The coffee machine at the airport is broken, the wood seat I’m sitting on at the terminal is hurting my ass, and I’ve only conquered 1 out of 3 flights in the travel day so far and I’m already sick of this mask. I mean shit you’d probably think I had my period right now, but I don’t.
I hate to sound like such a Negative Nancy, but I think it’s important to create this blog post because it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. When you travel somewhere new you never really know what to expect, and for the first time in all my adventures, things didn’t turn out as I’d hoped. Not everything is always smooth sailing and throughout my travels I’ve definitely had questionable situations or things didn’t necessarily go as planned, but never have I felt like I just wanted to go home. And I’m talking to Freehold NJ… No offense Freehold, but you’d think I’d choose a resort in Belize over you. Nope, not the case.
After bopping around for almost five months and living my best life, when I got home to NJ in July I knew I’d be antsy to head somewhere in September. I figured I’d spend the true summer months at the Jersey shore, and then work from a new destination come September. I just couldn’t pinpoint exactly where I wanted to go until I stumbled across this Facebook Ad that immediately caught my attention. ‘Paradise For Digital Nomads’ is what popped up on my feed so obviously I was drawn in and clicked on the link. After browsing the site, reading reviews, and checking out the Instagram page, I was literally questioning whether this was real or not. I was low key thinking this might be another FYRE Festival stunt and I’d show up at some fake island.
Once it was confirmed that this was real, I now had my new destination picked and I was heading to Belize for three weeks. Three weeks at a resort with like minded individuals who also work remote, on site yoga classes, community dinners, weekly workshops, and weekend excursions. You can see why I thought it was fake right?
So when I say the trip lasted one week versus three, you’re probably wondering what went wrong. Literally nothing. The staff was beyond nice, upon arrival I was greeted with a welcome drink and cold towel, the accommodations were perfect, the resort was sandwiched between a lagoon on one side and beach on the other, and all the other digital nomads were so friendly and cool.
For me it was the feeling of Gilligan's island that did it. Some people love total relaxation, peace, and quiet, but I thrive in an area that has tons of action and people. I love being in a town where you can walk to everything, check out different bars and restaurants, and discover which coffee shop has the best americano.
But no, this place took remote to a whole new level. Walk out of the resort and there is literally nothing. No action, no cute little boutiques, and literally no people. I was actually confused. So what do I do? I started Googling ‘where to travel in Belize’ and read up on blogs for inspiration on where to go for the remaining two weeks I was supposed to be here. I knew I’d have to bite the bullet money wise because the resort was non refundable and so was my United Basic return ticket, but at this point I honestly didn’t even care. And the Jewish in me usually hates spending money.
San Pedro sounded like the best option for me, so after reading reviews and asking a few Air BnB hosts the same questions, ‘How’s your wifi? Is there a gym nearby? Are you in walking distance to the town?’ I booked an Air BnB that seemed to have all the amenities I’d need.
But even with my new plan in place, for some reason I still didn’t feel right. I wasn’t excited to see the new area and experience what Belize is known for, the Great Barrier Reef, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of uncertainty off. I still just wanted to go home to Freehold NJ. Freehold NJ people! There’s nothing even poppin about it.
So after two and half days spent at the resort, I finally said to myself, you want to go home, then go home. You’re not trapped here (even though I felt like it) and luckily you can afford to buy a plane ticket back. So that’s what I did. Cancelled the Air BnB, re-arranged my return ticket, and started sorting out new plans for the following weekend which just so happens to be my Birthday weekend.
Now that I knew I only had 1 week on the island, I tried to keep a positive mindset and make the most of my time. But still, not a day went by where I didn’t think ‘I gotta get the hell out of here.’ On the positive side, I did get to work on my tan a bit and was able to get some solid paddle board sessions in before the work day started.
I’m not really sure what happened this time around, but I think it’s safe to say I’m not a resort chick. I don’t want to mention where I was in Belize, the resort's name, and what the digital nomad program was called because like I said earlier, there was nothing wrong with the place or people. This was truly just something I didn’t connect with.
I think the reality of it is that I’m kind of over the nomad life. It’s for sure awesome being able to have the flexibility and freedom to bop around, but I think I’m just ready for normalcy now. I’m not sure if saying I feel bad is the right word, but for the sake of the point I’m trying to get at, I almost feel bad for not taking full advantage. I think because I have the ability to travel and work from various parts of the world I feel obligated to do so, but maybe right now just isn’t the time.
This also ties in to another aspect about our society that really is so deceiving. And I’m talking about social media here. I could have easily posted pictures of the beautiful resort, paddle boarding during sunset, group yoga on the dock, and me drinking a mocktail by the pool, but I’m glad I didn’t. Because I guarantee most of my followers would have thought, ‘I’m so jealous! That’s so cool she’s working from Belize! She lives the life.’ But in reality I felt no glamour in it and couldn’t wait to leave. So don’t always trust what you see on social media.
So while I finish writing this and am on flight number 2 out of 3, I’m really excited to go home. For me right now, being with family and true friends is what feels like glamour.