Whether you can still recall your mom or dad reading to you aloud from the classic Maurice Sendak-illustrated and written book, Where the Wild Things Are – or you’ve just read it to your grandkids, you already know that this book remains a generational favorite. Why do kids love it so much? Because they identify with shy, misunderstood Max who escapes to an island where…
Named for the so-called laughing gulls which formerly used the island as a nesting site, Laughing Bird Caye is a small (1.8-acre/0.73 ha) island located approximately 11 miles (17 km) off the coast of the Placencia Peninsula in southeastern Belize. Today, the island is the epicenter of Laughing Bird Caye National Park, a protected nature reserve that includes the island as well as the surrounding…
The year may have just begun, but for those who know that the secret to having the best adventure vacation ever is planning, planning, planning, start now to sort out a super 2024 getaway. If you track trends, you know that there’s been a recent resurgence of SLR camera popularity, say editors at the New York Times. Perhaps the time has come to dig out…
It takes very patient parents to include their youngsters on overseas vacations, but since kids tend to behave best when they’re totally engaged in experiences that delight their curiosity, rewards are plentiful. Further, it’s no secret that kids and candy have had a long-standing relationship, so offer your background on candy-making to pique their interest about the Belize family vacation you’ve been discussing. According to…
If you believe that the sport of snorkeling wasn’t “invented” until recently, you’re in for a surprise. The idea took root around 350 BC when philosopher Aristotle observed an elephant submerged in water that used its trunk to breathe. It’s a fanciful supposition and one that can’t be proven, but evidence exists that rudimentary helmets attached to reed tubes were common in the 15th century,…
Scholars at Atlanta’s Georgia Tech University delved into a topic that few academic institutions have attempted: The origins of the term “going viral.” Their discovery, that going viral has been around for more than 120 years, came about as the result of access to databases covering more than 10 million newspaper pages. The first example? Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan’s 1896 Democratic National Convention speech….
It’s easy to understand why questions are being asked about the wisdom of importing animals to zoos after being captured in the wild—especially since opportunities to see wildlife over time were mostly found on pages of National Geographic magazines! New approaches to zoo design benefit wildlife as some of these facilities expand space and create habitats designed to emulating species-specific environments. What’s changed since zoos…
According to the psychologist Todd Kashdan, early man pursued wonder and found it in every new discovery. As a result, our earliest ancestors loved nothing more than playing with bones, rocks, turtle shells, and other beachfront finds, and encountering magnificent mountains and caves often triggered pure joy. For ancient Mayas settling in the area now known as Belize, one of the most revered offshore sites…
The Placencia Peninsula in southern Belize is one of the most popular places to visit for individuals interested in enjoying some of the world-class diving available on the nearby Belize Barrier Reef. Measuring more than 240 miles in length and home to hundreds of islands, the Belize Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere and a UNESCO World Heritage Site….
Scientists are fascinated with the reasons people love adventure vacations and some of the best results of their research are encapsulated by Candice Gaukel Andrews writing for the Good Nature Travel Blog. You could be taken aback when you read some of the perks her research unearthed about the benefits of adventure travel: 1. Getting dusty and dirty on adventures strengthens the immune system. 2….