Family Adventure Holidays Worldwide Blog

Father & Son? Mother & Daughter?

2012-01-04T10:05:00.007Z

As a father, I’m often conscious of the changes that have taken place during my lifetime in terms of technology, schooling and working life. In my own boyhood I spent a good deal of time with my Mum and Dad, and we had constant interaction through games, sport, reading, mealtimes, holidays etc. TV was a very small part of our lives, and computers, computer games, the Xbox, Wii, Smart-phones, Nintendos DS, Gameboys etc did not exist.

I’ve observed and commented on such changes many times, noticing in particular the obsession/addiction that my 14-year old son Joseph had with screen games etc. Also his lack of engagement with the outside world at times, and a lack of ability to concentrate on one thing at a time.

In May 2011, having thought long and hard about the need for more time together, I decided to take him on a real ‘boy’s own adventure’ to Slovakia; trekking and bear watching in the Tatra Mountains.

This holiday later became the first ‘Father and Son’ adventure developed by my company, Families Worldwide. These trips are being developed to help working parents bridge the gap with their children, to help overcome missing out on quality time together as they grow up.

In particular, I’d noticed that fathers feel the need to spend some quality time with their children when they’re in their teens.

“Most rights of passage have now disappeared from western culture.”

Sociologists and anthropologists have noticed that today, unlike in early civilisations and tribal cultures, most rights of passage, in which father and son or mother and daughter come together in some kind of initiation, have now disappeared from western culture.

These experiences, or ‘journeys’, help youngsters into adulthood and teach them to face and resolve wounds from the past, as well as inspiring, equipping and empowering them to lead successful lives as adults.

“You may get to see, in a new light, the amazing adult that your child is growing up to be.”

We highly recommend a ‘father and son’ or ‘mother and daughter’ holiday – you’ll be glad to get them away from the TV screen and the computer, and it’s likely that you’ll both return with a new-found respect and admiration of each other, thanks to the bonds that are inevitably formed from shared experiences. You may get to see, in a new light, the amazing adult that your child is growing up to be.

Mark Wright

Managing Director of Families Worldwide.

Click here to browse our family holidays or talk to our consultants today!

Family Activity Holiday to Turkey: New for 2012/13 - Turkey Sailing Week

2011-11-20T14:14:00.000Z

Based on the edge of a village on the Datca Peninsula in southwest Turkey, this delightful beach front location offers a great setting for families wanting to spend some quality time together. The main large bay forms a wonderful natural harbour, a perfect place to learn or improve your dinghy and windsurfing skills. There are some sessions designed specifically for the kids, and dinghy and windsurfing courses are available to children old enough to participate (generally 8 years and above). Perhaps hire a car and take the opportunity to explore the attractive local area, or combine this trip with a one-week flotilla hire on the Aegean coast.

You will stay in a small taverna-style hotel, with just 20 rooms, all with private facilities. There is a freshwater swimming pool, bar and restaurant serving a wide range of dishes. The beach is sand and shingle with a large wooden jetty perfect for the sailing activities. We also included a 2-day sailing or windsurfing course for two members of a family of four.

For more details of this exciting new family adventure holiday in Turkey - Click here

Family Activity Holiday to Italy. New for 2012/13 - Active Sicily

2011-11-20T14:04:00.000Z

Enjoy walking through canyons and gorges, exploring ancient Roman ruins and discovering picturesque villages steeped in tradition. Children can spend a day on the farm, helping to feed the animals and sow crops, then walk on an active volcano, exploring crater rims and recent lava flows. Swim in crystal clear rivers, and enjoy fabulous Italian food and ice creams.

From £669 per person, this holiday offers a great combination of culture, activity and nature.

For more information about this exciting new Family Adventure Holiday in Sicily - Click here.

Family Activity Holiday to Italy. New for 2012/13 - Abruzzo and Rome

2011-11-20T13:51:00.001Z

A week in the beautiful unspoilt Abruzzo region, one of the unknown treasures of Italy. Explore alpine meadows, beech forests and mountain streams which trickle down deep limestone gorges. Paddle along the Tirino River in Canadian canoes, then spend a day trekking through a stunning gorge to find the hidden sanctuary of a Middle Ages rock hermit. Learn how to cook authentic Italian cuisine, and end the week on a high with two days in the ancient city of Rome and its spectacular sights.

From £979 per person, this holiday offers a combination of active and cultural interests whatever time of year you travel, with accommodation in comfortable hotels and many meals included in Abruzzo. In Rome the hotel is centrally located, close to famous highlights and only a short bus ride to the Vatican and Coliseum.

For more information about this exciting new Family Adventure Holiday in Italy - Click here.

Family Activity Holiday in Greece: Customer Testimonial

2011-06-30T09:30:00.000+01:00

"Just wanted to dash off a quick email to say what a fantastic week we've just had at Nikiana. The logistics went very smoothly, thank you for that, the beach club was in a brilliant spot, beautiful, traditionally Greek, Elina cooked lovely Greek food at very reasonable prices. However what made it was the four guys running the club and sailing, Sam, Steve, Simon and Billy were brilliant, knowledgable sailors, great instructors, but laid back, nothing too much trouble and crucially fantastically patient with the kids. My 6yr daughter was in tears on the way home at the thought of not seeing them again, and my 5yr old son hung off their every word and followed them around endlessly. Cannot speak more highly of them. I will shoot off an email to Seafarer singing their praises, but just wanted to let you know we all thought this was one of the best trips to Europe we've had and I look forward to booking with you again in the near future.

Thank you arranging things very seamlessly."

Justine W. June 2011.

