Thanks to Gela, Crawfish, Chloe, Seashell & Pedro for weighing in...
Ke - I share your opinions on travelling solo. I'm 28 now and just finishing up grad school, but have been traveling on my own ever since I was in the Army and stationed in Germany.
Different mindset -- the flexibility and freedom to change itinerary on the spot is terrific and I end up meeting a lot more people. When I do travel as a pair, it's easier to cocoon yourself.
I would consider renting a place for $450/mo., but one of the nice things about hostelling is that it's so conducive to meeting other travellers and gathering the latest info and getting a quick sense of the budget options available.
I'm very close to finalizing Ambergris Caye as my "home base" to do the divemaster training and will be looking for specifics on how to pass the time that I'm above water.
Are there any schools, etc. that might need help from volunteers to teach English? Or any other nonprofits in the area?
I would like to contact some of you directly, but I don't see a way to link through. My email is:
[email protected] if anyone wants to sidebar.
Louie
ps, seashell - I spent Nov & Dec in Vietnam, and would love to do Thailand/Philippines/China, but still iffy about SARS (hope this doesn't open another conversation altogether!)