Private Island: Belize

Don't worry about getting chilly here.  Belize has a subtropical climate, and our stay in Belize happens at the beginning of their dry season so, while there's always a possibility of a bit of rain, you should expect warm temperatures throughout the trip.  Daytime highs around 85 F / 30 C, and nighttime lows around 70 F / 21 C.  It's always a good idea to bring some "just in case" rain gear and a warm outfit, even if we are expecting sun and warmth.

Most of your meals are included in this trip, including all meals at our fabulous private island, who will be cooking up some fantastic feasts during our stay.  You can expect a variety of American and Caribbean meals on offer through the trip and vegetarian diets and allergies can be accommodated.  If you have a very restrictive diet, please reach out to us prior to your trip so that we can make arrangements for you in Belize.

Given the expected warm temperatures, you'll likely spend the vast majority of your time in Belize in shorts and t-shirts!  But you'll also want to ensure you bring comfortable walking shoes too.  If you've got your own snorkelling mask, that would be a good idea to bring as well.  Apart from these things, you'll want to bring anything that you'd normally take on a beach vacation.  Flip flops, sunscreen, hat, and any personal items.  It’s common to hear people wishing they’d packed less stuff, but we’ve never heard anyone complain that they didn’t bring enough. Even if you realize you forget to pack some crucial item you can always pick up a replacement once you arrive in Belize.

Belize uses their own Belize Dollar as their primary currency.  The value is permanently fixed to the value of the US dollar at a rate of 2 BZD to 1 USD.  All businesses in Belize will accept both BZD and USD, so it's important to have some of either, as they would rarely accept currencies other than these.  Credit cards are accepted in most places, but it's always good to have some cash on hand for those things that are cash-based.

No matter where you are these days, the tourism and hospitality industry has come to expect tips for good service.  This includes tipping at restaurants in a similar way as you would at home, as well as staff at our island and guiding staff who operate activities.  It's customary to tip your trip leader as well and, although of course this is entirely at your own discretion, most people budget around $10 USD per day for this.  You'll be able to use local ATMs to access more cash through Belize.

We have pretty high standards when it comes to choosing our accommodations, and trust us, we’ve done plenty of room-sniffing, pillow-patting, and bathroom inspections to make sure we stay at quality spots. To be approved as a Detours accommodations provider, a guesthouse must: be locally owned (to support the local community), be in an amazing location (close to the beach or other hot spots), AND be gay-owned or gay-friendly. We won't be staying in 5-star Ritz-Carltons but we also won't subject you to anything we wouldn't want to stay in ourselves. Clean, comfortable, well-located spots that'll put a smile on your face, you can count on that!

All Detours trips are led by one of our own Detours trip leaders.  They're there with you every day and their job is to help ensure that this is your trip of a lifetime by taking the hassle out of your trip and enabling you to experience everything you came to Belize for.  Consider them like a friendly concierge that's traveling along with you.  All of our trip leaders are gay and all are well-traveled and experienced in the destination they're leading in, so they'll be a great part of your experience!

We do absolutely everything possible to avoid needing such a mundane awakening. A world without alarm clocks is one we want to be part of, and your “rise and shine” while in Belize should come from the sound of crashing waves or church bells in the distance. However, sometimes due to activity schedules we are required to make early departures, but we do everything we can to minimize this.

While most Detours trips are run with a maximum of 15 travelers, this particular trip has a maximum of 30 travelers. Ages of group members vary but around 90% of our travelers are in their 30's, 40's, and 50's. Whatever the age of the guys on our trips everyone's already got something in common, an exciting new experience in a new country! Each group is led by a Detours trip leader who is there to ensure everything goes off without a hitch, allowing you to focus on having the time of your life!

No problem! Don’t worry, lots of our travelers come solo and our trip will provide plenty of chances to meet great people. As far as your accommodations go, you’ve got two choices. During registration you can choose a shared room, where we'll pair you up with another solo group member in a room with two beds, or you can choose a private room.  You'll see all the options displayed during the registration.

Belize uses a "type A" and "type B" plug, the same as North America and several other places in the world. The voltage is 120V with 60 Hz frequency. These days, the majority of items that are plugged into an outlet are built to handle varying voltage and frequency levels, but just to be sure, we suggest checking your item for its acceptable range.