Ahhh…. Belize. I just got back from my 9 days of vacation alone with my hubs. It was our first trip to Central America ever, and our first international trip in several years. We had an awesome time. I put myself out of my comfort zone on many occasions. I also read an entire book, from that hammock in front of our Casita overlooking the Caribbean sea. We had a (mostly) fantastic trip. And made many mental notes about travelling that I thought I’d share with you:
1: Engage a third party – There were a few hiccups in our travel plans. After an {over three hour-long} harrowing drive out to the Belize jungle, we realized we needed to make alternate arrangements for our transition from the jungle to the beach. Our hotel concierge was more than willing to help us charter a flight, for the hefty price tag of $900. Then we called our travel agent, and she found us a local flight for a fraction of the cost. Travel agents don’t generally cost anything, and they can provide a great service, especially during the trip. May as well use one!
2: Get out of your comfort zone – I have several “great fears.” Those include airplanes, tight spaces, and falling from great heights. (No roller coasters, bungee jumping or skydiving for me, please!) On this trip I conquered several of those fears. We went spelunking, helmets, head lamps and all. I scrunched through incredibly tight cave walls, scrambled over wet rocks, was in complete darkness, and saw the most amazing sites of my life.
Taking off in a corn field was a wee-bit bumpy.
I also rocked the heck out of some airplane travel. Obviously, we flew to Belize, but we also took many a puddle-jumper flight to our various locations. I still have a fear of flying, but I’m not going to let it limit what I accomplish in my life.
Snorkeling in Hol Chan. I know they look like dolphins. They aren't. I promise.
And, yes. I swam with the sharks. I’ve never seen a dozen sharks in one place, ever. So, when our sailboat captain told me to “jump on in,” with all of those sharks and I did… Well, let’s just say I was a little out of my comfort zone
I learned, sometimes you have to face what you fear the most to get the most out of life.
3: BYOB – Okay, not really. But the beer in Belize was not good. Sorry Belekin.
Would you get out of that bed? Yeah, I didn't want to either. (Inside view of our Casita at Matachica in San Pedro.)
4: Spend some alone time – Jon loves to get up and get going, even on vacation. I like to sleep in. So, in the mornings, he went out and explored and I got some quality shut-eye. I used to think while on vacations we had to do everything together. No more, my friend. No more.
5: If you want to try local food, ask “Where do YOU eat?” – We kept asking for restaurant recommendations, and although the restaurants were great, they weren’t necessarily authentic to the area. It’s when we asked our bartender where he eats on his day off that we discovered where the locals hang.
6: Don’t eat the “Happy” Fudge…
Such great vacation friends. And a wacky guide.
7: Make friends – We met some awesome people on our trip. On our Actun Tunichil Muknal Caving Tour, I was sooo grateful for the company of our hotel-mates Don, and sons Jeff and Eric. They made what could have been a very stressful experience into a Once-in-a-lifetime Awesome Memory! The locals and the tourists that we met in our travels made our trip. Jon and I got plenty of alone time together, but some of our great memories were with those that we met along the way.
Our "Shellphone" (pun definitely intended) was the closet thing to technology we had. (It was an intercom to the front desk.)
8: Turn off the technology – There was no WiFi. No television. Not even a phone. For the first time I can remember, I wasn’t attached to a screen (except my nook book). I went over a week without being entertained by technology and it was awesome. You so rarely get to step completely away. It’s funny, how after a few days, I didn’t even miss it.
So do you have any travel plans? Where to?
Fantastic article! I have two questions:
1. I have always wondered how travel agents get paid.
2. Did you encounter problems with noseeums or sand flys while in Belize?
Hey Tina! Thanks for commenting on the blog. Travel agents generally get paid a commission by most hotels, rental car companies, and some airlines for their bookings from the business itself. Because of the amount of business they bring, the hotels don’t usually mind giving their best rates to travel agents’ clients, and then also giving a little split to the agent. And, I forgot to mention this, but another perk of travel agents? Upgrades! We got the honeymoon suite at our first stop!
And, as far as the bugs go… Our hotels (rooms and beyond) were mostly open air. Some had screens. I returned home with about 8-10 “mosquito” bites. I never saw them, but the itch is vicious. Nothing worse than a trip to a SC beach, though! Other than that no major bug issues.
Hi Katie,
Good to know! I once spent a week in the Florida Keys and walked through a swarm of Noseeums on accident. The next two weeks of my life were pure torture. The itch was so bad I had to cover myself with bags of frozen peas. Ever since then I’ve been extra careful not to travel in areas known to have noseeums and I once read on TripAdvisor that Belize had them. Glad to hear a second opinion!