Getting there: El Salvador is closer than many Americans realize. It's on Central Standard Time and is only a 3 1/2-hour nonstop flight from Atlanta on Delta. Other major airlines also fly regularly to El Salvador's international airport, which is near the Pacific Coast and about a 45-minute taxi ride from San Salvador, the capital and largest city. Airline ticket prices vary widely depending on the season, with December-January on the high side.
Getting around: El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America (about the size of Massachusetts), making day trips from San Salvador an option for many sites only an hour or two away. Taxis can be found for out-of-town travel, with reasonable prices negotiable. Buses run frequently and are quite cheap, but they get packed uncomfortably tight at times and routes can be confusing; you or someone in your group would need to speak Spanish. In a pinch, in rural areas, rides may be had in the bed of a pickup truck.
Lodging: There are luxury accommodations in San Salvador, such as the Princess Hotel, where President Clinton stayed in 1999, or the Hotel Perkin Lenka near the remote civil war landmark town of Perquin, with prices on the inexpensive side when compared to similar rooms in the United States. At points around the country there also are quaint, serene inns, such as the Posada del Rey in San Salvador and the Posada Suchitlan with a spectacular lake view from a mountain in Suchitoto.
Dining: A Salvadoran culinary mainstay, found everywhere from fine restaurants to backcountry house cafes called comedores, are pupusas, thick tortillas fried with fillings. There are also fried plantains, refried beans — the cuisine is not the greatest attraction of the country. But there are excellent restaurants, most in San Salvador but also at the better inns and hotels at weekend retreats. A caveat: Drinking unpurified water or eating food that has not been cooked or peeled can seriously disturb some visitors' stomachs.
Currency: The U.S. dollar is now El Salvador's official currency and can be used for most purchases, but colones, the traditional currency, are still used in rural areas and reflected in financial transactions.