Before Your Trip
Please call our Path Team in the U.S. @ (925) 426-7284.
Each trip has its own unique expenses and will depend on the length of your stay in addition to the activities you participate in. Your team leader/organizer will discuss this directly with the Path Team and communicate this information with your group. You’ll also need to arrange and budget separately for your airfare to and from Belize.
The price of your trip will cover all expenses while you are in country. These include: all food and non-alcoholic beverages, accommodations, transportation, planned excursions, guide costs, and PathLight student/staff participation. Not included is personal spending money, travel to and from Belize, extra excursions, or building supplies if your team is participating in a service project.
We want you to have the best possible experience while partnering with PathLight Belize! Much goes into planning and coordinating every detail for your trip! We need time to:
- Connect with you to discover the unique purpose for your Path trip.
- Create an experience/itinerary that best reflects your goals for this visit.
- Arrange for staff and student participation.
- Secure any supplies and materials needed for service project.
- Arrange for the visits to local schools, businesses, government agencies.
- Receive your criminal background check.
We have several trips each year that we offer to both individuals and teams that reflect the availability of our PathLight students and staff in Belize. If these dates do not coincide with your desired travel time, please contact our Path Team directly.
All travel arrangements to and from Belize are your responsibility. However, we will plan an itinerary for your Path trip from the moment you land until you depart to return home. At Path, our desire is to create an impactful experience during your time in Belize that allows you to focus on your goals and purpose for this trip… and to have FUN while you are here! Let us take care of the details so you can enjoy all that PathLight and Belize has to offer!
We do require that all participants disclose their health insurance information with PathLight in case of emergency. This can be your U.S. health insurance information, as long as your insurance has some sort of provision for international travel. You may also purchase travel insurance at your discretion; contact your insurance company for details about your policy.
Currently there are no vaccinations required for travel in Belize. It is always good to be up to date on your standard vaccinations or to consult the CDC website to see what is currently recommended. You can also ask your primary care doctor. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about this.
Check with your cell phone provider to see what kind of international coverage is available with your phone plan in Belize and whether roaming charges apply. It’s an expensive mistake to discover too late that you don’t have coverage! Also double check that your phone is GSM-capable; review this article for more information about how to do that.
Here’s some info for major cell providers:
- AT&T: customers with eligible unlimited plans can use their phones for unlimited talk, text, and data in Belize without incurring extra roaming charges. These plans include AT&T Unlimited Premium® PL, Unlimited Premium®, and Unlimited Elite®. Some other AT&T plans allow for unlimited talk, text, and data in Belize for up to two weeks; check with the provider for details.
- T-Mobile/Sprint: customers can roam worry-free in Belize, with access to unlimited data and texting, and low-cost calling.
- Verizon: while Verizon generally works in Belize, if you don’t have an international-specific plan, you might need to add one (such as TravelPass, which charges a daily fee for you to use your domestic plan’s talk, text, and data abroad).
Every traveler will need a passport. You can apply via mail or the State Department website; note that passport applications usually take between 6-8 weeks, so please plan accordingly. You do not need a visa for Belize if you are traveling from the U.S. and are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or hold a valid multiple-entry visa to the U.S.. If none of these apply to you, please refer to the Belizean immigration site for the most up-to-date visa requirements for your country. Note that all visitors need a visa to stay in Belize beyond 30 days.
Yes. We now require a state, national, and county background check for anyone 18 and older who will be meeting PathLight students in person. This step is completed by the service Checkr as part of the registration process you will take part in once your team decides to participate in a Path trip to Belize.
The information being collected will be used solely for the purpose of initiating a criminal background check at the request of PathLight International. Once this info is submitted, you will receive an email from Checkr with instructions on how to complete the background check. Results of the background check will be made available to PathLight International. Your information will be kept confidential and secure and shared only with the necessary staff members. We will delete your records within a month of your trip’s end date. If you have any questions about Checkr’s security and privacy practices, please refer to their website for details.
We love to have visitors and guests of all ages! Belize is such a welcoming and family-friendly country so please consider coming and experiencing a Path trip as a family. Although it is easy to feel welcome and comfortable in Belize, note that it has a tropical climate and can get very hot in the summer (especially May and June), which can prove a challenge with young children. Additionally, while Belizean food is excellent, it might be different from the food you are used to eating at home. None of this should discourage you from bringing children, but we want to highlight a couple things to help you prepare for your visit.
If you are interested in bringing gifts either to a particular student, PathLight Center, or staff member, please contact the Path team for details. Thank you for your generosity!
Please give us a call at (925) 426-7284 ASAP. If you are already in the country, please contact PathLight directly.
The most important thing to remember when packing for Belize is that it is a tropical climate. Most of the year, the weather is hot and humid! Cool, comfortable clothing is recommended. Belize can be a bit more conservative in their attire so please keep that in mind as you are planning what to pack. If you are doing a work or service project, you will need clothing that can get dirty. If you will be here on a Sunday and plan to attend a church service, ladies will typically wear a modest dress or skirt and top and men will wear khaki pants or nice jeans and a button down shirt. A more detailed packing list will be provided with confirmation of your trip.
We get asked this question a lot, and we know the weather is really important when it comes to packing for your trip. Your best source of information is the Weather Channel.
We will do our best to accommodate any dietary restrictions and food allergies you may have. Many of the places we stay and restaurants we frequent are very aware of these issues and offer multiple options for people who have limitations. There is a place in the registration process for you to disclose any dietary restrictions or allergies with us: please let us know if you have any additional questions.
While You’re There/When You Arrive
Our trips are customized based on the needs of the group/team that is traveling to Belize. On average, trips are between 5-8 days.
In Belize you may use Belize dollars or U.S. dollars. The exchange rate is 2:1, so you will receive 2 Belizean dollars for every 1 U.S. dollar. This makes it very easy to calculate the cost of items in Belize. You will want to have some cash to use at smaller, more local vendors that don’t take credit cards. Most restaurants and larger businesses in Belize take credit/debit cards. If you are planning to use a credit/debit card, you will want to let your bank know prior to your departure for Belize. There are ATM’s available at the banks in Belize as well, but please be aware of the fees they will charge.
Electrical outlets are the same as in the U.S., so you do not need a converter.
You should have access to the internet/wifi at the majority of places you will travel in Belize. Keep in mind that the service may be slower than what you are used to at home and the wifi may not be as reliable at times. It is a good idea to contact your cell phone provider to find out what is available to you with your cell phone plan and if roaming charges will apply while you are out of the country.