AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life Living in Belize moving here, please help

i am moving to belize in about 1 month. i have a small nest egg and want to start some kind of small business. don't want to get rich, just get by and enjoy life. i have never been here so was planning on traveling around the country to check things out when i get there. would like to live where there is beach access, but not too many tourists. any info on locations or business opps would be greatly appreciated.
thanx,
myk

I am moving to Ambergris Caye in one month! I am very excited. A 1 year sabbatical in my case. I chose AC because I like the beach, the option of having nightlife, yummy food, meeting lots of people. However, there are lots of tourists. Not "lots of tourists" ala Cancun..but a lot for a little place. I really liked Caye Caulker..less touristy and much cheaper, but still islandy and Orange Walk area on the mainland. Wasn't the biggest fan of Belize City, it seemed scary to me as a solo female traveler.

Hope that helps
Jennifer

MYK, you need to alot of research before making that kind of decision!! Use the search mode on this board!.....Good luck.
Richard

Richard is right!
You need a lot of research to get started, and decide where to go, what to do, and how to do it!
Caye Caulker is certainly less touristy, but I have heard it is harder to get started there if you're non-native.
And I have heard plenty from othere people about how you really need the support of the community anywhere there to make it.
You should check out Lan's site. Very helpful.

Are you going to go monthly to have your visa stamped???? Do you have residency/work permit??? Just curious? Doesn't seem like you're to familiar????

Best wishes to you! And I mean that sincerely. My advice to you is from my own experience, I actually live here in San Pedro. I moved here full time in March and with a few starts and stops, have made a go of it. I'm not in a business, so to speak, I'm a full time artist.

Many opportunites (opportunists) will present themselves to you once you are here, take your time, get to know people, who's who and what's what. The first people you meet may not be the ones you end up doing business with. Those people (gringos) who have been successful in Belize have worked really hard to get where they are, its not the "Land of Milk and Honey." And many have had failures before success. You have to have North American business standards, but lower your expectations on how long it takes to get things done, and how many hoops you have to jump through to get there. The rules truly ARE different for us (gringos) in Belize. And the rules change at a whim.

I say, go for it! I did and I don't regret it. The U.S lifestyle was killing me. I also did not bring every penny I have with me, I left some assets back in the U.S. You have to live your dream, no one knows what you have inside, except you.

I look forward to meeting you!

--Silk

There seem to be two schools of thought about moving to Belize.

One is the traditional wisdom, that you should go slow, visit a few times, rent before you buy, keep lifelines to back home, that sort of thing. That certainly is the rational, common-sense approach.

The other is to just jump in and cut your ties to your life back home. The idea is that because you are risking more, you will work harder to make it work.

I have seen examples of both approaches. Some have made it each way, but there are more folks who didn't make it in the second category. And they tend to take a big hit.

Not to hustle my own wares, but you might get a copy of my new book (should be available in libraries soon, so you can check it out for free). It's Adapter Kit: Belize, and is the only up-to-date guide to living, retiring and investing in Belize.

--Lan Sluder
Books and publications by Lan Sluder:
Belize First Magazine http://www.belizefirst.com/
Fodor's Belize and Guatemala Guide
Belize First Guide to Mainland Belize
Adapter Kit: Belize
Fodor's UpClose Central America
Belize Book of Lists 2000

So Silkpainter....how exactly did you do this? Residency/work permit/you employee Belizeans? Do you get your visa stamped every 30 days? We've heard too many different stories and would like to hear yours. Are you there legally?

Isn't that sort of a strange question? Legally? Every person that goes there has a route that they have to follow. There are businesses, and then there are permanent residents. More, I am sure, but they all have to go through a process of the legal system to get there.
I, for one, would be hesitant to do it any different than legal.

NYGal,

There is nothing illegal about staying in Belize by renewing one's visitor's card. That's allowed, for up to six months, and the GOB gets US$12.50 a month revenue from it.

It's a reasonable option for those who for one reason or another don't want to commit to one of the official residency programs.

--Lan Sluder