Thanksgiving in Belize: Senior Trip, Beach House, Family Adventure

Thanksgiving in Belize: A Senior Trip, a Beach House, and One More Family Adventure

For our youngest daughter’s senior trip, she chose Belize over Thanksgiving week.

At first, the timing surprised me a little. Her sisters chose summer trips, but she had a very practical reason. She didn’t want to take extra time out of her summer when she could be working and making money. Plus, Thanksgiving week gave us the best shot at getting all three girls together because of college and work schedules.

Honestly, I loved that.

This trip felt like it might be our last big adventure just the five of us. That turned out not to be completely true, but that is a story for an upcoming post about Taiwan. At the time, though, Belize carried a little extra weight. It was a senior trip, a Thanksgiving trip, and maybe the closing chapter on one season of family travel with just my girls.

Planning Belize Was Not as Simple as I Expected

When we first started planning, Belize felt a little overwhelming. We knew two things for sure. We wanted to see Mayan ruins, and we wanted beach time. Simple enough, right?

Not exactly.

Once you look at a map of Belize, you quickly realize those two things are not exactly next door to each other. The famous ruins are inland, while the beach areas are obviously along the coast or on the islands. There are several popular islands that tourists love, but we eventually decided to skip the island route and drive a little farther south to the Placencia area.

It turned out to be a great choice for us.

Placencia gave us beach time, access to excursions, local restaurants, and a quieter feel that fit the kind of trip we wanted.

Thanksgiving Abroad, Again

This was our second consecutive Thanksgiving outside the United States. The year before, we were in London visiting our oldest while she was studying abroad.

I never really pictured Thanksgiving becoming an international travel holiday for our family, but I have to admit, I kind of like it. There is something memorable about being somewhere completely different on a holiday that is usually so routine, and in a country that doesn’t celebrate it. Yes, you miss some of the normal traditions, but you also create new ones. In Belize, that meant having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant on the beach.

Was it the best Thanksgiving meal we have ever had? Probably not.

Was it one we will always remember? Absolutely.

Our Beach House Made the Trip

We rented a VRBO right on the beach, and it was amazing.

It was also surprisingly cost effective, especially for a family of five. We could walk right out to the sand, enjoy the water activities, wade in the pool, and have space to spread out.

The only real adjustment was the house water situation. All of it came from captured rainwater. You could shower in it, but you could not drink it. At first, that felt like it was going to be a big deal. In reality, it was fine. There was a five gallon jug waiting for us when we arrived, and it lasted most of our six night stay.

The lack of city lights also gave us one of the best unexpected gifts of the trip: the stars.

At night, we would go up on the roof of the beach house and just stare at the sky. We saw constellations, shooting stars, and the kind of night sky you forget exists when you are surrounded by normal life and normal light pollution.

Important travel note: bring bug spray. Lots of it.

We also recommend buggy bands, which my wife discovered before our Costa Rica trip. They came in handy again in Belize.

A Mayan Cooking Class, Chocolate, and a First

One tradition that has developed in our family travels is taking a cooking class. In Belize, we did a traditional Mayan cooking class, and it ended up being one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

We made tortillas, tamales, and soup over a wood fired hearth. It was hands on, relaxed, and completely different from the way we normally cook at home.

It was also the site of our first family cooking class injury. Our youngest daughter, whose senior trip this was, cut her finger. No stitches were required, but there was plenty of blood and a few death stares directed my way after I made dad jokes that were apparently a little too soon.

Noted.

The cooking class also included a visit to a cacao farm and a chocolate making session. We even sampled the sweet pulp from a cacao pod picked from a tree.

My wife, who loves dark chocolate, was especially happy to hear about the possible health benefits. Heart health, mood boost, cognitive function, lower blood pressure, she was all in. She said that dark chocolate may need to become a daily wellness practice. I am not qualified to argue with that kind of medical research.

Xunantunich Was Worth the Drive

One of our big excursions was to Xunantunich, a Mayan ruin near the Guatemala border. The trip also included cave tubing, and I highly recommend the combination.

It was a long drive from our beach house, which is exactly why I was glad we booked a tour and let the guide do the driving. They picked us up right at the VRBO, which made the whole day easy.

The ruins were incredible. The main pyramid temple rises about 13 stories high, and you can climb all the way to the top. What surprised me was how little there was between you and the edge.

At the top, there is a landing where you can look out across Belize and into Guatemala. It is beautiful, but for me, it was also unsettling. There were no railings. No barriers. Nothing stopping you from walking right off the edge.

That is where I learned something about myself. I think I am afraid of heights. Not necessarily the fear of the heights themselves, but the fear of falling. I can stand in the Eiffel Tower or in a tall building with no problem, as long as there is something between me and the ground. But standing on top of an ancient temple with open edges and watching my wife and daughter casually walk near them? Nope.

I stayed close to the inner wall, along with another daughter, and tried not to panic.

The cave tubing afterward was a nice add on. There was a short hike to the cave entrance, then a relaxing float through the cave. I probably would not plan a whole day around cave tubing alone, but paired with the ruins, it was a great experience.

Snorkeling With Sharks and Stingrays

A snorkeling trip is a must in Belize.

The water is gorgeous, with bright blues, small islands, and reefs that feel like they belong on a postcard. We chose a trip that went to Silk Caye and Moho Caye, and the highlight was snorkeling near nurse sharks and stingrays.

That was a first for me.

There were not many, but the guides knew where to go and how to draw them in. When they appeared, everyone in the water had the same reaction. A lot of oohs, a lot of aahs, and maybe a few nervous laughs.

For lunch, we were told we were having “Belize chicken,” which was supposedly iguana.

I am still not totally sure whether they were serious or messing with us. I am choosing to believe they were pulling our leg.

A Few Practical Belize Travel Notes

Belize was easy to enjoy, but there are a few things I would tell another family planning a similar trip:

• Rent a car if you are staying near Placencia. It is not an Uber friendly area.
• For long excursions, let the tour company drive.
• Bring plenty of bug spray.
• Do at least one snorkeling trip.
• Consider staying somewhere with beach access if your goal is a mix of adventure and downtime.
• Do not expect a major foodie destination, at least not in the area where we stayed.

There were plenty of dining options near us, and we never went hungry, but the food was not the main reason to visit. If your idea of vacation is built around restaurants, this may not be your top destination. If you want beaches, ruins, snorkeling, friendly locals, and a little family adventure, Belize has a lot to offer.

The Gift of One More Trip Together

One of the things I loved most about Belize was meeting other travelers.

Some were on vacation like us. Others were backpacking through multiple countries. I am not sure full backpacking is on our Alive To Live bucket list yet, but I have to admit, it was intriguing.

That is one of the best parts of travel. It stretches your imagination a little. You see how other people are exploring the world, and it makes you wonder what else might be possible.

For us, Belize was not just a senior trip. It was one more chance to be together as a family of five before life kept changing. It was Thanksgiving dinner on a beach, stars from a rooftop, dad jokes at the wrong time, Mayan ruins, nurse sharks, stingrays, and a daughter who chose family time during a week when everyone could actually be there.

That is what Alive To Live is really about.

Not perfect trips. Memorable ones.