Program 778: Pura Vida; Morocco's Best Cities; More Travel Pursuits

Escape to the positive vibes of Costa Rica, on the next Travel with Rick Steves. Guidebook author Nikki Solano tells us what the phrase "pura vida" is meant to convey in the Central American eco-paradise.

Lucas Peters recommends the best cities in Morocco for finding its Old World atmosphere in intimate car-free medina neighborhoods.

And listeners share how they use their hobbies and passions to help to guide their travel plans.

• Nikki Solano, author of the "Moon Costa Rica" guidebooks
• Lucas Peters, author of the "Moon Morocco" guidebooks

• Nikki Solano writes the Moon Costa Rica guidebook.
• Nikki and her husband Ricky also provide custom tours in Costa Rica and write the Costa Rica Travel Blog.
• Lucas Peters writes the Moon Morocco guidebooks and also operates Journey Beyond Travel from Tangier for custom tours in Morocco. Lucas has produced short YouTube videos to help visitors participate in Moroccan culture.
• Watch Lucas' Monday Night Travel talk about "Grand European Journeys," the subject of his latest Moon guidebook.
• Caller Anthony and his family have been traveling fulltime since 2022. He posts a travel blog at Learners and Makers with ideas for "cozy travel for families, nomads, and people with mobility disabilities."

• "Food and cooking are front and center when planning travel activities for our family of four. We've taken Thai cooking classes in Chiang Mai on Thanksgiving Day, and most recently in Fès, Morocco, on Valentine's Day, we baked (and enjoyed) some delicious Moroccan cookies. These and other food-centered experiences have become some of our favorite travel memories, and they have connected us more deeply to the local culture and to one another as a family." (Anthony in Eugene, Oregon)
• Caller explains how Ironman triathlon competitions work. "I'm a cyclist and triathlete, and my family and I have taken a few trips around my race events, including trips to France and Germany. We especially love planning trips around Ironman races. After the Frankfurt Ironman European Championship, we drove down to Bavaria where our kids loved exploring castles and the land of fairy tales. I love to see Europe on a bicycle because it seems to give me a better appreciation of its beautiful landscapes." (Scott in Reno, Nevada)
• "We arrange our European travels around festivals! We scheduled our trip to Barcelona in 2012 around La Merce Festival (the most awesome site was the projection mapping experience on the facade of Sagrada Família). Little did I know my husband was going to propose on that trip! For our honeymoon, we scheduled it around the Galway Seafood Festival and enjoyed a lively parade through the streets and a gourmet seafood dinner. And for our next trip, we're taking in the NOS Alive music festival in Lisbon. It's a great way to see how the locals party!" (e-mail from Clara in Loveland, Ohio)
• "I harbored a desire to be a sheepherder in Wales. While traveling in Europe, an opportunity arose to assist a farm woman in Swaledale, Yorkshire Dales, with her sheep and farm for two winter months in her ancient cottage. This immersion into life in that hidden-away gem of a Dale allowed me to experience and learn many things and I was thus cured of my desire to become a shepherdess." (Sally in Lavelle, Pennsylvania)

• CEZ_CEZ_4304_01501_Getting_There_APM
• Trio Contradanza, "Noche de Luna," Costa Rica - Musica Y Fiesta / Air Mail Music (Costa Rica)
• SON_SCDV_0805_03701_The_Sunny_Side_D_APM
• Juan Carlos Ureña, "Este Son," Music from the Coffee Lands / Putumayo
• PW_PWLP_0063_01101_Sabanando_APM
• * Percy Faith and his Orchestra, "Theme from 'A Summer Place,'" Pop Music: The Golden Era 1951-1976 (collection) / Sony
• Hossam Shaker & his ensemble, "Lama Bada Yata Sama," The Rough Guide: The Music of North Africa (collection) / World Music Network
• dZihan & Kamien, "Ocean Air," Nikki Beach vol. 1 (collection) / Loungism Recordings
• BM_BMLP_0079_01201_Tangiers_APM
• Amel Benhassine-Miller, "Mazali Maak N'Kassi," CöusCöusBeat (collection) / Nascente
• SON_SCDV_0864_00601_Marrakesh_Rush_A_APM
• KPM_KPMWM_0063_01901_Yal_Gnawi_b_APM
• MEZ_MEZ_0060_00801_El_Marrakesh_APM
• * Miles Davis, Michel Legrand, "Au Bar du Petit Bac," Ascenseur pour l'echafaud (soundtrack) / Poll Winners
• Johnny Hammond Smith, "Far Away Places," Black Coffee / Milestone
• BRU_BCC_0016_02001_Piano_Quintet_Trout_Finale_APM
• Bing Crosby, "Far Away Places," The Best of Bing Crosby / MCA
• Christopher Parkening, "'Sheep May Safely Graze' from 'Cantata 208' (J. S. Bach, trans. Foster)," The Great Recordings, disc 1 / EMI Classics

* Indicates filler music used during internal breaks on the broadcast

• At 21:55, Rick says he met up with Lucas in Tangier "a couple months ago." At 28:18, Rick notes that Lucas' tour company is organizing a tour in Morocco's Atlas Mountains that Rick will be taking "in a couple of months." In segment C, at 41:52 Rick tells caller Anthony that he "was just there" in Morocco, taking a tagine cooking class.