r/Belize

Everyone always talks about how beautiful it is but no one asks how people see it there. The average person is not earning much to live off, most are struggling paycheck to paycheck and there are no big industries the people with degrees can flourish off of. I have a few friends that have some nice degrees one got a nice degrees from American universities and ended up at call center, the other is teaching. Like why, why the in the world are two high potential professionals working at jobs that aren't for them. Ones suppose to be an engineer by now and a scientist but God damn, call center is where everyone is suggested to get a job, I swear the country is a crap hole when it comes to job market. I know some will say the country needs professionals but how can a professional be attracted to a place with no obvious market for their skills

Planning a trip to this beautiful country in July with my kid. First big trip for us, been saving for awhile, and we are really excited. Below is my general idea on plans. I am very open to suggestions and would appreciate any input, especially days 3/4. I am trying to cut expenses where I can (IE chicken bus) so keep in mind; I prefer budget friendly options to get the most out of site seeing. We are both active, don't mind a bit of a trek, and have ponchos packed.

Day 1 Arrive to BZE. Taxi to BC, Western route to San Ignacio
D2 AM DIY Cahal, possibly taxi there. PM Explore downtown, local eats
D3 Xanuant, I've read local guides are suggested. I've heard to combo this with a cave tubing? Not necessary but could be a cool addition
D4 ATM, everyone says this is a must. Hoping this is a morning tour. I need to get to Hopkins after this. This may be $$ as Id prob have to get a private ride based on logistics
D5 Explore town/flex day
D6/D7 Snorkeling/Fishing/chill. Is there something in Hopkins I'm overlooking? Suggestions on guides that offer group trips? Private for 2 aint cheap.
D8 Travel Home. Flights are at 2, ive heard bus travel could take 4 hours.

packing list items out of norm: pen for customs, ponchos, travel towel, vac sealed back up socks, head lamp, bug spray/oil, umbrella, blister tap, electrolyte mixes

We decided to move to Belize and will be heading out in June driving from Texas. We have been at this for a sec and hope we have all out checks and balances in place.

Does anyone have a compiled list or a known list of best cities to stop in Mexico. I have seen the tips on staying on toll roads and driving during daylight. I will be rolling with family and 2 dogs.

Went to Belize a few weeks ago and had a similar itinerary to other posters -- arrive in late afternoon/early evening and driving to San Ignacio at least partially in the dark. The TLDR version is that it wasn't that bad and if you are used to driving as part of your daily routine, it is definitely doable.

After reading a lot of the warnings about driving at night and murderous speed bumps from locals, I started to look into hiring a driver or staying overnight near the airport. Well, I ended up biting the bullet and making the drive. I did a lot of research, looking at photos of speed bumps and querying multiple resources. Turns out the nervousness probably wasn't warranted. Here are my observations and takeaways:

1. Nearly every single speed bump was marked with a pedestrian crossing sign or otherwise. In fact, I saw more "false positives" (speed bump sign where there was in fact no speed bump).

2. Once you're on the George Price Hwy (the main road to San Ignacio), there's not much traffic or speed bumps until you get to populated areas, where the speed bumps are pretty obvious (aforementioned pedestrian crossings, before/after traffic circles).

3. There's not a lot of light on George Price Hwy, but there's also not a lot of road hazards.

4. The Waze app will warn you of most speed bumps, I think there was only one or two that it did not give me forewarning.

5. Driving in San Ignacio was actually scarier than the George Price Hwy, the streets are narrow with cars parked on the side or bordered by car-wrecking ditches, many are one-way, some are very steep, etc. But there's plenty of other cars to follow, so it's not impossible.

There was another couple that left a little bit after us and they were similarly nervous. We saw them later and they made it through without incident.

Side note, our rental car was involved in an accident. We were parked off-street in a driveway overnight and in the morning discovered someone had dented the rear of our vehicle. I had to spend the entire morning of our first full day at the police station filing a report. I did not get Crystal auto insurance and could not reach anyone at my credit card company's insurance provider because it was the weekend, which was a PITA. I would advise getting rental car insurance but not sure how much it would have helped, because I think I heard the Crystal rep tell someone else the deductible was $1200. In a story twist, the person who hit our rental car actually showed up and took responsibility. Final outcome is still TBD.

My girlfriend and I are thinking of taking a flight to Belize city and then a ferry to ambergris caye to fish. Problem is we have never been anywhere near Belize. I can sort the gear out on my own and from what I understand its a safe place to stay and pretty touristy. I'm looking for advice on if this is a good idea at all and if so where would you recommend staying location wise for easy access to shore fishing. Any advice in general is appreciated. We are on a shoestring budget just looking for last minute flights somewhere salty

Hi! So, I (27F) am travelling from Europe to Belize in June. Because of flight paths and meeting friends from a different place, I have a weekend to myself. I'm landing early morning on Friday and need to be at the airport on Monday. I've travelled to Belize before but haven't yet spent any time by myself in Belize and haven't ever solo travelled outside of Europe.

I was thinking of just booking a room in Belize City and just kind of chill out and sleep off the jet lag, but I'm reading conflicting reports on experiences regarding safety. I know a super kind cab driver in San Ignacio from two years ago so I can also just hang out there, but would prefer to stay closer to the airport. Let me know what your experiences are and if you guys think that that would be a good idea, and perhaps what type of accommodation in Belize City you guys felt safe!

I'm going from Caye Caulker to my next stop (Bacalar) on Tuesday. I liked the idea of the ferry - more direct, less faff. But the San Pedro Water Taxis ones only run at 7am!

It's not just that I hate early mornings - I'm staying on the far south side of the island, so getting there legitimately takes a while, especially if I have to be there well beforehand, that basically means getting up at or before 5am. All so I can be in Bacalar hours before I can even check into my accommodation, which doesn't seem that helpful honestly.

But - the afternoon option (Islander Ferries) which would be great, doesn't run on Tuesdays.

Unless I'm missing another afternoon ferry to Chetumal, which is my secret hope...

This is leading me to consider the ground option. It's also a lot cheaper, of course.

However, if the bus from Belize City to the border takes 5 hours and then I have to face an unpleasant border crossing, I may suck it up and do the early morning departure instead.

Just looking for advice really - what would you do in my shoes? Ferry back to the mainland and then ground transport, or dawn departure with expensive but quicker direct ferry?

We're doing an ATM cave tour and going to Xunantunich the first two days. I know I can NOT run a drone there.

We're also in a beach front airbnb just north of San Pedro for 5 days.

Can you operate a drone there? I have a DJI Mini 5 Pro.

I'm just wanting beach video, to fly it out over the water and see what I can see, etc.