Go All Out On Vacation In Placencia, Belize with Chabil Mar

by Larry Waight

While you may have already gotten everything in order to take a vacation down to Placencia, Belize, we feel it best to point out all of the steps you should take while planning your vacation. After all, the best vacations are the ones that can manage to pack in something amazing every day. If you have any doubts about whether or not your vacation plans are sufficient, please keep reading and see just how many notions may have escaped your notice.

Plan Things Out

Placencia aerial Itz’ana

An aerial of Placencia. Photo courtesy Itz’ana Resort

Anticipation occupies much human joy; indeed, more than one vacationer has said that their vacation joy started before reaching a spot like Placencia or Chabil Mar. The more you anticipate the fun of vacation prior to arrival, the more that joy will saturate the entire experience. Plan your vacation dates well ahead of schedule and bask in the warm thoughts of exploring Maya ruins and drinking cocktails mixed with fruit straight from the trees. In the case of Placencia, Belize, just about any time is right for a vacation.

Focus on Quantity Over “Once This Lifetime”

While once-in-a-lifetime vacations are amazing, that sort of vacationing offers limited happiness. Multiple studies indicate that people slide away from happiness in short order, meaning that small-scale, normal pleasures experienced over a frequent period of time tend to be more satisfying than a rare but major experience. Other studies have discovered that health and wellness gained from a vacation peak at eight days, meaning that the ideal vacation getaway should be an eight-day excursion through an area like Placencia and greater Belize.

Do New Stuff

©MLowen via Splash Dive Center

This is likely the most obvious idea but it bears repeating: the human brain loves novelty and there are more than enough things to do in Belize that you simply cannot experience in the United States or Canada. Do yourself a favor and spend some time around the Garifuna people, try a seaweed milkshake, look for jaguars, stick your toes in the country’s sugar-white sands when you want to relax, or go zip-lining. All of these novel things are options that are available just about every day of the week in Belize.

Keep the Fussing Back Home

If you have kids, make sure to have some time when they are busy while you reconnect with your partner free of needing to manage your kids. If vacationing as a group, consider leaving the fiddly stuff like cooking or washing clothes to resort staff.

If You Have to Work Remotely, Do So Sparingly

Villa Veranda Seafront Chabil Mar Resort Belize

Chabil Mar is a guest-exclusive, all-villa resort in Placencia.

If you control your work schedule, consider fitting career time into the lulls between activities, when people are likely sleeping off last night’s late fun and you have energy. Focus on your tasks and then ignore your inbox until the next day’s work period. You can also use your vacation to reflect on if your job will be worth its hassle years later.

End With a Bang

Flying over the Great Blue Hole. Image via Astrum Helicopters

Our brains tend to focus on the last part of a series, rather than each part equally. You can use this bias to your advantage by making the last thing, the last day, of your vacation something truly stellar. Consider doing something amazing like taking an aerial trip over the Great Blue Hole, swimming alongside nurse sharks, or eating at a really stellar restaurant on the night before your return.

Manage Your Transition Back To Normalcy

Villa Veranda Hammock Chabil Mar Resort Belize

While you might consider maximizing your vacation time by returning home late into Sunday night or the red-eye hours of Monday morning, that will likely make that Monday even more stressful. If you hate the idea of frantically rushing back into your routine, consider returning on Saturday or early Sunday; this gives enough of a buffer to ease back into things and handle any necessary concerns like laundry, catching up with and seeing off housesitters, etc. Ease back into things by planning something low-effort yet fun on Monday evening, like a quick drink with friends to gush about staying at Chabil Mar and share all of your pics and videos. 

All images via Chabil Mar unless stated otherwise.

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