Edinburgh hotels travel blog

This article looks at the rise in popularity of multi-activity tours and family adventures. With family time now at a premium in our busy lives, is this one way to create lasting memories to share? Let’s look at the possibilities.

Once upon a time, family holidays were limited to local campsites or ‘child friendly’ franchises that catered specifically for a younger audience. They were fun, cost effective and basic. As the boom for cheap overseas flights grew, families started to decamp to Europe in greater numbers, particularly to Spanish resorts. But now the trend is changing yet again and pointing towards multi-activity tours and shared family adventures in a variety of new locations.

What’s available for families?
Family holidays are becoming ever more adventurous, as the appetite for spending time together in a rich and valuable way increases. People are leading busier lives and looking to make the most of their leisure time. Parents are often keen to enjoy shared experiences with their children through activity and adventure holidays, to bond with their kids and experience the challenge of trying something new together. Increasingly, the age of digital and mass customisation means that we don’t want the same holiday as the family next door; we want a holiday that matches our dreams, ambitions and personal tastes and says something about who we are and what we value as a family. Luckily, this is now perfectly possible!

How big is your imagination?
The market is such that there are now holidays to match all family wishes and many are entirely adaptable to personal preferences. Some families choose to hire a crew boat and sail around the Maldives and others go to villas or yoga retreats in Ibiza. Some families hire a large rental car and drive around Canada and others go on family activity holidays in resorts offering plenty of sports and recreational activities.

Many children benefit from such holidays by learning new skills that last them a lifetime. Activities include swimming, riding and playing tennis. Parents also have the joy of sharing skills and hobbies with their children in a relaxing holiday environment and spending quality time together where they can bond and get to know each other.

Many of these holidays can be customised flexibly according to the customer’s wishes and this is one of the main bonuses of the internet age. Providers are becoming tuned into the need to allow customers to define their ideal type of family adventure and cost it up in bite-sized chunks, rather than offering a ‘one size fits everyone’ package.

These types of holidays don’t need to break the bank either. Some of the most inspirational holidays never go anywhere near a theme park! Consider camping, a caravan or local guest accommodation and get off the beaten track to experience the great outdoors and allow the family to enjoy nature at its best.

There’s plenty of advice and inspiration for destinations and itineraries online, along with tips and guides from others who have travelled on multi-activity adventures before you. They have tried out kite surfing in Greece, horse riding in Texas, hiking in France or tobogganing in Whistler! Only your imagination can limit the possibilities with your holidays. Why not include the family when planning your dream trip so that everyone feels part of it and can get excited?

AUTHOR BIO
Janine Devlin writes regularly on a range of adventure travel and holiday topics for family magazines, blogs and websites. A real fan of adventure travel herself, Janine has been lucky enough to travel much of the world researching travel destinations and accommodation to recommend to others. A mother of three, Janine has also experienced adventure travel with a young family and believes it is a fantastic way of bringing families together and providing them with memories to last a lifetime.