Central America

Here is a link to the populations and land size per the World Atlas for the countries in Central America.

If I am able to travel the way I want I will have already traveled through Mexico. Once I leave Mexico I will enter Belize and from there I will travel through each of the countries from the north end to the south end of Central America. I will also travel through the islands in relation to the country I am in. Finally I will enter South America and continue my travels beginning in Columbia.

I know this sounds extremely ambitious but this will just be the beginning of my world travels! But I really want to see and do and experience everything I possibly can in each of the countries...

So now I begin my research!

• Belize
• Belmopan
• 20,000
• Guatemala
• Guatemala City
• 3,681,309
• El Salvador
• San Salvador
• 540,898
• Honduras
•  Tegucigalpa
• 1,324,000
• Nicaragua
• Managua
• 2,105,000
• Costa Rica
• San Jose
• 1,715,485
• Panama
• Panama City
• 1,272,672

Where will I sleep?

Today I decided to look up different options for hostels, hotels and rentals throughout the world. I figure there may be times when a hostel or hotel will be just fine and other times when I might want a more permanent residence!
Hostels seem to be pretty cheap all around IF you are traveling alone simply because you are just paying for a bed and a locker for the most part. If there is more than one person that you are paying for generally a hotel seems to be the better option simply because 2 or more people in a hostel can be equivalent to a standard hotel room. In that case I would lean toward a hotel so that you have more privacy and security. If I decide I really like a location then I can look into finding a cheap room to rent in a home or a small studio apartment that is furnished! This would give me a home base so I wouldn't have to pack up to go out everyday!
I haven't used any of these services as of yet BUT once I do I will keep a page to post my experiences with whichever hostel, hotel or other options that I use.
Of course there is also something as simple as Couch Surfing as an option, which could be a lot of fun but could also be pretty terrible!
And last but not least is the volunteer work exchange option where you stay free for a set period of time in exchange for help with whatever projects are going on at the place you are sleeping! This seems like it could be a lot of fun also and a great way to meet new people and learn about the culture and lifestyles of the locals!

15 interesting hostels around the world!

The Best Hostels To Stay In When You Travel Around The World

HostelWorld - 30,000 properties, 180 countries

Hostels.com - make your trip go farther

Hostelz -  the world's largest hostels database

HostelBookers - Free Booking

HiHostels - Hostel International

HiUSA - Hostel International USA

Boots N All Hostels - one stop indi travel guide

WHAT

I plan to travel extremely lightly, only bringing those few things which will be completely necessary. I want to keep my luggage minimal, probably just a backpack that I can carry on to the plane, train, bus, boat or automobile instead of having to check it and hope it doesn't get lost, stolen or pillaged once it has left my sight!

This page will be an ongoing collection of links and pictures and information concerning what I plan on bringing.

BACKPACKS

Starting with the backpack, I want something lightweight, durable, and spacious. I am looking at the following  links for information, but ultimately I will have to go out there and begin trying them until I find the "RIGHT ONE"!

But again, staying organized for me is a must so I will be collecting information here and then when I go shopping I will have a starting point. Of course shopping for stuff is fun too!

Top 10 list of backpacks for women

5 best travel packs

Ultimate female guide to picking a backpack

Minaal backpack

There are a ton of options out there so I will definitely be trying a lot of them on...

Some features I think I need are:

• laptop/tablet compartment which locks
• hydration pocket or water bottle pocket (or both)
• great (not just good) straps for shoulders, hip and chest
• large suitcase-like zip opening
• sized small enough to be a "carry-on" but large enough to carry all my stuff easily

CLOTHING

Next on the list is clothing. I really don't want more than a few pairs of clothing that can be mixed and matched. I want lightweight breathable and easily cleaned clothing. But I don't want to spend a ton of money obviously. I also want to make sure that I buy good quality clothing that will last a long time.

Here are a few links for clothing that I think are worth checking out.

Altrec clothing and gear

Womens' Travel Smith brand

Contour Wear Quick Dry Pants

Shoes

Tablet PC's

Sunglasses 

Accessories 

Packing accessories

Camera

EAZY BELIZE

BELIZE

One of the first countries on my list is Belize. It looks like a very beautiful place to see and I am looking forward to going there!

Belize Travel and Country Information

Lots of Belize Links

Belize Forum

Ambergris Caye

Patrick Jones Belize

For Sale By Owner Belize

Belize Property Agent

International Living - Belize

WHY

Why do I want to travel?

Because I want to see more of our world. What do I want to see? I want to see new people, learn about different cultures and learn new languages. Eat exotic food that I don't know what the ingredients are but that tastes delicious (or terrible). I want to sunbathe on pink sand beaches and swim alongside whale fish. I want to learn to scuba dive so I can see the barrier reefs around the world. I want to see kangaroos and macaws and primates in the wild.  I want to go there, do that, and skip the t-shirt because I will be keeping this blog instead to track my travels and accumulate my memories!

My thought is that to minimize travel time on planes and keep costs down that I will head south and go to every country from the U.S. all the way down to the tip of South America before moving on to the next continent rather than hopping from continent to continent without any rhyme or reason. If I stick to my plan I will be able to save both time and money hopefully! 

I am planning to begin my world travels sometime around January 2015. Since I have 6 months or so till I leave I will be accumulating links and ideas here.

My plan is to start on the North American continent (since I live in California) and head south. I will probably be traveling alone for the most part but hope to coerce friends and family into meeting up with me at different destinations along the way.

Beginning from California I plan to head south, either flying into Mexico or taking advantage of a bus trip or possibly an ocean voyage to get there. From Mexico I plan to go to every country in Central America and South America, including the island countries along the way.

I think that this will probably take a year or two to do. I do not want to stay in fancy resorts surrounded by tourists. I am planning to spend at least some of my time doing volunteer work along the way. Maybe at an orphanage, or a wildlife rehabilitation park, or at a farm.

To attempt to keep things organized I will be collecting all the information and links that I find relevant here in my blog posts so I can refer back to them as I need to. Maybe one day someone will find my blog helpful to them as they begin planning their travels!

Here's to big dreams and a shoestring budget...let's see how far I can go!

Robyn