Latin tips

August brings the last month of peak seasonal temperatures. There is also a last hurrah of summer travel before school resumes. Labor Day weekend signals that fall is right around the corner. As has been the case for most of the year, the travel restrictions are minimal for most destinations.

Compared to the typical Latin American tamale — a corn-based mixture steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf — the Mississippi Delta’s iteration is smaller, spicier, meatier and often simmered rather than steamed. Some say the dish came from Mexican migrants or soldiers in the Mexican American war; its origins may lie in Native American cuisine, or hail from the African dish, kush — cornbread hash. The flavours are as varied as the backstory — here are some of the best places to try them.

Argentines are a superstitious lot — many taxi-drivers religiously garland their rear-view mirrors with rosaries; fur-clad ladies-that-lunch avidly read their horoscopes; busmen faithfully display images of the Virgin of Luján over their dashboards; nearly everyone routinely tucks a banknote under their plate of gnocchi at the end of each month in the hope of better financial fortunes. But all this pales in comparison to their fervent dedication to the people’s saint, Antonio Gil – better known as the Gauchito Gil.

It is widely acknowledged that pets have a positive impact on owners' mental health – research by charity PDSA suggests that 84 percent of pet owners agree. Creatures of all shapes and sizes have helped combat loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic © Shchus/Shutterstock

With its timeless colonial towns of colourful low-slung houses and cobblestone streets, riotous festivals and amazing wildlife, Colombia is a showstopper of a destination. International flights were approved to return on 1 September, as the country looks forward to welcoming visitors back to its shores. We caught up with Flavia Santoro, President at ProColombia, to learn more about the country’s experience of coronavirus, and what travellers can expect from a visit in the near future.

Delta Air Lines will launch a flight to the Caribbean island of Curaçao in December, resuming a route the airline hasn’t flown in more than a decade.