One day this past Fall I woke and realized at age 26 I needed to get my life together financially if I wanted to pursue both my passion of travel and also return back to graduate school for my PhD studies. I’ve never been bad with budgeting and finance, but I’ve never been extremely good either. Back in October I …
Day 6: Island Hopping from San Pedro to Caye Caulker, Belize
Lindsay and I slept in a bit since we were both pretty fried from the day before. I, of course, mean that literally because we both had a nasty sunburn. We slathered ourselves in aloe vera (Lindsay was smart and brought some with her on the trip) and packed up our things. Putting a heavy pack on top of burnt …
Snorkeling in Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize
Our half day snorkeling adventure with Searious Adventures started early. Our boat left the Searious Adventures dock at 8am sharp so we had to be there by 7:45am. Luckily, San Pedro is not very big and we could easily walk the 5 minutes from our hostel to the dock. Once we reached the dock, we were handed our snorkeling gear. …
Day 5: Discovering the Beauty of San Pedro, Belize
We woke up early for our big day of snorkeling. Yesterday was rainy and the weather forecast wasn’t really in our favor, but when we opened our eyes the sun was shining! We had to be at the Searious Adventures boat dock by 7:45am. Lindsay and I both slathered sun screen on and walked down to the beach to Estel’s …
Why I Use Online Banks and How You Can Earn $76 For Just Opening an Account
I don’t know about you, but I know when I have a lot of money stashed in my savings account that is easily accessible through my bank debit card, I get attempted to use it (especially when J. Crew has a sale!). When I officially began saving for my emergency fund I was just putting money into my savings account at …
Day 4: Welcome to San Pedro, Belize
Lindsay and I woke up in our Belize City Hostel, the Sea Breeze Guesthouse, after a solid night of sleep. I actually woke up about an hour earlier than Lindsay and wrote in my travel journal on our balcony. Our balcony shared a door with our next door neighbor. He came out and we chatted a bit. He’s from Los …
Cave Tubing in Belize
Lindsay and I are both budget travelers and thus spent countless hours discussing activities and budget over the phone and Skype. We both agreed that we were willing to spend a little more for the opportunity to go cave tubing in Belize. And I must say, it was my favorite activity out of the whole trip! There are plenty of …
Day 3: Tikal, Guatemala to Belize City
My alarm went off at 3:40am to prepare for the sunrise tour of Tikal that left our hotel, the Tikal Inn, at 4:00am. However, when I rolled over to shut off my alarm, I realized that it was pouring buckets out. I got up and put my contacts in while Lindsay’s alarm went off about 10 minutes later. We decided …
A Quick Guide to Tikal National Park
If you ever find yourself in Western Guatemala then you absolutely must go to Tikal National Park! It’s like stepping back in time to an ancient civilization and seeing history unfold in front of your eyes. Tikal National Park is located in the heart of the jungle in the Peten Department of Northwestern Guatemala. Tikal is located about 64 km …
Day 2: Flores to Tikal
After a goodnight’s sleep at Los Amigos, we woke up and headed out to explore Flores for a few hours and grab breakfast. Flores is a small island so you can’t really get lost. You just have to watch out for tuk-tuk’s and trucks moving quickly over the cobblestone streets. Lindsay had an idea of a few breakfast places she …
Los Amigos Hostel – Flores, Guatemala
If you have find yourself in Flores, Guatemala (which I highly recommend that you do), then you must stay at Los Amigos Hostel. I’ve been to quite a few hostels over the years, and hands down, this hostel wins in many categories. Los Amigos is located on Calle Central, or less than a 5 minute walk from the bus stop …
Day 1: From Belize City to Flores, Guatemala
Why is it that travel days always seem to last the longest? Day 1 of the trip began before the sun even woke up – 3:00am. My flight left Boston-Logan Airport (BOS) at 6am. Luckily I had a very generous college friend who hosted me the night before and drove me to the airport for 4am. Thanks Greg! It saved …