We know that we have spent an unreasonable amount of time dreaming about our retirement; where we will live, when we will move there, how we will manage the logistics of the move, and just daydreaming about being hot! It would be very easy for us to think of our move to Belize as one long holiday; imagining that everyday will be the same as when we North Americans break out of our day-to-day grind and head to tropical locations to escape the cold, dark, seemingly never-ending winters. We go to these “exotic” places, sometimes in the form of an all-inclusive resort. We get sunburned, eat and drink too much, and generally spend our time lounging at the beach or pool, recharging our depleted batteries. We then wing back to our cold and dark homeland with a few good stories for our friends and family and a feeling of having had a good break. Although we ourselves have enjoyed a few resorts, we have mostly tried to travel in a way that allows us to experience the cultures of the countries we visit. However, it would still be unreasonable for us to think that this is what our day-to-day retirement will look like.
Muthu Playa Varadero Resort, Cuba Feb 2017
Our goal of retiring to a tropical location is so much more than just staying warm! We want to experience the world around us: the culture, the people, the history, and nature. We want to live a lifestyle that is healthier, more active, and one that we can take part in while wearing shorts and flip flops. So how do we do that? How do we retire contentedly into that lifestyle? We have heard of those who retire and want to treat every day as a Saturday; anticipating that they will no longer have obligations and can spend all their time relaxing and engrossed in their hobbies. From what we have learned, this often leads to disappointment in retirement, as this is just not the reality. When you retire to another country, another miscalculation is to attempt to lead the exact same life you had before, having the same expectations of resources and luxury. This also can be a path to failure. A third factor of retirement that we are trying to be aware of, is to make sure that we have a purpose every day. It would be easy to fall into a routine of enjoying only each other’s company and spending all our time in the ocean or at home. Or find ourselves bored and unhappy. Belize is rich with festivals, food, music, and community activities. We would be remiss not to participate as much as we can. We are hoping we can approach this adventure with open minds and good attitudes and take advantage of this experience to learn and grow. Our hope is that we will also discover more about ourselves and become the best version of us as individuals and as a couple while we learn about a new culture and environment.
We often try to imagine what our typical day will look like in Belize. We anticipate that in some respect, it will be similar to our current life. T will likely get up far too early. He has always been a morning person and takes enjoyment in the peace of the quiet house and time with his own thoughts. On a nice summer morning in Alberta, he can usually be found having his coffee on our back deck and listening to our small community come alive for the day. Although J is usually awake during this time, she is often slower to emerge from where she is snuggled in our bed with her dog, Ozzie, who is definitely not fond of mornings. In our new exotic home, where the outside temperature will not force us to stay inside, it is very likely that J will relocate herself from our bedroom to our covered deck where she can enjoy the morning in her hammock and share this special peaceful time with T. Whether Ozzie emerges with her is unknown, but he may also come to love this serene part of the day swinging in the hammock with J. After an appropriate amount of time for all of us to lounge and wake up and T to drink too much coffee, there will probably be a long walk around the neighbourhood so we can welcome the day with our neighbours and Ozzie can greet all his new friends, as well as take care of any of his morning needs. This will likely be followed with a good healthy breakfast in the form of a smoothie from local fresh fruit, maybe even from our own fruit trees; think mango, banana and sour orange picked fresh. Over our smoothies, and even more coffee, there might be a discussion of what the day will bring. This may include talk of paddle boarding, kayaking and fishing, bird watching, or perhaps doing some chores around the yard or house. If it is a particularly energetic morning, we may even pursue one of these activities!
Montezuma, Costa Rica Jan 2022
If a morning paddle board is what we decide, then it will be a short walk to the ocean and after an hour or two spent paddling and lounging on the bay of Chetumal, we will walk back home while discussing plans for lunch. This might mean a short walk to the market to pick up a few things if we have decided to eat at home out on our deck. Or perhaps we will feel like treating ourselves and go out to one of the little local restaurants to visit with new friends and business owners while trying some of their delicious food. Lunch will probably be followed by some hobby time, with a good book, some writing, or doodling for J. We are also very interested in taking part in the Latin American tradition of afternoon siestas! Of course, some of the inevitable chores of homeownership will need to get done around the house or yard at some point.
Fred's Lime Tree Restaurant, Hopkins, Belize Jan 2023
After cleaning up from the day’s activities, we may walk down to the soccer or baseball field to cheer for one of the local teams and visit with acquaintances and new friends. There will be many important issues discussed such as the prospects for the local soccer team, the condition of this year’s mango crop and how the fishing has been. After the game, we will take a leisurely walk home as the sun sets and it begins to cool ever so slightly with a nice sea breeze helping to end another beautiful day. Once we arrive home there could be some discussion over supper about what tomorrow may bring and probably an assessment of the day’s sunburn and treatment of any new bug bites. Then we will ensure all the windows are open to catch the breeze, the lights are off, the doors are locked, and we will turn in for another night of listening to the neighborhood dogs barking, the karaoke from the pub down the road, the roosters crowing, and the house geckos chirping.
Hopkins, Belize at night Jan 2023
There will be busier days, there will be lazier days. (If that is possible!) We will need to drive to the city occasionally for shopping, appointments, or picking up friends and family from the airport. There will be days where we will want to attend one of over 80 festivals that I currently have listed happening in Belize every year. Some weeks we may travel to another part of Belize for a mini holiday; sometimes we may cross into Guatemala or Mexico to experience something different. We are planning on living on the mainland, but we want to enjoy the cayes at times. There will be many adventures as we explore the diverse nature that Belize offers. We also want to participate in some of the volunteer opportunities, and maybe join a book/domino/pickleball/horseshoe group. (And yes, we know how typical retired expat this sounds!) But we want to fill our days with chances to socialize with expats and locals alike. We want to be involved with what our neighborhood offers and not shy away from any opportunities to enrich our lives because of any fear or preconceived ideas. We want to be open to new experiences.
Canyoning on the Rio Blanco, Dominican Republic Mar 2016
This is what our imaginations have conjured based on our limited experience in travelling and being retired, but honestly who knows. This is our romanticized version of what our days could look like, but we are well aware of how wrong we could be! We have worked hard to learn a lot about ourselves over the past few years and we try to honestly self assess. Although we like to dream and seem to always have a plan, we also are adaptable and can make the most of every situation. Our days may look something like what has been described above or nothing like it. It is even possible that we may not end up in Belize, but land in Panama, Costa Rica, or somewhere else entirely. When this adventure is over, no matter where we had finally decided to settle down, no matter what our retirement looked like, we will have dreamed, we will have lived, and we will look back on the good days and the bad knowing we did everything we could to be happy, be together, and build memories.
