If I’m being honest, I had never really though twice about visiting Panamá! Weirdly enough, in summer 2023 I had two separate conversations, with two different friends, several weeks apart. And ironically enough they both told me how my next trip should be to Panamá. I of course, took this as a sign and got right to doing my research. To say I was obsessed from the get-go would be an understatement. I booked my airfare right away and started counting down the days. And Panamá completely blew me away! Here are 7 reasons why your next trip should be to Panamá!
1. They use USD
One of the greatest perks about visiting Panamá from the USA is the fact that the US Dollar is one of their official currencies! I found it super helpful to not only have to exchange money before my trip, but to not have to do any conversions in my head to make sure I wasn’t overpaying for things. In addition to the US Dollar, they also use the Panamanian Balboa (PAB). Both currencies are at par 1:1, therefore you can pay with anything throughout the country with USD or PAB. Keep in mind however, that if you pay for something in USD, you may receive change in PAB. It just depends on what the shop has on hand!
2. Outlets are the same as the US
And in another win for Panamá, no need for outlet converters if coming from the US! The outlets in Panamá are the same and I had no issues using hair tools like a blow dryer or flat iron. All of my other chargers and cords worked perfectly fine (even when I had multiple things plugged in at a time). If coming from another country, you will need a converter.
3. Water is safe to drink
And the wins just keep on coming: the water in Panamá is safe to drink! I drank tap water for the first few days of my trip, and other than a couple quick spells of diarrhea (TMI, sorry), I was totally fine. Many of the locals that I spoke to whether at my hotel, in Ubers, or on tours mentioned that typically tourists have small issues when first arriving and drinking the water. But it really is just because our bodies aren’t used to it and it clears up in a couple of days. But the water is perfectly safe to drink and is actually the cleanest water in Central America! If you’re apprehensive, you can always stick to bottled water as I found it to be very fairly priced at any store. However, it’s really unnecessary to go to extremes and you can definitely use the tap water to brush your teeth, for example!
4. English is widely spoken
While the official language of Panamá is Spanish, I didn’t struggle too hard to find someone who could speak English when needed. Especially in the more touristy areas like Casco Viejo or on the tours, English was widely spoken as a second language. Restaurants typically offered menus in English, or the staff knew enough to communicate back and forth. In rare instances (in an Uber, for example), my driver barely spoke a word of English. In that case, I found Google Translate to be an incredibly helpful tool. You can type or speak what you want to say, and it will translate it and speak it out loud. It’s a bit of a clunky way to communicate, but it works!
5. Tipping is reasonable
One thing that always stresses me out when travelling abroad is trying to keep straight all the different tipping customs. Throughout the country of Panamá, it is expected to tip around 10%. If someone went above and beyond with their services, you can go up to 15-20%, but there really is no need to go any higher. I love a reasonable tipping culture!
6. Uber is widely used, and is reliable
Getting around in Panamá is very easy, which adds to the list as to why your next trip should be to Panamá! Uber is widely used across the city and is a very safe and reliable way to get just about anywhere. It’s also pretty cheap! A ride from the airport to my hotel in Casco Viejo cost about $20, and then about $12 from Casco Viejo out to Playa Bonita (before tips). Uber is also the recommended mode of transportation for tourists. I was advised by many people both before and during my trip to never use a cab, and to always use Uber. Cab drivers unfortunately have a reputation of being unsafe for tourists, and also potentially an easy way to get scammed. I felt very safe in my Ubers knowing I could track my ride and that my driver was pre-screened!
7. Good cell service
I was a bit apprehensive prior to my trip, as I wasn’t sure what the cell phone coverage would be. As it turned out, I ended up having zero issues at all! I have a Verizon plan and opted to use their TravelPass , which is $10/day in international coverage. Just about everywhere I went, I had full bars. The only time I lost service was during a boat cruise through the Panama Canal and Chagres River. We were in the middle of the rainforest, so it wasn’t all that surprising!
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