Family walking holidays travel guide


Read on in our family walking holidays travel guide.
Our Family walking Holidays
Nepal family holiday, walking in the Annapurnas
Low altitude trek in the Annapurna foothills
Camino De Santiago walking holiday for families
Ideal Camino route for your Family!
Lake Como family walking holiday, Italy
Lake Como; a panoramic hike, suited to do with children!
Camino de santiago walking holiday for families with teenagers
Digital Detox for Teenagers!
Mercantour family walking holiday, France
Family walking tour with a donkey in Southern French Alps
Family walking holidays with a donkey, France
Above the Rhône to discover the unspoilt traditional Ardèche
Nepal family holiday
A fabulous family holiday including the best of Nepal
Luxury trekking holiday in the Atlas Mountains
Stay at the Kasbah du Toubkal and trek in style
Mercantour centre-based walking holiday, French Alps
Multiactivities for family, French Alps, ecolodge and yurt,
Dubrovnik & islands walking holiday, Croatia
Walking holiday in Dubrovnik and islands in Croatia
Family adventure trek in Nepal
Family adventure in the footsteps of the Himalayas
Family Kilimanjaro trek in Tanzania
A child friendly trek to the beautiful Kilimanjaro
Almeria walking holiday in Andalucia, Spain
Walking in the surrounding hills of almond and olive groves
Azores family holiday, whale watching and walking
Family adventure exploring the Azores' hidden depths
Catalonia family walking holiday
Walking holiday based from self catering townhouse Palamos
Walking holiday in Cuba
Cuba off the beaten track: Private guided walking holiday
Family adventure holiday in Peru, Inca & Amazon
Pretty Sherpa villages and spectacular mountains
Sweden walking holiday, self guided
Self-guided hiking through Stockholm's picturesque countryside
What does a family walking holiday entail?
Small group or tailor made?
Tailor made walking trips also work brilliantly, particularly if your children are very young. There’s no need to catch up or wait for other members of a group, and you have the freedom to stop when you want or adjust the walk to suit tired legs and lazy days. You can either go with a private guide - essential on tougher walks in destinations such as Nepal - or go it alone on a self-guided holiday. Routes will be carefully planned to suit children and maps and 24/7 support are provided, so you can stride off with confidence, knowing where you’re going but free to explore at your own speed, too.
Centre based or point to point?
Some family walking holidays follow a single route, from location to location, staying at a different hotel, guesthouse or campsite every night or two. Your luggage will usually be transferred for you, though on the odd trip you might have to carry your bags yourself, or with the aid of a porter. This is a great way to see a decent chunk of a country, with lots of variety built in and a real sense of achievement at the end when you tot up how far you’ve hiked.If you would like to come home to familiar comforts after a good day's hike then opt for a centre based holiday, where you can take on a different route every day but return to the same bed every night. This gives more time for walking, without the hassle of packing and unpacking, and can be a more relaxing option with young children in tow.
Our top Family walking Holiday
Nepal family holiday, walking in the Annapurnas
Low altitude trek in the Annapurna foothills
2021: 20 Mar, 11 Apr, 26 Sep, 31 Oct, 21 Nov
2022: 2 Jan, 16 Jan, 12 Feb, 19 Mar, 10 Apr, 25 Sep, 23 Oct, 30 Oct, 20 Nov
How tough are they?
If the kids are teenagers, then you can take on bigger challenges - exploring tropical trails in the Amazon rainforest perhaps, or summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. You’ll walk up to eight hours a day, with steep ascents and some uneven tracks. On these trips you’ll likely spend a few nights camping or sleeping in remote mountain huts.
How old do the kids have to be?
Many of our European family walking holidays don’t have a minimum age and offer a relaxed pace and style of trips that are well-suited to young children. Head somewhere more unusual and remote such as Tanzania, Nepal or Peru, and the minimum age could be anything from eight to 13, depending on how strenuous the trip is. Do check with the holiday company, though, as some will accept younger children, so that a sports mad 11-year-old, for instance, doesn’t miss out on an epic hiking holiday with a minimum age requirement of 12 years.When to go on a family walking holiday
If heading further afield, there are excellent conditions on Mount Kilimanjaro, in Canada’s national parks and at Machu Picchu during the July and August school summer holidays, while Nepal is best avoided due to monsoon rains. If walking in Annapurna, the Easter break around March-April is a good time to visit.
Walking responsibly
Wherever you and your brood take to the trails there are certain things to keep in mind in order to walk responsibly. ‘Leave no trace’ should be your mantra. It goes without saying that you should take all your rubbish with you, including anything ‘natural’ like apple cores, but you should also leave things as you find them. That includes picking plants and wildflowers - a difficult one to teach young children, but essential if you want to help protect the wild places that you visit. If you’re on a self guided walking holiday, remember to stick to the marked tracks. They have been created by experts and are managed carefully to prevent erosion and over trampling.One of the joys of travelling in remote areas is interacting with small local communities. Take time to chat, always ask their permission to take photos, and check in advance with your guide whether it is appropriate to ask in the first place. If you and your family are tackling Kilimanjaro or trekking in Nepal or Peru, you’ll likely have porters and guides accompanying you. Read up on porters rights and ask your holiday company endless questions about their ethical trekking policies.
Staying safe
Responsible holiday companies will always have safety procedures in place, use reputable, qualified guides and be able to answer all your concerns, but you can do your bit, too. Making sure you all stay hydrated is key to a happy trip. It’s hard to get kids to drink water sometimes, but it’s even more crucial when they’re walking. Consider hydration backpacks, so that they have water on them at all times, and remember you need to drink much more at high altitudes.What’s more, on more advanced routes it doesn’t hurt to be prepared with maps, compass, rain gear, pocketknife, matches and a whistle – just in case. In many countries you may need to be aware of animals such as bears and so do your research before you take to the trails. And don’t let your children wander too far ahead of you, so that you can keep a close eye.