When it comes to planning vacations, our thoughts often automatically turn to June, July, and August. “Summer” and “vacation” are two things that just seem to go hand-in-hand. Many people overlook the opportunity to take advantage of the winter months when planning a vacation. Even if you just took a trip in July, won’t you be ready for another one six months later? Surely, you deserve to treat yourself to a mental and physical vacation more than once a year!
So now you may be wondering, where should I travel in January? Most of North America and Europe are shrouded in cold weather, ice, and snow at this time of the year. So, this makes it the perfect time to visit the other half of the world, when January means summertime, warm temperatures, and gloriously sunny skies.
This January, Deluxe Kosher Tours is proud to host a wonderful trip to the country of Panama. Panama is the country of my birth, and each time I visit I am just truly delighted to share all of the beautiful sights with my family, friends, and colleagues.
So what makes January the perfect time of year to visit Panama? Well, first of all, the weather there is absolutely ideal at this time of year. Panama City, which is located on the central south coast and has an altitude of 200 feet, experiences average highs around 89 degrees F, and lows around 73 degrees. Now if you look at the overall average temperatures each month for Panama City, you’ll see that they don’t vary much. Panama is blessed with temperate and pleasant weather pretty much year round due to its tropical climate. However, one of the things that makes January ideal is that it does not see much rainfall. There are basically just two seasons there: wet and dry. In October, it rains on an average of 21 days in the month, whereas in January there are normally only around 3 days of rain. January weather is dry, warm, and without high humidity.
What we think of as winter (mid-December through mid-April) is a great time to visit Panama and enjoy all of its many attractions. Since this is the dry season, it is a good time for hiking. On the Pacific side, swells are best this time of year, so this makes it a terrific time for surfing. This is also an excellent time for scuba diving, when the dry season leads to greater visibility underwater.
There are many things about Panama that make it a comfortable and easy place for tourists from North America to visit, too. The time zone is EST, (although daylight savings time is not practiced) so jet lag is not usually much of a concern. The electrical system there is 110v, which is the same as in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are no required vaccinations to travel to Panama. The American dollar is standard currency in Panama, so there is not even a need to exchange money. Technically, the official currency is the Balboa, however, in 1941 the Panama government ceased printing of the Balboa in favor of the American dollar. Coins are still made, so you may end up with Balboa coins during your trip. In this case, the exchange rate to American coins is a simple 1:1.
So when you think “vacation,” don’t think that you have to wait til June, July, or August. With a trip to Panama, you can visit a tropical, warm and sunny climate when you would otherwise be toiling through the dead of winter!
