They Left California for Belize and Never Looked Back

They Left California for Belize And Never Looked Back

Moving to another country is one of those ideas that sounds exciting when you talk about it over dinner, but actually doing it is something completely different.

For Michael, Trisha and their daughter Frankie, the decision to leave California and move to Belize wasn’t part of some lifelong master plan. In fact, Trisha’s first reaction was basically the opposite.

She was a hard no.

They had visited Belize in 2018 and loved it, but at the time it felt like somewhere they might consider later in life — maybe for retirement. Then the pandemic hit, their priorities started changing, friends began leaving California, and Michael started questioning whether the life they had built in San Diego was still the life they wanted.

He had spent around 20 years working in the car business. Like a lot of people in the United States, life had become centered around work, commuting, keeping up and repeating the process again the next day.

San Diego was a great place to live, but Michael wanted something different.

He wanted more time with his family. He wanted to try something new. And most importantly, he wanted to get somewhere before everyone else had already discovered it.

That was when Belize came back into the picture.

The Idea That Changed Everything

Michael remembers looking at a photograph he had taken during their earlier trip to Belize and thinking about what life could look like if they actually made the move.

Instead of following friends to Idaho, Florida or another familiar destination, he wanted to take a bigger leap.

For Trisha, that took some convincing.

She wanted information. She wanted to understand the schools, healthcare, safety, lifestyle and what daily life would actually look like with a child. Michael kept researching, showing her videos and answering questions until eventually the decision became much less intimidating.

One thought ultimately made the move feel manageable: they didn’t have to commit forever.

They could go to Belize for a year.

If they hated it, they could leave.

That changed everything.

Instead of asking whether Belize had to be their permanent home, they could simply ask whether it was worth giving the experience a chance.

It turned out to be one of the best decisions they ever made.

Moving to Belize in the Middle of COVID

Their timing made the adventure even crazier. They arrived in Belize in October 2020, immediately after the international airport reopened during the pandemic. Their daughter Frankie was eight years old, they had two cats and a senior dog, and almost nothing about international travel was normal. Then they arrived wearing the wrong color COVID wristbands. Police were waiting when they got off the boat and informed them that they were supposed to be in quarantine. Not exactly the relaxing Caribbean welcome they had pictured. But almost immediately, they experienced another side of Belize that would eventually become one of the things they loved most about living here. Their taxi driver, Junior, simply told them not to worry. They needed groceries? He would arrange groceries. They needed food delivered? It would get delivered. They needed help figuring things out? Someone would help. Within hours, groceries arrived at their house. Six days later, cabin fever had started setting in. Eventually they were able to get out on the water, head around the island and experience the Belize lifestyle they had actually come for. That was the moment when things started clicking. They realized they had made the right decision.

From the California Grind to Island Life

One of the biggest changes for the family wasn't simply the weather. It was the pace of life. Michael describes the American routine as “the grind.” You go to work, fight traffic getting there, work all day, fight traffic going home and then start again. Ambergris Caye offered something completely different. Now his view is the Caribbean Sea.

Instead of spending weekends commuting or running errands, the family can load up the boat, bring their daughter and dog and head to a quiet beach on the backside of the island. Sometimes they stay an hour. Sometimes they spend the entire afternoon. Friends might meet them there. They bring lunch, drinks and a cooler and turn it into a picnic. On another day, they might head out spearfishing. For Michael, being in the water has become one of the best ways to disconnect. There are no phones, emails or screens. It’s just you, the ocean and whatever happens to swim past you. Sometimes you catch dinner. Sometimes the big one gets away. On one recent trip, they brought their catch to Rum Dog, one of their favorite over-the-water spots, and had the staff cook it for lunch. Those are the moments that have made Belize feel like home.

Building a Business in Belize

The move also created opportunities they hadn't expected. When Trisha first arrived, she was still working online. Eventually, however, she realized how many services were needed by people buying and building homes in Belize. That led her to create T Fox Interiors, a full-service interior design and furnishing company in San Pedro. The company helps homeowners with everything from interior selections and design to furniture purchasing, shipping and installation. For clients buying homes from outside Belize, that can mean handing over an empty property and receiving a completely furnished, turnkey home. Trisha says she never imagined herself becoming an entrepreneur. She had spent much of her career helping build other people's businesses. Moving to Belize changed that. She saw an opportunity and built something of her own. Her experience also illustrates something we talk about frequently: Belize is still a relatively young market in many industries. If there is a product or service the country needs and someone is willing to build a great business around it, opportunities still exist.

