5 Affordable December Destinations in North and Central America

If you're tired of buying gifts and getting things you don't need, think about taking a trip for the holidays. We often gift ourselves a winter vacation or some sort of experience and it makes for a more enjoyable holiday season. 

While things are looking pretty uncertain right now, you might as well get one last trip in before everything might change for travel and the U.S. in general. If it turns out we've all be overreacting to what's to come, then maybe you'll have started a new holiday tradition. Here are 5 places in North and Central America to avoid some snow and make your holidays bright.

Las Vegas, NV

I love Vegas most times of the year and there's always something going on, whether you want to spend time outside, gamble, or just explore the city in a new way. Vegas is full of free and fun things to do to help fill in your time between more expensive things, like fine dining, shows, and awesome interactive things like Meow Wolf's Omega Mart.

Los Angeles, CA

Escape the cold weather and head to sunny LA, where you could visit theme parks, or you could take in all the cool things that the city has to offer. From hiking up to the Hollywood sign to strolling along the Walk of Fame to exploring the abandoned zoo to learning more about movies by visiting the Warner Bros Studios. You can also board a Big Bus Tour to view the holiday lights (they also have these festive night tours in other cities like New York and San Francisco).

Orlando, FL

Yes, you can hit up all the theme parks while in town - Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Legoland - but you can also just chill at the beach, soak in some nice warm weather, eat amazing food, and enjoy hotel rates up to half-off regular rates.

Photo by Joshua Armstrong on Unsplash

Costa Rica

Celebrate the end of the rainy season with ideal warm weather and clear skies, all while ziplining, hiking in the jungle, or just laying on the beach. Avoid traveling over Christmas and/or New Year, because rates skyrocket during that time, but the rest of the month is wonderful for tourists looking to get out of town and do something different.

Photo by Ale Cisneros on Unsplash

Oaxaca, Mexico

Skip the more touristy cities like Punta Cana and Cabo and immerse yourself in some of the wonderful things Oaxaca has to offer. If you like outdoor activities, go see some ruins or take a bike tour. If you like history, check out some of their amazing museums. If you like shopping, head to the markets at Plaza de Arma. And if you want to celebrate something, go at the end of December and experience Noche de los Rábanos, Night of the Radishes, with fireworks, foods, music, and a carved radish competition. tbh, I'd go just for that last one.

I hope you have a great holiday season planned where you have minimal stress and can relax and enjoy yourself. And if you need some new luggage, check out the great carry-ons from Delsey.

Where's your next trip taking you?

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Exploring the Aviation American Gin Distillery

By now, you've probably seen a bunch of advertising from Ryan Reynolds for Aviation American Gin. He's a majority stakeholder in the company, ever sense he had a bartender make him a negroni and was so impressed by the gin that was used that he looked up the company and made an offer to get in on the business. 

In my last post, I talked to you about visiting places that used to be other places and this past weekend we went with a few friends to the Aviation distillery here in Portland. Not only is it one of the prettiest distilleries we've ever been to, but it also used to be a printing press. It's the only distillery for Aviation and they work Monday through Thursday to produce as many bottles as they can to fill orders from 40 countries and all 50 states in the U.S.

We've been meaning to check out the distillery for a while, because we love to see how things are made and learn more about it, even if it's a thing we don't use, but I have to tell you, this tour made me enjoy gin in a way I never have. 

You start your visit in the bar and gift shop area. I will say, they really know what I want out of a gift shop, because this one has everything I enjoy, and the product is all branded in kind of a perfect way without being cheesy or kitchy. You can buy everything from t-shirts to beanies to Christmas sweaters to bitters. You could imagine Ryan wearing or using any of the products non-ironically, and that's exactly what makes it one that I would shop at without having a tour scheduled.

The Portland Tiki - Stone Fruit Gimlet - Gin Gin Mule

The tasting room isn't a full bar, which means they can't serve you as many drinks as you want and they can't serve you full-size drinks. You can have 5 3oz pours on your visit. Your tour includes 2, and you have the opportunity to purchase 3 more when your tour is done. 

You begin your tour in the warehouse, where you also learn the story of Aviation gin, the aviation cocktail (which was not named for the gin, but the other way around), how Ryan got involved, and a little bit about the building. 

Next, you go into the bottling room, which doesn't seem that elaborate when you are told that this is the only distillery and bottling facility for Aviation, which ships worldwide. Everything is on its way to being manufactured in America. Already, the bottles and boxes are made in Pennsylvania, the corn used to make the vodka, that's turned into gin, is grown in Indiana, the labels are made here in Portland, and they are working on sourcing their caps in the U.S. as well. 

