We returned home to Canada on December 5th and we’ve been travelling ever since! One day we’d like to return home and actually feel like home is a vacation from travelling, but this time, we’re travelling more at home than we were on the road! We have family all over western Canada and while it’s been a blast seeing everyone, it has been tiring and we haven’t had much time to reflect on the incredible journey we just had.
We thought that we should write a quick article and let everyone know what the plan is for the new year. Well, even though our plan is to never plan, there’s always something somewhere on the horizon for us. We’ve locked in our first house sitting gig which starts on April 3rd and will go until June, 9th and it’s on a stunning island in the Caribbean (still not saying where!).
We didn’t want to stay in Canada for 3 months, so we booked a flight down to Cancun, Mexico…we leave tomorrow! We’re really not sure what we’re going to do from there, but we are definitely looking forward to some time on the beach. We absolutely loved the intrepid, active, and adventurous 5 months we spent in Central Asia, but we haven’t seen a beach for nearly 2 years so we’re dying to hop into the sea!
We’re trying out a new type of travel through an accommodation booking website called AirBnB. After Cancun, we plan to rent an apartment in the funky, colonial city of Merida.
After Merida, we’re not sure what we’re going to do. We may head down into Guatemala, Honduras and Belize, or we may just stay in the Yucatan Peninsula and rent a couple more apartments in different cities. We’d like to try a few of the options that AirBnB has to offer, like shared apartments, private apartments and bed & breakfasts. We’re looking forward to living like a local!
We’re actually looking for ideas, so if anyone has travelled through southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras or Belize, please give us some ideas on places to stay and things to see. You can leave a comment below and tell us about your favourite pit stops.
For now, we’re at home, enjoying the company of family and friends, but soon we’ll be on a flight to Mexico where a whole new adventure will begin. We can’t wait to taste authentic Mexican cuisine and try living like a local in different cities. We’re also going to attempt to find off-the-beaten-path adventures in one of the most touristy areas on Earth.
Follow us along the way!
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My wife and I backpacked around the Yucatan 7 years ago, and without a doubt the highlight of our trip was Palenque. I daresay the ruins were even more impressive than Chichen Itza, and far less touristed. If you have a chance, I’d also highly recommended going snorkeling in a cenote (or diving if that’s your thing). We did Gran Cenote outside of Tulum.
I love Airbnb. It’s always my go-to site for apartment rentals, or even just to get an idea of prices. Mérida is an interesting choice. I’ve never been there, but I used to live in Mérida, Spain (the original!) and really enjoyed it! I’m sure Mérida, Mexico is nothing like Mérida, Spain, though!
Hi guys!!! You will have a blast in Mexico. I have been going there for years and I love it more and more every time. I would suggest going south of Cancun to Playa Del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal, Tulum (best beach) and many more towns on the way down. I have been to Merida and even though its nice there, it doesn’t compare to the Riviera Maya in my opinion. On the highway to Belize in Tulum there is a road check point and right after you pass that there is a tiny outdoor restaurant on the right hand side in front of a grocery store if heading south and it has amazing food. A lot of locals eat there. You can’t miss it, very easy to spot. The beach in Tulum is like no other. Sugar white sand and crisp baby blue water, doesn’t get better than that. You can also find many roadside hostels and accommodations all over. Puerto Aventuras is on the pricey side but free to walk around and it is beautiful. You can see the dolphins, seals, manatees, monkeys etc for free! Playa Del Carmen is a blast! 5th avenue is the walking strip and its great for people watching, window shopping and live street entertainment. Akumal and Puerto Morelos are more on the less touristy side (which I like) and the people are friendly and love having visitors. Food food food… Don’t be afraid to eat at a cheap taco bus, they are safe, cheap and delicious. Have fun and enjoy yourselves.
Wishing you the best of luck with your first AirBnB stay! Once you get a confirmed booking, it’s awesome. Getting the booking itself is the tricky part. I love how cheap it is (not as cheap as house-sitting though)!
Hey Guys, My wife and I just spent a few weeks backpacking in Belize and Guatemala and loved every minute of it. A couple highlights in Belize were Caye Caulker (laid back and inexpensive) and San Ignacio (Beautiful Rainforests and pretty authentic). As for Guatemala, nothing beat the overnight stay at Tikal. Seeing the sunrise from the top of the ruins was amazing.
My biggest piece of advise is to check out Tropic Air, If you are ok with flying in small 6 seater planes. These flights are often cheaper than the combined prices of taxis and ferries.
We also love renting rooms in shared apartments through airbnb. We have had some awesome hosts and really benefited from their local knowledge and experience.
