportunity to get cultured, have a fun time and enjoy this fantastic city. Mondoexplorer will be in Art Basel, so let us know if you will be there too if you are interested in talking about exciting opportunities or just to go and visit a nice gallery. Enjoy! Juan Sederino

Best City in Latin America

I was recently reading a ranking published by "América Económica" of the best cities do do business in Latin America (http://rankings.americaeconomia.com/2010/mejoresciudades/ranking.php) . I was not surprised to find Miami to be the number one ranked, as the slump in real estate prices has made this city affordable and it still offers some of the best quality entertainment and lifestyle in the region. I would like to talk about Bogota, because I was very surprised to find it was 8th place among the list.

I have visited Bogota on business trips as well as on vacation and I was extremely satisfied!!! If you like to eat, Bogota offers some of the best restaurants I have ever tried; my personal favorites are Harry's Bar, Balzac and Andres Carne de Res - a local iconic restaurant, has to be visited to be understood-, which recently also opened a location in the city called Andres D.C. For seafood go to La Mar, it is a fantastic place and the food and service will blow you away!

If you like walking, I recommend staying at the Windsor Hotel, a really nice and friendly Hotel situated close to everything and in a nice residential neighborhood.

If you like to explore, in the city I recommend going to "la Candelaria" during the day time, to look at the old part of the city and a visit to Montserrate mountain to see the city views is also great. For weekend excursions Villa de Leyva is a must, and for all man traveling aline be very careful: "the biggest danger Colombia has is you might want to stay there"

For more information go to Mondo Bogota

Nicolas Visiers Würth

Editor

What is happening around the world in september?

Most people have a difficult time adjusting to work after summer, but some seasoned travelers are just about to start their vacation! They know that prices drop in September and the weather is milder and more favorable. Going to the Balearic Islands in August is like taking the subway at rush hour, and it is difficult, but not impossible, to find locations where you can actually relax; in September you will have a much milder climate in all the Mediterranean, a destination full of fantastic places for all tastes.

In Italy you can visit the Capri one of the last places in this part of the world that remains true to its identity. In France the obvious option is St Tropez or Antibes where the famous Hotel du Cap is located, now it is not so crowded and locals are much nicer to foreigners. I personally love the loire area close to Paris, it is a bit cold but if you want to enjoy great food and spectacular views this is a location not to miss. In Spain I would suggest the Balearic Islands, any of the three major Islands will be a great destination as now most of the crowds left. In the main land, the Costa Brava continues to be a favorite spot, and once there try to get a table at El Bulli, which was rated the best restaurant in the world for the las 3 years in a row and will close its doors this coming December, definitively a must!!! Don´t forget that the Octoberfest is starting this month and Munich will become during 4 weeks the Beer Capital of the world: if you want to see 1000 people cheering and chanting it is a great idea to go, for me one day is enough and the rest of the time I would try to visit this great city which has lots to offer.

For those who have decided to stay in the United States, take a plane to New York, watch the US Open and head to the Hamptons, it is still nice and over the week getting dinner or just relaxing at the beach is possible as long as it is not over the weekend.

Just remember before you live to research the location and prepare your trip, as the enjoyment of travel starts when it is planned! Best travels to all or Mondo Explorer followers!

by Nicolas Visiers Würth, Editor.

Travel recommendations are important

How important are recommendations whenever you travel? Would you rather hear one from a travel expert or from someone you know? Or are you interested in hearing a recommendation from someone with your same profile? Is there a compatibility index that you can actually rely on? Ever since I started traveling I have always been interested in hearing an opinion or suggestion about a dish, hotel or restaurant... I am one of those people that will almost always ask for the specials and let the waiter "sell" me something I was not thinking of eating. When I am traveling, I also like to hear what local people find to be a good choice to do.

I will never forget my first trip to Colorado where on the way from Denver Airport to Vail we stopped at a restaurant, and we asked for "typical" food and they served us nachos with cheese and guacamole. I guess that since we where a group of people talking in Spanish that is what they considered "typical" and I would like! My point is that a recommendation is always subjective to the person giving it, and to their perception of what they believe you will like. So when www.facebook.com and www.amazon.com recently started to incorporate an application that lets me see what books my friends like, what they bought or read I was quite happy, because there I saw a potential opportunity for travel information. If I could see or choose from a smaller set of options, that a simple sorting based on the characteristics of my "small world" would offer, I could probably avoid going to places my friends already considered "not interesting".

Clearly if you tell me NOT TO GO TO, or PLEASE AVOID THAT PLACE, I will surely consider it, but if you positively recommend, I might decide to go or NOT. So this situation leaves a great deal of pressure on the delivery side, as if more than 5 people "trash" your restaurant you will probably loose business, and guess what most companies are hiring freelancers to write positive reviews at sites such as tripadvisor.com , so that the negative ones, which sometimes are written by the competition loose weight.... So is this the end of the web 2.0 ? I like to see the positive side of things, so for me this is the beginning of the social web. If I see pictures of my friend enjoying himself in a hotel in Barcelona on facebook, I somehow want to join him, I don´t care about his reviews, I AM SEEING HIS REVIEW!!

At www.mondoexplorer.com we are working on this and many other interesting things because we like to travel and we like to have great experiences. So here comes my personal recommendation: Cas Gasi, in Ibiza this summer, a great small Bed and Breakfast or "Agroturismo", it is run by Margaret and I guarantee you will enjoy this part of Ibiza in August; you will be close to the action of summer madness and far away enough so you can actually relax and enjoy the last Grisham novel. Enjoy your summer!
Nicolás Visiers Würth, Editor.

Social Travel is here to stay

SOCIAL TRAVEL

All this hype about social media has got most companies super excited. It is funny because just about 3 years ago, people started to go crazy about new sites such as "A small world" , where some even offered to pay to become an invitation... It was the beginning of Social Media, and now nearly every person I know is on Facebook, even my mother, because she loves to look at pictures. I believe we all have a little "voyeur" in ourselves, we actually like to see what other people are doing. Travel is different. When you travel, you get a sense of accomplishment if you actually discover something cool and you can let your friends know so they can experience it too; you somehow feel as an explorer, since you discovered a place in the world that will stay on your memory forever, but most importantly now you know that the people you love deserve that experience too! This is SOCIAL TRAVEL, the most important reason for Mondoexplorer to be. Take some time and help us with your experiences and register so that you can share those locations and experiences that you loved in one of the cities we have available, and you will be making people happy, people you don't even know!!!

We love to travel, and we love to explore, and if you feel like that it might be a good idea to contact us if you are interested in starting a new business: social travel.

by Nicolás Visiers Wurth