On the other side of a wall of cases of gin (not literally, but there are several very tall pallets of gin hanging out), you go to the botanical table, where you learn about the spices that go into the gin and get really hands on with it. Find out about juniper berries, which you can taste if you want, and how they used to get crushed, first with 2x4 wood planks and then by cricket bats. See how everything goes into a maceration bag, which is like a giant tea bag to infuse the gin with the botanical flavors. When the botanicals have been used for the current batch, they then get recycled into compost or animal feed, so nothing goes to waste.

Where the magic happens - the 2 copper stihls: Blake on the left and Ryan on the right

You then move on to the distilling room, which is not that big, and only has two stihls (one named Blake and one named Ryan). There's a shared desk for the two gin scientists to sit and make sure everything's going the way it's supposed to go and where the gin is separated into 3 parts. The heads come first and, like the head of a beer, are not suitable for bottling. In this case, it can be used for things like rubbing alcohol. The hearts come next and that's the best part of the gin that gets bottled. The tails come after and are mostly water, and gets used it if can for something other than gin or it is properly disposed of. 

You end your tour in Ryan's "office". While I'm almost positive this isn't a place he spends much time in if he is visiting, I am equally positive that he put a ton of time and attention into designing it with two of his favorite DVDs, random trophies, and minimalist posters of his movies in Spanish. It's all very deliberate. 

It's here that you learn to drink gin in different ways that help you really taste the different flavors and then your tour guide, who's also a bartender, makes you the famous aviation cocktail, meant to evoke the color of the horizon from the airplane. It contains gin, lemon, creme de violette, and maraschino liqueur. It is a really pretty purple and is garnished with a brandied cherry.  

We've taken a lot of tours: chocolate, beer, whisky, cheese, etc. This one was pretty unique, and not just because we enjoy Ryan Reynold's humor or because it's located so close to us. I genuinely enjoyed our tour guide, Mac. They have worked at the distillery since it opened 5 years ago, knew all the answers to my questions, and really loved their job. They made it fun and the hour flew by. 

Tour rates are fairly reasonable to go on a small, personal tour. It's just $35 per person and if you don't drink, you can get the designated driver rate of just $15. There are similar tours for different companies all over, and I highly recommend checking one or more out, especially if you're on a trip and want to do something unique to your destination. Not only will you learn something, but you'll also contribute to a local business, which I'm always in favor of.

Do you have a favorite tour you've been on during your travels or in your hometown that you think people should do?

Repurposing Old Buildings for Tourism

We love a repurposed building, especially if the alternative is that it gets the wrecking ball. We've seen quite a few of these places at home and when we've been traveling. It makes for a very cool experience and is a fun history lesson. 

At home, we have several cool buildings that used to be something and are now something else. The new tea house down the street from our house is in a tiny building that was originally the Chamber of Commerce. Now you get an authentic Asian tea experience and a small menu of incredibly interesting and yummy dishes, like forbidden rice with dried anchovies. 

The non-profit I work with does an annual event at an old school that has been turned into a hotel with several restaurants, bars, and event spaces. You can see the former gym in the title picture. There's a basketball hoop right above the R. They have another location that used to be a crematorium. 

When I lived in Arizona, we had a restaurant that was an old jail and you could eat in one of the old cells. We've also eaten inside a old train car and on a ship.

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In Paris, we found ourselves in the neighborhood of Nicolas Flamel's house. You might have only heard of him from Harry Potter, but he was a real person! He may not have actually made the elixir of life, but after his wife Pernelle died, he had this stone home built for both his alchemist experiments and as a home for travelers seeking shelter. It's now the oldest stone building in Paris and has been converted into a posh restaurant. We didn't have a reservation, so we admired it from the street. You can also go down the block and get pastries from the Nicolas Flamel bakery. 

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Nashville's Union Station started to see a decline in train travel and eventually closed, but was saved by the community and finally got new life by becoming a gorgeous hotel where people still live to get married in front of the historic fireplace. They were able to save original flooring in places like the bar and the restaurant, giving this modern space a unique feel.

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Chances are, you've rarely, or never, been inside a mortuary. When in Denver, I made the point to eat in one. Yes, it's a *former* mortuary, but it still has some original items inside. A lovely employee was nice enough to point some out to me and answer my questions about Linger-ing spirits. Though she never personally had any experiences, other employees have. The inside is beautiful, with eclectic decor, including old advertisements for the place and big windows and skylights. The brunch menu is varied, and we tried two totally different things (green curry shrimp & grits and the pandan waffles with Colorado peaches). Both were excellent. There's also cocktail seating area on the rooftop. 

Always look for unique experiences when  you travel (or even at home). It may seem like a small thing, but I find that those things are the most memorable, because it's so interesting and fun to see something get a new life as something else. 

What are some of your favorite old buildings that have been repurposed for tourism to preserve their history?