What The Price Is Right and Plinko Taught Me About Travel

I spent most of my time growing up on a farm. I would be dropped off early in the day at my babysitter's home, which was one of the largest dairy farms in the area. Even at such a young age, there are so many things from my time there that are ingrained in my mind. Peeing on an electric fence, getting in my first fight, learning how to play whiffle ball, accidentally hitting my babysitter in the head with a plastic bat, having to pick out my own switch because I hit my babysitter with the bat, riding on my first John Deere tractor, and the list could go on. One of the most vivid memories took place every weekday morning from 11-12 . That was when everyone sat in front of the TV and watched The Price is Right with Bob Barker. We couldn't eat lunch until The Price is Right was over. My favorite game on The Price is Right was a game called Plinko. The idea of the game was pretty simple, and no skill was involved, which boded well for me. Contestants would stand at the top of the long game board and drop the flat Plinko disc down the board. The disc would bounce on and off pegs until it reached the bottom, landing on one of a few different cash values, which ranged from $0 to $10,000. You can see a video of the game below:

This week as I've thought about how I travel, it could closely be related to the game of Plinko. My list of places I want to travel is nothing short of out of control. People sometimes ask me why or how I choose the places I travel and there's not really much of a system to it. It's as if I've lined all the destinations up, release the Plinko chip, and where it lands is the place I travel to next. Evidently, my latest Plinko chip landed on Central America, most specifically Costa Rica and what's shaping up to be Belize. I'll be there this winter until it's time to choose another destination.

I've decided to do something a little different with this blog post. I have my trusty Lonely Planet guidebooks on Belize and Costa Rica, I've talked to friends that have been there, and I've done research online. But what about you, the seasoned traveler? What do you recommend I do in Costa Rica and Belize? I have accommodations squared away for Costa Rica, as I'll be staying on the northwest side, in the small beach town of Coco in Guanacaste. I don't have accommodations yet for Belize, but am taking recommendations, as I will be there for what I hope to be a few weeks. Here are a few things I have tentatively planned during my Central America excursion:

Costa Rica

• I'll be staying just off the beach in Coco.
• I plan on visiting a couple of the more unique accommodations in Costa Rica, including this 727 fuselage turned into a suite and this treehouse community.
• Other things I would like to do include visiting Arenal Volcano, waterfall rappelling, scuba diving lessons, and ziplining through the rainforest.

Belize

• The only plans I have thus far is to make sure that I spend some time in Ambergris Caye, Belize's largest island

Fellow travelers: what are your recommendations for Costa Rica and Belize? I'm especially interested in any advice and recommendations for Belize, as I just decided this week that I would spend some time there.