一位旅行作家分享了她如何成功地为两个十几岁的儿子规划了一次难忘的贝尔兹岛家庭假期。不同于传统的文化游览，她选择了充满冒险的活动，如乘船出海、与鲨鱼同游、探索洞穴以及品尝当地美食。这次旅行不仅让孩子们乐在其中，也为作者在未来规划家庭出游提供了宝贵的经验，强调了冒险、自然和趣味性在家庭旅行中的重要性，避免了枯燥的行程。

✈️ 告别传统，拥抱冒险：作者曾因安排过于“文化”的行程而受到儿子的抱怨，这促使她为家庭旅行寻找新的方式。在贝尔兹岛，她精心策划了一系列惊险刺激的活动，如与鲨鱼共游、使用鱼叉捕鱼、探索古老的洞穴等，成功吸引了对冒险充满兴趣的青少年，让他们觉得这次旅行“太棒了”。

🚤 私人定制，体验升级：为了提供更个性化和难忘的海上体验，作者放弃了传统的团体浮潜行程，转而预订了一艘私人船只。这次选择不仅让她和家人享受了更自由的行程，还让他们在海上享用了新鲜捕捞的鱼和海螺制作的美味生鱼片，以及在私人岛屿上享用了丰盛的海鲜大餐。

⛰️ 洞穴探险， Indiana Jones 式的刺激：在内陆地区，作者选择了具有挑战性的Actun Tunichil Muknal（ATM）洞穴探险。这次经历充满了河流穿越、攀爬巨石、在狭窄通道中穿行，以及了解古老的祭祀仪式。这次充满 Indiana Jones 式的探险，让孩子们兴奋不已，成为了旅行中最难忘的经历之一。

🚗 灵活出行，发掘当地乐趣：在贝尔兹岛，作者和家人体验了当地人常用的高尔夫球车作为交通工具，这为他们带来了别样的乐趣，尤其是在探索人迹罕至的沙路时。此外，他们还积极尝试当地的餐馆，从简朴的路边烧烤摊到提供特色美食的餐厅，发掘了地道的贝尔兹风味，让旅行体验更加丰富。

🎯 家庭旅行新标杆：这次贝尔兹岛的冒险之旅，为作者树立了未来家庭旅行的新标准。她认识到，将冒险活动、自然探索和当地文化体验巧妙结合，能够满足青少年旅行者的需求，创造出真正难忘的家庭回忆，并且不再需要依赖儿童俱乐部等设施。

To try to please my teens, I planned a lot of adventurous activities when we went to Belize.We rode on a boat, snorkeled with sharks, explored caves, and had great food.My boys loved the trip. This experience taught me to make future family vacations more exciting.

As a travel writer and mom of two teenage boys, I've learned the hard way that typical cultural outings and walking tours don't cut it anymore.

My older son still hasn't forgiven me for dragging him to both the Amsterdam Cheese Museum and the Tulip Museum in one day.

So last November I tried something different: a one-week trip to Belize that mixed jungle, beach, and nonstop adventure.

The trip began with an adventure in Belize's blue waters

We split the trip between Ambergris Caye and San Ignacio to make sure we could experience the jungle and the beach.

The adventure began with a flight to Ambergris Caye, where I chose a three-bedroom suite at the beachfront Pelican Reef Villas. This way, our family could spread out with enough space to help avoid brotherly bickering.

While suntanning on Pelican Reef's dock, I saw guests hugging their boat crew after a day out, saying things like, "Thank you for one of the best days of my life."

Intrigued, I scrapped plans to do a group snorkeling trip and booked a private charter departing from that dock, one with Captain Oliver and his team.

At $630 for the day, it was marginally more than the cost of the group trip. (The rate has since increased to about $700, which I'd still say is a good deal.)

Oliver and his crew delivered a fantastic experience. They took us swimming with nurse sharks at Shark Ray Alley, where my boys dared each other to touch a shark (they did).

They also got to try using spear guns to catch fish, and although they weren't lucky, they loved the novelty of the experience.

While we fished off the boat, the crew dove for fresh conch that became an onboard ceviche snack.

For lunch, we anchored off a tiny private island for a feast of grilled spiny lobster, rice, and beans. The last stop was feeding tarpon by hand off Caulker Caye.

Next, we channeled Indiana Jones in the jungle

Inland, we based ourselves at Vanilla Hills Resort near San Ignacio.

When I asked a staff member what to sign up for, they suggested the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave tour, adding that my "boys will think they're Indiana Jones." Sold!

Our tour guide led us on a hike through the jungle to Actun Tunichil Muknal cave — and our trek was complete with incredible river crossings, where we hung on to a rope for stability.

Once inside, we swam through underground chambers, scrambled up boulders, and squeezed through rocks with ominous names like "The Guillotine."

We also learned about the sacred cave, which is home to ancient pottery and human remains from ritual sacrifices. I'm sure my boys won't forget the tale of a ceremony involving piercing a foreskin with a stingray tail.

At $145 a person, this otherworldly adventure was worth every cent.

Even the more mundane parts of our trip, like driving around and getting food, felt fun

Many people were using golf carts to get around Ambergris Caye, so we joined them. Renting a golf cart only cost us about $35 a day.

We loved taking it for spins on deserted sandy roads. We even discovered a golf-cart-friendly drive-thru coffee shop in San Pedro.

It was also fun checking out local eateries, like Robin's Kitchen, a simple barbecue shack with sand floors and a menu of oxtail and jerk chicken tacked to the wall.

My boys were also impressed by the food in San Ignacio. Local restaurants like Ko-Ox-Han-Nah and Pop's served teen-boy gold: burritos, milkshakes, and fry jacks (fried dough).

All in all, Belize was a hit with our family

Afterward, my sons declared this the "best trip ever" — and it taught me a few lessons I'm taking to heart when planning future family vacations.

For starters, I hope to continue booking adventurous activities and turning to locals (and happy fellow tourists) for recommendations and inspiration.

Really, our trip to Belize hit a new sweet spot for my family, offering just the right amount of adventure, nature, and fun without a kids' club in sight.

We won't be going back to "basic" vacations anytime soon.