People we meet along the way are my favorite aspect of travel. Last year we spent Christmas in paradise camping in the jungle at the Macal River Camp. With our sons at the ages of 18 and 21, we weren’t sure how many more family vacations we would have with them. We wanted to make it a special Christmas and felt our best gift to them would be a greater sense of this big blue planet. So we chose Belize and specifically Chaa Creek.

Now we’re moving into the dry season, and February temperatures in Belize average between 70°F (21°C) and 80°F (27°C). Days are generally mild, and with the cooler nights it is a very pleasant time of year.

Nearly twenty years later I found, with this Vacation Sweepstakes contest, a chance to retrace our steps in Belize. It is one of the top three vacations we took with our children in lieu of where “Mom, every one but us has been to” – Disney World. Besides Belize, we also learned about Native American culture in one trip out West – to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and Monument Valley. The other of the top three family vacations was to a mountain cabin in the LaVerandre National Park in Quebec, Canada. But Belize remains our favorite.