For Family Activity Holiday in Greece at the Nikiana Beach Club - Click here

Slovakia: Projekt Medved

2011-06-26T10:44:00.000+01:00

Maria's collar was programmed to drop off on 18th May which it duly did so she is now free again. The GPS position showed it to be in an area of fallen trees. It was obvious that Maria had rested up here for a number of days - maybe she was relishing her new found freedom. Around the flattened rest site was a large quantity of dung full of grass. On closer inspection there were two types of dung. Now bear dung is not something that can really be confused with much else, it is big, very big, and bluish/black at this time of year. However on one side of the rest site there were some small piles. At first we thought that these were fox droppings, but on closer inspection they proved to be the dung of a baby bear! This cub must be much bigger and stronger than the one that died as Maria was moving very quickly through the terrain when she left her little one - in fact we thought that due to the speed she was moving she could not possibly have still had cubs. It was good news that the drop-off technology worked and great news to see that she still had a cub. Although we will not be receiving data from her any more, both us here at Projekt Medved' (Project Bear) and the TANAP head ranger were quietly pleased that she can go off in peace now. She has done her bit for science and has provided us with some very good data.

Galina, caught in May, has stayed around the settlements. She lives in an area that was devastated by the storm of 2004. With the removal of the timber, much of the energy was removed from the ecosystem and also the natural barriers to deer browsing trees were taken away so the area is characterised by stunted trees and bushes interspersed by grassy patches. Although not looking too pretty this vegetation is great cover for bears and wild boar. The patches of grass are perfect for bears to graze on and pigs to dig up in peace. Galina has passed by several communities but there is no concrete evidence that she has entered any of them. In fact the relatively large village of Gerlachov is given a very wide berth on all sides. Maybe this is due to her capture and a fear that she has developed, or maybe this is support for the argument that most of these bears are not entering the area specifically to raid bins but that they live there and occasionally enter village environments. The fact that all bears look big and brown would mean that even if a different bears entered the same village it might appear that there was one particularly persistent 'problem' bear - this would be possible if there was a relatively healthy population of bears in this area. We know, from camera traps, that there are definitely 4 in the immediate vicinity as Galina had two adult cubs which were chased away by an amorous male.

We think that Viktor has also been getting amorous with a couple of forays outside his regular area away from the grass slopes that he has been feeding on. Last week he was accused of killing six sheep. We proved his innocence using the position data. Apart from that he is leading the life of a very settled bear.

We have had two cracking bear sightings. One of a pair of bears, male and female, from about 150 metres. We watched them for about 45 mins and slowly walked closer until they ambled off into the forest. We also saw a mother and two cubs from about 50 metres - these were watched for about an hour and were totally oblivious to our presence. On recent tour we did not have that much luck in terms of close sightings but we still saw a total of 6 bears in two days; we saw a mother with three cubs high up on the slopes, a large male a long distance away and a cheeky adolescent quickly crossing one of the avalanche slopes about 200 metres away.

We have also seen hares, wild boar, red and roe deer, beavers, sousliks, an adder and, of course, plenty of birds in the past few weeks

- busy times!

For family activity holidays in Slovakia - Click here

Mark Wright - Bear Watching in Slovakia

2011-06-01T14:10:00.000+01:00

We've arrived at the ranger's cottage deep in the Tatras for two days.

Accommodation is ok, an old wood cottage straight out of Red Riding Hood. Although facilities are pretty simple it's a real privilege to be allowed up here in the midst of nature in the park - Projekt Medved (project Bear) works with the national park authorities to allow a select few tourists to stay and visit and see wildlife. There are NO other tourists up here and we have the entire park ourselves.

It's our first day and we have struck lucky. Observing the avalanche slopes between stands of fir trees we spot a solitary brown bear high on the upper slopes. Binoculars and telescope at the ready, we are delighted to see that three young cubs are in hot pursuit of their mother. We watch with fascination for a few minutes until the four figures lumber and toddle away into the dwarf pine and are then lost from view.

We walk through incredible mountain landscapes for the rest of the day, but see no more bears. Plenty of evidence on the trail of bear activity, but no more sightings today.

Tomorrow we'll be out at 5am to look for more.

Mark Wright in Slovakia

2011-05-30T06:16:00.005+01:00

Maths in the Tatras

As I get deeper into this trip in Slovakia I realise the importance of Project Bear. Throughout Europe, bear-watching tourists are attracted to sit in hides and wait for sightings. Bears are attracted to the hides by food being regularly placed outside the hides. Bears that become accustomed to being fed can become increasingly dependent upon such food sources making the chances of bear-spotting that much higher.

Project Bear, where tourism works hand in hand with national parks and a research project, allows bears to be seen in their natural habitat without the confines of a hide - you may have to work that bit harder but the chances of being rewarded and sighting bears are high.

The project is terribly underfunded. It needs help as tourism alone may not be able to provide enough support for this worthwhile cause

Poland and Slovakia

2011-05-29T10:18:00.000+01:00

Krakow is delightful and still very unspoilt. It's such a shame mass tourism eventually spolis places. How do we stop places like this becoming spoiled?

Who says May Half Term study has to be at home?

2011-05-29T08:57:00.000+01:00

From the Cloth Halls, Old Market Square, Krakow, Poland

Trip Report: Peru Activity Holiday in Pictures by the Faulkner Family!

2010-12-29T14:03:00.000Z

Meeting the locals in Arequipa or Dad will never make a gaucho

Cusco – Ancient Inca capital

Inca engineering – earthquake proof

Natural slides at Sacsayhuaman – the world’s oldest roller coaster

Classic Peru combo – Inca Cola and Guinea Pig

Kaleidoscope of colours at the Alpaca farm

Altitude training at Pisac

And so it begins…

The first high pass – and still smiling

These cocoa leaves are good

The ultimate breakfast spot

Winay Wanya

Made it! Machu Pichu - The lost city of the Incas

For Family Activity Holidays in Peru and the Inca Trail - Click here

Trip Report: Bush Family in Vietnam - in pictures!

