Nicaragua

I went to Nicaragua because I Googled “cheapest country in Central America.” I booked a flight with no expectations, then spent a month slow travelling across the country and fell hard for it.

It’s beaches you can have to yourself around San Juan del Sur, crumbling colonial streets in León and Granada, and Ometepe, a lake island built on two volcanoes where you forget what day it is. It’s also the place everyone asks “but is it safe?” about. The short answer is yes, mostly. Use your head, and go before everyone else figures it out.