RNK Travels

17/01/2017

Our favorite piece of Costa Rica, in and around Congo Bongo!

11/01/2017

The Wolf Moon tonight!

11/01/2017

If you want to go to a place like this, completely away from the hustle and bustle yet still have have high speed WiFi so you can post pics of the paradise and make your friends envious, I can help. This was our beach for a week, just a 300' walk thru a beautiful rain-forest from your tropical open air bungalow. As you can see, my wife was the only other person out here on a 2 mile beach at Congo Bongo, Manzanillo, Costa Rica!

If a cruise or big all-inclusive resorts is your idea of fun, probably not for you. So rough mixing your own drinks and occasionally cooking in your open air kitchen or grill and living room with hammocks while monkeys, sloths, toucans, parrots, hummingbirds, and many others are all over the trees.

http://www.facebook.com/RNKTravels The beach at Congo Bongo, Manzanillo, Limon, Costa Rica. A little slice of heaven! http://www.congo-bongo.com/ Sept. 2013 ...

11/01/2017

Anyone up for cheap Europe flights thru April?

Icelandic discount carrier WOW rolled out $69.99 one-way fares on Tuesday for its flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to four destinations in Europe. USAToday reports.

11/01/2017

Very cool info for international travelers. Useful tool to save time coming and going at certain airports. PS, ESPECIALLY for you SC folks and others with DL issue for travelling even in the US, if you don't have a passport, GET ONE! If you're only travelling where you don't need one, no wonder your world is such a limited experience. If everyone travelled at least once every two years internationally, the world would be a better place, and you would be a better person!

You may not be aware of this but you can skip the long lines at US customs travelling back from Curacao to the United States.

29/06/2016

An FYI if you're looking to do Europe, Amsterdam, or Iceland on the cheap! Also Allegiant will start flights to Newark from Asheville around same time.

WOW Air will begin flying from Newark Liberty International Airport on Nov. 25, offering daily nonstop service to its hub in Iceland.

26/04/2016

Absolutely love this area of Costa Rica! The area we stayed and explored the most starts at about the 3:00 but we explored the entire area seen here throughout the week. Hope to get back there soon!

Some short clips taken with Phantom 2 Pro on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica 2016. Music by Gondwana -Sentimiento Original Gracias http://gondwana.cl/ Hope...

17/02/2016

LOVED eating here in Curacao!! Best food!

One of Curaçao's must-do's is having a krioyo lunch at Plasa Bieuw, together with our local people.

17/02/2016

Soon will be able to travel to home of my parents as a FREE traveler!

For the first time in more than 50 years, travelers will be able to fly to and from Cuba without circumventing rules or hopping on a chartered flight.

09/02/2016

2 down, much more to go!

Underwater photographer Tanya G. Burnett shares her list of the most unique, unforgettable diving destinations around the world.

08/01/2016

So true!

Pura vida isn’t just an expression; it’s a philosophy.

09/12/2015

Here’s a neat trick so you don’t lose your keys while swimming. Attach your keys to a cork, so they float. Image:tumblr.com

25/11/2015

The best things to SEE and DO on the Caribbean island of Tobago.

25/11/2015

This is not a brag, just some personal thoughts. I believe travel is the number one way to open one's mind to many different things. I try to travel as much as possible, rarely to the same place twice. This is not because of unlimited funds but careful planing and research,so many ways to stretch your travel dollars and actually EXPERIENCE the places you visit. We don't do all inclusive, mega resorts, or cruises. If it's your first trip outside of country, not a bad start to get some of your jitters out but NOT the way to experience anything. You just get teasing tastes of cultures, never the true experience.

Still amazes me in this day and age the closed minds there are with many preconceived notions out there about other people and cultures. All they know is here, these United States, never actually experiencing something different. Some never even travel outside of their local area with so much natural beauty here. My heart goes out especially to those that have never seen, and experienced the majesty of the oceans above and below the surface. THIS is a big part of the problems we face as a people in this country. So much fear of different people, cultures, languages, and countries. If people just pushed their comfort zones a little, this world could be a much better place.

SOLUTION: #1 GET YOUR PASSPORT! Make it a New Year's resolution. Just can't leave home without it BUT remember Puerto Rico, U.S, Virgin Islands, etc. are places you can start even without one. #2 Use all the great resources out there, Google is your friend in addition to YouTube, TripAdvisor, Kayak, and other sites for comparison. Always Google afterwards though, you'd be amazed additional info and prices you may find. #3 JUST DO IT! Get out there. If you stayed holed up in whatever resort, hotel, house, etc. where out stay you never will get anything out of travel. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Happy to help folks out anytime with information and advice. As much as we enjoy travel, we enjoy getting others to try it too. You won't be sorry. Next stop for us late March Castara, TOBAGO! You'd be amazed just how inexpensive it can be. Hit me up if interested. Always enjoy travelling and sharing experiences with friends. Not this rental property but good vid on area.

Welcome to Castara Retreats, a small eco Resort on Tobago, Caribbean.

30/10/2015

Owners Marisol Jimenez Arroliga and Daan Nelemans are such teases!!!! Posting their video of this paradise location! Kay Fuentes and I had such a fantastic time there two years ago and the owners are fantastic people. Even with breaking my ankle mid-week had a blast! Wish we were there right now!!

Congo Bongo is a family-run hotel featuring seven vacation rental houses in Manzanillo in the southernmost part of the South Caribbean of Costa Rica and is l...

