While it sucks knowing that your heart belongs to a totally different country along with over 90% of your family, and while at times the melancholy feeling hits ya and you wish you were there sharing in the memories, it’s not all that bad. Since I mean I practically still live where you vacation. Every year I got to Panama and every year I come back home and hear of all the people doing internships there, retiring there and so on and all I think is I’m glad I live there.

1. I never have to pay for a hotel.

While most people obviously don’t have beach houses or ranches in other countries, we do. We have our family beach houses, farms, and I also can draw from any cousin, uncle/aunt or grandparents to live with since my whole family is still living in paradise. I love it not only because I’m saving hundreds of dollars, but because that way I get to see so many different parts of the country and different landscapes which is a luxury that not everyone who visits a country has since some areas are more expensive than others.

2. I don’t need a translator.

Obviously everyone loves to travel and see new countries but not everyone knows every language or even more than one. This is one thing that came in handy for me in school and when visiting back home. I speak the language of where I was born so I never struggle.

3. I have the inside scoop on all the best places to go out.

When we go to foreign countries the food is one of the main things we think about. Trying new things and finding the best restaurants is on the bucket list, but they’re not always easy to find since you have to prior knowledge of anything in that country. This is where being a native comes in handy. I’ve learned what’s good and what’s not very quickly. I've also learned how to navigate those 5-page menus and narrow down the best meal.

4. I’m not stuck at tourist locations.

The biggest way that countries with an economy dependent on tourism gets you is by making everything (even an average beach) seem like a tourist location because it’s different. I learned this very quickly visiting my family every summer. I’ve also learned where all of the amazing hidden beaches are, the best places to snorkel and most importantly where I can get the best GoPro videos to make me Instagram envy worthy. This also saves days when going on vacation. Often times, all your vacation days are taken up by visiting places that look great in pictures but are nothing but a scam.

5. My vacation has a deeper meaning and a different view.

Yes, all the things above are great and they make my vacation that much better. But the main thing that makes it that much better is that I’m not just visiting some cool country, I’m visiting my beautiful home. The memories I make there aren’t just cool places I explored, they're amazing moments I shared with my family. All of the places I visit I take it in and I feed my heart with the feeling of pride in how beautiful my home is.