Custom Travel in Costa Rica and Beyond: What We Learned From Explore the Americas

Our most recent episode takes us south of the border to talk with Melanie Marsell and Kathleen Hall, co-founders of Explore the Americas, formerly Dive the Americas. 

If you have not listened yet, go check out Episode 28 first, then come back here for the details, resources for your next international trip, and a few things we did not have time to cover on the mic.

We've loved our time in Latin America and the Caribbean. So, having Kathleen and Melanie on the show to learn more about traveling in the region was a blast. 

Who They Are

Melanie was born in Costa Rica, moved to Florida around age 10, and went back after college to study tourism at UF and build her career in the region. She is a self described lifelong entrepreneur in the making. Kathleen came to Costa Rica in 2015 to finish a biology degree, told herself she would stay an extra year, and never left. She never planned to run a business, but as she put it, the decision to leave Costa Rica never really felt like it was on the table.

Melanie and Kathleen from Explore the Americas

They met at a company happy hour years ago, bonded instantly over a shared true crime podcast and an obscure band from North Carolina, and became fast friends. On an early trip together using accumulated hotel nights from working in the travel industry, a golf cart driver asked how they knew each other. Kathleen said "we're friends." Melanie said "we're co workers" at the exact same time. That joke has followed them ever since, Kathleen even referred to Melanie as "my coworker" during her own maid of honor speech at Melanie's wedding.

The business itself started during the pandemic, when Costa Rica shut its doors and there was, in Kathleen's words, "nothing else to do but fall in love with scuba diving." They bought the biggest whiteboard they could find on Facebook Marketplace, sat on Kathleen's floor, and mapped out the idea that became Dive the Americas. As referrals rolled in from people who had zero interest in diving, the business grew into Explore the Americas, now a boutique custom travel design company covering Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, with more than 3,000 trips planned and 20 years of combined experience between them.

Melanie on a dive

What Stuck With Us

A few moments from this conversation are still making us laugh.

There was the client who requested a very specific piece of adult furniture for their jungle lodge room. Melanie and Kathleen sourced it without blinking, no judgment, just "we know exactly where to get that." There was the couple whose hotel room got ransacked by monkeys after they left granola bars out. We are taking notes on that one before our own next jungle stay. And there was Kathleen's idea of Cringe Mountain, the thing you have to climb every time you put yourself out there and it feels awkward before it feels right. We have a feeling that phrase is going to stick around this podcast for a while.

Why We Are Excited About This One

Melanie and Kathleen are not remote agents working off a guidebook. They live and travel through the region they sell. They know which roads wash out, which local guides to trust, and how to build a trip that lets you actually slow down instead of rushing from one photo stop to the next. They intentionally do not overbook their travelers, and they build in room for the unexpected such as the family of tapirs that shows up on the beach outside your lodge, the boat trip that gets swapped last minute, the moments you cannot plan for but do not want to miss either.

Kathleen exploring Argentine Patagonia

That kind of on the ground knowledge is exactly what we look for when we think about who we would trust to help plan a trip for our own community. We are in the early stages of talking with them about leading a DINK group trip together, possibly as soon as next summer. Nothing is locked in yet, but if the idea of traveling to Latin America with a small group of other DINK couples, planned by people who actually live there, sounds interesting to you, keep an eye on this space.

Melanie and Kathleen outside of the airport in Costa Rica

Resources From This Episode

Explore the Americas 
Website: exploretheamericastravel.com
Instagram: @exploretheamericastravel
Facebook: @exploretheamericastravel
Newsletter: sign up on their website for trip inspiration delivered every other week

Destinations Mentioned: 
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Mexico (Mexico City and the pueblos beyond the coast), Colombia, Brazil, and Belize all came up as places worth exploring, each with its own pace, price point, and personality.

Melanie and Kathleen call Costa Rica the gateway, a great entry point before branching out further into the region. For a shorter trip, they pointed to Guatemala (Antigua especially), Panama City, and Mexico City as easy five day getaways. For a deeper dive, plan on at least a week in Costa Rica and even longer for the countries in South America.

Gear We'd Pack

A few things that came to mind listening back to this one, especially the parts about diving, jungle lodges, and long travel days.

Snorkel and dive mask set — whether you are snorkeling off a boat or gearing up for a real dive, a mask that actually fits your face makes or breaks the experience. 

Packing cubes — if you are building a custom, slower paced itinerary the way Melanie and Kathleen recommend, you are probably packing for more than one climate. Cubes keep it all sane.

Universal travel adapter — non negotiable for Latin America and honestly for anywhere outside the US. 

Quick dry towel — jungle humidity is no joke, and a towel that actually dries between uses is worth the small suitcase space. 

Nathan, Peppermint Patty, and Alicia

Marrying Your Passions: The DINK Travel and Adventure Podcast is hosted by Nathan and Alicia Adams, married 19 years and DINK by choice, who travel, run marathons, scuba dive, and eat their way through life together. This is a space where your latest adventure is the opening line, not your kid's age. Whether you're a DINK couple, empty nester, or anyone ready to adventure now, this podcast is for you. New episodes every other week. Subscribe, leave us a review, and keep adventuring.

You can find us at marryingyourpassions.com 
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Next time, we're heading out west to California for the REVEL Big Bear Marathon, the race that Nathan finally qualified for the Boston Marathon at and Alicia's very first half marathon. We'll also finally be talking about the Boston Marathon and some of the decisions around it that have been making headlines this past year.

Not someday. Today.