Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to our first Feature Friday of 2018! As we approach the weekend, we have the opportunity to meet fellow travel blogger, Jocelyn. To kick off the new year, Jocelyn has decided to stop by, and share with us her latest trip to Belize!
1. Thank you for being a part of Feature Friday. Can you tell us your name and a little bit about yourself?
My name is Jocelyn – I grew up in Massachusetts, studied abroad in Italy, and moved to San Diego, CA 10 years ago. I’ve traveled to almost 30 countries on 5 continents – and am finally making it to New Zealand this holiday season! Although it’s debatable what continent New Zealand is part of, I’m going to go with Oceania and continent #6 for me!
2. What country do you call home?
United States
3. Which country did you recently travel to?
Belize
4. How long was the journey?
Belize was a 5-day trip
5. Why did you travel to Belize?
My boyfriend and I were looking for a birthday getaway that wasn’t too far.
6. What native dish was your favorite to eat?
Honestly, anything seafood-related was amazing!
7. What was the most unique thing you ate?
Fry jacks – nothing too crazy, but fried tortillas at Estel’s for breakfast were out of this world – I do not understand why this isn’t served for brunch normally!
8. What was your most unique mode of transportation?
Boat or golf cart
9. What was the weather like during your trip?
Hot and humid, but with an amazing breeze that had you feeling comfortable most of the day and night.
10. Where was your favorite place to go in Belize? Why?
We spent the entire time in Ambergris Caye, which we absolutely loved. It was laid back and the people were so friendly.
11. What was the funniest thing that happened to you on this trip?
I am not sure how “ha ha” funny this is…but we did end up meeting a few guys (a mix of local/tourist and young/old) and befriending them earlier into our trip which turned into drinks and day trips on boats to Caye Caulker – the kind of stuff that makes you really appreciate traveling to new places and meeting new people.
12. Did you learn anything during this trip?
Belize is such an interesting combination of cultures – being part of Central America, on the Caribbean, and having English be your native language makes for a different experience.
13. What was the best part of your trip?
The entire trip was fantastic – Ambergris Caye is a great place to go if you want to relax and enjoy water-related activities.
14. What was the most challenging part of your tip?
The trip was really not challenging – I think probably getting used to more American-type prices versus Mexico or Southeast Asia.
15. What is your favorite picture you took on this trip?
Standing out on one of the many docks with the most beautiful water surrounding me.
16. How does Belize compare to the United States?
Living in San Diego, life is pretty relaxing, but Ambergris Caye was a total island paradise. You definitely got the smaller, island life feel, compared to living in a bigger city.
17. If you were to go to Belize again, what would you do differently?
I’d like to explore more of the country, but definitely would want to go back to Ambergris Caye as well. I might stay closer to the town center next time, as we were a few miles north.
18. If someone else was to go to Belize, what advice or tips would you give them?
Rent a golf cart, stay close to town (unless you don’t plan on dining in town and taking part in activities taht start from town). Make sure to spend time in Caye Caulker as well.
19. Do you have any more travel plans lined up? Where to next?
Our next big trip is New Zealand!
20. Anything else you want to share about your trip?
We highly recommend Belize – it was so relaxing, great seafood, great water activities – you could spend 5 days or spend 2 weeks and travel around – but either way it’s a great place to visit – especially from the United States – such a quick flight!
Thank you Jocelyn for sharing your trip with us! I’ve never been to Belize, but now I’m ready to book a ticket. With my family being from the Caribbean, I think it would be interesting to experience the mixture of cultures that you discussed. I also think it’s safe to say that I love visiting places that have beautiful water views. Congratulations on visiting your sixth continent – I’ll be looking forward to hearing about your seventh!
Did you enjoy what you read? Get to know more about Jocelyn!
Jocelyn grew up in the Northeast, studied in Italy, and then moved to San Diego in 2008. She’d traveled to nearly 30 countries all over the world and has a goal of at least 1 new country per year (although the last few years she’s made it to numerous new places!). She started a travel blog with her boyfriend in the summer of 2016 and hopes she can inspire people working the 40-hour work week to get out and explore the world! Connect with Jocelyn at the following:
Great interview! I’d love to visit Belize. We were in Costa Rica some years ago. Your pictures have me wanting to return to Central America.
Thank you! I enjoyed reading and getting to see Jocelyn’s pictures. I’ve never been to Central America, but I would love to go as well!
What a great interview. Jocelyn F. seems like an exciting person with a travel background worth envying. Haven’t really considered traveling to Belize but between the trip recap and tips it’s tempting.
I’m right there with you. Belize hasn’t really been on my radar until now. And with this new year, I’m looking for new trips to take!
Trip to Belize sounds amazing! And I love all the photos. I need to put that place on my holiday bucket list!
Oh that would be a lot of fun to go on holiday! I’m sure you’d have a blast!
Sounds like such a neat trip to Belize, and so cool that she’s been to so many other amazing places!
Right?! I definitely agree with you!