The Tranquilo Traveler
The Tranquilo Traveler is a celebration of voluntourism, slow travel, and other interesting ways to see the world. Travel writer and award- winning Moon Handbooks author Joshua Berman created The Tranquilo Travel as a resource for world trippers and international volunteers, a window to the author’s travels in Nicaragua, Belize, and beyond, and an update of his books and articles.
Belize in Boulder! Slide Show, Songs, and Stories at Changes In Latitudes Travel Store next Tuesday, January 8
By Joshua | 
2 Comments » 
This is my friend, Lazaro Martinez, out on a limb, high above the Macal River Gorge and an unnamed waterfall in western Belize. This area of the country, known as “Cayo,” gets a lot less press than Belize’s famous reef and Caribbean cayes. Cayo is one of my favorite parts of the country, where Laz runs the Martz Farm Hideaway Camp, one of the many utterly unique spots which I’ll be featuring in a fun, Belize-casual slide show this week at:
Changes in Latitudes Travel Store: Tuesday, 8 January, 7:00 p.m., 2525 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO
I’ll also be signing copies of my award-winning guidebook, Moon Belize, an updated edition of which was released last fall by Avalon Travel Publishing.
Here’s my little tribute to Belize, to get you ready, and here’s a short Q&A I did about Belize. In addition to showing pictures, singing a few songs, and talking about my travels in Belize, I’ll answer your questions about planning/booking your trip and figuring out what to do once you’re there—including volunteer, research, and study programs in Belize.
Planeta.com Book-of-the-Year for Moon Belize
By Joshua | No Comments » 
A quick diversion from Nicaragua, and a look up the Central American coast: Thanks to everyone who voted for Moon Belize in Planeta.com’s Book-of-the-Year contest—and congratulations to the other winners and nominees! I appreciate your support and I wish you all very happy, occasionally scary, and always life-changing travels. Belize is one of the most fascinating little countries in the world and I am humbly grateful to be able to keep returning there. There is no place like Belize—there is no place like Nicaragua—and there is no place like any place in the world. I want to visit them all, just wish I had the time…
Gadling post about Belize’s Garifuna Settlement Day
By Joshua | No Comments » 
On the morning of November 19, 2003, I woke up before dawn and walked through warm rain across Belize City to the dock, where a crowd had gathered for the reenactment of the Garifuna people’s 1823 arrival to these shores. It was a fascinating first day in Belize — and I recall this scene in the introduction to my book, Moon Belize. I recently answered a few questions about Garifuna Settlement Day for gadling.com’s “One for the Road” column:
The biggest party, most bands, and longest drumming binges are found in Dangriga. Smaller-scale celebrations occur in Belize City, Hopkins, and Seine Bight. Crowds greet the boats’ arrival with drums, dance, and alcohol, then everybody parades through town to a Church, a house party, or the taco cart by Stann Creek Bridge.
In related news, I just posted answers to the breathless queries of a mildly disgruntled reader.
Moon Belize up for Award - Vote Now!
By Joshua | 3 Comments » 
A couple of news items regarding my latest book, Moon Belize, 7th Edition:
Moon Belize is up for Planeta.com’s 2007 Book of the Year Award in the “Best Place-Based Guidebook” category. Visit Planeta.com (an excellent sustainable tourism resource), and if you’ve had a chance to check out my book and the other nominees, go ahead and cast your vote.
There’s also a new Q&A on Moon.com, where I answer questions about budget accommodations, cheap eats, beaches, diving, and Maya ruins in Belize. Enjoy.
Finally, if you’re planning a trip to one of the world’s best little countries, be sure to check out the Belize Travel Planner, featuring a number of suggested itineraries and must-see sights from Moon Belize.
Worst Souvenir Ever: Colorado man brings botflies back from Belize
By Joshua | 1 Comment » 
Most travelers bring a bottle of One Barrel Rum back from their vacation to Belize, or perhaps some Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce. Aaron Dallas picked up an infestation of botfly worms under his scalp. As reported in the “weird” news section of a UK newspaper (”Man surprised by face bug infestation“), Dallas first thought the bleeding bumps in his head might have been gnat bites. “A specialist thought it was shingles, though both doctors held out the possibility that it was something far more disturbing. Then the bumps started moving…” Botflies are “large, stout bodied, hairy flies that resemble bumblebees,” whose eggs are sometimes deposited under mammalian skin by mosquitoes. (more…)
Pre-Order New Edition of My Book, Moon Belize, Now!
