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Researching ACTIVITY HOLIDAYS has always been fun. We spent a week cycling around Lake Ijseel living on a Dutch barge when the children were six and eight (booked through Freedom Treks) and a week in Slovenia canyoning, white-water rafting and kayaking when the children were nine and 11 (with Green World Holidays). Nearer to home, the children loved sailing through the Caledonian Canal in Scotland with Caledonian Discovery, each day trying a different outdoor activity (walking, biking, canoeing).
Although you might not think it, taking a CRUISE works well for the family. Simon loves to visit a new destination every day but the children don’t want to move from hotel to hotel and so cruising has always been a good compromise. We have taken a few cruises with Thomson, as their ships are small and not too expensive. However, the children’s favourite cruise line at the moment is Princess (more expensive), as they have “movies under the stars” accompanied by unlimited popcorn.
Talking of compromise, as the children have become older, the idea of a BEACH CLUB trip has become increasingly popular. We have travelled with both Neilson and Mark Warner and so far our favourite resort is Vounaki, in Greece, as it’s small and perfectly formed with a lovely, safe sailing area.
In 2014 we decided to do something completely different and take the children OVERLANDING in Africa. We booked through Dragoman and signed up for their family truck/camping tour through Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. All the children on board were given jobs – everything from collecting fire wood to helping out at mealtimes and for three weeks we lived out of the truck, in our tents and around the campfire. By day we saw amazing sights – Victoria Falls, the wild animals in Etosha National Park, the huge seal colony at Cape Cross and the beautiful sand dunes of Namibia (where the children went sand surfing). By night we roasted marshmallows and watched the stars from a clear, cold sky.
Every year since the children were four we have taken them SKIING. Simon and I remain dreadful skiers but the children are now pretty good. Each time we go to a different resort but two that really stand out for us are Baqueira in Spain where the pistes are deserted and Andorra, which is great for teenagers, particularly if they’re learning Spanish at school.
Of course, all travel is EDUCATIONAL but one specific trip that has, we hope, enriched our daughters’ understanding of the world was one New Year when we stayed in Sorrento (Italy) with the express intention of climbing Vesuvius (Geography) and taking the children to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Villa Oplontis, as they’d both just started learning Latin at school.
The bulk of our family trips fall into the category of INDEPENDENT TRAVEL. One October half-term, we timed a visit to Washington, the Kennedy Space Center and Miami to co-incide with a rocket launch. This is easier to do than you’d think (just sign up to the rocket launch schedule on the Kennedy Space Center website). When we arrived in Orlando, we were the only family on the plane not taking the children to Walt Disney World! Still in America, one year we spent a few days in Los Angeles before travelling around Baja California where we snorkelled with sea lions and hiked in the Baja Sierra. When we go away we always try to do too much and, with when travelling with children, this is a risky strategy. So, one long weekend when the children were around 10 we decided to concentrate on just two sights. We went to Paris and only climbed the Eiffel Tower. The next day, we took the train out to Giverny and our only outing was to visit Monet’s garden. It was a lovely, leisurely combination and the children enjoyed not having to rush from one place to another for once.
There are many family trips that I haven’t mentioned here (eg the Northern Lights, riding the world’s largest tidal bore in Nova Scotia, visiting Neuschwanstein – the castle in Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang and the one that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle ). However, if there’s anything here that you think might work for your family and you want to get in touch to find out a little more, just drop me an email (click here).
Simon is “the man who pays his way” and this policy extends to his family.
Charlotte