2010-10-20T09:50:00.001+01:00

School art class at Hoan Kiem Lake overlooking the Huc Bridge, Hanoi

Halong Bay

The overnight train experience

The entrance to Phong Nha cave, the cave system is simply stunning with some of the most amazing features I have seen

Boats lined up on the Perfume River in Hue ready to take the tourist on the river cruise down to the Thien Mu Pagoda

Josie in on one of the many clothes shops in Hoi An

Ed having a go at watering the herb fields in the market gardens that surround Hoi An. We visited them on an evening bike ride.

Ducklings being rounded up in one of the waterways on the outskirts of Hoi An, again seen on the fantastic cycle ride around the area.

Stunning lanterns that illuminate Hoi An at night.
Hoi An was our favourite place. The people were really friendly (as in the whole of Vietnam in fact), the old town is beautiful and the food is simply marvellous. Fresh, superb tastes and great value.

Street life in Ho Chi Minh City!

Ed emerging from one of the Cu Chi Tunnels

For Family Adventure Holidays in Vietnam - Click here

15 Great iPhotos - The Thurlow Family in Bali 2010

2010-10-18T09:51:00.002+01:00

At the Bird Park

Our twin girls outside a temple in sarong given to us

At the Water Gardens

Volcano Walk

Our kids with the kecak dances - these 2 girls were 12 years of age.

White Water Rafting

On bike ride - looking at a chocolate tree

At the Elephant Park

At lagoon - Mimpi resort

Family Adventure Holidays in Bali, Indonesia - Click here

Experience your world together in 2010

2010-03-11T12:06:00.003Z

In this incredible world of diverse cultures and natural environments, it’s always interesting to meet families from all walks of life that have things in common. What I’m finding more and more as I travel and talk to parents, is the overwhelming number of you who are becoming desperate to help their children to engage with the real world and leave behind the screen of a computer, phone, Playstation, Nintendo DS, X-Box, Wii...

I’m proud to say that our trips do just that. Since the first adventure holidays for families we planned and operated in 1997, we’ve always aimed to provide fulfilling experiences where both parents and children can actively participate and learn about different ways of life. My kids still talk about their experiences of haggling in bazaars in Egypt, riding elephants in Thailand, visiting a school in Tanzania, and I see this as a vital part of their ‘education’.

The battle against the screen may never be won, but at least trips overseas like these give a chance to come up for air in the real world, and at the same time provide a lifelong memory, a place-marker in time for your ever-evolving family shape. The world economy has been through tough times in recent years and we’ve worked hard to keep the ethos of Families Worldwide the same at more affordable prices than ever. Experience your world together in 2010.

Mark Wright

Founder, Families Worldwide

Trip Report: Charlie in the Sinai Desert - Egypt

2010-02-25T11:45:00.010Z

I managed to get out to Egypt for a few days in February to meet up with our Families group leaders and to run over the new Sinai and Desert trip. As always our Egyptian team were so enthusiastic about travelling with Families Worldwide clients and they love the sense of fun of the children, the willingness of almost everyone to ‘give things a go’ and the fact that there is a general fascination about all things Ancient Egypt from all ages – while admitting that the pool Luxor does has an allure for those who have seen a lot of temples!

One of the main highlights of this new trip is getting out into the wilderness of Sinai and experiencing the landscapes as opposed to the main cultural sight of the Nile Valley. You do get to see the real highlights of Cairo, enjoy some brilliant snorkeling in the Red Sea and lazing on the edge of it – and we would strongly encourage anyone who has not been to add on a few days to Luxor – however you also travel through and into a unique, historic and dramatic landscape. A couple of things stood out:

It is a long drive from Cairo, passing under the Suez Canal and past Moses’ spring, and you are likely to stop for a lunch at Pharoah’s Bath. Make sure that you have your torch to hand and swimming trunks nearby. This stop is right on the beach and includes the chance to go into a steam cave, see how long you can last in there, a scramble into a dry heat cave where a torch is a must and then a cooling dip in the Red Sea – avoiding the hot water emerging on the beach. This break in the journey takes place before you head into the Sinai mountains through sinuous wadis and stunning rock fields where small Bedouin settlements cling to the harsh landscape.

There is an otherworldly feel about St Catherine’s which is probably down to its remoteness, the strange coloured rock formations of the area and, possibly, due to the fact that it is the oldest functioning Christian monastery in existence. Certainly a wake-up call at 01.00 for the climb to the top of Mt Sinai felt pretty unworldly. Being February the climb was cold at times and always, above or below, you could see small flickering lights as others made their way up the mountain side. Arriving just below the summit in good time the choice was to wait it out in a tea shop or head to the exposed top and wait there – I definitely have no regrets about lying on the summit in the dark watching the (shooting) stars and slowly seeing the light creep up from the East. What silence existed, this is a popular spot, was broken by a dramatic pre-dawn call to prayer – the first time I have heard an acoustic version – and then a cheer and hymns as the sun appeared on the far horizon. A brilliant and beautiful experience on this holy mountain.

This climb is not going to be for every family as it will take between 3 and 4 hours and while not technically difficult in any way it is continuously uphill in the dark on a rocky path. The last stage, the Steps of Repentance, is just over 700 irregular steps – there is no other way up! A Bedouin guide leads the group, everyone must have a torch, and the group leader will bring up the rear. There are plenty of places to stop, grab a tea, soft drink or snack on the way, even a few basic toilets, and when you reach the top you can rest up on a mat under a blanket to await the dawn. In winter it will be very cold on the way up, but especially on top, so thermals, gloves etc. will be needed. Even in other months you should plan for it to be cold on the summit while you await the arrival of dawn. The downward journey is much quicker with glorious views in all directions and the thought of breakfast at the bottom. When doing the Sinai Desert trip you can miss the climb if you wish, and just visit St Catherine’s Monastery at a more civilized time, however clearly children cannot be left behind on their own at the hotel and neither can parents send their offspring up the mountain on their own! Doing it as a family will be a great shared experience - for firstly reaching the top and then enjoying together the spectacular dawn appearing across mountainous landscape.
Family adventure holidays in Egypt - Click here

