Moving to Belize in '78 Sovereign

[belize]

Hi everybody, my wife Leah and I are currently closing the 1st half of our lives in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. We are planning to sell all of our 'stuff' and renovate our newly acquired 1978 Sovereign. We've gutted it, removed the rodent odor and are ready to start building it out. We are very excited and a little overwhelmed but we plan to move to Belize in the fall.

Excited to get some advice and wisdom from everyone here on the forum and appreciate any and all feedback!

John and Leah

[NJtoNC]

Wow that's so exiting. Are you working on the trailer full time now? You've got a lot of work ahead of you !

[ventport]

How will you get the trailer to Belize?

[belize]

Originally Posted by NJtoNC

Wow that's so exiting. Are you working on the trailer full time now? You've got a lot of work ahead of you !

Yes, full time with the help of family and friends. It is at times an overwhelming amount of work! Thankfully we are enjoying it all.

[belize]

Originally Posted by ventport

How will you get the trailer to Belize?

We are planning a US trip from Wisconsin out east, down though Florida and over to Texas before traveling through Mexico to Belize. It should be an exciting adventure!

[ventport]

Where in Belize are you going to? I have been there two times, it's beautiful there.

[Big C]

As a life long Texan I feel that I should warn you on travel in Mexico. For the passed 15 years we have employed a green card holder that has a farm and store 150 miles south-west of Mexico City. He used to drive his truck up from his home to Texas. 3 years ago he stopped doing that. Started taking the express bus from Mexico City, non stop. The reason for this is the absolute violence at the border and stretching most all thru Mexico. This year he told me he has to pay "rent" on his own farm to the cartels. They know everything about his home, farm, everything. They intercept his cell, have visited his home and business. Have access to all his "legal" paper work and financials via the government. I asked him how in hell do they have all this? He said that 7 of 10 government officials are corrupt, and the rest have not been taken yet. He told me that a white person traveling in Mexico is subject to worse than he is. Not trying to scare you, but these are first hand accounts. He told me that if I wanted to travel by car I would have to hire "protection". Basically pay off the cartels for safe travel at any cost. Be sure that you do some very aggressive research before traveling by car across the border. What you read in the "news" is not the actual on the ground facts of safe travel in Mexico for anyone from the USA. Be safe!

[Becky B.]

I have to agree with Big C. We have a farm in a suburb of Chicago. Some of our employees are from central Mexico & spend their winters there. Several of them have moved their families up to the states due to the corruption in the country. They say there are "mucho banditos" there and it's "no good". So, check everything out before you take the plunge. I sure want to visit Belize....but I think I'll probably be getting there in a jet! :-)

[KL's 77]

Belize, keep us posted as to your progress. The adventure actually seems pretty outstanding. You may be blazing a trail here that other Airstream owners would
follow. I, for one, will certainly follow your postings and progress. Avoid the Yucatan route thru Sian Ka'an and you will be ok.

Ken

Ken

[awryawry]

... may be the luck of the draw, face it. I spent twenty years in Mexican jail one morning -- cuz I got hit by a mini-bus. I think it wound-up costing about $900 and about four gallons of sweat. I was driving an F-250 crew with a utility bed, and just got a few scratches when the bus raked my driver's side.

I was not towing a trailer. Drove from Colorado to Panama in eleven days in 2006. The worst part was border crossings. Getting into and out of Mexico was surprisingly easy compared to all the others, and I did not enter Belize; but I've heard that conditions have deteriorated (!) since then.

I had two big (dumb, happy) dogs with me, which really helped, cuz even a kid with an automatic weapon is scared of strange dogs, and it takes them a long while to approach even a tail-wagging, smiling golden retriever.

Be prepared to get the shake-down again ... and again ... and again. I'm still overly proud of the places I found to stash cash -- meaning, enough for the trip and the stay. How's your Spanish? The ride over La Madre Sur is breath-taking, and that could seriously prove the case forever if you run outta luck coming down the other side. Any chance you'll be caravanning? Mucho mas bueno. An alternative would be freighting your AS from Miami -- maybe not too expensive when you consider nightmare-ish alternatives.

I hate to sound negative or cynical, but .... sheesh! Bueno suerte!

wry