27/10/2015

Don't forget our travel vids on our YouTube Channel. Yes, there are some Bernie Sanders videos from events I have been involved and recorded.

RNK Travels is an off shoot of our company RNK Purveyors. We are your average married couple in our early 50's that love to travel whenever budget and time a...

27/10/2015

Wow, have been a little busy. Do have some catching up on trip to Outer Banks of North Carolina. Will be a little busy next couple of months and had to push of trip a little into mid-late March but looks like the #3 beach on here but to us seems #1, Castara in Tobago!

Check out Tobago's Top 5 Beaches as listed in the 2014 Tobago International Cycling Classic show which aired on ESPN in November. Tobago is one of the most b...

12/08/2015

Better late than never. Our swimming with the turtles video from Playa Lagun, Curacao February 2015. Make sure to like and subscribe to oir YouTube Channel for more Caribbean travel videos!

February 2015 Playa Lagun Curacao Filmed with GoPro Hero Silver 3+ Make sure to like and subscribe to our channel for more Caribbean travel videos. See us at...

10/08/2015

Have been seeing numerous reports of these issues on Caribbean coasts while researching our next trip. Seems to be primarily affecting Windward and Southern coasts of the islands and Central America. Seems pretty bad in some areas, have seen worse pictures than this. It's not generally a health hazard but a lot of people jump when a little strand brushes against you in the water, much less having to climb and swim through a pile of it, not really fun. There are a lot of areas also not affected, especially if the coast you are looking at is on the Leeward (wind blows OFF the island) Caribbean side.

If your planning a trip to the area, just learn the geography of the island or coast you are planning to visit and check out the boards on Tripadvisor and such for the island and properties you are considering. Can also search "sargassum" and island and info will generally be available. Another variable to know before you go and could have a big effect on your stay!

Some tourists have canceled summer trips and lawmakers on Tobago have termed the sargassum invasion a “natural disaster.”

07/08/2015

We were in Curacao back in February. Now to decide Guadeloupe Islands or Tobago??

Tourists are relatively few but there's still plenty to do, from UNESCO sites to luxury resorts to sugar-soft beaches.

08/06/2015

In honor of World Oceans Day, one of our videos from our RNK Travels YouTube Channel.

http://www.facebook.com/RNKTravels Off Playa Santa Cruz with Wilfred and Talitha from Discover Diving out of Playa Lagun and Captain Goodlife, Curacao

29/05/2015

Some beautiful areal views of Curacao!

Get a different view of Curaçao from the sky :-)

(Pictures courtesy of Blue Skies Helicopters)

25/05/2015

Beautiful landscapes! Hopefully soon once things open fully! Would be nice to finally visit the homeland.

Marius Jovaiša is the first artist to get government permission to fly over Cuba and photograph it from above.

23/05/2015

Cuteness overload! Was neat seeing them in the wild in Costa Rica.

At the Panamerican Association of Conservation (APPC) in Gamboa, Panama is home to some of the most precious creatures in Central America. When sloths are in trouble, whether they are orphaned or out-of-place, caretakers Yiscel Yángüez and Néstor Correa of APPC are more than happy to help!

22/05/2015

I need your help folks! Would be nice to win the miles so that we can get more and more beautiful shots for our portfolio. We've entered 10 pics total in the Landscape and Closeup categories. Scroll down page, view and like our pics please. You can narrow the categories by clicking on big picture for each category. Our pics have my name on them, Ricardo Fuentes. Make sure to like and share with your friends! You're supposed to be able to share individual pics on your page so that others can vote but doesn't seem to be working right now. Give it a try and thanks so much in advance!

Revisit the world with your camera and you could win 200,000 Miles, 1 year of Platinum membership and your winning photo on thousands of Flying Blue luggage tags!

22/05/2015

The new list is out and have my work cut out for me, have only been at or near 4 of them. I have to admit I'm partial to #6 Cape Florida in Key Biscayne just off Miami. I spent many, many days there growing up swimming, fishing, and picnicking by the lighthouse!

An hour's drive from Oahu's famous and often-crowded Waikiki Beach is a local's delight.

21/05/2015

If your out near the Outer Banks this Summer, make sure to check out the Outer Banks Center for Dolphin research. My daughter Maggie is doing an internship there this Summer now that she is finishing her Marine Biology degree from NC State. Make sure to say Hi to her on the boat tour!

Our non-profit organization is dedicated to studying and helping to preserve bottlenose dolphins on

21/05/2015

My humblest apologies all. Quite a bit behind on our travel blog on our Curacao trip but have been concentrating on the business sides that are actually making money first. Hope to finish the trip soon and then start a few more things going on here. Keep checking us out on a regular basis for more updates and many thanks for liking RNK Travels!! Rick and Kay

31/03/2015

Wanted to give a shout out to D & D Car Rental in Curacao. By far the easiest car rental I have had EVER! After some basic communication via email with Daniel and his brother David that own the company, sent them a reservation form via email with just basic info: Name, address, DL license number, and phone. Upon arrival at airport, Daniel met us out on the curb, helped us with luggage, and got us loaded up. He gave us a free pre-paid phone with minutes on it and a GPS along with a nice, newer compact Kia 4 door. Paid him cash for the week $280/$40 a day, only accepts cash, and we were on our way. No standing in line at rental counter, no signing away your first born, CC holds, etc.. It was less than a 30 minute drive to Playa Lagun where we were staying. This price was for everything including $0 deductible insurance. On the way back, he met us at airport, handed him the keys, and we were on our way home. Awesome experience all the way around! Thanks again Daniel and David!