How we meet local families, arrange learning with locals, volunteer, and build community while traveling abroad with kids.

Local groups, libraries, faith communities, volunteering, and kids' activities can help a traveling family connect with the people who live there.

Two readers asked what the drive actually cost, and we answered from memory. We went back through the card statements line by line, and the real number is higher than the one we gave them.

The 90 days you get in Central America covers four countries, not each one. Here is what that means in practice, and what extending in Guatemala took us.

What our own car actually costs a family of five in Central America, month to month, against flying in and renting or riding. Permits, repairs, and the rent it saved us.

Everything we found on Roatán beyond the beach: animal parks, zipline courses, boat tours, and the local guides worth calling twice.