It may be having a last-gasp adventure together before the first (or third) teen leaves home. Or celebrating a special birthday. Or, simply, just because you’ve always promised yourselves you would. Whatever the occasion, a ‘bucket list family holiday’ is one of our most popular requests.
What constitutes a ‘bucket list’ adventure can mean different things to different people – and it’s not necessarily a holiday that blows the budget.
What it is, though, is a trip to an iconic destination and/or to experience something ‘once in a lifetime’. With that in mind, we’ve curated a selection of epic destinations that fit this category perfectly. From the classic African safari (always a favourite) to a few wild-card places-you’ll-only-ever-visit-once suggestions, does your dream family holiday of a lifetime make the cut?
See big cats close up, it’s thrilling
When it comes to choosing a family holiday of a lifetime, a classic African safari is unbeatable. First, it appeals equally to each family member, regardless of age and ability, making it the ultimate in multi-generational holidays.
Secondly, there’s always an optimum destination – whether it’s Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, or Zimbabwe – to see wildlife at its best no matter which school holiday you choose.
Thirdly, there’s just so much to see and do – and by no means all of it sitting in the back of a 4WD! Think sitting around the campfire under cloudless skies listening to the tour guides telling stories. Waking up to the sound of roaring lions or bellowing elephants nearby. Going on a walking safari to learn about spoor identification or taking a hot air balloon trip over the migration. Or combining the whole adventure with some R&R on a pristine beach. No wonder the classic safari never goes out of fashion!
Perhaps the ultimate Peruvian highlight in a phenomenal list!
There’s a reason that the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, perched almost impossibly on a ridge high in the Andes, are one of the world’s most iconic and instantly recognisable travel images. No wonder, then, that the ancient site, and its host country, Peru is one of the most popular push-the-boat-out family holidays of a lifetime. Whether you take the train, hike the 4-day Inca Trail, or trek the one-day Inca Express Trail, to be able to see it first-hand, much like seeing the Taj Mahal in person, creates a shared experience that none of your family can forget. Which is why it’s included on all three of our Peru itineraries!
Whilst Machu Picchu is the ultimate highlight, there’s a huge amount of other reasons Peru hits ‘peak’ holiday of a lifetime, from The Amazon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco and the Sacred Valley.
Base camp is a challenge but within the grasp of active teens
If you’re the family for whom, ‘ain’t no mountain high enough’ is the M.O., we have the ultimate destination for the family holiday of a lifetime: Nepal. This Himalayan mountain kingdom isn’t just home to the largest number of peaks over 8,000 metres in the world, but also, of course, to the highest mountain in the world – Everest. Whilst summiting Everest might be a tad out of reach for the ultimate in family adventure holidays, the good news is reaching Everest Base Camp is within grasp for active families with teens aged 14 years and above. For the inside scoop read our family trekking blog for more information.
The ultimate in wildlife experiences
Think of the planet’s most iconic wildlife destination and we guarantee that the Galapagos Islands would, if not top it, then be a strong contender. Whilst tourism has developed since Charles Darwin first visited back in 1832, little else has changed. The same extravaganza of wildlife that inspired him, from frolicking sea-lions, sharks, penguins, turtles, rays and brightly coloured fish are still here in bucketfuls. Exploring by glass-bottomed boat, kayak and on foot, your family will also be tripping over marine iguanas, ducking Blue Footed Boobies and coming face to face with Giant Tortoises.
Combined with the cultural attractions and dramatic scenery of mainland Ecuador, our Ecuador & Galapagos Highlights trip provides an unbeatable, truly bucket-list experience.
Seeing Angkor Wat and the resident monks is a stand out experience
Exotic, alluring and enticing. If you’re one of the many families for whom Asia represents the family holiday of a lifetime, we’ve created the perfect itinerary including the very best of South East Asia: Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. In just two weeks, you’ll discover just what makes these three destinations so iconic – and diverse.
Tour the lively city of Bangkok by tuk-tuk, then enjoy a bike ride through the rural plantation scenery of northern Thailand. Be wowed at the largest religious complex in the world – Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. Explore unspoiled ethnic villages, take a slow boat down the Mekong, and visit the UNESCO Heritage Centre of Luang Prabang in Laos. Add on some R&R on a picture postcard beach and there you have it – paradise found!