2009-12-16T16:13:00.003Z

We had a visit recently from David Illsley who, with his wife Emma, owns Casa Las Chimeneas our Families Worldwide base in La Mairena in Southern Spain. It is always great to hear about this "balcony of the Alpujarras" with its gorgeous views and enviable sunshine record however this time David had some other news for us. He was over in the UK to make the first delivery of his home-made olive oil to Moro Restaurant where he dropped off over 200 litres of the golden nectar. Their link with this famous restaurant and food emporium goes further than that as David explained;

"The deal we have with them is that more a dozen of their chefs and staff spend a week with us in February learning about olive oil production and indeed getting stuck in and bashing the olives off the trees. This is part educational, part reward for them after a hectic spell over Christmas, and part commitment by the Moro owners to the general concept of slow cooking and being in proper, earthy contact with food production from first stage to last. It is, of course, great fun too and any of our guests from Families Worldwide are always very welcome if they fancy lending a hand. The other thing we do with Moro, by the way, is cookery classes, and Sam, the owner is planning the next one for October 2010. One of his assistants, as it were, is in fact Chris Stewart, the celebrated ex-Genesis member and best-selling author of Driving over Lemons".

The olive oil is, by all accounts, pretty damned good, and they offer visitors the option of a free trip around the village mill, one of very few remaining traditional mills that still preserves the old chemical-free techniques using fibre filters and some beautiful vintage engines.

This village and indeed the whole of this part of Andalucia sounds gorgeous and as if any other excuse to visit was needed David and Emma have offered all Families Worldwide clients a 15% discount for any 1 week bookings made before the end of March 2010!

2009-10-21T16:10:00.013+01:00

Backwaters & Beach

Descending from the hilly forests of Periyar we entered the world of the Kerala Backwaters. This maze of rivers, canals, lakes and paddy fields is a truly unique landscape where life revolves around the water from fishing, farming, washing & drinking to travelling.

Villages, towns, schools, churches, temples & houses seem to exist on small parcels of land and everywhere is the most glorious variety of shades of green, brighter than you can imagine. Sailing on a converted rice barge we entered a world of calm as soon as we stepped aboard and were greeted by the crew with a fresh fish lunch. Gently moving along the waterways the quieter pastimes of dozing, lounging and reading took over interspersed by the odd game of carom. After a evening sumptuous feast, with a chorus of frogs in the background, we lay back on the mats to gaze at the night sky and watch the haphazard trails of enormous fireflies. Do not miss the chance to do this, even one night is well worth it!

If you are in the vicinity of Alleppey at the start of August it may well be that you will coincide with the Nehru Cup Snake Boat Races. These huge canoes are propelled by over a hundred rowers each, with drums beating and flags flying, and village, town or club honours are cherished. Visit the region at any time of year and you can see these leviathans hauled up on land in their own shelters or being worked on ready for the next challenge.

Leaving the Backwaters behind and unsure if we could be more relaxed we headed to the beach and the lovely Marari Beach Resort. What a way to finish off a trip to this part of India!

Set on the coast north of Alleppey, amidst a fishing village, the resort has beautiful mature gardens with direct access onto a beautiful white-sand beach. Accommodation is in spacious local style bungalows, some with their own pools, and open air bath/shower rooms. There is a huge pool, large ayurveda centre and open air restaurant serving delicious ranges of Keralan dishes. There is a club-house with games, library and TV (no TVs in rooms) set in a 200 year old building and a range of sporting activities from volleyball and badminton to tennis.

It is beautiful and it is luxurious but what really made it stand out was the incredible friendliness of the staff and the total dedication, in a low key way, to the wellbeing of the local environment. Every tree is labeled and the resort is almost 100% carbon-neutral with its recycling, composting, worm-farm, water-collection, water-recycling, vegetable garden, butterfly garden, fruit trees and packaging of all products. In-house naturalists are on hand for bird watching tours, village walks, butterfly hunts or just to explain the vegetation and trees. They will soon find out if one of the family is interested and get you involved as my sons found out when they were enticed out of the pool to help release a ‘captured’ rat snake into the vegetable garden! This really is a special place and we were all very sad to leave it and our friends behind.

2009-10-09T09:25:00.016+01:00

Backwaters of Kerala – August 2009

With family connections to India, and having visited it many times over the last 20 years, I could not believe my luck when we all agreed to have our summer holiday there. My sons, Sidney (9) and Frank (8) have travelled quite a lot around the world but it has always been to first world destinations and despite a liking for Chicken Korma and Bombay Mix I was not convinced that they knew what they were in for. I did know that the last time my wife Christa went to India she had cut her trip short as a result of sickness and the hassle of the busy northern cities – there were no fond memories there. It was however too late for everyone to back out when the comfortable Jet Airways flight touched down in Kochi and the warm tropical heat enveloped us. I needn’t have worried as it was smiles and laughs all round and they stayed with us throughout our adventures over the next two weeks!

We went out at the end of August and followed the route of the new amended Backwaters of Kerala trip. Visitors are often worried about travelling to Kerala in the summer months, and maybe we got lucky, but I had had the same experiences before and nobody should be put off by the weather. Yes it is hot all day and night long, humidity is as high as you can get and the sun is very, very strong indeed but the rain did not really affect us at all. Despite seeing some dramatic electric storms in Madurai the umbrella stayed pretty much redundant and while we had to negotiate the odd landslides in the mountains caused by earlier rains the only impact on our plans was that the views clouded over in the hills as the day wore on. The monsoon is actively welcomed in India and combined with the fact that the great Keralan festival of Onam runs through August everyone is actually in a pretty happy and welcoming mood.

