Family Adventures with a difference
Eyes closed, a wistful smile plays across your lips as you daydream about taking that holiday of a lifetime… ahhh, perhaps once the kids have flown the nest! Daydream no more - authentic and adventure holidays aren't just for the grown-ups!
Do you want to take your family on a holiday with a difference - the sort of holiday where you share new experiences and make memories to last a lifetime? As an independent travel agency, with many years of experience in the industry, and being parents ourselves, we have the expertise to help you realise your dream. Contact The STC on 01392 660056 for inspiration for you and your family, the best itineraries and access to many award winning UK tour operators.
Here we give an insight into one of the operators we work with as well as details of a great new competition…
Tell Tale Travel are specialists in authentic and soft adventure holidays and take great pride in crafting the perfect itineraries for families with children of all ages (even those hard-to-please-teenagers). Their holidays to Thailand and Sri Lanka pack in many, many more experiences than a mainstream family holiday, with none of the demands or the basic accommodation of adventure travel.
But don't take our word for it - read on to get the real story straight from the elephant's mouth (as it were) as we hear four families' tales of their travels.
The Burton family took their three children aged 8 to 14 to Thailand, exploring Bangkok and the beaches and deserted islands of the Andaman Sea. They had an action-packed itinerary, including activities such as snorkelling, kayaking, nature walks and even some whitewater rafting.
With so much to do, did the family find enough time to kick back on the holiday? "We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of scope for relaxation," Alison Burton said, "We did so much and yet it was as relaxing as a typical beach-based holiday."
In between all that relaxing, what about a favourite activity? "The cycling and longtail boat trips stood out in Bangkok," said Alison, "The kayaking, as well as the one night camping on Bamboo Island were especially fantastic."
One worry that many parents have when holidaying with children is the food - will it be too different to what they're used to? Will they simply refuse to eat it? Alison's worries on this front were unfounded: "The food was amazing. There was always more than enough to eat and consideration was taken not to provide overly spicy food, which meant that the children also had the full Thai food experience throughout the holiday."
While most parents would be fairly confident that their children would enjoy an action-led holiday, some might be concerned that the youngsters might not have enough to interest them on a more nature-oriented trip. It’s not a worry according to Lucy Thomson and her husband who took their three young boys on a wildlife and nature themed holiday in Thailand.
"We had a fantastic time!" said Lucy. "The whole thing worked out really well with a good mix of contrasting activities and FUN! The boys are full of stories about the clay houses and paddy field fishing." And the boys had just one word to say about the elephants they encountered at the sanctuary in Chiang Mai: "WOW!"
Lucy's sons also took a real liking to one of their hosts, Yui. This was no surprise to us as Tell Tale Travel spends a great deal of time finding the right people and know all their hosts, guides and drivers personally.
Bill Bowler, his wife Jeanette and their children found that their hosts, guides and drivers often went that extra mile to make the whole family feel welcome. "We found Parr and Tommy to be very good," she told us. Parr’s talents stretched to the musical too: "He also sang us the elephant song! He was brilliant and just put that extra bit in." Bill and Jeanette's daughter Poppy celebrated her birthday while on holiday and was surprised with a birthday cake arranged by one of the host families.
Remember that a 'family holiday' doesn't just have to mean parents with young children or even teenagers or university-aged children. Family reunions, significant birthdays and important anniversaries are all great excuses to get the family together and enjoying a different holiday, would make for a highly memorable celebration.
Being spread across the globe - South Africa, the UK and New Zealand – the Evans family don't get to meet up often. Fun was had by all when they holidayed together in Thailand, with the youngest in their party being just two years old and the eldest being over 70.
Head of the family, Tony Evans, said of the trip: "I couldn't have asked for more variety and involvement in the Thai culture and tradition." One of his daughters, Bo, echoed Tony's sentiments, "I just can't believe the things we got up to and the experiences we had. Dad was in his element having his family around." Tony and his family are eagerly anticipating their next big get-together.
For authentic and soft adventure holidays to Sri Lanka, Thailand and Brazil, we know we can rely on Tell Tale Travel to deliver the goods time and again. Along with family adventure holidays, they also offer itineraries for couples, groups of friends, and solo travellers (with no single supplements!).
And the best news?
Enter our competition and you can win a £200 gift voucher for use on any Tell Tale Travel Holiday booked through The STC as well as a wildlife lover’s pack complete with books and DVDs.
To enter, answer the following question and email us before 29 February 2012 at competition@thestc.co.uk
- Which elephant has the smaller ears – Asian or African?
Contact us on 01392 660056 or families@thestc.co.uk for more details. Let our experience guide yours, with holidays that enrich, invigorate, open eyes young and old, stretch horizons and create memories that will be talked about for years to come.
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