Travelling With Children - Beyond The Package Holiday

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Being a solo traveller with no children I was wondering how it must feel to have children and also have the yearning for adventure.

What if you travelled a lot prior to having children and now feel you are unable? Or you want to experience adventure but feel unable since having children? I realised it needn't stop. The world of travelling opportunities is growing at a phenomenal rate, so much so there are hundreds of options out there for help and support when travelling with children. And, you needn't be limited to resort holidays in the Mediterranean either.

So I am going to give you a brief round up of how you can travel with children, and give you a resource guide of companies that can support you in enjoying adventures as a family and single parent.


Families Worldwide offer a number of ways to experience adventure travel with a family.

These range from:

• Activity and adventure.
• Discovery and learning.
• Safari and wildlife

And they even offer a late availability option for last minute family adventures.

I feel quite inspired by this company. Some of the trips look so much fun.

Children Age 7 and above

How about kayaking, archery, horseback-riding in Catalonia?

Or relax on fabulous beaches in Thailand, ride elephants through a rainforest, or snorkel through coral reefs all with fantastic food?

You can be as active or inactive as you want and while many of the tours do not offer childcare they do offer activities where you and the family can have a world of fun. These are the kind of adventures your children will remember for their entire lifetimes. And dare I say it, if I had the option of school for an education or travel as my education I know which option I would choose.

Children that travel tend to be more well-rounded individuals, more compassionate and open to different people and personalities and more socially relaxed.

So next time you are feeling like an easy pre-packaged holiday and have the resources, consider something a bit different, your children will love you for it - so long as you enjoy it too.

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Keeping Teenagers Happy

Explore do a fantastic range of holidays for children and have a lot of active holidays for the adventurous teen. They also offer budget holidays for those with a family.

The minimum age for Explore family holidays is 5 but they have designed a selection of tours for the teenager in mind.

Family trekking in Morocco? Hike the Inca trail? Jungle treks in India? Learning to cook traditional Indian curries and learn Indian dancing?

Activities Abroad also do a good range of activity holidays for parents travelling with teenagers. From cycling holidays to surfing, to kayaking and snorkelling. Lots of fun for the active family and you will come back thoroughly refreshed. No doubt your children will have made friends for life and you may have too. Tours take you through Malta, Iceland, Borneo and more.

Activities abroad also can include environmental education, visiting an orang-utan rehabilitation centre in Borneo and tree planting. So a well-rounded trip and one to inform their teachers about for extra credit.

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Single Parents

Explore also do a number of small group tours for the single parent. This makes it easy for parents to feel at ease, bond better with other single parents and makes for a much more pleasant environment when travelling alone with children.

You can cruise along the Greek coastline, swim, snorkel, explore tranquil fishing villages and dine on sumptuous cuisine.

And if you are looking for a more active single parent tour they also do an adventure tour in Croatia (along with other tours) where you can white-water raft, sea-kayak and swim in beautiful bays.


Travelling With Little Ones

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Taken by Lars Plougmann

A number of companies start tours from age 4/5 so holidays with younger children may be a little more of a challenge but many child friendly accommodations are available around the world now. And you needn't give up your luxury holidays once you have a little one to take care of.

Baby Friendly Boltholes is a UK site that specialises in a choice of holidays in the UK and overseas for those travelling with smaller children. The accommodation can be luxurious so no need to give up style when you travel with a baby.

Have Baby Will Travel  is a fantastic resource of inspiration and guidance for travelling with a baby or young children. First time parents check this out.

Responsible Travel is a responsible tourism company that offers a wide selection of baby-friendly accommodation when travelling.







Fantastic Blogs To Read Written By Travellers With Children

• 12 Tips For Travelling With A Small Child

• Flying with Children (by a former flight attendant).

• Family Travel Bucket List (this family inspires me as a single traveller - what a lifestyle - I love it!).

• Backpacking Asia with a baby.

• Have Baby Will Travel

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FAMILY FRIENDLY Travel Companies

Backroads (adventure, relaxation, time together, time apart).

Eurocamp (family friendly camp-sites)

Baby Friendly Boltholes (stylish cottages, hotels, places to stay with baby in mind).

Explore (adventure, relaxation, fun for the family).

Families Worldwide (tours,adventure,activity as much or as little as you like).

Responsible Travel (adventures, travel, volunteering, tours, accommodation for families, single parents, families travelling with babies, luxury travel - committed to responsible tourism).

QUESTION: 

Do you have any travel stories you care to share from your travels with your family? Any challenges? What blessings did you experience? Any tips? Please do share in the comments section. I look forward to hearing from you.

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