Basics - The Rough Guide to Belize - page 32

medical or other insurance included, especially if
you use them to pay for your trip. While this can be
quite comprehensive, it should still be considered
supplementary to full travel insurance.
Policies vary: some are comprehensive while
others cover only certain risks, such as accidents,
illnesses, delayed or lost luggage, cancelled flights,
etc. In particular, ask whether the policy pays
medical costs up front or reimburses you later, and
whether it provides for medical evacuation to
your home country. For any policy, make sure you
know the claims procedure and the emergency
helpline number . In all cases of loss or theft of
goods, you will have to visit the local police station
to have a report made out (make sure you get a
copy) so that your insurer can process the claim.

for more than fourteen days in your first year. After
five years of residency (or a year of marriage to a
Belizean) you can apply for citizenship .

Voluntary work and study
There are plenty of opportunities for volunteer
work - mainly as a fee-paying member of a conser-
vation expedition - or study at a field study centre
or archeological field school. These options
generally mean raising a considerable sum for the
privilege and committing yourself to weeks (or
months) of hard but rewarding work, often in
di cult conditions. Many of the expeditions are
aimed at students taking time off between school
and university, and arrange work on rural infrastruc-
ture projects such as schools, health centres and the
like, or on trails and visitor centres in nature reserves.
Academic archeological groups undertake
research in Belize each year, and many of them
invite paying volunteers (see p.244). There is also a
growing number of field study centres in Belize,
aimed primarily at college students on a degree
course, though there are opportunities for
non-students to learn about the ecology and
environment of Belize. If you want to learn Spanish
relatively cheaply, you could extend a trip to Tikal
by studying at one of the language schools in and
around Flores, Guatemala.
If the cost of joining a volunteer expedition deters
you, there are a handful of organizations that don't
collect fees, as well as opportunities to volunteer
indepen dently; the conservation organizations in
Contexts (see box, p.250) all have volunteer
programmes.
A helpful website is W gapyear.com (UK-based,
free membership), which holds a vast amount of
general information on volunteering, and a huge,
invaluable database on travel and living abroad.

Internet
You'll find access to the internet (usually for free)
throughout the country: most hotels and other
accommodation offer wi-fi, usually for free, but
occasionally for a fee. The same applies to restau-
rants and cafés - in the tourist centres especially,
most places have wi-fi, and will allow you to use it
for free. This means, of course, that internet cafés
are dwindling in number, though you'll still find a
couple in major towns, with prices starting are
around Bz$8-10 for an hour.

Living in Belize

Thanks to the Caribbean Sea, balmy weather, lush
foliage and English as the o cial language, Belize
has long been a popular country for relocation ,
particularly for those from the US, Canada and the
UK. Additionally, Belize has a generous retired
persons' incentive programme ( W belizeretirement
.org), which allows expatriates to live in the country
tax-free, as long as they meet certain requirements.
There are downsides, of course, to living here
permanently, including hefty import taxes and poor
infrastructure in certain areas (advanced medical
care, for example, can be lacking). But even with
these challenges, the foreign community continues
to grow every year.
Because any company hiring a foreigner must
first prove that no Belizean could do the job, most
work opportunities for foreigners are in the
voluntary sector . Work permits, available only on a
yearly basis, are required for any job, paid or not.
Anyone planning to stay must also apply for
permanent residency , a lengthy and costly
process that prohibits you from leaving the country

VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS
Barzakh Falah, Georgeville, Cayo District T 674 4498,
E [e-mail]. A sustainable farm community that aids
orphaned, abused and abandoned children.
Cornerstone Foundation Belize T 824 2373,
W cornerstonefoundationbelize.org. A Belize-based nonprofit
community development organization, offering everything from literacy
programmes to health projects.
Earthwatch US T 800 776 0188, UK T 01865 318 838;
W earthwatch.org. Earthwatch matches volunteers from around the
world with scientists dedicated to working on environmental and
sustainable initiatives.
Ecologic Development Fund US T 617 441 6300, W ecologic
.org. Ecologic focuses on Central America and Mexico, and aims to
conserve endangered habitats by using community-based