Ah the wonderful laid back and relaxing islands just off of the coast of Belize are a great antidote to sightseeing and hectic travel around the region. English speaking and relaxed locals make it a great place to while away a few days or even weeks.

Although airfares can be pricey there are other ways to get to there. San Pedro Belize Express have a four day a week service from Chetumal in Mexico direct to San Pedro with customs and immigration at both docks. Remember if you are leaving Mexico and you have entered by land make sure that you have paid for the tourist card prior to departing as it's not usually possible at the dock in Chetumal.

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Lagos is like a magnet for me, I try to get here at least once a year. In springtime the air is fresh, the sun is warm and there are few tourists to contend with. Don't go in the water though! It is freezing cold most of the year and a dip in ocean in April will certainly give you a jolt.

This year I decided to cheat a little and took the Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven from Portsmouth to Santander in Spain to ease the work load on both myself and the faithful truck I was driving down in. This was a great idea as it saved over 900 miles of driving through France and worked out cheaper.

From Santander the most straight forward route is to pass by Valladolid and Salamanca then on into portugal taking the wide and swift motorway...more