By Joshua | 3 Comments » 
Time to start stokin’ up the buzz for the seventh edition of Moon Belize! It’s not available till September, but why wait? Pre-order your copy today at Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble: “Former Belize resident Joshua Berman knows the best way to experience Belize, from hiking the waterfall at Lubaantun and riding horseback to El Pilar to diving reefs at dawn. Berman includes unique trip ideas like Surf and Turf and Diving in Belize. Packed with information on dining, transportation, and accommodations, Moon Belize has lots of options for a range of travel budgets. Moon Belize gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience. With expert writers, first-rate strategic advice, and an essential dose of humor, Moon guidebooks are the cure for the common trip.” (more…)
Luxury Hotels in Belize
By Joshua | 2 Comments » 
I contributed the Belize section to a new website called Luxury Latin America. It includes descriptions of a few of Belize’s more fabulous accommodations. Ah, the irony of travel writing: one day I’m researching a $10-a-night backpacker dive (normally, the only place I can afford), the next a $1,000-a-night extravagance. But no matter the rates, hotels in Belize are unique when compared to other countries in the region. Why? For one thing, they are small (70 percent of the country’s 557 licensed hotels have ten rooms or less). International hotel chains are virtually nonexistent, mainly because of the relatively small market and labor pool, not to mention Belize’s longtime reputation as a forgotten “backwater.” That reputation is changing quickly, yet even as tourism forges ahead, most Belize hotels are still independently owned and managed, resulting in many properties being a truly creative expression of their owners’ dreams and visions. The results are impressive. [Link]
Volunteering in Belize: New Transitions Abroad Article
By Joshua | 2 Comments » 
Here’s a new article I wrote for TransitionsAbroad.com. (If you ‘ve never heard of this website, it’s basically the mother ship portal to all things work/study/volunteer abroad, founded in 1977 by Hampshire College Professor Dr. Clay Hubbs, and available in bookstores as a print magazine.) My article is a purely practical piece, a listing of unique travel opportunities I found while traveling in Belize last November. These kinds of experiences — combining travel with study, work, and volunteering abroad — is one of the fastest growing segments of the global tourism industry, especially in Belize, a close, safe, small English-speaking country with plenty of alternative travel programs to feed the demand.
Belizean Blizzard in the Boulder ‘Burbs
By Joshua | No Comments » 
They’re sudden, those big geography shifts. Super-heated skunky waft of green rotting forest when I land in Belize. Six weeks later, Colorado wind bites my face, tropical glow sucked out the car window — one breath — as Tay and I speed home. Yes, home. A kitchen and couch and desk and patio — backpack in the closet, por fin. Skin dries out, hair dries out; the altitude puts a light, heady buzz over it all (who-wha? culture shock?), the sun bright and warm then gone, two feet of snow and a sky of gray snow, socking in Boulder Valley and the entire Front Range. Storm warning and I’m home, holed up, killing the Buddha, and taking pictures of our yard.
Peas Koe Bileez: Thanksgiving in December
By Joshua | 1 Comment » 
Before leaving the country, I am lucky to attend the Peace Corps Belize “Thanksgiving in December” banquet at the Country Director’s home — with the 65 volunteers gathered in Belize City for an in-service training and a chance to see each other.
(more…)
Pages
BY JOSHUA BERMAN
Categories
- 0. Volunteering Abroad
- 1. Round-the-World Honeymoon
- Belize
- Colorado
- El Salvador
- Fun with Maps
- Guatemala
- Nicaragua
- Outward Bound Wilderness
- Travel
- Travel Quotes
- Travel Writing: Guidebooks, News, & Resources
Travel links
- Cheap Air Tickets
- Travel Insurance
- Travel Blogs
- Globetrekker Videos
- Soccer Blog
- Mt Kilimanjaro
- Travel Gear Blog
- Cheap Hotels
- Vacation Rentals
- Travel Gear
My Links
- Best Travel Blogs
- Best Travel Rags
- Fellow Travelers
- Xeni
- Adam Katz
- Jon Brack
- Wandalust
- Erik Olsen
- Yoga Sutay
- Eric Gauger
- Mark Jenkins
- The Randymon
- Dancin' Matt
- Melody Moser
- Daniel Demole
- David Stanley
- Jon Rawlinson
- Kelly Amabile
- Jeff Greenwald
- Wandering Dave
- Thirteen Months
- Lee & Sachi
- Rob & Carley
- Our Man in Granada
- Exploring Colorado
- Susana & Brian
- Peace Corps Writers
- Ze Frank: Mind Trips
- Bart in Latin America
- Swiss Family Travelers
- Audio Snacks from Around the World
- Wayne Bernhardson: The Southern Cone