Kerala, the Hills and Madurai

Our trip was 2 weeks starting and finishing in Kochi, the great spice trading port and cultural melting pot on the Arabian Sea. It was however pretty clear that when you are travelling with 2 boys the historical background to the region and the finer details of the Hindu holy pantheon were always going to play a very poor second fiddle to elephants, numbers of people on a motorbike/in a rickshaw, mangoes, Keralan Martial Arts, snakes, volume of car/truck horns, swimming pools and the suitability of any given road journey for a Top Gear Challenge.

Elephants were always a joy to see and leaving very early one morning to drive to a training camp imagine our glee on spotting 5 walking slap bang through middle of Kochi (for Mahatma Gandhi Road think Oxford St) carrying their food. Amazing! One hour later we were in the waters of the Periyar River helping to give them a wash down with coconut husks and then watching them being fed their breakfast. In Madurai we got ‘blessed’ by one, we saw them

wild in Periyar Tiger Reserve (including a 10 day old babe tucked away in the middle of a herd)

and then we rode them and bathed with them again later in Thekkady – a power shower with a difference! We even got to feel the belly of a mother to be, 20 months into her 2 year gestation. Massive, quiet, terrifying, gentle, awe-inspiring, swaying – lots of different emotions each time we came across them and they always caused a smile.

The mountains in Munnar and Thekkady regions were stunning with thickly vegetated hillsides and gorgeous views or the beautifully rounded contours of the tea plantations. It was cooler up there, but never cold, and we went searching for the elusive and endangered Nilgri Thar (mountain goat) in Evarikulam National Park. On cue a magnificent male appeared on a ridgeline and showed us his profile before we headed back downhill to try out the local chocolate and see how tea was grown, harvested and processed – never before had the boys thought sweet chai tasted so good. There is always something to see when on the move in India and the views among the Western Ghats were no exception. While the hills on the Kerala side rise gently up through spice and tea plantations on the Tamil Nadu (east) side there is a steep escarpment that drops away sharply and accentuates the dry plains below.

Journeys were always an endless fascination with intricate traffic jams, overloaded lorries, cows and ox carts on the road (only in Tamil Nadu), bizarre signs, highly illegal traffic maneuvers by most vehicles, landslides, photo stops, fresh fruit stalls, blaring horns, friendly waves and that family favourite game – how many people are there in that rickshaw? Travelling round ‘mad Madurai’ by bike-shaw and Alleppey by auto-rickshaw were also real highlights getting in and among the chaos that is many Indian streets.

The Sri Meenakshi Temple is the most famous in India and has been a major pilgrimage centre for at least a thousand years. The four enormous gopuram (towers) loom large over the city centre and can be clearly seen from the surrounding hills. Up close, once you have passed through the old city streets that radiate out from the temple, the amazing colourful scenes on the plasterwork stretch towards the heavens in row after row of gaudy excess. We first visited at night when the shrine of the presiding goddess is carried on the shoulders of the priests to her consort’s side accompanied by flaming torches, musicians, policemen, billowing clouds of incense, pilgrims of all shapes and sizes and, on this instance, two slightly bewildered boys from south-west London who had clearly seen nothing of the sort before. Returning the next day we saw this giant complex in a different light; a huge flower market with dozens of workers sitting cross-legged making up jasmine garlands; row upon row of stalls selling mementoes and keepsakes for the pilgrims; the Hall of a Thousand Pillars; the Golden Lotus Pool over-shadowed by the gopurams; queues of pilgrims following the snaking barriers into the inner shrines (Hindus only); pilgrims from all over India taking photos of themselves and their new friends from London; the massive painted temple elephant who, in exchange for a small offering, would bless the donor by gently placing his trunk on their head!

More to follow on the Backwaters, beaches, Food...

Kododo School in Tanzania

2009-04-22T10:30:00.003+01:00

Earlier this year Simon Smith, Head of Music at Amery Hill School in Alton, visited Kododo School in Tanzania.

The Kododo Project

The Kododo project aims to help resource and develop the primary school in a remote village in the Uluguru Mountains of Central Tanzania. Since October we at Amery Hill School have worked hard to raise money for the project, using our profile as a Specialist School for Music in the process. Through various concerts, a BigSing event, a Battle of the Bands and a non-school uniform day, we have raised £1500 so far, a tribute to the hard work of staff and students and the generosity of those who supported the events.

I visited Kododo for the first time in February with my wife Hannah. The first thing that struck me was how isolated and far removed from other communities the Kododo is. As we neared the village along a recently carved dirt track, we were warmly greeted by the sound of excitable children running out towards us. The money that we had raised went towards 160 recorders, which we distributed as gifts alongside school dresses donated by Chawton Primary School. The whole school performed their village song to us before we sung together Swahili songs that we had learnt prior to our visit. We took one of these songs, Jambo, and, after they had finished making as much noise as possible, taught it to the children on the recorders! Our time ended with Hannah performing her violin amidst a sea of faces that looked on with intrigue and bewilderment.

It was wonderful to see the unity and joy that music brings and to see the impact that we can have on those less fortunate than ourselves. We are hoping that our money goes towards new desks and new sets of text books in the near future and that this will be the start of a long-term relationship between Amery Hill and Kododo. We are already seeing the difference we can make.

Simon Smith
Head of Music – Amery Hill School

You can visit the Kododo school on our 2 week South Tanzania holiday - Hakuna Matata.

Kenya offers even better value as Visa fees are reduced by 50%

2009-03-16T11:39:00.002Z

We have just received the following message from the Kenyan Tourist Board

“The Minister of Tourism for Kenya, Hon. Najib Balala, has announced that entry Visa rates are to be reduced by 50% and completely cut for children under 16 from 1st April 2009 until the end of 2010. This bold move is to make Kenya even more appealing for visitors and to further attract the growing family market. The visa cost has been reduced from $50 to $25 and with no cost for children under 16, so a family of four will now only have to pay $50 for the two adults, offering a saving of $150.
“With beautiful beaches and thrilling safaris, Kenya has a lot to offer families. This scheme will help to keep costs down for all when planning a trip to our diverse country and particularly benefit those travelling with children,” comments Hon. Najib Balala.”

