Backpacking through Mexico, Belize, Roatan, and Panama

I would say a hostel is a very general term. Some are party hostels, but there are plenty with a much more laid back vibe or more on the B&B sector. I owned 2 hostels, both of which were more on the laid back vibe and had plenty of older guests stay in the private rooms. I would say our average guest age was between 25-40. They chose to stay because it is easier to meet and talk with other travelers as opposed to B&Bs and airbnbs. When looking for hostels like this, check reviews/activities, and also look for ones that have more private rooms than dorm beds. Hostels with tons of big dorm rooms are going to have a party vibe, but ones with more private room to dorm room ratio will give a great variety of travelers. One of my hostels had 7 private rooms and only 1 (12) bed dorm room and felt more like a B&B but with more interactive guests. Hope this helps.

Also, I would consider adding Guatemala to your list. It has a bad rep because of Guatemala City, but the rest of the country is incredible especially the Semuc Champey area.

We were on Caye Caulker this week and loved every minute of it.

How did that thought come into your mind? Geez.

Thank you, I’ve heard good things about Costa Rica. Something tells me that 3 weeks will need to be an annual timeslot to get the full benefit.

I suspect I’m about to tap into an entire subculture of life.

Agreed.

I'm not sure what he means by backpacking. Hiking in Belize or Panama? Oh, hell no. Inhospitable terrain, mosquitos, etc. Plus mainland Belize is extremely poor. I presume mainland Panama is similar.

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At least in the US you can have a means to protect yourself while you’re traveling. You’re at the mercy of anything and everything at those places you mention once you’re off the beaten path. And a lot of people in those places don’t like us.

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I'm not sure what he means by backpacking. Hiking in Belize or Panama? Oh, hell no. Inhospitable terrain, mosquitos, etc. Plus mainland Belize is extremely poor. I presume mainland Panama is similar.

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Panama is fairly poor but from what I've heard it's better than Belize. Still, there are some pretty rough areas of Panama City. What I saw of the Darien wouldn't be bad for backpacking, aside from the heat and humidity. Mosquitoes have never been that bad for me in Central/South America - not any worse than Louisiana. Aside from Tortuguero, Costa Rica which had horrific mosquitoes and bugs. I guess it's called the mosquito coast for a reason.

Personally, I like having some elevation. At least 5,000 feet. It's so much more pleasant and the vegetation is still really lush. I just finished a 1,200 mile driving trip from Bogota to Santa Marta and saw a ton of Colombia, which is great. My favorite spots are all mountain locations. Plenty of those in Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina.

So, a regular vacation? Then those spots are fine if you're smart about where you stay.