Now that it’s summer, we here at Adventures Within Reach are thinking about family vacations. But not the lay-on-the-beach kind of vacations, instead, we are thinking about what kind of adventures we can share with our children. We are big believers in exposing children to the world and different cultures, while having fun along the way. We believe adventure travel fits the bill in stimulating their interest in cultures and places away from home, while keeping them busy with physical activity — much more so than touristing around in museums and driving endlessly along from one historical site to another. While we would not necessarily recommend climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro or our Everest Base Camp trek to families, we offer a lot of adventures that would be suitable for families that offer a connection with nature, some sort of physical activity, and some cultural aspect.
As adventure travel specialists, we have put our money where our mouth is. Our children have been to nine countries outside the United States on five continents, and all before the oldest of them turned 14. Some of the places our children have been to:
- Africa: South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya
- Asia: South Korea
- Australia: Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef
- Europe: Spain
- North America: Canada, U.S., and Mexico
- Central America: Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands
- South America: Ecuador
In traveling to those places, our children have enjoyed in all sorts of adventure. They have had many wildlife experiences as they have been on safari, gone whale watching, and had close encounters with cheetahs and bird of prey. In the water, they have submerged themselves in a submarine, snorkeled, and scuba dived. On the water, they went white water rafting and surfed the waves. On land, they have gone on nature hikes, rode zip lines, and gone canyoneering down waterfalls.
If any of those activities appeal to you, here are some of AWR’s trips we recommend for families:
- Costa Rica – 8-Day Family Costa Rica Adventure
- Peru – 8-Day Family Adventure in Peru
- Kenya – 8-Day Kenya Family Luxury Safari
- South Africa – 11-Day Value Luxury South Africa
- Tanzania – 10-Day Full Southern Circuit
- Thailand – 4-Day Thailand: Chiang Mai Elephants, Hiking and Thai Cooking
- Thailand and Cambodia – 10-Day Thailand and Cambodia Adventure
- Galapagos – 8-Day Luxury Galapagos Cruise
- Ecuador – 4-Day Amazon Rainforest at Sacha Lodge
For more ideas, visit AWR’s Family Trips page or contact us for help in planning a vacation your family will always remember.