Share the wilderness experience with the local wildlife
It may be, literally, the other side of the world, but for those who want to experience the ‘otherworldliness’ of Australia, not even 9,000 miles can get in the way. It’s not just distance that puts Oz in the ‘family of a lifetime’ category (although that too!). It’s the feeling of sheer scale and remoteness when visiting the Outback and Uluru that also makes it so compelling. It’s the familiar-yet-not-familiar nature of Down Under.
It’s exploring the largest ocean reef in the world. Or climbing up Sydney Opera House, arguably one of the most iconic sites in the country. It’s learning about the oldest culture in the world, First Nation Australians. Our advice? Take as long as you can possibly manage to experience it whether you visit in (our) summer or winter.
One of our most remote yet famously iconic destinations
Are you the kind of family who enjoys more ‘out there’, ‘wild-card’ destinations? Then the outdoor playground of Patagonia at the foot of Chile will tick the box. Famous for its soaring, jaw-dropping scenery in the hikers’ paradise of Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia is vast, at 1 million square kilometres larger than 80% of countries on earth.
If ‘escaping from it all’ defines your family holiday of a lifetime, stop looking now. If you really want to push the boat out (though you do of course fly there!), head to Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Located over 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile, it’s famed for its huge, stone-carved head statues called moai. Now that’s a bucket list family holiday destination we call unique! See Chile family holidays or get in touch to find out more.
Spot polar bears on your Arctic voyage
If snow, ice, and remote exploration are your idea of an iconic family holiday of a lifetime, then our Norway – Voyage to the Arctic is it! Travelling to Svalbard – a place where polar bears, arctic foxes and reindeer outnumber people – you’ll discover a land dominated by tundra, glaciers and icy mountains. This is an isolated, off-grid family adventure where you can truly leave the twenty-first century behind. Here, you’ll join a 3-day arctic voyage following in the footsteps of polar explorers, cruising within sight of the Monaco Glacier and witnessing seals, walruses, whales and polar bears. Be wowed by the crack of glaciers and endless horizons of white and blue.
Despite the remote nature of this once-in-a-lifetime trip, you won’t be Arctic bystanders. Instead, you and your family will be kayaking, taking zodiac trips onto glaciers and ice shelves, enjoying husky-dog expeditions or traversing the snowy landscape by skidoos. Depending on the weather, you may even reach 80 degrees north!
For a ‘wow’ experience, the Grand Canyon vistas are hard to beat
In a country as vast and varied as the USA, you’d think that what constitutes a bucket list destination or experience here would be just as vast and varied. Right? Wrong! We know from your enquiries that seeing The Grand Canyon is consistently right up there as a ‘must-see’, which is why it is included on our Western National Parks USA sample itinerary. The great news is that getting here is pretty easy, given that so much of the USA is prime self-drive territory.
The even better news is that although you’ll be able to get yourselves around – significantly cutting costs by doing so – you’ll be enjoying the great outdoors far more than sitting in the passenger seat. Kayaking! Hiking! Rafting! SUP-ing and much more! Other ‘bucket list’ experiences include Las Vegas, a Navajo tour of Monument Valley and saddling up at a ranch to learn how to be a cowboy. Yeeee Haaaa!
Take the Great Wall in your stride
It’s second only to India in terms of population, the third largest country in terms of size and unarguably one of the world’s greatest civilisations, both historically and in modern times. No wonder, then, that China is back as being one of the great family holidays of a lifetime. Travel here is by no means ‘easy’, but what it poses in logistical and language barriers (if travelling without a Stubborn Mule guide), it more than makes up for in terms of iconic, must-see sites.
The Great Wall is one of the largest construction endeavours ever undertaken. Xi’an’s Terracotta Army, the largest mausoleum on earth (and it’s still not fully excavated). The cuteness of watching Giant Pandas munching on bamboo! See these highlights and much more in our China family holidays!
Whatever constitutes a bucket list adventure for your family, we can help. We will plan and arrange a trip of a lifetime that is exactly right for each family member. Ring us on 01728 752751 during office hours or use our website contact form. We’d love to hear from you.
You can also find a comprehensive list of our best family holiday destinations here.