Show Notes
From pick-up truck tours in El Salvador to getting mugged at knifepoint in Nicaragua a lot happened in the 3 weeks my guest Orla spent in Central America. Orla did the trip with 3 friends and spoke to me about the experience. We discussed route planning, replacing a passport, budgeting, staying safe and travelling as a woman.
Trip planning
We discuss how Orla and her friends planned the trip. It was relatively easy for them as their friends had done a similar trip so were able to share their trip planning Excel sheet.
Then the group took responsibility for one country each. They planned the activities, the route and the accommodation in each country.
Where they visited
Orla visited Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize on the trip. In Nicaragua she went to Managua, Granada and Leon.
In El Salvador she visited El Tunco. After that Orla and her group went to Guatemala. In Guatemala they visited Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Flores.
She finished her trip in Belize staying in San Ignacio and Caye Caulker.
Getting mugged in Nicaragua
Unfortunately for Orla and her friends they had a bumpy start to the trip. In their first stop in Nicaragua they got mugged. Locals jumped in and helped them straight away getting most of their stuff back but one of her friends still had her passport and phone taken.
Travelling as a woman in Central America
Orla said didn’t find her gender played a part in her safety while travelling in Central America, any more than it might anywhere. She notes that in Belize men will call out to you as a woman but she never found it threatening or intimidating, more friendly. She spoke to some girls from Belize who said they appreciated it and took it as a compliment when the men did this.
She was able to compare this to her time travelling in India. As not just a woman, but a woman with blonde hair she really stood out there and got a lot of unwanted attention.
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