Panama Express: From Canal Locks to Island Time

This journey begins at Panama City. On the first day, we meet at 17:00.

Your Group Leader will add you to the WhatsApp group for your trip about 15 days before departure.
 It’s a great way to start getting to know your travel mates, receive more details about the first day’s meeting point, and ask any pre-departure questions you might have. If you expect to arrive later, let the Group Leader know through the group: we’ll make the necessary arrangements so you can join without any issues.

This journey ends at Panama City. On the last day, you are free to leave at any time, so whether you need to book a flight, a train, or wish to continue the journey on your own, you can organize your return as you prefer.

For this itinerary, soft luggage is required for logistical reasons and the convenience of the whole group - including yourself! Soft luggage includes backpacks, duffel bags, or sports bags, but not trolleys or bulky suitcases. The Travel Group Leader will provide guidance on the ideal baggage before departure via the WhatsApp group.

Return international flights are not included on our trips because we want to give you full autonomy and flexibility. You can choose your preferred airline, fly from the airport that works best for you, and decide how many stopovers you want to make along the way.

As flights are not included, you also have more flexibility with your travel dates: you could arrive at your destination a few days early or return home a bit later – or even continue independently to a nearby destination!

Yes, you can change your trip directly from your MyWeRoad personal area, up to 31 days before departure. If you purchased Flexible Cancellation, to give you maximum flexibility, you may cancel your trip up to 8 days before departure and receive a refund, whatever the reason.

How to change your trip from MyWeRoad

• Enter your booking
• Scroll to the “Change your trip” section at the bottom right
• Select a different date for the same trip or a completely different trip

Things to know

You can change your trip up to 3 times from your MyWeRoad personal area. Further changes must be requested by contacting our team at hello@weroad.com.
The new trip must depart within 12 months from the original departure date.
If your original booking included a private room, Flexible Cancellation, discount codes, gift cards, or vouchers, we will notify you before confirmation if they cannot be applied to the new trip.

You cannot switch to sold-out trips. For “On request” departures, we will check availability. For “Last spots” departures, availability in rooms of your same gender may not be guaranteed.
If there is a price adjustment: if the new trip costs less, we will refund the difference; if it costs more, you will need to pay the difference.

PLEASE NOTE: before cancelling, keep in mind that you can move your booking to another trip or a different date. Find out how!

In some cases – for example when a departure is not yet confirmed and it is your first unconfirmed booking – you can book without paying the €/£/$100 deposit upfront.

This means that you can secure your spot at zero cost: nothing will be charged until the departure is confirmed. Once the departure is confirmed, the €/£/$100 deposit will be automatically charged within 48 hours according to the terms agreed at the time of booking.

Yes, but first consider changing your trip: from MyWeRoad you can move your booking to another date or another trip up to 31 days before departure, without losing what you've paid. Find out how!

If you still want to cancel

• Confirmed trip: you cancel directly from MyWeRoad, in the trip management section. Amounts paid are non-refundable, unless you bought Flexible Cancellation.
• Trip not confirmed yet: cancellation goes through our team. Write to hello@weroad.com with your booking code.

Please note: if it's your first unconfirmed booking, you will only be asked to provide a credit card, PayPal, or Revolut as a guarantee, but nothing will be charged. From the second unconfirmed booking onwards, a mandatory £/$100 deposit will be required.

You'll find all the details in Can I cancel my booking directly from MyWeRoad? and Can I get a refund if I cancel?

We offer several payment methods to fit every need:

1. Credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express);
2. Instalment payment with Klarna (you’ll pay for the trip in three equal amounts);
3. PayPal (for selected destinations);
4. Revolut Pay to pay even faster straight from your Revolut account.

Yes, in two ways:

1. From your personal area
Once you've booked, every WeRoader can add their flight details in their personal area, and the rest of the group can see them anonymously. Just log in, open your booking, and you'll find the section there. The more people fill it in, the easier it is for everyone to match up.

2. From the trip messages
Every departure has its own message space on the WeRoad website: the best place to ask your future travel mates directly, or to read what they've already written.

You don't need to have booked to join in. If you're still deciding, you can already ask who's going, when, and on which flight. You can get there from the departures list, from the trip page, or from your personal area once you're logged in.

Your Travel Coordinator is in the conversation too, so if you have a question about that specific departure, that's where you'll get an answer.

And if you can't find what you're looking for, just write to us and we'll share whatever information we have.

If a departure is “Open to book”, it means that the trip is not yet confirmed and we are waiting for a few more bookings… maybe yours!

The good news? If it’s your first booking on an unconfirmed departure, you can book without paying anything! Just. leave your credit card details as a guarantee: no immediate charge, €/£/$0 deposit.
In the meantime, wait for the departure to be confirmed before purchasing your round-trip flights!

It depends on when you cancel, the status of your departure, and how much you have already paid. Here are all the cases.

