Panama

Know before you go

• money

  Panama uses the US dollar, locally called the balboa, with its own coins; many small vendors cannot break anything over a twenty, so hoard small bills.

• transport

  Panama City's metro needs a rechargeable card sold in stations, and Uber works well; for Bocas del Toro, fly or brace for a ten-plus-hour bus and boat combo.

• safety

  Casco Viejo's restored blocks are fine, but the edges turn quickly at night; the Darién region near Colombia is genuinely off-limits for travelers.

• etiquette

  Greet with buenas before asking anything in a shop or taxi; skipping the greeting is the fastest way to get cold service.