One of the BEST things about having kids is the time that we can spend with them *in between* the chaotic days of nursery and school. Yes – time in the holidays with the kids, can be equally chaotic, but we’ve learnt to try not to begrudge that time and cherish is. It is a great time to think up fabulous family travel ideas to keep them, and you, happy.
Before we know it, the kids won’t be spending time with you, they’ll be off with friends and partners. That’s a time to be savoured too for different reasons, but while we’ve got them, why not think of interesting and different family travel ideas for the school holidays? You COULD be educating while you entertain you know 😀.
We have LOADS of content on holidays on KiddyCharts, but what about some ideas for some activities that perhaps you just didn’t think of?
Going on a city break
It is all too easy to go for the simple; let’s go to the beach idea when you are off on holiday with the kids. Or when it’s a little colder, perhaps taking them somewhere where you can walk. But what about exploring some of the more amazing places across the globe with the kids that give them a bit of city culture? From Paris, to Amsterdam, and perhaps even more unusual locations such as Reykjavík. Iceland is a wonderful place to visit for families; though you might have to start saving now! 😉 If you can’t afford to travel too far, then why not explore some of the larger cities within your home country or state, such as New York in the US, or London, Lancaster, and Lincoln in the UK. There are so many gorgeous cities to choose from, and a quick bit of internet research will give you the best UK cities to go to with kids.
Head for a free museum day out
Museums are BORING, right? Wrong. Most countries, wherever you are have a simply stunning set of museums for you to visit. There are Natural History Museums, Local museums to help your kids explore their local heritage, and every other museum you can think of. There is even a Pencil Museum in the Lake District 😀. Families Online have an excellent selection of UK free museum ideas, and The Points Guy has collected some free museum ideas to help with things to do in the school holidays in the US. Why not explore some of these?
Try an adventurous travel experience
I know – what the HELL do we mean by that? Fair point, but what we are trying to say is do something a little bit different. This can turn something you have always done, into a great family travel idea. Take a standard travel theme, and develop it so its something a little bit more adventurous:
- Camping – becomes camping in the mountains,
- Swimming – turns into swimming in a mountain lake, or floating on a lilo in a fabulous lagoon,
- Picnicking – develops into foraging for food, and then making yourself a meal. We even have some foraging recipes on the site so you can do this without too much difficultly. Why not try our Chickweed Sandwiches or Wild Cherry Pie?
- Visiting a local market – becomes exploring a night market in a fabulously exotic location.
We could go on, but IHG have 50 adventurous ideas, so why not try some of them?
Bring history to life
History is too much about dates sometimes; remember this and remember that. What about if as a family you took time in the holidays to experience history properly; in REAL life? From visiting a War Museum, such as Duxford, to experiencing history in real life in Pompei, Delphi or Peru. Clearly there are some historical locations that require a little more effort than others, but it IS possible to put together a little itinerary that works for you and your family.
Looking at different civilisations for kids can be fascinating, from the Romans and Greeks, to the Aztecs and the Incas, depending on how far afield you can afford to go. There is nothing better than a travel idea for a holiday that educates as well as entertains.
Give something back with a volunteering holiday
“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry they are always watching you.”
Robert Fulghum
If you REALLY want to give your kids a fantastic family travel experience in the holidays, and also helps them and teaches them wonderful qualities, then the BEST thing to do is take them on a volunteering holiday.
These are designed to give back with wonderful cultural experiences that enrich your kids lives, while helping others. There are plenty of ways your family can help in the holidays including:
- Marine conservation in Thailand for teenagers,
- Volunteering with disadvantaged kids in Cambodia as a teen,
- Work in Costa Rica with secondary school kids on conservation projects.
A good proportion of these ideas are for older, secondary school aged kids; organisations like Projects Abroad and Responsible Travel are great places to look for inspiration.
We really hope you like these ideas and they inspire you to some fabulous family travel ideas next time you are planning a break. Tell us about them if they do! Do take a look at the other travel content we have on the site, as well as our free resources for keeping the kids keep entertained. We have so much to choose from.
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We hope you come back to the site soon, be lovely having you.
Helen
This is a collaborative post.
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!