Making a Move to Belize

We all have our different stories about how why and what motivated us to move to Ambergris Caye Belize. I find it interesting to hear how other people made it to Belize and other places that captured their heart. Since many of you reading this hold similar dreams I know you enjoy this post – One couple’s story about how they made the jump from corporate America to living and owning a business on a tropical island; By Ann Kuffner

My husband and I, first bought in this country in 1999. We spent a lot of time here, and my husband moved to Ambergris Caye about six years ago, when we opened the San Pedro Family Fitness Club.

I finally joined him fulltime last June, after taking early retirement from corporate life. We lived separate lives while we tried to figure out what do with the property in Belize. I continued in my corporate role. I was a VP in a Fortune 500 company. But I was eager for escape. It just took me a while to extricate myself from the security of a regular paycheck.

We Baby Boomers don’t usually retire, per se. We transition. My husband knew I would drive him crazy if I didn’t have something to do after I left my corporate job. I think I am busier now than ever, running the fitness club, setting up a real estate business, teaching salsa aerobics, trying my hand at travel writing… But it is so much more fun and interesting than my previous life.

There is a real sense of community here that I have never experienced before. Big cities are busy and remote. You never see your neighbor. Now, everywhere I go, I know people. It is very satisfying since I never lived in a small town.

I lived in the San Francisco Bay area for 35 years, which is fantastic. But it is huge. We lived in a cute neighborhood in Oakland, which I loved. I miss the foreign flicks and fantastic little restaurants…and my friends, of course. Otherwise, the transition has been a lot easier than I anticipated.

by Ann Kuffner