If you’re looking for something a bit different for your next family adventure, but aren’t sure where to start, then this post is for you.
It can be tempting to stick to what you know, but looking beyond more traditional destinations definitely has its benefits and will help your family make lifelong memories. The three places listed below don’t spring to mind straight away, but are all loved by families, and are worth considering when you make your plans.
(Photo credit: Tourism Victoria)
The largest city on Vancouver Island, Victoria is full of charm, with historical buildings everywhere you turn and lots of parks and outdoor spaces for children to run around in. Butchart Gardens and the Butterfly Gardens are both beautiful, but if your kids prefer insects the Victoria Bug Zoo has all manner of creepy crawlies to discover.
You can’t visit Victoria without exploring its history, and fortunately the Royal BC Museum has plenty of family-friendly exhibits about the area and how it’s evolved — you can even walk down a street as it would have been in the 1900s.
For a true Victorian treat, take some time to have afternoon tea at the Empress. In addition to their regular offering, there’s a Prince and Princess menu designed especially for kids, with delicious treats like rainbow-sprinkled cookies and chocolate marshmallow lollipops, as well as traditional scones.
(Photo by Patrick Schöpflin on Unsplash)
Bali is becoming more and more popular with travellers and holidaymakers — the number of Australians visiting the island has increased by 546% since 2006, according to 1Cover, who’ve written a Bali survival guide.
The best time to go is between April and September, which is the dry season. Sanur is ideal for families, since it has a chilled out atmosphere and makes a good base for exploring all the culture Bali has to offer. Head to Le Mayeur Museum to see traditional Balinese art, including work by the artist Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur, and introduce children to Indonesian food by taking one of the many cooking classes available on the island.
Visit between July and August and you’ll catch the kite festival, part of the larger Bali Arts Festival, where the brightly coloured kites can reach up to ten metres long — kids won’t believe their eyes. And of course, no trip to Bali would be complete without spending time on the beach. The coastline along Sanur is especially family friendly, since the waters are calm, shallow, and ideal for paddling.
Is your family adventurous? Do you love the great outdoors? Madagascar is the place to go.
The island is home to unique species of both animals and plants, including tomato frogs, chameleons and geckos, serpent eagles, red owls, and the famous lemurs. All the animals are safe, including the lemurs, who are very used to humans, which means you can explore with school-age children without worry. (Find out the best places to spot lemurs here.)
Travel throughout Madagascar can be unpredictable, so it’s better to pick one or two areas and stick to exploring them. You’ll be able to choose from visiting forests, rainforests, nature reserves, cocoa plantations, and rice fields.
There are also lots of tropical beaches where you can try your hand at activities like snorkeling, windsurfing and kayaking, or just sit back and enjoy the pristine sands and clear blue waters.
Disclosure: Collaborative Post