Croatia
For most families, a summer holiday to Europe means lots of relaxing and playing in the swimming pool and at the beach, with little else in between. This year why not embark on a fun-filled family activity holiday exploring the beautiful islands of Croatia by sea kayak on our Coastal Croatia trip? Kayak to the Blue Lagoon, paddle to the World Heritage city of Trogir, take a speedboat island tour and have fun snorkelling in the warm Adriatic Sea. A great family seaside holiday with a difference! Croatia is a budget-friendly, less-crowded alternative to neighbouring Greece and is equally if not more beautiful.
Morocco
For a trip that feels very far from home but is only a short flight away, visit Morocco! Our Kasbahs & Coast trip is especially designed to let you experience the variety and colour of this fantastic country and is a great alternative family holiday destination.
For a real taste of the local life, stay in mountain villages with the friendly and hospitable Berber people and enjoy home-cooked dinners as well as learning how to make them! The lively and colourful souks of Marrakech are unlike anywhere else, and a visit to the Djemaa el Fna in the evening as it comes alive with acrobats, snake charmers and jugglers is an exciting and unforgettable experience.
Slovakia
For a fun alternative to a family skiing holiday, check out our Winter Slovakia trip. As well as skiing in the stunning Tatranska Lomnica, the highest ski resort in Slovakia, experience the thrill of husky-sledding, go snowshoeing through the wilderness and have fun whizzing down slides into thermal pools in Bukowina. With a fantastic range of winter activities, this is so much more fun than a skiing holiday! Slovakia is one of Europe’s most mountainous countries and is far less touristy than the ski resorts of the Alps, offering you a wonderful glimpse into local traditions and cultural activities.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is perfect for families who want a varied adventure holiday without travelling long distances between places – this beautiful country is fantastically diverse and smaller than Ireland! Our Active Sri Lanka trip is great for adventurous families: explore caves, go climbing and white-water rafting and enjoy cooking classes and dance shows – to name just a few of the activities you and your family can enjoy on this fun alternative family holiday. Enjoy fantastic wildlife-watching opportunities: watch herds of elephants and look out for leopards and a variety of birdlife. Sri Lanka is breathtaking, it’s affordable and it’s still often uncrowded. Now is the time to discover the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is completely unlike anything you and your family will have experienced before. Trips are packed with exciting activities that you can’t do anywhere else: zipwire through the rainforest canopy, visit volcanoes and watch water and mud shoot up into the air from the crater, and explore Tortuguero National Park, watching monkeys, sloths and crocodiles. Finish off the trip with a day of snorkelling and relaxing on the Pacific beaches. Costa Rica is a great first experience of Latin America for families and is a family travel playground offering big adventures that every family member can enjoy.
Thailand
Tuk-tuk rides and staying on a floating bungalow are just two of the unusual and exotic experiences which will be saved in your memory bank following a wonderful family trip to Tropical Thailand. Add to that relaxing on some of the world’s most beautiful beaches of Koh Samui, snorkelling with new found friends, canoeing, a wildlife safari, all the tastes and smells of delicious Thai food and you have the holiday of a lifetime. Whether in the bustling streets of Phuket or the remote rainforests of Khao Sok National Park, the warmth and hospitality of the Thai people will ensure you leave their country wanting to return again very soon.
Slovenia
Slovenia is a perfect destination for a family activity holiday that feels out of the way but is still in Europe. Despite its small size it is full of beautiful varied landscapes, from soaring peaks and magical caves to unspoilt coastline and tranquil lakes. With more than half of its total surface covered in forest it is one of the greenest countries in the world and offers a range of exciting family-friendly activities with minimal travelling time between locations.
On our Alpine Adventure trip you can enjoy new and different activities every day, many of which your family will have never tried before which all adds to the fun. Try summer tobogganing, go white-water rafting down the emerald Soca River, zipline through the tree tops on a high ropes course, explore karst caves by sea kayak and go rock climbing and cycling.
India
India is a fantastic family holiday destination because it’s so colourful and exciting, and the welcome for families is phenomenal. See the highlights of northern India on our Taj & Tigers trip: explore local towns, visit schools and markets and learn about the unique way of life here. Discover the magnificent Amber Fort and the ancient ghost city of Fatehpur Sikri and head into the heart of rural India, Ranthambore National Park, for incredible wildlife viewing including tigers. The trip ends with a visit to the Taj Mahal to watch the sun rise over this indescribably beautiful building.
Peru
Our Adventure in the Andes trip is great for families looking to visit a country full of wonderfully contrasting scenery and activities. Walk in the footsteps of Paddington Bear and hike a one day Inca Trail to the marvellous Machu Picchu, and explore it on a morning tour before the flocks of tourists arrive. Discover and learn about this ancient civilisation as well as the old Inca fortress of Saysayhuaman.
This holiday also offers plenty of adrenaline-filled activities: go paddle-boarding on a pretty lagoon, cycle along the River Urubamba and ride the rapids in an inflatable canoe. Creative kids will love learning how to make their own bar of Peruvian chocolate and crafting a special pottery souvenir in the Sacred Valley.
Vietnam
With South-East Asia becoming increasingly popular as a tourism destination, Vietnam is a great alternative to its more westernised neighbours and offers an unforgettable adventure for families – check out our Vietnam Family Adventure trip. Magnificent landscapes of soaring mountains, fertile deltas and long sandy beaches remain largely untouched by mass tourism and provide for an adventurous family holiday.
