Driving adventure
 

I am a 58 year old single woman who is keen to explore Central Mexico & America by car. I hope to retire somewhere near the coast and want to see for myself what's available. I am thinking Belize, Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc. Where would it be best to start my tour? Will I be safe traveling alone? Can I bring my dog with me, (might make me feel safer)? I'll want to do some sightseeing as well as fact finding. I want to snorkel, scuba dive, maybe ride horses and do some hiking. I want to see some ruins as well as just lie on the beach. When will be the cheapest time of year to go. I don't mind the rainy season as long as I can still log some beach time. I am thinking 10 days to 2 weeks. Any and all advise will be appreciated. Any experienced expats out there? I

I just erased a long reply.
Short answer: don't.

A little elucidation might be in order. Surely someone out there has driven through Central America?

Many of those countries you cannot take a rental car from one to the other. For all those countries 10-14 days is not sufficient. I would do a lot more online research and get better ideas of where you want to focus in on.

My advice:
If you drive your own car, you should read up on things that can happen, starting, say, in Mexico. Then perhaps check on where you want to be driving alone (the country with the highest murder rate in the world, Honduras?). Then be realistic about how much time you have (not nearly enough).
Narrow down your search, pick a country (maybe two, like Belize and Costa Rica), decide exactly where it's feasible for you to afford to live, and go equipped with places to check out.
"snorkel, scuba dive, maybe ride horses and do some hiking. I want to see some ruins as well as just lie on the beach"
There are no ruins in Costa Rica, and snorkeling and scuba are not the best. However, Belize has stellar ruins, and lots of them, plenty of good snorkeling and scuba, nice beaches, and the official language is English. Belize also has a small area with a lot of variety, from beach to jungle, and might be the best place to start.

Thank you.

10 days to 2 weeks are nearly not enough for one only country, less so for all Central America. If in your shoes I would start with the 2 countries that have the best tourist infrastructure: Panama and Costa Rica. Allocated 2 weeks to each country. Then you (might) be ready for exploring other countries. Safe trails.

As all have stated 10-14 days is too short unless only looking at one area.

Do not rent a car, use local transportation and talk to locals, you're looking for a place to retire, not be a tourist.

If you want an expensive lifestyle similar to what you have at home, then Belize, CR and Panama will fit the bill.

If you are adventurous, want to fit in with the locals while stretching your retirement income, consider Guatemala, El Salvador or Nicaragua.

Rainy season is fine in most places, leave the dog at home on your exploratory trips.

Yes I have driven and ridden buses through Mexico/Central America plus have been living in El Salvador for the past 3 1/2 years.

Rent a car. Buses will cut into your available time.

Have you been to Central America before?

10 days to 2 weeks is no where near long enough for what you describe. I travel solo often in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta mostly) and no way would I be comfortable driving alone all over the place as you describe.

If I were in your shoes, I'd fly, and pick only a few places to visit this trip. Then do it again to another two places next time you have time/money to travel.

Trying to 'explore' 5 countries by car in 10 days doesn't work. Especially if you are considering retirement you need more than a quick drive-by to get the feel for a place.

(I'm planning on retirement in Puerto Vallarta but I've been going there for the past 20 years, 1-2 times every year, so I know the place very well by now.)

Additionally I would not rent a car. Not only for the safety issues of a woman driving alone in that part of the world (do you have mechanical skills if something goes wrong out in the middle of nowhere?).

Your entire plan is not feasible in my opinion. You mention wanting to do a bunch of vacation activities (snorkeling, ride horeses, visit ruin, etc.) which is not what you should be doing if you this trip is serious research for looking into places to retire. For that you need to be investigating cost of living, housing options, healthcare, etc.

Again I would pick a couple places fly into one, bus to another one or two, then fly out of the last place you visit to avoid backtracking.

One last thought... If a road trip is really the main focus, you could see a bit of Mexico in two weeks in your own car or with a rental (get the insurance!).

"I am ...keen to explore Central Mexico & America by car"
I don't know why the OP is being told not to drive. If she drove in Belize or Costa Rica, she'd be perfectly fine. If that's her preference, why all the pontificating on doing it some other way? It's cumbersome, time consuming, and more difficult to take public transport, it doesn't always take you where you want to be, and the schedule is imposed.
I think it's been made clear that the trip has to be narrowed down to at most 2 countries, planned better, and honed. That's what the forum is all about.
Maybe the OP can come back with questions and seek more specific advice when she has more details ironed out.

As other people have noted, 10-14 days is enough for 1-2 parts of one country. Not a comprehensive look at 5.

