I’m usually a last minute packer but I was really a last minute packer with this trip. I took the day off to clean house, run errands, do laundry and pack and still found myself leaving the house 30 minutes later than I intended to. But first let’s talk about how I decided on Honduras as a destination and if you know me you know it’s due to a flight deal. My ticket was only $201 roundtrip ($250 and under roundtrip is my sweet spot where it’s almost a 90% must book situation-depending on the location but especially for international) and it was with Avianca. Though Avianca isn’t a favorite of mine I am tolerable to get to where I need to go with them. That is how the Honduras ended up as my birthday destination.

The flight departed from Dulles (IAD) as you can guess early in the morning (around 4am) so I drove out there and parked at a nearby hotel that provided a free shuttle. Getting to the airport around 2am was fine as there was no line for TSA and I didn’t need to check in with an agent at the counter so I was able to just go through security and to the gate. That early I expected to see a few other airlines operating but from what it seemed Avianca was the only one. I got lucky I had a window seat towards the back and ended up having the entire row to myself. This was perfect because I hadn’t had any sleep and was very tired by now. Despite being tired, I didn’t sleep that well on the flight. Everytime I woke up I attempted to go back to sleep, so while I did get some sleep it wasn’t the best.

My layover was in El Salvador for a little under 2 hours and then back on another short Avianca flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Now originally I was supposed to arrive at San Pedro Sula later in the morning but at some point there was a schedule change getting me there very early but the problem was my flight to Roatan was already confirmed for the early afternoon. Getting there extra early now meant I would be waiting for a while in the airport for my flight. Well, it turns out that the earlier flight to Roatan got delayed and hadn’t left yet so the agent gave me the option of paying a few dollars more to catch the earlier flight and I decided to do that. the flight was apparently delayed due to fog and it was estimated that the confirmed flight that I was on that was later would also be delayed and maybe even cancelled and I didn’t want to risk not getting to Roatan today.

I was able to have a window seat for the short flight but went to sleep anyway because it was foggy and I couldn’t see clearly. Since I arrived at the airport at about 12:30pm I was unsure if Avis would let me pick up my rental earlier. I looked at some of the souvenir shops in the small airport just to get a sense of what they have. Finally I just went to see if I could get my car and go. Sporting a Hyundai Sonata I was able to retrieve it earlier and hit these Honduran streets. Let me tell you they drive crazy here! I thought the DMV was bad but they are on your bumper, will drive on the wrong side of the road to get around you, hod the road and are quick to use the horn (it’s giving Puerto Rico back in the day when I was there). Although it took me about an hour and a half when it originally said 38 minutes via the GPS (roads were closed and traffic) , I finally made it to my Airbnb. Although driving here was annoying me already I’m so glad I opted to get a car because I haven’t seen many Ubers but have seen a lot of taxis.

It’s humid and hot but the wind blows so that helps tone the heat down. My Airbnb was just as pictured and I stripped and just sprawled out on the bed for a good hour once I finally got there. By now I was hungry and thirsty but just needed a moment. Once 5pm started rolling around I figured now was the time to go to a store and get some food. As I was leaving I met my host and chatted with her for a few minutes. She told me about the beach just down the road from us and described how to get back to it so I did go past it before I made my food and drink run. The graffiti was so pretty along the wall and the beach was full and looked relaxing. I got some good photos and video and left. At a convenience store I got some drinks and went to a food place I had written down that happened to be nearby serving Honduran food. Back to the Airbnb I went to enjoy (it was good) and relax the rest of the evening. Tomorrow will be busy.

So advice if you happen to ever come here, rent a car as it will end up being a lot cheaper than getting a taxi or Uber if they have it but make sure you’re a good driver as well (one that can somewhat predict moves of others) that’s comfortable with narrow streets, hills and etc. Everyone here driving seems to be in a hurry or at least want you out of the way (and there are many motorcycles).