Adjusting to the Slower Pace

Of course, moving to Belize isn't perfect.

For Trisha, one of the biggest adjustments was learning that things don't always happen at the speed they do in the United States. Even something as simple as standing in a grocery-store line could initially feel frustrating. But eventually she realized that slowing down was part of the reason they had moved in the first place. You can't leave a high-speed lifestyle behind and then expect your new home to operate exactly the same way. There was also the golf-cart adjustment. On Ambergris Caye, golf carts are the primary way most people get around. Michael loves it. Trisha jokes that after the novelty wore off, she started missing the comfort of a car particularly when she was trying to get to dinner without the wind destroying her hair. Those little inconveniences are real. But compared with the lifestyle they gained, neither considers them major sacrifices.

Raising Their Daughter in Belize

Moving with a child was one of the biggest concerns friends and family raised before they left California. Frankie was only eight. People asked how they could take her to another country and whether it was really the right decision. But Michael and Trisha didn't make the decision without her. They talked to Frankie about it and treated her as part of the decision-making process. If she had strongly opposed the move, they say they wouldn't have gone. She adapted. School initially involved online learning because they arrived during the pandemic, but over time Belize became home for her too. For the family, raising a child here has meant exposure to a completely different kind of childhood more time outside, more time around the ocean, and less of the constant pressure and pace they associated with life back in the United States. Their experience hasn't been flawless, and they don't pretend it has been. But watching Frankie grow up in Belize has become one of the most rewarding parts of their decision.

Living on an Island Doesn't Mean Being Cut Off

One of the most common questions people have about living on Ambergris Caye is how difficult it is to get things. Initially, the family wondered the same thing. Then they learned how the system actually works. Instead of being limited to whatever happens to be available on the island, they discovered they could order products directly from farms and suppliers on the mainland. Michael gives the example of ordering meat directly from a farm. He receives the supplier's menu, places an order, and the products can be sent over through Tropic Air. Over time, you learn how everything works. Island life does require adjustment, but it doesn't necessarily mean being isolated. And when you want a complete change of scenery, you can get on a boat and find yourself on another island 30 minutes later. That still amazes them.

The Other Side of Belize

As much as they love living on Ambergris Caye, some of their favorite experiences happen on the mainland. Belize is much more than beaches and islands. There are jungles, mountains, pine forests, waterfalls, rivers and enormous areas of undeveloped land. Trisha describes the mainland as her “soul's happy place.” Places like Sleeping Giant, Hidden Valley and Red Rock give them something completely different from island life. That's now shaping the family's next chapter. They already own land around Secret Beach and Mahogany Bay. Next, they want acreage on the mainland somewhere surrounded by trees where they can have a garden, animals and more space. They don't see it as choosing between the island and mainland. They want both. Michael calls it the perfect combination of “surf and turf.” The island gives them the Caribbean Sea, boating, fishing and the lifestyle they fell in love with. The mainland gives them mountains, jungle, acreage and another completely different side of Belize.

“We're Never Leaving”

When I asked what advice they would give themselves if they could go back to the moment before they moved, Trisha's answer was simple. "Go for it." She's naturally risk-averse and analytical, which is exactly why making such a dramatic move initially felt uncomfortable. But she also realized something important: almost nothing about the decision had to be permanent. If Belize didn't work, they could leave. Instead, the exact opposite happened. The payoff was much greater than the risk they thought they were taking. Belize became home.

As Trisha put it:

“We're never leaving.”

That doesn't mean moving abroad is right for everyone. It doesn't mean there won't be frustrations or adjustments, and it certainly doesn't mean you should move to Belize without doing your research. But their story demonstrates why visiting Belize and imagining life here are very different from actually giving it a chance. Sometimes you need to experience the lifestyle before you can decide whether it fits. And sometimes the biggest risk isn't leaving the life you already know. It's never finding out what the alternative could have looked like.

Thinking About Moving to Belize?

If you're considering making Belize part of your own story, spend time here first. Explore the islands, but also get onto the mainland. Look at different communities. Talk to families who have already moved. Understand the schools, healthcare, cost of living, immigration options and property market. Most importantly, figure out what kind of life you're actually trying to create.

For Michael, Trisha and Frankie, that meant trading the California grind for a slower lifestyle surrounded by water, family and opportunity.

Five years later, they're still here and they're already planning the next chapter.