Mexico is absolutely amazing. We’re in Playa del Carmen just south of Cancún now. The plan was to stay for one month, but we’ve just extended our stay with one more month. It’s sooo great here. And if you miss the beach, you’ve come to the right place! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such beautiful beaches as the ones we have here before.
We still have to do the many tours and see the cenotes and Maya ruins. But I’m sure they’re just great.
In one month we’ll continue to Belize for a month and then go to Guatemala. 🙂 So it sounds like we have quite the same plans as you guys! Loving Central America so far. 🙂
Hey guys, I’ve been to Belize. My wife and I spent some time on Caye Caulker. Great little island with lots of opportunity to get some snorkling or scuba diving in. Great little bars and restaurants right on the edge of the water, absolutely stunning at sunset and sunrise. We rented an apartment through De Real Macaw for relatively cheap, I’m sure you could shop around and find what fits you. On your way south from the island, check out Raggaemuffin tours, they offer a 3 night sailing excursion that will take you island hopping to uninhabited islands off the coast of Belize and you’ll be dropped off in the south of Belize and you could just continue on from there if you’d like!
Been to Utila, Honduras – Awesome place to stay, great food, great people and most of all affordable accommodations all around. Depending on what you want, the Lighthouse is a great choice. Clean and on the water but not really a backpacker cheap accomodation. All the dive shops have accommodations as well. Overall, a great place to visit… and spend some time.
Yes!! The best way to get over the post-holiday blues is to book the next one!! I start planning my next one on the return flight 😀 have a great time in Cancun- I know very little about it, so I’ll be looking forward to reading about your experiences. And looking forward to seeing the site redesign too 🙂
Hey guys! Why not check out some of the towns of Central Mexico: Guanajuato, Queretaro and San Miguel. Very impressive and if you need a break from the heat of the Yucatan you’ll find the weather in this area dry and coolish in comparison. I also really liked Mexico City, it’s worth a visit and since you’re not that far away…
Mexico’s great. I’m off to Puebla and Oaxaca in April so, depending on your plans, we may be crossing paths!
Frank (bbqboy)
We loved the Yucatana and Merida areas! I bet you enjoy the beaches down there; stunning!
We housesat in the Caribbean last year – Amazing! Hope you have a blast 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions Marcus. We will definitely look into Palenque, they sound great.
Cheers 🙂
Glad to know that AirBnb is your go-to as well! There are so many Merida’s and San Cristobal’s in the Spanish world 🙂
Wow Liljana! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and suggestions for the area. We have been to Cancun and are now on Holbox Island now – which is gorgeous! We definitely plan to head to Tulum.
Thanks again!
True, not as cheap as house sitting or couch surfing, or even hostels in some cases. But we really want to have an apartment on this trip. We’ll see if it ends up working out though…so far everything seems to be full!
Cheers
Hey Brian,
Thanks for sharing your tips and suggestions. We’re really excited to get to Belize and Guatemala, even if it isn’t until November! We’re in Mexico now and think we’ll stay here for 2.5 months before going to our Caribbean island house sitting job.
We’ll definitely keep all of your ideas in mind. Great to hear you’ve had good experiences with Air bnb.
Cheers and Happy Travels!
Hey Celia!
Thanks for the comment. It sounds like we have similar plans as you 🙂 You’re right, the beaches and the water in this area is just stunning! The clear, blue waters are gorgeous and the sand is so white and soft. We’re on the island of Holbox now and are loving the chilled out vibe.
Enjoy!
Awesome suggestions Alex! Thanks for the tip about the apartment and the island hopping, we’re definitely into that. A few people have recommended Caye Caulker, it must be great.
Thanks again!
Excellent! That sounds like our kind of place. Nick will definitely be into diving there, so we’ll spend some time around that area, I’m sure. Thanks for the tips 🙂
haha, you’ve got that right Tim! During our last week in Iran, we booked our flight to Cancun 🙂 That’s the best way to beat the going home blues!
Cheers!
Hey Frank,
We chose to hangout around the Yucatan so that we could just travel slowly and not move too much. We’re in the area for 2.5 months, with a quick pop down to Belize for some diving. Not sure if we’ll make it to those cities, but we will another time! Mexico has been awesome so far. Apparently Oaxaca is really cool, I’m sure you’ll have a great time there.
Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll meet up, we’re leaving April 2nd 🙁
Happy travels!
Awesome! We’re really excited. We’ve only been here a week, but so far it’s just amazing. House sitting in the Caribbean is exactly what we’re doing in April 🙂 Can’t wait.