Family Holidays

How we plan family holidays differently

Family travel is not adult travel with children added. The flights, the hotels, the pacing, the transfers and the daily structure all need to account for the youngest person on the trip. A game drive works for some ages and not for others. A resort with a structured kids club is right for some families and wrong for others who would rather eat dinner together every night.

We ask about ages at the start of every family holiday conversation because the age of the youngest child is the primary constraint on destination, accommodation, duration and pacing. It also changes quickly. The itinerary that works for a family with a six and nine-year-old is different from what the same family will want three years later.

The ages and stages question

Under five, long-haul travel is possible but the combination matters. Beach-led holidays where the days are unstructured work better than itineraries with multiple internal flights and daily transfers. The Maldives and Mauritius both work at this age. Trying to cover three countries with a two-year-old does not work well for anyone.

From six or seven, the world opens up significantly. Game drives become possible at most camps. Multi-city itineraries hold the attention. Cultural experiences in Japan, Vietnam and the USA become genuine highlights rather than something to get through. This is the age when a multi-centre family holiday starts making sense.

Teenagers are the easiest age to plan for in terms of destination breadth. We ask what they are actually interested in: history, food, sport, wildlife, adventure. A family where a sixteen-year-old is passionate about surfing will get a different itinerary from one where the same teenager is interested in Japanese culture. We plan around their interests as much as the parents.

The best multi-centre family holiday combinations

Florida is the most popular family destination we sell. Orlando provides the theme park leg. Miami or the Keys add a different pace and a genuine beach. The Keys offer snorkelling as good as anything in the Caribbean. A Florida circuit of ten to twelve nights, combining Orlando with a coastal leg, is the itinerary families with younger children enjoy most consistently.

Japan is the family destination that surprises people most. It is safe, punctual, child-friendly and packed with experiences that work across ages. The Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto is an event in itself for most children under twelve. Families who visit Japan almost always say they want to return.

Southeast Asia has improved significantly in terms of family infrastructure. Bali has family villas with private pools that suit younger children. Vietnam as a multi-centre itinerary, from Hanoi in the north to Hoi An in the centre and the beaches near Da Nang, works well for families with children old enough to engage with history and street food.

New Zealand is the most underrated family destination in our portfolio. The landscapes are spectacular and the activity range, from white water rafting to whale watching to the geothermal parks of Rotorua, works across a wide age spread. We typically combine Auckland, Queenstown, the Milford Sound area and the North Island in a two-week itinerary.

East Africa safari with family: it works better than most people expect

The assumption that safaris are not for children is one we challenge consistently. The minimum age for game drives varies by camp, typically seven or eight at most private reserves, and several lodges in Kenya and South Africa cater specifically for families. Children at the right age for a first safari almost always describe it as the best experience of their life.

We choose camps with family suites or private game drive vehicles. We route the trip to include a beach leg, typically Zanzibar from East Africa. Six nights in a quality camp followed by five nights on a beach is the combination that works best for most families.

Practical planning: flights, pacing and transfers

Long-haul family travel requires honest conversation about flight times. A twelve-hour flight to Southeast Asia is manageable for most children over six, particularly overnight. We build in a stopover where the journey warrants it, not to add cost but to arrive with the children ready to enjoy the first few days.

We use private transfers throughout our family itineraries. No shared shuttles, no waiting for other passengers. The cost difference is modest relative to the rest of the trip and the difference in experience on arrival is significant.

Pacing is the detail that separates a good family itinerary from an exhausting one. We build in afternoons with nothing scheduled. The best family trips have unplanned time in them.

Why book your family holiday with The Internet Traveller

We have planned family holidays across every destination in our portfolio. We know which properties handle children well and which merely tolerate them. We know the transfers that are too long with young children in tow and the camps where the minimum age is a hard limit.

Every family itinerary is ATOL protected and ABTA bonded. The brief is yours, built around your children's ages, interests and how much structure versus flexibility you want. We build the itinerary around that brief, not around a template.