Vacations and retirement scouting are two different goals--are you there to have fun or to see what it's like to live on a budget you expect to live on?

If you're looking for a retirement destination, I would first do research on what it costs to rent/live in each type of area. As a rule, there are no bargains by the beach.

If you're looking for a vacation, Belize sounds like a very good match for you, as would the Riviera Maya in Mexico, offering ruins and beachs/snorkeling all close to one another.

I completely agree with Sylvia3, pick 2 countries, it is not the best option to drive through C.A I'm from Costa Rica, We have everything that you want to do, less then ruins, but you can come in any season and find the best of beaches and water activities just do some research, Belize it is beautiful as well, or do the Panama-Costa Rica trip it is a good idea too.

Regards

To me the biggest discrepancy here is what the trip's all about (more even than how many countries, or bus vs rental car, amount of time).

Retirement location scouting is an entirely different thing than taking basically an R&R vacation with activities and sight-seeing.

For a person on 10-14 day trip renting a car, especially by a solo female, is not prudent and will be an impediment in trying to discover how to live locally.

Buses, collectivos, pickups go everywhere in CA without the aggravation of trying to find secure parking, maintenance, directions etc not to mention the stress of driving and not being able to enjoy the trip.

BTW I have 30+ yrs experience as a truck/bus driver-trainer and safety supervisor who retired to El Salvador and has travelled extensively in Mexico/CA by both bus and driving.

"comprehensive look at 5"
"trying to discover how to live locally"
Geez, she just wants to tool around and check things out, not buy her retirement home!
(Lone female lugging her stuff everywhere from bus to bus? That sounds, frankly, crummy.)

sylvia3, You seem to have such a strong opinion. Have you driven around Central America on your own recently?

Yes, actually. January 2013. Why do you ask?

Because that would be helpful for this person to know.

Why? My experience has nothing to do with the one she wants. (And I suspect you were trying to be challenging, not helpful to the OP).

Oh never mind. No you "suspect" wrong. I was not "trying to be challenging".

If you drove around Central America yourself recently as a woman alone with no problems, seems that would be nice to share the information with this person is all.

I was just trying to help someone who seemed like she was maybe new to travel in the region, but I could be wrong about that too.

oofieb:
Just to clarify, I have no experience with Panama, Nicaragua, or Honduras, so have no comment (except to mention that my my gigantic Harley-riding BIL visited Honduras, but left the ranch only in a caravan of vehicles for safety). Have made trips of a 3-4 hours (each way) in Mexico, but only on the main highways to/from tourist areas in the Yucatan (I would not drive the west coast alone or accompanied because of what I read in the news). In Belize it was the main highways (north-south and east-west) only (I wouldn't go alone to Caracol, for example; probably not unless I was in a group of cars). Never felt unsafe anywhere in Costa Rica; however, I did not venture to the Caribbean side (even with my partner), drove the northern routes in/out of Guanacaste; several routes from SJO to Arenal, and from there down through Poas and environs, and "back" route (former Pan-American) from San Jose past Carago south toward the border and back up, and have also cut from that road to the Uvita area (that one not alone).
So, when I above posted "pick a country (maybe two, like Belize and Costa Rica)" I gave as examples those I was fairly familiar with (as a person who loves to drive).
Good luck, and I'm sure there are many with expertise here if you have further more specific questions.

Honduras offers excellent diving and snorkeling at Roatan. You can also see ruins in Copan, Honduras or travel to Tikal in Guatemala. I had an awesome 5 day trip through Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador... the trip was a rush but totally worth it...went with Fernando from www.elsalvadorcustomtours.com

I just got done with a 5 month road trip through pretty much the entire country of Mexico. I never felt threatened per say, however you want to use caution when driving through a foreign country. There are always going to be events taking place that you don't hear about in the news, and all I mean by this is be as educated as you can, and ask locals opinions whenever possible once you are on the ground. Typically locals will know the scoop on routes with any civil unrest issues, etc. One thing I do know is a trip like that will certainly open your eyes to new ideals on life, and will probably leave better off than you were before. However if you want to skip the research, and head straight for the prize you may just want to come to Playa Del Carmen and check out the area. That is where the majority of ex pats, end up. Hell that is where I am now, lol. If you like snorkeling, the beach, and relaxing you would probably fall in love with a place called Akumal about a 20 minute drive from Playa. I have also heard good things about Costa Rica. But if you choose Mexico, I would almost bet you will end up somewhere in the Playa area. If you want to see some videos of what it is like to drive through mexico, I did quite a bit of documenting here. www.wonderousworld.com/overland-travel. Good Luck. Oh and P.S. you are making a smart move...