We seen a huge increase in growth for Kenya holidays this year and here is another reason to consider this superb all round destination for your family.

Top Ten Value Destinations

2009-02-20T16:28:00.014Z

A recent Post office report and Times Online article highlighted the ten cheapest countries to holiday in.

Here are the top ten holiday destinations when measured by value for your pounds.

Hungary £31.46

Czech Republic £31.49

Thailand £38.65

South Africa £43.27

Malaysia £44.71

Turkey £49.40

Bulgaria £49.87

Kenya £51.45

Croatia £57.26

Spain £61.73

Holiday basket includes: Cup of coffee, bottle of Heineken, bottle/can Coca-Cola, bottle of mineral water, factor 15 suncream, insect repellent, three course evening meal including bottle of house wine in a local restaurant. Source: Post Office

Luckily we are pleased to confirm that Families Worldwide offer great value trips in 8 of these 10 destinations.

Snow at the Families Worldwide Barn in Hampshire

2009-02-09T15:45:00.000Z

Multi-purpose Familes Worldwide Cap!

2009-02-04T14:37:00.004Z

It's not just when you are on one of our Family Adventure Holidays that our hats come in useful! To see the full range of family holidays, why not visit http://www.familiesworldwide.co.uk/

Egyptian Santa

2009-01-09T11:19:00.004Z

Contrary to popular belief Santa Claus is alive and well, living in Egypt!

Although I think it maybe Ned - one of our family holiday tour leaders, in disguise!

Family Holiday Inspiration

2008-12-24T15:54:00.004Z

Want some ideas on how to entertain the kids next February half-term? What about a bit of Winter sun in the gloomiest month of the year? There are some great ideas for holidays with a bit of a difference. Why don't you have a look at our family holidays website to gain some inspiration?

Trip Report: Michaela in Italy & Croatia

2008-12-23T09:56:00.004Z

During December it’s usually pretty quiet in the office so it gave me a great opportunity to visit our colleagues in Italy and Croatia for some last minute fine tuning of our new trips and enjoy some late winter sunshine. The Bay of Naples is one of the most fascinating and beautiful regions I have ever visited. At school you learn about Pompeii but I was amazed to see how the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD destroyed, homes, lives and the city in two days! Remnants of this former magnificent city remain, including the Forum, the Amphitheatre, Barracks, shops, villas and Roman baths, even the cart tracks in the road and underground copper pipes for water. Many of the mosaics, frescos, statues and earthenware from Pompeii and Herculaneum are preserved in the Archaeological Museum in Naples, well worth a visit when in town. Naples is a vibrant busy city, with four castles – each with a story to tell, the beautiful Galleria Umberto shopping mall and you must visit the famous Café Gambrinus for a coffee and a sticky cake. It is a little strange, as you have to order and pay for your coffee and cake first and then collect from the counter and then enjoy sitting outside and people watch.

Sorrento is a great location for families, I love the friendly atmosphere, the blend of beautiful coastal scenery, great shopping and good food. The shops range from designer to souvenir shops selling a range of local produce, lemoncello liqueur, olive oil, coffee, lemon honey to the beautiful pottery and ceramics made on the Amalfi Coast. A great place for families to wander around also is the fishing harbour, the restaurants and cafés are reasonably priced too – from pizza, pasta to delicious fish and meat dishes. From Sorrento, there are boat trips to Capri and along the Amalfi Coast to Positano and Amalfi a great way to view this stunning coastline, with its sheer cliffs and small villages clinging to the lush green mountainside. Further along the peninsula is Paestrum, a less well-known but very impressive three Roman Temples dating back as far as 550 BC, and directly opposite are the water buffalos and the agriturismo farm, here I learnt about the production of mozzarella cheese and sampling was included! Last time I saw buffalo was in the middle of the bush in Malawi so was a bit of a shock to see them herded like normal cattle. I also never knew you could get so many different varieties of Mozzarella cheese – my favourite was the smoked variety.

Our base is the fresh and modern Esperidi Resort. The studio apartments are set back in the peaceful gardens, surrounded by lemon, orange and banana trees and are either one or two bedrooms and/or 2 sofa beds in the living room with a small kitchen area (sink, kettle, microwave, hob + fridge). Next to the reception is the Jackie Hall, a large lounge/bar area, with adjoining breakfast room. In the garden is the large outdoor pool with a pool bar where you can get snacks (sandwiches, pizza) during the day. The resort is located in Sant Angello, a residential suburb of Sorrento, with shops, banks, cafes, and a small supermarket within a 5-8 minute walk. The train station is located here too and this is the easiest and quickest way to get into the city centre, or Pompeii or Naples. I don’t recommend walking into Sorrento as the roads are very busy and Italian drivers are a little ‘unpredictable’. Close to the resort (5 minute walk) is the ‘beach’. The beach is small with black volcanic sand – it is a very steep walk down the cliff or take the lift to the bathing platforms too, above the cliff is a café with stunning views across to Capri and the bay.

Click here for our Family Adventure holiday in Italy

My next stop was Croatia, our holiday offers a great combination of cultural and activity holiday. Even on a cold and wet day, you cannot fail to be impressed by Dubrovnik. The Old City of Dubrovnik dates back to the 16th Century, some parts of the walls date back to the 7th Century. It is a beautiful honey coloured medieval stone city, a myriad of narrow streets and alleyways, with tiny shops, numerous of churches and restaurants through narrow doorways. It is popular with visitors and cruise-ships and with the sun’s rays reflecting off the city walls it can get pretty hot during the day so I recommend you go early morning or early evening to explore Croatia’s ‘pearl of the Adriatic’. During 10 July – 25 August is the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, art, music, theatre and street entertainment take over the city, visited by 1000’s.

