Purple Tips: Family Holidays Abroad
Whether you’re an old pro at travelling with children, or this is your first trip with a new baby, it can be a daunting experience. How to keep them busy for two weeks and not go stir crazy yourself, will the food be alright, will there be other kids to play with and will the facilities be up to scratch? If you haven’t really thought it through and would like some ideas, then stay tuned for some top picks for family holidays abroad.
Young cheetahs in Masai Mara (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Let your little ones take a walk on the wild side in Kenya. Imagine introducing your young one to the stunning scenery of Africa, seeing gazelles rave across the planes, or elephants feeding in their natural habitat. The Masai Mara is probably the best known safari destination and there you could get the chance to see the so called big five: lions, elephants, rhinos, buffaloes and leopards. Not for the faint hearted, it’s all early starts, and a little bit of roughing it, so maybe it’s best to wait ‘til your budding zoo keepers are a little older before heading to Kenya.
Tunisia’s well known for practically year round sunshine, so if you’re after a couple of hours on the beach every day, dig out your bucket and spade and get going. Hammamet is a great choice, because there are a tonne of kid friendly activities, from clubs, babysitters and crèches. Older children will love the food, evenings of football training, singing, dancing and making plenty of new friends. If you’re the nerdy type of mum or dad, why not take a day trip to the Sahara desert, where you can check out the sets of some of the Star Wars films among others. Well, if it works for us…!
The stunning island of Antigua in the Caribbean might be a bit of a trek, but it’s so worth it. Antigua prides itself on being home to enough beautiful beaches that you could visit a different one every day of the year. It’s incredibly low key and relaxed, and is a perfect place to spend some quality time together. If you fancy a bit of activity, Half Moon Bay is fab for snorkelling, while Stingray City is an aquarium with a difference. Children are encouraged to stick their hands in the tanks and get up, close and personal with the tropical fish. It might not be a top choice for mum and dad, but we reckon youngsters will love it.
Praia da Galé; Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Portugal is surely one of the most family friendly holiday hot spots around. From the historic capital Lisbon, to the long stretches of sand on the islands of Madeira or the Azores Archipelago, there’s something to impress even the pickiest child. We think the old reliable Algarve is a top choice. There are water slide parks to beat the band, top notch sandy beaches to spend lazy days and a great range of family friendly accommodation options. Albufeira is a top pick for its lovely Old Town, with views right out across the ocean, a beautiful, sandy beach and great atmosphere.
