Yay! You should! …the lush valleys and kind faces of Central America are calling.
I will be open for visitors from September, 2010, through January, 2012. This unfortunately means that no one will be able to join me here for the World Cup, which I’m sure will be far more electric in tiny Central American villages than even the best U.S. sports bars.
When you do come, you’ll need a current passport and will want to fly into El Salvador International Airport (SAL), just south of San Salvador. Prices seem fairly moderate for international travel — in the $500 to $800 range, depending on your originating city and dates. Much of that cost is actually international fees and taxes.
Alternatively, if you are adventuresome and have the time to travel through more of Central America while you are down here, you could try the larger (and somewhat less expensive) Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San José, Costa Rica, or the closer La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. I definitely will be exploring beyond El Salvador while I am here…
The Best Air Travel Websites (for purchasing plane tickets)
- Sidestep, Kayak, or Mobissimo. Metasearch sites, meaning they scan through fares on airlines’ websites as well as on conventional search sites like Expedia, Priceline, Hotwire, Travelocity, Cheaptickets, Vayama, Orbitz, etc.
- Travelocity’s Farewatcher Plus program, which will watch for the best deals popping up from your city to your desired destinations and send you email alerts with especially good bargains. Booking Buddy also has this service.
- Yapta. As their site puts it: “Track flight prices and save money before and after you buy!” ..meaning it, too, will send you email alerts when prices drop, but will also alert you if the price drops after you’ve purchased your ticket, detailing for you how to receive a refund for the difference.
- Any other sites you find in this good article about the 25 top travel websites.
If you know of other good places to find deals, please share!
Health/Vaccination Information
For the record, there are bountiful instances of people visiting El Salvador for several weeks without once falling ill. I’ve even spoken to some volunteers who haven’t once gotten sick after years here, even drinking the local water! If someone does grow sick, it’s typically stomach-related and passes after a day or two on the john. Nevertheless, there are some vaccinations and medications that you’ll want to consider before coming.
The U.S. Center for Disease Control has a pretty clear breakdown of the recommended vaccinations before traveling to El Salvador. There is no mandate to receive these (they won’t ask about them during customs or elsewhere), and the actual number of cases for any of them is low. So it’s your choice. But you won’t regret having them, so I’d recommend at least visiting a Travel Health Clinic before coming. If you are going to prioritize, here’s a ranking:
- Routine Vaccinations — MMR, DPT, polio, etc.
- Hepatitis A (a two-part series)
- Typhoid
- Hepatitis B (a three-part series)
- Rabies
Also, there are annual cases of malaria in El Salvador, albeit extremely few (as in, 4 total in 2009) and not in my home terrain. But malaria is no fun, so you’ll want to at least consider getting an inexpensive supply of malaria pills. There are many different types of malaria medications with distinct advantages and drawbacks — for reference, the Peace Corps has most Salvadoran volunteers on Chloroquine (Aralen).
Pre-Departure Reading
There are plenty of travel sites that will get your wanderlust pumping and fill in the logistical details, such as Rough Guides and Lonely Planet. Explore them at will, especially their History sections: RG .. LP.
But also take the time to read one full book: From Grandmother to Granddaughter: Salvadoran Women’s Stories, by Michael Gorkin, Marta Pineda, and Gloria Leal. I know of no better introduction to the rhythms of El Salvador than the richly textured, multigenerational narratives of the three Salvadoran families featured in this book. You can find it in many libraries, or buy a used copy for a few bucks online here or here. It’s a worthy read, even if you don’t make it down here!