Fortunately, our base is in the resort of Cavtat, in the picturesque coastal bay of Zupa, only 25 minutes from Dubrovnik, but away from the crowds and city traffic. The Iberostar Epidaurus Resort is the perfect location for families it has a choice of three dining options, buffet restaurant, outdoor grill and a pizzeria, one children’s pool and one large swimming pool, a children’s playground with swings, slides, climbing frame, a children’s club (ages 4-12), tennis courts, football and volleyball all set in beautiful landscaped gardens. The rooms are a good size with en-suite facilities, two beds and an option of a third ‘pull out’ bed, as well as a few interconnecting rooms too. It is only a 15 minute walk along the promenade, fringed with palm trees running along the harbour front to the charming town of Cavtat with street cafes, banks, pharmacy and shops. A great place to return to after your morning of fun-filled activities from sea kayaking passing by the impressive city walls of Dubrovnik, Lokum Island and exploring Bettina Cave, to mountain biking through the delightful countryside of Konvale and the walks up to Mount Srdj and see Napoleon’s Fort and the amazing views of Dubrovnik Old City.

To explore further afield I recommend the optional visits to Mostar, a fascinating town where East meets West, a true melting pot of cultures, walk over the famous Old Bridge, wander through the bazaar, visit a mosque or an old Turkish house. Alternatively, if you prefer something a little more adventurous enjoy the jeep safari as your make your way through mountain villages, vineyards and streams. For thrill seekers the option to go white-water rafting through deep canyons, pine forests and pitching your wits against the surging waters is a must!

Click here for our Family Adventure Holiday in Croatia

RURAL ANDALUCIA - FREE Kids Holiday

2008-12-12T10:25:00.010Z

Did you know that if you book a holiday with Families Worldwide to Andalucia in Spain, the first child gets a free holiday? (land only - flight must be paid)

You can get away from the economic doom and gloom and enjoy a peaceful, rural Spanish life in a beautifully restored traditional villa.

Prices from £549 adult and £399 child (land only). Dates available all year round.

You can have log fires in winter or sunshine from Spring onwards, why don't you click on this link http://www.familiesworldwide.co.uk/holiday/rural_andalucia.html to find out more?

To recieve this special offer, you must book before before 14 February 2009.

Chameleon Club Loyalty Discount

2008-12-10T10:28:00.008Z

Did you know that if you have travelled with us, or one of our sister companies before, you could save as much as £100 per person when you book your next holiday with Families Worldwide or any company in Chameleon Worldwide. Why don't you click here to find out all about it.

Charles Darwin’s Bicentennial 2009

2008-12-08T14:28:00.005Z

Did you know that Charles Darwin wrote his famous book “Origin of the Species” following his extended stay in the Galapagos in 1835? To find out more about this remarkable man, click here .

Childrens outdoor gear - minicontgego.com

2008-12-01T13:04:00.000Z

Families Worldwide have teamed up with online retailer Mini Contego to bring you a fabulous range of childrens outdoor gear from some of the leading names in outdoor leisure. So whether you’re after skiwear for a Lapland trip or UV swimwear for warmer climates this winter, check out their website at www.minicontego.com. Enter "worldwide" at checkout for your exclusive 15% discount!

Have your older teenagers outgrown family holidays?

2008-09-24T14:29:00.003+01:00

Are your teens still happy to jump out of bed to explore interesting new places, or do they prefer to explore the local nightlife instead? Are they plugged into their i-Pod or alert to the sounds of the jungle? Do you have a different agenda from your adolescent as his/her mood swings back and forth like a pendulum? Do your teenagers still even want to holiday with the family? What experiences have you had?

Families Worldwide Activities Day

2008-09-22T12:48:00.003+01:00

Two years ago, we launched Families Worldwide with an event at Marwell Zoological Park, and to mark the publication of our 2009 brochure we are planning an even bigger and better event. We would like to invite you to join us for a fantastic day out to celebrate families, nature and travel and the growing appetite for adventure, discovery and knowledge. Places are limited so book now and put Thursday 30 October in your diary. Activities planned include:

A wildlife artist teaching the kids to draw animals
A cookery lesson on Moroccan food
A nature trail and quiz around the zoo
Meeting Jofli, the travelling bear
Ideas for family adventure holidays
A talk about the animals at the zoo
Meet the author of the Footprint Guide Travel with Kids
PLUS loads of prizes to win, free face-painting, stickers and much more

See our Activity Day flyer here

Lonesome George update

2008-09-22T12:36:00.003+01:00

Lonesome George, the world’s most famous tortoise, and the living symbol of the Galápagos National Park, has taken an important step into saving his species from imminent extinction. At the age of nearly 90, Lonesome George, a Pinta Island tortoise is the last of his kind. However he may finally have succumbed, after only 35 years of waiting, to the charms of one of his female companions. His keepers were astounded to find a nest with several fertile eggs in George’s pen and are hoping they bear his babies. They won’t know for a few more months, but if successful, the Pinta tortoise will be saved from extinction, although it will be many generations and even centuries before the species can be declared safe.

Christmas with Tigers

2008-09-17T10:32:00.002+01:00

The magic of India is encapsulated in our Taj & Tigers trip. Explore the thronged bazaars of Old Delhi and see the ‘real India’ as you travel by train to Ranthambhore, famous for its tiger – watch your children’s faces when they first see this magnificent beast in the wild. You’ll ride an elephant and stay in the ‘Pink City’ of Jaipur, then go hunting for exotic birds on a cycle-rickshaw in the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary. To complete your visit you’ll get up early one morning to watch the sun rise over the Taj Mahal, and see the world’s most beautiful building in all its glory. It’s a trip your children will remember for ever.

India makes a great christmas holiday destination, and while everyone else is raising flight costs, Families Worldwide have been able to offer lower prices for the Taj & Tigers holiday departing 27th December.

Farm stay

2008-07-31T20:26:00.002+01:00

Suddenly we find ourselves in comfort and luxury on an African farm owned and run by ex-pats. This follows a day on the road - one of the most wonderful days of travel I have ever known. Too much to describe now. It's late. More tomorrow.