If the trip is not confirmed
Cancellation goes through our team: write to hello@weroad.com with your booking code.
If it was your first unconfirmed booking, nothing has been charged: no refund is needed. If you paid the €/£/$100 deposit, it is fully refunded. If you bought Flexible Cancellation, the cost of the option is not refunded.
If your booking was moved to this trip from a trip that was already confirmed, the conditions of your original booking still apply: the amount paid is non-refundable.
If WeRoad does not confirm the trip, we'll let you know by email and you can choose between a full refund and using the amount for another trip.

Tour confirmed – you paid only the €/£/$100 deposit
In case of cancellation, the deposit paid is not refunded. However, you can change your trip from your MyWeRoad Account and use the amount for another departure.

Tour confirmed – you paid the full amount
In case of cancellation, the amount paid is not refunded. However, you can change your trip from your MyWeRoad Area and use the amount for another departure.

If you cancel within 31 days of departure – Tour confirmed
You can cancel your booking at any time. However, in case of cancellation within 31 days of departure, no refund of the amount paid is provided, nor is it possible to change your trip, unless you have purchased Flexible Cancellation.
The private room fee, included in the price of your trip, is not refunded under any circumstances within this time frame, unless you have purchased Flexible Cancellation.

If you have Flexible Cancellation
With Flexible Cancellation, you may cancel your trip up to 8 days before departure and receive a refund, whatever the reason. The only amount not refunded is the cost of the Flexible Cancellation option itself.

PLEASE NOTE: before cancelling, keep in mind that you can move your booking to another trip or a different date. Find out how!

For any doubts about your specific situation, write to our team at hello@weroad.com: we'll help you!

Generally, our groups have an average of 11 people. Everyone on our trips speaks English, and travellers join us from across the US, UK, Europe and beyond. Our trips are open to travelers between 18 and 53 years old. The indicated age is meant to give you an idea of the type of group, but it's not a strict limit: it's possible to participate even with a few years more or less, as long as you can keep up with the pace and energy of the group you're traveling with.

Each group will be joined and led by one of our experienced Group Leaders, who’s there to ensure everything runs smoothly and the group feels well-supported. 

If you’d like to know more about our typical WeRoad groups do reach out to us on WhatsApp on +44 7716573700. 

Yes! If you're curious, you can take a sneak peek at the group before booking. 
You’ll find the info in the ‘Group’ section for each trip on the departures page, showing how many WeRoaders have already booked. 

Click the little arrow and you’ll even see their gender and ages – but hey, that’s exclusive info, so we’ll ask you to log in or sign up to see that!

For our trips we usually use locally owned accommodation instead of big hotel chains. It’s our favourite way to really experience the local culture and, whenever we can, support the local economy. Typically, you’ll stay in hotels, apartments, guesthouses and hostels with the same standard maintained across all trips in the same destination.

The list of accommodation for your trip will be shared with you by your Group Leader 2-5 days before departure, along with other useful details for your adventure!

For some trips, in the itinerary section, you’ll find the number of nights and the location (not the hotel) where you’ll be spending the night(s). The location shown is the one we usually go for on most trips, but in some cases, you might stay in a nearby town. This will depend on logistics or availability of accommodation. 

The list of accommodation for your trip (and therefore also the exact locations) will be shared by your Travel Group Leader 2-5 days before departure, along with other useful information for your adventure!

The WeRoad Travel Group Leader is an experienced and skilled traveler who will be the perfect companion for your trip. They will manage all the logistical aspects of the itinerary like transport, timings, accommodation, restaurant bookings and meeting points, so that you can enjoy the trip without this hassle. They’re there to support the group, ensure everything runs smoothly and will no doubt make the trip a lot of fun along the way too! 

The Group Leader will set up a WhatsApp group approximately 2 weeks before departure. This will be the moment to ask any pre-departure questions and get to know the rest of the group! If the trip you are interested in already has a Travel Group Leader assigned, you can contact them before booking. Their details will be on the trip page, or you can search for their name here. After booking, you will find their contact details in your My WeRoad account, under ‘Bookings and Trips’ > ‘Your Upcoming Trips’ > ‘Trip Details’.

When you set off on a WeRoad trip, you’re officially a WeRoader – and as we often say, 'once a WeRoader, always a WeRoader'. This means that once you’re part of the community, a little piece of WeRoad will always stay with you.

But you’re not just a WeRoader during your trips, far from it! The community is alive and active all year round: you can stay in touch by following and interacting on our social media channels, like the Facebook group or the Instagram profile. You can also come along to one of our many events that we run in different cities worldwide. Check out and sign up to our events by downloading the WeMeet app here. 

Yes, on all our trips you will share a room with other WeRoaders in your group. The bathroom will either be private or shared only with other travelers on the trip. The rooms might be twins, triples, quadruples or multi-share (up to 8 people in exceptional cases), depending on the destination and availability.

You will never share with people from outside of the WeRoad group, except in certain cases for local experiences, which are specifically mentioned in the itinerary or communicated before booking. These typically involve specific nights in unique accommodation like tents, homestays, or camping, offering a more adventurous travel experience in exchange for some comfort.

