Family Holiday Options With Older Kids

Whether it’s a gap year, half-term, or Christmas break, getting away as a family allows you to re-connect with your kids away from the hustle and bustle of your daily life, and all the responsibilities and distractions that come along with it. As children get older, however, the usual getaway to the beach or the amusement park may no longer cut it, and that’s a good thing. Adventure holidays may have been a thing of the past when you had your first baby, but once the youngest member of your clan can keep up, you might want to consider a new itinerary.

Family adventure holidays are rapidly gaining in popularity, and they range from high-tech geo-caching adventures, to low-tech cross-country camping trips. Kind of like a treasure hunt for the 21^st century, geo-caching truly has taken the family travel market by storm. Hidden containers implanted with GPS devices are called geo-caches, and presently there are over 1 million of them scattered across the globe. It’s estimated that there are currently 4-5 million geo-cachers around the world. This is a great opportunity for kids to show off their prowess with gadgets, as you’ll need a Global Positioning System in order to participate.

History buffs may want to pack a little learning into their journey, and there are many options for that. Military history aficionados can do a battlefield tour in the Somme, Normandy, and Verdun areas of France. Those studying Darwin and his Origin of Species can pack their bags (and their deep pockets) for a cruise to the Galapagos Islands. And family holidays to Egypt are perfect for those fascinated by the ancient pharaohs and pyramids.

Egypt is a trip of a lifetime, and there are so many sights that are must-sees. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the last surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the World, and one of the world’s oldest tourist attractions. There’s also Abu Simbel, the two temples built for the pharaoh Ramesses II that feature a daily sound and light show. The Temples of Karnak are ancient Egypt’s most important places of worship. Every god and goddess of a period of over 2000 years is represented there.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo houses over 120,000 artefacts, and is the permanent home of King Tut’s treasure, the riches found in his tomb in the Valley Of The Kings. Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered completely intact in the 1920s, and is just one of the known 62 tombs you can explore for yourself. Visiting The alley Of The Kings is physically demanding, and in order to preserve the ancient stone, only a few tombs are available for viewing at a time, and access is rotated.  The best time to visit The Valley Of The Kings is during the cooler months of fall and winter. In summer, temperatures can soar to over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and there is little relief from the blazing sun.

Sticking to school holidays and breaks, however, can push the cost of your travels considerably higher. If you’re concerned about pulling your kids out of school for a trip, at least destinations of historical significance offer a great deal of learning and, very likely, memories that will last a lifetime.

This post is sponsored by The Adventure Company; the opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author.

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