8 beautiful places to visit in Costa Rica: experience the pura vida

Costa Rica is home to everything from steamy rainforests and misty cloud forests, to still-smoking volcanoes and sublime beaches strung along Pacific and Caribbean coastlines. The country’s motto is pura vida – or pure life – and a quarter of its landmass is protected by national parks and reserves, offering a wealth of wildlife watching…

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The 8 best beaches in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is best known for its volcanoes, greenery and famous wildlife — but the beaches are also worth daydreaming about. Because of its rich biodiversity, there’s a little something for the surfer to the yogi or the casual sunbather.  Here are eight beaches that are worth adding to your Costa Rica itinerary for your…

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10 things to know before going to Texas

You’d think marrying a Texan and watching hours of unofficial documentaries about Beyoncé, the queen of Houston, would serve me well for a move to the Lone Star State. Alas, little could prepare me for what was to come. I spent much of my first few months in cringeworthy scenarios: discovering meal options were either…

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The 7 best road trips in Arizona

The sheer size (it’s the sixth-largest state) and scope of Arizona make it tempting to try to explore this wonderland on a seven-day road trip around the American Southwest. But from the vastness of the Grand Canyon in its northern reaches to its gunslinging history in Tombstone near the border with Mexico, Arizona has hundreds of…

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Roads, rails and trails make it easy to get around in Arizona

With 114,000 square miles of canyons, deserts and forests, Arizona is the sixth-largest state in the US, and the country's favorite Wild West wilderness. As you might expect, this is classic driving country, but with decent rail and bus links, there are alternatives to guzzling gas. Most urban centers in Arizona have passable public transportation…

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Getting around in Colorado: ride the rails, take a scenic drive or hop on the bus

Colorado is a large, geographically diverse state that’s best explored by car. If you’re planning to stay in one place for most of your trip, however, you can easily get around by walking, biking and taking public transit. From Denver, it’s also possible to take buses or fly to other Colorado destinations — and, if…

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