During the booking process, you can also choose to stay in a mixed-gender room. If needed, only travelers who have opted in to this option may share a room with travel companions of a different gender.

On some of our trips we can offer a private room for an additional cost. Just tick the ‘Private Room’ option at checkout to get this added. For some of our trips if you book as two travelers together you can add this private room free of charge. Look out for this option at checkout. 

Please note that if you do book a private room with a friend/partner this could be either a double or a twin room so please email hello@weroad.com if you have a preference on this. 

Find out the entry requirements for Panama, and, if needed, apply for your visa through our partner Sherpa.

Before traveling, always remember to check the government website of your country of origin for updates on the entry requirements for Panama – you wouldn’t want to stay home due to a bureaucratic detail!

• UK residents: review the FCDO Travel Advice.
• US residents: consult the US Department of State Travel Advice.
• Other residents: refer to your government or local consulate's travel advice.

Panama is in the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone, and it does not observe daylight saving time. This means that if it is 12 pm in the UK, it will be 7 am in Panama. If it is 12 pm on the East Coast of the USA, it will be 12 pm in Panama as well. Panama's consistent time makes it easy to plan your travel without worrying about seasonal clock changes.

In Panama, the official currency is the Panamanian Balboa (PAB), but the United States Dollar (USD) is also widely used and accepted. The Balboa is pegged to the USD at a 1:1 ratio, so you can use USD without needing to exchange for Balboas. You can exchange currency at banks or exchange bureaus if needed.

You can pay in Panama using cash, credit cards, and mobile payments. Credit cards like Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted in urban areas, but smaller shops and rural areas might prefer cash. Mobile payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay are also available in many places. Make sure to have some cash on hand for small purchases or when visiting less touristy areas. ATMs are common in cities, so withdrawing cash is convenient if needed.

Tipping in Panama is appreciated but not mandatory. In restaurants, you might find a service charge already included, but if it's not, leaving a tip of about 10 percent is common. For taxis, rounding up the fare is a nice gesture, although not expected. In hotels, you can tip bellhops a couple of dollars per bag. Remember, tipping is a way to show appreciation for good service, so it's entirely up to you.

In Panama, you can find Wi-Fi in most hotels, cafes, and public places, especially in major cities like Panama City. However, coverage might be spotty in rural areas. For a more reliable connection, we recommend you buy a local SIM card or an e-SIM data plan. Providers like Movistar, Claro, and Digicel offer various packages to suit your needs. This way, you can stay connected wherever you are, especially when exploring off-the-beaten-path locations.

In Panama, the official language is Spanish. However, English is widely spoken, especially in tourist areas. Here are some useful Spanish expressions you might hear or use:

• Hello - Hola
• Thank you - Gracias
• Please - Por favor
• Excuse me - Perdón
• How much is it? - ¿Cuánto cuesta?
• Where is...? - ¿Dónde está...?
• Yes - Sí
• No - No

Understanding a few basic phrases can make your trip more enjoyable and help you connect with locals.

In Panama, the plugs used are type A and type B, similar to those in the USA. The electrical tension is 120 volts with a frequency of 60 Hz. If your devices have different plug types, we suggest you bring a universal adapter to ensure compatibility. Always check your devices to make sure they can handle the voltage to avoid any issues.

The main religion in Panama is Roman Catholicism, with a significant portion of the population practicing it. Protestantism is also widely practiced. In Panama, religious holidays like Christmas and Easter are celebrated with much enthusiasm and are important cultural events. You will notice various religious festivals and processions, especially during Holy Week. While there are no specific dress requirements related to religion for travelers, it's always good to dress respectfully when visiting churches or religious sites.

Heading to Panama? Here's a handy list of essentials to pack in your backpack:

• Clothing:
  • Lightweight t-shirts and tank tops
  • Shorts and light trousers
  • Swimsuit
  • Light jacket or sweater for cooler evenings
  • Raincoat or poncho for the wet season
• Shoes:
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Flip-flops or sandals
  • Water shoes for beach or water activities
• Accessories and Technology:
  • Sunglasses
  • Hat or cap
  • Lightweight backpack for day trips
  • Smartphone and charger
  • Power bank
• Toiletries and Medication:
  • Sunscreen and insect repellent
  • Personal toiletries
  • Basic first aid kit
  • Common travel medication like pain relievers, antihistamines, and anti-diarrheal pills

Panama's tropical climate makes light and breathable clothing ideal. Keep in mind that the weather can be quite wet, so prepare for rain, especially during the rainy season from May to November.

Panama has a tropical climate with two main seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.

• Dry Season (December to April): Warm and sunny, especially in areas like Panama City and the Pacific coast. Best time to visit for beach activities.
• Rainy Season (May to November): Expect heavy rain and high humidity, particularly in the Caribbean coast and rainforest areas. Rain showers are typically short but intense.

The highlands, such as Boquete, are cooler year-round. We recommend you plan your trip during the dry season for a more pleasant experience.