Guys, I see you.I see you landing on my site after Googling, "how to move to Roatan". "How to move to another country". "How to work as a dive instructor in another country". "How much do divemasters make". (That one is easy. Not much.)I feel ya dudes. I did those Googles too. And about 755,000 more.I know what it's like to look around your office and see people who have been there longer than you, and thinking, "is this all I have to look forward to in my life?" I know what it's like to ...
Money
Using US Dollars on Roatan
So, you're coming to Roatan? Great! You want to use US dollars? Make sure you read this post, because - newsflash - US dollars are not the local currency, and there are some caveats to using USD here.sourceYes, you can use US dollars.I've never run into a business here that won't accept US dollars as payment. Most places even have the prices listed in both US dollars and lempira (the Honduran currency - 'lemps' or 'lps' for short). It's a good idea to know the current exchange rate ...
Spotlight: Hostel La Vista – My Favorite Hostel in San Pedro, Belize
With more and more people on Roatan having to do visa runs, finding affordable options to get off the island for a few days is a hot topic of conversation these days on my rock. Just getting out of here takes either a lot of time (by boat and bus) or a lot of money (by plane), so the idea is to go as close as possible to places that can be enjoyed cheaply for a few days. I've taken two trips so far this year that could work well for visa runs - you can read full rundowns of my Miami Beach, ...
Guidelines for Tipping on Roatan
Short version: yes, you're supposed to tip on Roatan. 10%-20%. There ya go!Long version:Tipping is expected on Roatan for various services. If you're visiting or moving to the island, you should have a quick read through these guidelines to make sure you're tipping appropriately! We don't like people who play the "we don't have to tip in our home country so we're not going to here" game. Labor laws are very different from many other countries and you need to remember that the legal minimum ...
What the Hell Happened?
"What the hell happened? Where are you?"I have heard this a bit over the last few weeks. After I went off on a tired and teary rant about how I just wasn't having any fun here anymore, I sort of disappeared, as I tend to do any time I get overwhelmed. I just shut down and watch Netflix or read books all night and check in on Facebook sometimes, and that's about it. I had a lot of long conversations with family, friends and even strangers about what my next move was going to ...
Budget Breakdown: Goodbye Jungle!
So I've posted a few things about finances here before. There is my most popular post of all time on Cubicle Throwdown, Tipping Guidelines for Diving on Roatan (or Anywhere) that had quite a bit of money info in it, as well as a detailed Dive Instructor Salary on Roatan post that generated lots of love but also some threats from jerks who wanted to hate on "gringos stealing all the jobs here" (again, to those people: first, read my small disclaimer post, then, get your ...
Could You Live Off a Dive Instructor’s Wage on Roatan?
What is the salary of a dive instructor on Roatan? Well, I get a LOT of emails from people asking me what dive instructors here on Roatan make (hint: not a lot), and what it costs to live here (hint: a lot). Since inquiring minds want to know, here you go:How much do dive instructors make?You can read more about it in my tipping guidelines for diving on Roatan, but the short answer is: dive instructors here do not make very much money. A few dive shops pay a small salary (around ...
Expats don’t have everything. Weird, right?
I have gotten a lot of feedback on Facebook and here about my current adventure. Ever since I decided I wanted to walk away from my corporate 9-5 job and live on a tropical island, I have had people telling me all kinds of things.You're so lucky. I wish I could have your life. Your adventures are amazing, I'll never be able to do that. I'm jealous of you.In no way to I want to discredit how fucking awesome my life is. It's crazy, it has its ups and downs, but it is pretty amazing and I ...
Tipping Guidelines for Diving on Roatan
Believe me - I searched high and low for information on this before my first trip to Roatan. I had never dived before, so I had absolutely no clue how I was supposed to tip my dive instructor and divemasters! Having worked in the service industry for many years (and also being from a country where tipping is normal and expected), I wanted to know what I should be tipping so I could include it in my vacation budget. Well, I found nothing. A few tidbits here and there, maybe some info from other ...
If life hands you lemons, make lemonade and drink it on a yacht.
Merry Christmas from the Caribbean Sea!!You may have noticed I have been conspicuously absent lately. I have a good reason for this, I promise.It's this:Yep. That's a 105 ft yacht, and I'm on it right now sailing to Belize, Cozumel, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cuba, and finally through the Florida Keys on the way to Ft. Lauderdale where the boat is going into the yard and I'm flying back to Roatan from Miami. Did I mention I'm getting paid? Way more than I make at my current ...