The weather in Guatemala right now is

The highest average weather temperature in Guatemala is 23˚c in January.
At this time of year, the minimum average temperature is around 12˚c.

I have travelled alone before, so I am by no means a stranger to exploring a country all on my lonesome. If anything I rather enjoy it. However, I have to be honest Central America was rather more challenging than I had anticipated. Now, that is not to say I didn’t have an exceptional time; it was ruddy marvellous. But, there were some things I wish I knew on my epic voyage through Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.

1 Price

I had thought a trip through Central America would cost roughly the same as my Summer trip in Thailand. Turns out I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Central America is price-y, particularly in Mexico where American tourists help ramp up the prices. And surprisingly especially in Guatemala where to make sure you are not risk of…you know death and stabbings you are forced to visit the tourist’s traps. Not only that, but you also have to pay a fee every time you leave one of the countries – budget wisely.

2. Weather

This is where it all gets a little confusing, because I went in December/January time which is technically still their winter. Thankfully, a British and Mexican season differ drastically and whilst I may have been freezing my socks off in good ol’ Blighty, in Mexico it was wonderfully warm and I was content in my shorts and T-shirts. That being said, in Guatemala it got pretty cold at night – and you will absolutely need jeans and a sweatshirt. Particularly if you are so inclined to climb Acatenango where it can get pretty cold. I feel it goes without saying that I did not feel tempted to take on this treacherous hike.

3. Food

This was by no means a homogenous experience throughout the trip. In Mexico it was absolutely fantastic and frankly I wish I had taken better advantage of this. Beucase, in Guatemala I ate at a Chinese restaurant. I mean it looked clean and respectable, but it turned out to be a big mistake and my friend and I suffered from world-ending food poisoning for the last few days of my trip. And we were not alone – plenty of people suffered with “iffy” tummies in Guatemala – and just remember you can never go wrong with a McDonalds.

4. Hostels

I stayed exclusively at hostels in Central America some of which were slightly more suited to a solo traveller than others (Bacalar being a particularly memorable stay for its resident’s preponderance for early nights and card games.) However, what struck me was that whilst no one would dare steal a big ticket item…say a laptop or an iPad, if you left something small and innocuous like shower gel or a nice t-shirt for any extended period of time it was always stolen. Always, so if, like me, you value your British bought conditioner – keep it close.

5. Bring Anti-Sickness medication

If you take nothing else from this blog I really can’t stress enough the importance of bringing anti-sickness medication. This really is absolutely vital for those pretty rough journeys through Guatemala.

Helena Baker is a freelance copywriter based in London. When she isn’t busy travelling the world feel free to contact her on 0208 629 6465 or drop her an email on [email protected] You can also feel free to check out her website on www.helenabaker.com

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