Millennial Couple Take Dream Honeymoon Trip—Then Things Take a Dark Turn

A dream honeymoon in Belize took an unexpected turn for one woman and her husband when their night drive through a "crocodile-infested lagoon" became a harrowing ordeal. Lisa Emmerman, the 37-year-old founder of Wild Poppy Travels who is currently based in Colorado, has visited more than 33 countries. But nothing prepared her for what happened during their honeymoon stay on Secret Beach in the Ambergris Caye area of Belize in June 2017. According to a 2024 report by The Knot, a wedding planning website, around 75 percent of couples worldwide planned to go on a honeymoon and/or a mini-moon following their weddings. Beach destinations were favored by many couples, such as the Maldives, which ranked among the top five destinations in every European country surveyed. Others favored major metropolitan locations offering sightseeing, while adventure-seeking getaways were popular across the board, the report found. "While on my honeymoon in Belize, my husband and I rented a golf cart to get around the cay we were visiting," Emmerman told Newsweek. Their Airbnb rental was located about 20 minutes from town, requiring a golf cart ride along a dirt road through a lagoon where numerous crocodiles were known to lounge. There were "around a dozen different crocodiles on a typical day driving back and forth to town," she recalled.

On one particular night, after dinner in town, Emmerman and her 38-year-old husband Darrin set off on what they thought would be a routine ride back to their Airbnb. However, the journey quickly turned into a test of nerves and survival. "This particular cay didn't have the traditional 'speed bumps' that you would normally think of—raised cement humps in the road. This cay took giant ship ropes and threw them into the road to act as their speed bumps," Emmerman said. As Darrin drove, he got a little too enthusiastic behind the wheel. "My husband was driving and was having a little too much fun in the golf cart and went over one of the 'speed ropes' at full speed," she recalled. The golf cart launched into the air, only to come crashing down with full force. The impact killed the engine and when they got out to inspect the damage, the entire front end of the golf cart fell off. Fortunately, a stroke of luck was on their side. "The Airbnb owner had lent us a ratchet strap when we arrived so we could secure our luggage to the golf cart, and the strap was luckily still in the golf cart," Emmerman said. Thinking quickly, her husband wrapped the strap around the front end of the golf cart, pulled it with all his might and managed to start the engine again.

A Hairy Escape From a 'Crocodile-Infested Lagoon'

"We thought we were in the free and clear and could make it back to our Airbnb to deal with the damage [of the golf cart] in the morning," she said. But their relief was short-lived. "Five more minutes into our journey, through the crocodile-infested lagoon, with no streetlamps or cellphone service, all of a sudden, one of our headlights simply fell off of the golf cart," Emmerman said. Forced to stop, she walked back toward the fallen headlight, picked it up and placed it in the cart with them. "Feeling very defeated, my husband hoisted up the front end of the golf cart again, and we kept going on our way," she said.

Then, another five minutes into their ride, disaster struck again—the final working headlight stopped working. "As we sat in the golf cart, contemplating our next move, we heard a giant splash maybe 10 feet away from us," Emmerman said. It didn't take much imagination to realize what was lurking in the pitch-black lagoon. "Now feeling like we're about to be crocodile dinner, I grabbed my cellphone, turned on the flashlight, leaned around the golf cart's windscreen, and was now hanging out of the side of the golf cart while my husband floored the gas pedal," she said. Using the phone's flashlight as their only guide, they sped blindly through the lagoon, hoping to make it back before the reptiles got too close. "After all this, we finally made it back to our Airbnb—us in one piece; our golf cart, not so much," Emmerman said. They eventually wound down and went to sleep, leaving the damages for the morning. "$400 and another golf cart later, we finally got to carry on with the rest of our much-needed relaxing honeymoon," she said. For the adventurous couple, it was a honeymoon they'd never forget—though next time, they might skip the night drive through crocodile territory. Do you have an extraordinary or unusual experience from your travels to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.