As we embark on another year – with hope in our hearts and jabs in our arms – the prospects for family travel are looking up. Testing and quarantine rules have been relaxed and holiday companies are seeing a surge in bookings and enquiries. From villa rentals with grandparents to exciting road trips and off-grid adventures, our determination to explore the world seems undiminished.
Whether you’re pining for a UK retreat by the sea or want to spend big on a far-flung adventure, Amanda Statham, Editor of 101 Family Holidays, has rounded up the best family getaways for next year.
Hit the road
Road trips are proving more popular than ever and little wonder, as they offer both freedom and privacy. From iconic adventures like Route 66 in the US to Scotland’s North Coast 500, it’s a wonderful way to discover a country. And remember, road trips with kids won’t end in them shouting, ‘Are we nearly there yet?’ every ten minutes’ if the itinerary’s packed full of fun things to see and do along the way.
I’ve got my eye on American Sky’s Experience California family self-drive holiday (10 nights from £1,279 pp) which includes flying into San Francisco, picking up a hire car and then cruising down the west coast, stopping off at beach resorts in Monterey (where much of Big Little Lies was filmed) and Santa Barbara, before ending with Anaheim and a visit to Disneyland.
If you’d rather hit the road with two wheels than four, Inntravel has some fun cycling holidays for families, including a six-night trip exploring La Rochelle, Islands and Beaches (from £875pp) on the beautiful (and largely flat) west coast of France. There’s an e-bike option too and luggage is transported efficiently between hotels.
Multi-gen trips
Holidaying with extended family can work well for everyone: you can split the costs or grandparents can pick up the tab, and while they get to spend precious time with your kids, you get to spend precious time snoozing by the pool. CV Villas has some great choices for three-gen trips, such as Nero Beach House (from £2,388) beside a beach in the north-east corner of Corfu. It has an infinity pool, lots of toys and games and tavernas within walking distance. There are six bedrooms and six bathrooms, so no arguments about who’s next in the shower.
Want to push the boat out? Head to the Algarve where A&K Villas is offering Casa Cynthia (seven nights from £7,597 per week in May), which has separate pools for adults and children, tennis court, table football, PlayStation 3 and pool table. It sleeps up to 12 guests across six bedrooms including a separate annex for the grandparents.
Off-grid adventures
Get together a group of parents and before long the topic of conversation will get round to kids’ screen time – how long they’re playing, what they’re playing and why the pre-gaming ‘70s were so superior. Get rid of screen angst in one easy click by booking an off-grid holiday for you and the fam. After all, you’re probably on your phone as much as they are!
Rent a boat with Nicols (from £834 per week) on the staggeringly beautiful and surprisingly untouched lakes, rivers and canals of Mecklenburg in Germany, where spotting ospreys, exploring ancient castles and helping with locks and swing bridges replace the need for screens.
Experience Travel Group’s Sri Lanka Summer Family Holiday takes in Kandy city, bike trails through hill country, leopard, elephant and sloth bear-spotting in Wilpattu National Park, the cultural triangle and some beach action, leaving no time for Fortnite or TikTok.
If money’s no object, the Inspiring Travel Company suggests Soneva Jani (from £7,445 pp) in the Maldives, which has a ‘no news, no shoes’ policy and only provides wifi to guests who request it, so it’s a case of unplugging and relaxing. Ideal for families are the one-bedroom water retreats or, if you’re travelling with extended family or friends, splash out on a four-bedroom island reserve, which includes a Man Friday butler, bikes and outdoor deck with slide into the sea.
Micro-cations
Make the most of all those Bank Holidays and non-pupil days by booking a long weekend getaway. It’s surprising how much you can pack into a three or four-day break, like soaking up some culture on a whirlwind city break to Lisbon staying at family-friendly Martinhal Hotel (rooms from £151 per night) with i-escape. Based in pedestrianised Chiado, the studios and apartments are stocked with everything you could need, from cots to sterilisers and welcome bags with a cuddly toy. There’s even a kids’ club with an indoor climbing wall.
Jersey, the most southerly of the Channel Islands, is a great spot for an extended weekend. Catch the ferry or take a short flight and you can be lounging on its golden sand beaches, having surf lessons or tucking into amazing seafood in less than four hours. Stay at the Merton Hotel (rooms from £93.60 per night), where the enormous breakfast buffet, nightly entertainment, game zone and Aquadome with slides, lazy river and simulated wave to surf will have kids begging to return.
Or book a short break on the Norfolk Broads aboard a four-berth boat from Waterways Holidays (from £389, Friday-Monday). Casting off at Potter Heigham, children will enjoy life on the water, sleeping in convertible beds, spotting ducks from the deck and helping to anchor along the way, before reaching Wroxham and cruising back.
Epic places to visit before your kids leave home
Bucket list holidays have long been a thing, but since Covid arrived on the scene and priorities have shifted, it’s felt more important than ever to explore the wonders of the world before the kids leave home.
Top of my list is a safari, which I’ve been plotting for a few years as my sons (six and ten) are now old enough to get the most from the highs this holiday brings. Mahlatini’s 17-day South African adventure (from £8,070 for four) taking in Cape Town, the Garden Route and a safari in the Amakhala Game Reserve, home to the big five, is a great choice for families as it’s malaria-free, meaning one less thing to worry about.
Also on many bucket lists are the Galapagos Islands, which at first glance might not appear ideal for kids. However, if you pick the right itinerary, like Rainbow Tours’ 12-day Island Hopping Family Adventure (from £4,995 pp including flights), it’s the holy grail of parenting – fun, outdoors yet extremely educational. Discover sea lion colonies, marine iguanas, giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies and penguins in their natural habitat, which just happen to be some of the most gorgeous islands on earth, such as Santa Cruz and Isabela.
Closer to home, The Azores definitely count as bucket list thanks to the whale and dolphin encounters you can enjoy in the waters around Portugal’s remote island chain. Book Sunvil’s seven-night Whale and Dolphin Watching Holiday (enquire for prices) and the kids can take part in research project Monicet, where volunteers help to build a database of sightings.
Pack the pooch
Were you one of the many who bought a pandemic puppy? If so, you’re going to be wanting to take the newest member of the family on hols with you, so a pooch-friendly pad is a top priority.
Siblu has some pet-loving holiday parks in France, such as Domaine de Kerlann in Brittany (£328 – 7 nights for up to 6 people). Or try Villa Janfranchou with Simpson Travel for a dog and child approved villa on France’s Aquitaine Coast.
The Isle of Wight’s a good call as it feels like you’re heading overseas (a 40-minute ferry crossing) without the faff of actually travelling abroad, plus four-legged friends are welcome. Classic Cottages has the perfect IoW escape in Beggars Roost (seven nights from £587), a gorgeous apartment with sea views, three bedrooms and plenty of space for Fido to stretch out.
Closer to home
If 2022 is still very much about staycations for your family there are plenty of places as wow as the Instagram feeds full of foreign holidays you’ll scroll through next year.
For example, you could rent a castle with Oliver’s Travels, or how about a dazzling white cottage at Lizard Lighthouse with Rural Retreats? Lying on the southern most tip of the UK, the surrounding scenery is insanely beautiful (three nights from £413).
Finally, get active with a holiday on a working farm with Holidaycottages.co.uk. I love the look of Badgers Drift in mid-Wales (seven nights from £563), with a cosy log burner, lots of cute animals to meet including ponies and goats, and cycling and hiking routes steps from your front door.
More holiday ideas in 2022
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