Belize

Tropical and rainy Belize! Loved our time vacationing in Ambergris Caye! Belize gained independence in 1981 and has a total population of roughly 350,000.

Belize is the only Central American nation where English is the official language. Belizeans also speak Spanish, Creole, Maya, and Garifuna. Roman Catholicism and protestant Christianity are the main religions practiced.

When visiting, travelers should definitely visit the Maya ruins, we actually flew to Guatemala to do so, however you can visit those in Belize by foot. Travelers would also enjoy exploring the jungles by horseback as well as visiting Old Belize, a hub of the country’s culture and history. Other activities include sport fishing, zip lining and of course …. snorkeling & diving!

One fun fact about Belize is that it was named for the Belize River, a named derived from the Mayan word “Belix” meaning “muddy-watered.”

Spain

At Las Ramblas in Barcelona I think I've been to Spain more than any other country in the world (excluding Mexico, Jamaica and the Bahamas, Costa Rica, where I used to work.) I spent two summer studying Spanish in the coastal city of Malaga, and have traveled through...

Iran

A week prior to leaving for Iran (in '16) I still did not have my visa and I was getting a bit nervous. This is a country that has had US sanctions imposed on it since the 70s and gets few visa requests from Americans. I’m sure that my request was thoroughly vetted by...

Chile

Me with the Arancibia family, Hector, Paulita, Erika Valparaiso, Chile in 1981 During the summer of 1981, as a rising junior at Boca Raton High School, I applied to be an exchange student with American Field Service, or AFS. I was accepted into the program and...