Get involved in local life with fun, hands-on activities as you learn to cook authentic Vietnamese food in Hoi An and stay in a traditional longhouse at a village hill tribe. Explore surrounding countryside by bicycle and step up your sense of adventure with an overnight train journey and stay aboard a floating junk in breathtaking Halong Bay.
Tanzania
A safari in the Serengeti is a bucket-list aspiration for many, and you can see the big highlights as well as more exclusive parts of this amazing country on our Serengeti Family Safari trip. Go on the ultimate African safari, looking out for the Big 5 on game drives across the vast Serengeti Plains.
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s premier attractions and a world-renowned natural wonder – enjoy wonderful views from above and drive among an unequalled concentration of wildlife inside the crater – the highest density of lions and overall predators in Africa is found here. Experience traditional life in a Masai village and gain an insight into the lives of the Wadatooga, a traditional hunter gatherer tribe.
Nepal
Nepal is a wonderful destination for outdoor lovers and the Himalayas provide a stunning backdrop for our family Himalayan Adventure holiday. This trip combines jungle, activity, wildlife and adventure with lots of hands-on activities for kids including a lesson in making a traditional Nepalese dish. Go on a ‘mini trek’ in the Himalayan foothills and watch the sun rise and set over the mountains, experience the thrill of white-water rafting down the Trisuli River and see wildlife in Royal Chitwan National Park. Look out for rhino, monkeys, birdlife and even tigers from your safari jeep, river canoe and on foot, and explore the vibrant bazaars of Kathmandu at the beginning and end of your holiday.
Oman
Oman offers a rare chance for visitors to immerse themselves in the Arab world, with its traditional charms and Bedouin values. Discover Oman’s abundance of natural beauty and the ancient soul of Arabia on our Dolphins & Dunes trip as you visit abandoned villages, immense forts and stay in an authentic Bedouin desert camp overnight. Adventurous families will enjoy sand boarding or horse riding in the desert, walking through Oman’s ‘Grand Canyon’ and riding a camel.
Oman’s coastline offers great wildlife watching experiences: see turtles laying their eggs on the beach, go dolphin watching and snorkelling with colourful fish. Cruise up the coast on a traditional dhow, swim in Wadi pools and experience local life in fishing towns and mountain villages.
Malaysia
Malaysia & the island of Borneo is a great destination to travel to with kids – the people are very friendly and welcoming with children and there is a wonderful variety of landscapes, activities and wildlife. Explore historic Malacca on foot and by river cruise, and visit the ‘Garden City’ of Putrajaya and vibrant Kuala Lumpur. Get up close to nature on a firefly tour of a wetland reserve, walk through the jungle on the world’s longest canopy walkway and cruise along the river into the heart of Taman Negara, looking out for monkeys, buffalo and a variety of birdlife on our Adventure Malaysia! trip.
Learn about growing and processing tea in the Cameron Highlands and visit Penang Island which offers palm-fringed beaches and plenty of family friendly activities, making it the perfect place to wind down at the end of a holiday.
Across the South China Sea, our Malaysian Borneo holidays are perfect for wildlife lovers. Search for wildlife in the rainforest, where you can expect to find orangutan, sun bears, proboscis monkeys, macaques and more magnificent creatures roaming free. Head into the jungle on night safaris looking for nocturnal animals such as slow loris and leopards. The wildlife highlights don’t stop on land, colourful fish and a variety of marine life are just waiting to be explored as you snorkel past tropical coral reefs. Borneo has so much to offer, and is perfect for families seeking adventure, incredible wildlife encounters and cultural discovery.
Portugal
With mile upon mile of stunning cliffs and soft sandy beaches lapped by Atlantic rollers it’s no wonder that Portugal is one of Europe’s top family friendly holiday destinations. Active families will love Portugal Family Surf School which dedicates the whole week to perfecting the new (or existing) skill of surfing with daily morning lessons for all ages. Don’t worry if you tire of the waves - beach volleyball, yoga and other activities are also on offer or you can just soak up some of that glorious sunshine.
Enjoy the proximity of your beachside glamping tipi accommodation which adds a certain surfing authenticity and laid-back flavour to the holiday. The charming city of Porto is within visiting reach too.
Mexico
Beach time fun can’t get much better than experiencing the proximity of one of the planet’s largest mammals. San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja is where grey whales congregate to breed and raise their calves each spring before their onward journey to Arctic waters. Watch the delight on your children’s faces as whales actively court interaction with wildlife watchers aboard a daily limited number of small boats on our whale watching family holiday to Mexico. Learn about the whales and beachside flora and fauna from trained naturalists during your stay at a beachfront camp, as well as enjoying the home-cooked dinners and exceptional star gazing opportunities.
Finland
Stepping into the ultimate winter wonderland on our incredible Northern Lights Adventure holiday in Finland is like stepping into Narnia (but fortunately without the wicked white witch!). The age gap between children and adults suddenly blurs as everyone enjoys fun and games in the snow. A week’s worth of warming activities includes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and husky sledding. You even get the chance to learn some winter survival skills and learn how to build your own igloo plus pay a visit to a local reindeer farm. Your cosy apartment contains a log burner, clothes drying area, Wi-Fi and even an ensuite electric sauna! This trip makes the perfect February half term or Christmas break and what better gift than a view of the Northern Lights too?
Inspired? Let us take you there
Call us on 01962 302 062 for more information about any of these trips.
Alternatively, use our holiday search or contact one of our Families team to help plan your perfect alternative family holiday.
