Nothing impacts a child’s life more than international travel and you don’t have to travel far to find the perfect family-friendly adventure.
Blogger Katie Arnold offers amazing advice on raising kids. One of her most eloquent posts is “How to Turn a Vacation with Kids into an Adventure.” To put her theories into practice, she took her youngsters to Belize and highly recommends you do the same—especially if your kids have reached the “age of suitcase.” If your kid can tote a small one or a backpack, she’s ready to go.
Picking Belize for a family trip just makes sense
Katie chose Belize as her daughters’ first overseas holiday because English is the official language and the plane ride was shorter than flying from New York City to Los Angeles. And while she and her husband felt a little overwhelmed when they researched the sheer number of experiences from which the family could choose, they realized that it was this variety that spiced up their itinerary.
The ideal place to visit in Belize? Cahal Pech Village Resort, located in San Ignacio Town. The resort is perched high in the sky—above the town—so kids can pretend they’re staying in a lofty castle. Eight accommodation choices allow you to tailor your lodging to the size of your family and al fresco dining at the resort’s Ix'tabai Restaurant means that you can feed the kids on their time schedules.
So many tour choices--let the kids help choose
Do kids—even little ones—like being part of the planning process? They do. We recommend visiting the tour options page on the Cahal Pech website, sit the kids down and discuss each one. The list is long, but photos are compelling, so read descriptions and fitness/intensity recommendations.
How did Katie’s kids respond to their vacation? They loved everything and your kids will, too. Take them trekking around ancient Maya ruins, schedule the ATM cave expedition and if you only have time for one, make it the Cave Tubing excursion down the Caves Branch River that’s the ultimate in fun. At around 4.5 hours in length, your youngsters won't give you any grief when it's time for bed that night!
Give yourself the gift of simplicity
You can’t anticipate every little glitch that could come along when you travel with kids, but you can practice the art of family travel as perfected by Katie:
-Plan enough activity to keep the kids intrigued but not so many that you exhaust them.
-Choose activities that don't require long drives to reach sites.
-Fill your itinerary with educational experiences like bird watching, a butterfly farm tour, the zoo and visit the San Antonio Women’s Group Center’s ceramic studio so kids can create their own trip souvenir to bring home.
Visit the Cahal Pech website’s Belize vacation package page so you can nail all of your arrangements with a single decision. Years from now, don’t be surprised if your kids tell you that your Belize adventure proved to be the most memorable family vacation they’ve ever taken.