Mark

The Selous - Tanzania's best kept secret?

2008-07-30T20:10:00.002+01:00

How come no-one's ever heard of the Selous? I thought it must be because the wildlife isn't so good. How wrong could I be? It is literally packed with animal and birdlife of every kind. And the park itself is absolutely beautiful - classic African bush. In fact some of it looks almost primaeval.

No more words for now - a few pictures, again taken on the very basic phone that comes on a Blackberry.

On safari in the Selous, Tanzania

2008-07-29T17:13:00.002+01:00

Well today was spectacular to say the least. The highlight was a group of elephants a few feet from us as the chomped their way through a tree or two (the eat 250 kilos of foliage EVERY day!).

Check this out. No zoom on my Blackberry so this is how close they were.

The Tazara Railway

2008-07-29T10:13:00.002+01:00

What an experience!. Everything you'd expect from an African train. the hustle and bustle of colourful people vying for space to board the train. The change of scenery as we leave the capital (Dar Es Salaam) bwhind and enter forested hills and tiny villages, still made from mud and straw) and ever-present smiling, waving children. Then at every stop, come hawkers selling their wares from the trackside below. Push up on long poles for us to view come baskets of fresh oranges, carvings, the inevitable coca cola bottles and everything else you can imagine.

To cap it all, as the train enters the Selous (Africa's biggest national park - it's about the same size as Wales!) We start to see wildlife from our carriage. First antelope, then giraffe, zebra, elephant....

Amazing stuff.

Sundowners in the Selous, Tanzania

2008-07-28T16:06:00.002+01:00

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

On the train to the Selous

2008-07-28T08:18:00.001+01:00

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

The journey to Dar

2008-07-28T07:35:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was an exciting journey. We'd woken up to a another stunning morning. Our 'bandas' (bungalows) are right on the beach so you can just walk out and wade into the warm ocean within moments of waking. Sure beats Alton swimming pool! After another great breakfast we set off through the bush once more, headimg for the tarmac road. It takes about two hours of driving over rough tracks to reach the road, but this is by far the best part of the journey. We saw lots of birflife again, including one magnificent vulture, presiding over all from its tree-top perch. When the fly and glide it's like slow-motion. So effortless.

Once we hit tarmac, we drive through countless villages, always with eager, gleeful children waving until we are out of sight.

We approach day at around 430, having left Saadani at midday.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

The Tazara Railway

2008-07-28T07:33:00.002+01:00

We find ourselves on the colourful Tazara Raway in Dar Es Salaam bound for the Selous. It's just fantastic to be traveling in a genuine way like this again. The noise and clamour of the train station in Dar was priceless - I've never seen so many colours all in one place.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

On safari in Saadani - Saturday 26 July

2008-07-27T13:33:00.001+01:00

So today in Saadani, Tanzania we went on a little canoe safari at the start of the day. The creek just next to the camp here is quite small but at high tide you can take small, outrigger style dugout canoes to explore the mangroves. We saw lots of birdlife - colourful kingfishers, herons, egrets to name a few.

Then, after a great breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs and bacon, and of course fresh Kenyan coffee, we headed south into the National Park for a full day safari by boat and 4WD vehicle (we left at 1100 and got to the Wami River at about 1400).

At the river we saw loads of hippo, maybe 50 or so at various points along the river. Mostly they were in little herds of about 15 or so. We saw quite a few crocodiles basking on the river banks too. Plus lots of birds - heron, great egret, lilac breasted roller, storks of many type.... We had a packed lunch in the boat, anchored next to a group of about ten hippos.

After our river trip (about an hour) we began driving back - a different route through the park in search of animals. We saw lots of baboons and a few colobus monkeys and, quite late in the evening a herd of about 60 giraffe, gracefully making their way across a large open plain with their young. A wonderful sight for anyone. The kids just loved it and we drove back to camp satisfied after a long day of travel on bumpy African bush tracks.

Kisaki.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Mark Wright research trip to Tanzania for Families Worldwide.

2008-07-24T05:04:00.003+01:00

Flight with Kenyan airways takes off on time at 8pm and we're on our way. Brand new plane with comfy chairs "This is the life" says my son Joe, "I can't even imagine what it must be like in First Class!"as he settles down to his film 'Horton hears a who'. I'm pretty impressed too. Very comfortable with lots of room and film choice.
Children's meals not great - chickens nuggests, but adult food pretty good. Fish or chicken and veg.
We fly through the night, arriving in Nairobi at 6am local time. Journey time 8.5 hours.
De-plane and do battle with the somnulent bustle of Nairobi airport. Found a nice coffee lounge called Java Longe which served superb Kenyan coffee. Lots of shops here and it feels very African. People from East, West, North and South Africa use Nairobi as their hub.
Wait until 8am for the connecting flight down to Dar.

Mark Wright research trip to Tanzania for Families Worldwide.

2008-07-23T17:29:00.002+01:00

Checking in at Heathrow. So good to be here three hours before check-in to get the deed done in a more relaxed way. Everyone excited but always the hassles of car parks, last minute luggage juggling.

We really must provide some good, permanent style luggage labels for our clients.

Tiger Cubs are born.

2008-07-21T09:55:00.000+01:00

Good news from the Pench Tiger Reserve, featured in our Jungle Book holiday – staff at the reserve recently announced the birth of four more tiger cubs have been born in the forests of the Pench Tiger Reserve. This brings the total number of tiger cubs in the reserve to 16. So along with the 33 adult tigers, Pench can now boast 49 tigers in all. Given the drastic decline in tiger numbers in India owing to poaching and encroaching urbanisation, this is fantastic news. Earlier this year, Pench won an award for the best maintained tiger reserve in India. This is the forest that inspired Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book.

Visit Pench and Kanha National Park on our Jungle Book holiday.