Visitors to Jaco, Costa Rica, have always enjoyed the fun-filled, causal setting and tranquil beach setting on the Pacific Coast. And surfers have always known Jaco is one of the best places to hang 10 with big, challenging waves off the coast and is referred by the locals as “The City of Surf.”

Jaco is located less than a 2-hour drive from San Jose and about an hour from Manuel Antonio National Park and less than an hour from Carara National Park which is one of Costa Rica’s most popular parks. This rain forest is popular for birdwatchers as about 150 scarlet macaws live in the park as well as toucans. White-faced monkeys also inhabit the park.

Regarding surfing, the waves are internationally approved as indicated by the August 2009 World Masters Surfing Championship brought by the International Surf Association. While the surfing championship was happening, filming began for a major motion picture called Buscando la Ola (Looking for the Wave) by Mexican director Gabriel Retes. The flick is a comedy of errors about  “the natural beauty of Costa Rica, an important world surf competition, and concerns about ecological issues,” pointed out the producer and script writer for the film, Lourdes Elizarrará, who is also Retes’ wife.

“The movie mentions environmentalist issues, but it isn’t boring. Ecology worries me because, all around us, we see deterioration and we must be aware of it, and do something about it,” indicated the Retes.

Professional surfers Gilbert Brown from Coast Rica and Angelo Josue from Mexico will have parts in the surfing movie and Mexican actors as Carlos Macias, Alexander Da Silva and Ignacio Castello will also have key roles in the movie.

We’re not sure if Looking for the Wave will be as excellent as Endless Summer, but we are certain Jaco is one heck of a place to spend a vacation with natural, pristine beauty, a casual atmosphere and plenty to do. Of course, it’s okay to spend a vacation in Costa Rica just sitting on the beach, sipping one of those umbrella-donned drinks and watching surfers catch a wave.

Photo: Thomas MacMillan, via Wikipedia Public Domain

Inspired by Queensland, Australia’s “Best Job in the World” Island Caretaker job, Orlando, Florida, set out this past summer to find a dynamic blogging couple to experience and share all the incredible things there are to do in Orlando. In fact, it would take someone 67 days to experience all the fun stuff that brings a smile to a face and August 29 the winning blogging couple, Kyle Post and Stacey Doornbos, began their journey and are documenting each day at the 67 Days of Smiles blog as well as utilizing other social media tools as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, and YouTube.

Orlando’s Smile Ambassadors will visit the more than 100 Orlando attractions and activities including hang gliding, swimming with dolphins, gator wrestling, nightlife (most definitely a trip to Orlando’s ICEBAR) and bingo. Kyle and Stacey were selected from hundreds of others who applied from more than a dozen countries. Follow them on their journey.

Think you have what it takes to blog or use social media to a cool job or experience? Keep your eyes open because all sorts of these contests are beginning to pop up. Win a week-long Cuisinternship (pronounced: quiz-een-turn-ship) – a cuisine internship - from Travel Oregon. Seven cuisinterships are being given away, one in each of the following categories: Artisan Food Producer (Chocalatier and Cheese Maker), Brew Master, Chef, Rancher, Fisherman, Winemaker and Distiller. Submit a video along with a 140 character statement (if you’re on Twitter, you’ll master this!) by Sept. 18 to win one of these Cuisinternships along with round trip airfare, lodging for 6 nights and $1,000 spending money. Check out www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty for additional information.

Or, how about an expenses-paid trip to Thailand? The Tourism Authority of Thailand is challenging travelers with the Ultimate Thailand Explorers competition. Five times will win a six-day trip to Thailand’s most popular vacation destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui. Once chosen, the winning couple must use social media to share their experiences via YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and blogs.

To enter, visit the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Web site to complete the application and submit a video to YouTube by Oct. 15 and the five selected teams will fly to Thailand Dec. 9 followed by exploration, blogging, tweeting, etc., between Dec. 10 and 15. Afterward, the online community will select a grand prize winner.

As social media becomes more mainstream and tourism destinations and businesses see the value in the medium, expect to see more of these contests.

“Think of Canada as a foreign country,” wrote the Buffalo News on May 31, 2009, that’s because those Western New Yorkers who take weekend jaunts to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto and Niagara Falls (because everyone knows the view is better on the Canadian side) now need a passport, passport card, enhanced driver’s license, trusted traveler program card or proof of being a member of a special group (i.e.: U.S. Military) to drive across the border.

It’s not just Western New Yorkers who need to think of Canada as a foreign country but it’s every American citizen looking to travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. This is thanks to the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which is a result of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The goal is to strengthen U.S. border security, expedite re-entry into the U.S.

The first phase of WHTI went into effect for air travelers in 2007. No longer is a driver’s license acceptable (unless it was issued in either Washington or New York and is used specifically for land or sea cross-border travel) nor is a birth certificate (in most cases) for those driving across borders or taking a cruise.

U.S. travelers using air travel are required to have a passport but for those traveling by car or sea, there are a myriad of options which are thoroughly explained on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Web site run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (It’s also a great site for Americans traveling abroad, too.) In brief, the following documents are acceptable when crossing a border either by land or sea:

• U.S. Passport
• U.S. Passport Card (limited-use travel document that fits nicely in a wallet)
• Enhanced Driver’s License
• Trusted Traveler Program Cards (issued to pre-approved, low-risk travelers to expedite entry into the U.S.)
• Special Groups (includes groups of children, Native Americans, U.S. Military, etc.)

The safest bet when planning a vacation to Mexico, Caribbean (including the Dominican Republic), Canada or booking a cruise or driving across the borders, just smile pretty for the camera and apply for a passport to ensure a pleasant trip.