Your First Visit

The first time we traveled to Belize we were just taking a vacation and wanting an adventure.  We made no advanced plans and no reservations beyond the hotel in Belize City the first night, and we packed as little as we could.  This allowed us to go anywhere we wanted on the fly. If we ran into someone who said "you have to see ________" we could go the next day.  There was absolutely nothing first class about that trip.  We didn't spend a single night in a fancy resort, didn't eat a single meal in a top restaurant, didn't rent a car or join a tour group.  We simply picked up our backpacks, and traveling by bus, taxi or on foot, we explored the country.  One of the keys to doing that successfully was not having any luggage.  We packed the minimum we thought we would need in great backpacks we borrowed from our parents.  These worked out so well we bought our own!  We used Rick Steves Convertible Carryon and found that it had exactly the right amount of room (with none to spare!) for everything we needed including our snorkeling gear. The pack itself weighs only 3 pounds which meant that the total weight only depended upon what we decided were necessities. When you think about packing everything you need for a month on your back, you realize there are a whole lot of things that do not qualify as necessities!

This is the only picture I have of the backpacks - but it gives you the idea.

We plan to do a post on how we pack and what we take as we prepare for our next trip.