The Less Traveled Path

Adventurous people tend to seek out new experiences on a regular basis. It makes their lives fun, interesting, and challenging. The question posed in the article subtitle speaks to adventure and uncertainty, to exploring the unknown, and maybe to the courage of youth.

As we grow older, we prefer predictability. My wife and I tend to eat at the same restaurants when we go out, and I’ll order the same thing again and again. It’s not that I don’t like to try new dishes—I most certainly do, such as recently eating beef heart in Nicaragua—but when I’m not in the mood for experimentation I usually choose the familiar. Most of us are like that. 

But living a life without regret, an admirable goal, means taking risks. It’s about wandering into uncertainty and having the confidence to know you can blaze a trail forward, or in the worst case, find your way back. By my late 20s I’d been extremely successful in the computer business and started feeling that itch to try something new. Opportunity knocked with a phone call from my old college roommate, Joel Nagel.

“Mike, I’ve got an extra ticket to Belize and we leave in a few days,” he said. “You wanna go?”

“Sure,” I told him. “Where’s Belize?”

That decision ended up changing my life, and my career path. As a result, I’ve since met countless people who, maybe like you, have an adventurous spirit and chose to expand their life by taking the unfamiliar path. Saying “yes” is often the best way to start an adventure. Because I said yes to Belize, I met these wonderful people who also said yes—and are much happier for it.

Rick and Carol

Rick and Carol wanted to develop a small business to supplement their incomes in retirement. But instead of waiting until they were 65, they moved abroad way before retirement age to launch a business that could grow to provide the income when they needed it. They decided on Ambergris Caye, Belize’s largest island, with stunning beaches and one of the world’s great coral reefs. Soon after arriving they noticed a lack of fine wines and gourmet foods on the island and opened a shop to fill that need. A friend back in Napa Valley exclusively provided them with their own brands of wine, olives and tapenades, and their shop, Wine de Vine, soon became a must-visit stop.

Nancy from Calgary

Years ago, Nancy came from Calgary to the Cayes to relax and enjoy life. She ended up starting a business renting baby cribs to hotels and resorts, while also leasing out a few cabanas to tourists. But her main objective was to enjoy the company of her many friends on the island. Most evenings you’ll find Nancy by the sea, dancing to live music under the stars at one beach bar or another. You might also find her at the Sunday afternoon “beach jam,” where anyone who can play or sing jumps in for a song or two.

Linda from California

Linda, an accomplished artist, decided to pick up from California and make tiny San Pedro her new home. She opened a gallery and shop along the beach, offering works that highlight the Caribbean’s veritable rainbow of blues and greens. Linda ships much of her art to clients in the U.S., proving that some work can be done anywhere, and there are a lot of nice “anywhere’s” out there to choose from. To top it off, she started leading painting classes on the beach for residents and tourists alike. Community takes many forms. 

Jesse from Kona

When Jessie retired he moved from Kona, Hawaii to Belize. He started writing email updates to friends for fun, but soon more and more people wanted in. He turned his newsletter into the San Pedro Daily, and published an edition every day. He made more money from his daily newsletter than he did from his pension. “More than the money, though,” he told me once, “is the feeling I get when people tell me it’s the first thing they read every day. You can’t beat that.”

Diane the Expat

Diane, an expat and global traveler for two decades, felt at home the minute her feet touched the warm sands of Ambergris Caye. At five-foot-one, she weighed 140 pounds when she arrived, and decided to embark on a healthier lifestyle. She rode her bike to town every day to fetch the mail, picking up her friends’ and neighbors’ mail at the same time. This soon developed into a small courier service, delivering mail and packages. The business grew and Diane spent a lot of time on that bike—more than 200 miles a week at one point. When we spoke about two years later, she weighed less than 100 pounds and was in the best shape of her life. She told me the thing she loves most about her work is saying hello to hundreds of people every day.

A community of exceptional expats is emerging in San Pedro. People like, Rick, Carol, Diane, Nancy, Jessie and others are transforming San Pedro into a warm community of free thinkers who enjoy good company, good conversation, and good times, as well as a bit of adventure.

This growing community is just one more reason I’m so glad I said “yes” to moving to Belize a dozen years ago. Living in Latin America is a chance to escape the routine and do fantastic, occasionally crazy things. Many of them are sublime, like having a Blue Morph butterfly land inches from your nose, or standing in the tropical cloud forest shrouded in mist and hearing the haunting call of howler monkeys.

Some of my great first-time activities in Latin America include:

• Seeing lava bubble at the bottom of a crater
• Visiting a butterfly farm
• Listening to howler monkeys in the wild
• Taking surf lessons
• Eating beef heart
• Riding in a tuk-tuk or caponera
• Crossing the Andes on Horseback
• Watching ships pass through the Panama Canal

But of course we have to make time for these adventures. And now that I live back in the states, it’s even harder to find the time, and the activity, for great first-time experiences. But this summer I enjoyed a few.

My youngest daughter Emily and I went skydiving on a whim in Moab, Utah. Then, because her older sister hadn’t gone, we did it again with the whole family on my 60th birthday.

Afterward, some friends asked me about the experience of jumping off of a plane and hurtling toward the earth. To be honest, I have a hard time describing it. That may be the result of sensory overload—my mind and body were so deeply engaged in the moment there was no time for recording memories. I recall a few jaw-dropping views during my free fall toward the Utah desert, but beyond that I have no words to describe the experience. 

And just a few weeks ago, I rode in an aerobatics plane, the kind used in Red Bull competitions. You wouldn’t believe the speed and power of that machine. The pilot did several wild spinning tricks, which felt like a roller coaster on hyperdrive, before he executed an 8G turn that he knew quite well would knock  me out. It did, as you can see in the photo. But I highly recommend the experience if you’re ever in Las Vegas looking for something a little wild to do. 

Most adventures begin with “Yes.” Something only happens when you make a decision and take action. Say yes to something that sounds just a little bit crazy and you may just change your life for the better. I know I’m glad I said “yes” to my friend Joel some 30 years ago.  

It’s an idea best expressed by the great American poet Robert Frost:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

May you find your road less traveled, and enjoy a grand adventure. ■

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Michael K. Cobb is the CEO and Co-founder of ECI Developments, which has properties throughout Latin America. He is the author of How to Buy Your Home Overseas, and speaks all over the world on international real estate.