When travelling to Belize you may or may not require a visa to enter the country depending on your own location. Those people travelling to Belize from the UK, USA, European Union countries, and many of the Caribbean islands can enter the country freely. People from other countries may have to check their own situation but most others need a visa which is valid for one month although extensions are available.
While you can follow general common sense travel tips which can be applied to countries around the world, there are some tips and bits of advice that should be adhered to within Belize itself.
Although you can spend a fair amount of your time on one of the secluded beaches you should not wear your beach clothes in and around towns or cities. It is looked upon as being more disrespectful by some and you should dress casually when in this area. Due to Belize being more relaxed you only really require one outfit for more formal types of places but this really may never be used.
You should keep in mind that your sense of time can be completely different to the sense or awareness of time in Belize. It is much more laid back and punctuality is not high on the agenda so you have to plan accordingly and try to not get annoyed and be impatient. This is the way of things across the country and something you have to get used to so as things do ultimately get done. Losing your temper or trying to force an issue can make them put their shutters up and you shall get nowhere.
When leaving the country you have to pay a tax. This should have been included in your ticket but it is important to check this when you book to avoid getting a rather nasty surprise and a demand for more money.
On health issues there are no real differences from other countries in Central America in regards to possible diseases. The main thing is to protect yourself against malaria so you have to remember to bring your tablets and repellent. Apart from that your only other real problem can be due to something you eat so common sense should be applied to lessen those chances.
In regards to cash in Belize you should make sure you have enough with you either in actual money or travelers checks. You may find it difficult to get money from cash machines in cities due to a general reluctance to accept foreign cards. If you run into difficulties then you can get money wired to you via different companies and pick up locations can be found online when you are in Belize. Belize is a relatively cheap country to travel around in and some research beforehand can let you judge just how much money you actually require and avoid this type of situation from ever happening.
These are just a few tips which you should take into consideration for your trip to Belize as they should hopefully make your trip there a lot more comfortable.
