Family Activity Holidays – What's All the Excitement About?

As part of the revolution of a new style of travel, family activity holidays are really taking off. Adventurous families are expecting more and more for their money and looking for something that will not only offer them some well-earned downtime, but also a truly memorable and meaningful experience.

A different type of break

For many years, much of the travel industry made the ongoing assumption that the majority of their customers were looking for a pretty much ‘do nothing’ holiday in the summer. There has always been a sort of presumption amongst providers that activity holidays are restricted to the winter months - with people heading to the ski slopes. In contrast, summer holidays were seen as being all about the pool and the beach – perhaps interspersed with the odd excursion.

Yet increasing consumer demand has shown that assumption to be flawed. There is perhaps more market pressure now than there has been for half a century or more, to offer something different and energetic, rather than just lazing around a beach all day eating ice creams.

This has led the travel industry to re-invent the idea of family activity holidays. The idea is quite simply that every day should involves doing something bonding, exciting, different and broadening to one's life experience.

Some examples

It’s more helpful to talk about family activity holidays in the context of real life examples rather than abstract concepts. For example, here are some ideas of activities you may want to take part in:

• A canoe or white water rafting experience • Extended cycling tours, including perhaps some off-road riding • Work on a bona fide ranch in the USA, spending days in the saddle helping to round up cattle or do other things around the vast expanses of the American West • Learning sports that you may never previously have experienced, including target shooting, archery, fencing, scuba diving and so on • Mountain biking• Snow touring In fact, the list is almost endless and there is certain to be an activity and appropriate destination to suit the interests and skill levels of your family. Some of the better providers will even customise an activity holiday to suit your exact needs.

The benefits

With people today leading busy professional lives, it is becoming ever more difficult for families to find the time to engage in activities together. All too often, it’s difficult to even find time to sit down for a family meal once a day. That can be unwittingly carried forward into the annual break, which is a great pity because family relationships can be cemented and improved by engaging in joint activities on holiday. Psychologically it is good for all concerned and, particularly with the more demanding activity holidays, it’s also physically good for you too!

It seems likely that over the years ahead we’re going to hear more and more of this new generation of family activity holidays. Watch this space!

Richard Edwards is the Managing Director of Summit & Blue, an adventure holiday company offering independently crafted family activity holidays to exciting destinations around the world, including France, Italy, Portugal, the USA and Canada. With unique itineraries and exciting activities like biking, hiking, white water rafting and canoeing, we create holidays for those looking for an experience a little more off the beaten track.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.