Unusual family vacations
It was brilliant to really have a laugh with my parents on vacation. They usually try and do board games and stuff like that to have ‘family time’ – but mountain biking together and then jumping into a gorgeous lake at the end of the day was so much better. Montenegro was our best family vacation ever. 
– Kate, 11 years old
It is difficult to define ‘different’ when it comes to unusual family vacations. There is one thing that unifies all unique family vacations, though. And that is switching off. From screens, school and schedules. By going on a vacation that takes all of those out of the picture, you can share thrilling times together by doing things such as white water rafting, whale watching or wilderness walking. Saharan nights under the stars, sledding with huskies to see the Northern Lights or hiking through the Alps with a donkey. Do it with a tour operator who gets family needs, creates itineraries that really are about families and all vacation stress is gone. All that is left is family time and a lot of fun.
Our Unusual vacations guide family Vacations
Activity vacation in Montenegro
An active villa vacation at stunning Lake Skadar, Montenegro
From
£645 to £745
7 days
ex flights
Devon eco lodge accommodation, England
Quirky eco lodges, 1 with Hot Tub, on a Devon nature reserve
From
£205 to £810
per accommodation per week
Family vacation in Burma
A fabulous family vacation including the best of Burma
From
US $1850 to US $2500
16 days
ex flights
Altiplano de Granada activity vacation, Spain
Family Multi-activity cultural vacation in rural Andalucia
From
€370 to €480
8 days
ex flights
Atlas Mountains accommodation nr Imlil, Morocco
Berber guesthouse in the mountains
From
£30 to £40
per person per night
Family horse riding vacation in South Africa
Family horse riding safari vacation in South Africa
From
£1525
9 days
ex flights
Log cabin vacation in Finland, with activities
Experience cosy log cabins and exciting activities
From
£1025 to £1215
4 days
inc UK flights
Transylvania vacation accommodation
Stay at a Count's guesthouse
From
€100 to €174
per person per night
Dordogne self catering cabin sleeping 4
Off-grid, off-beat self catering cabin
From
€650 to €900
per week (sleeps 2-4)
Alternative family winter vacation in Chamonix, France
Half term family ski, yoga & circus vacation Full for 2020
From
£520 to £825
7 days
ex flights
Borneo family tour
A fabulous family vacation including the best of Borneo
From
US $2300 to US $3125
15 days
ex flights
Exciting family vacation in China
An exciting family vacation taking in the highlights of China
From
US $3750 to US $4000
16 days
ex flights
Canoeing and kayaking vacation in Montenegro, Lake Skadar
Wilderness kayak/canoe vacation at a vast lake in Montenegro
From
£745 to £795
7 days
ex flights
Sweden wildlife vacation, Ecolodge short break
Wildlife break at Sweden's most primitive hotel.
From
£578
4 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Hands-on family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
From
£767
7 days
ex flights
Tobago beach accommodation
17 beautiful accommodations in unique eco resort
From
£95 to £310
per accommodation per night
Family rafting vacation on the Salmon River, Idaho, USA
Fun rapids, huge white sand beaches and great scenery
From
US $1095 to US $1495
5 days
ex flights
Mercantour family hiking vacation, France
Family walking tour with a donkey in Southern French Alps
From
€560 to €660
7 days
ex flights
Algarve self catering eco retreat, Portugal
Great eco accommodation in nature reserve close to the beach
From
€69 to €119
per accommodation per night (sleeps 2)
Kasbah du Toubkal in the Atlas Mountains
Peace and quiet only 40 miles from Marrakech
From
€72.5 to €240
per person per night
Bareboat sailing vacation in Whitsundays
Sail around the breathtaking Whitsundays
From
£3200 to £9184
7 days
ex flights
Stay with Elephants near Chiang Mai, Thailand
Conservation project returning elephants to the forest.
From
£290 to £430
4 days
ex flights
Mongolia family adventure vacation
Life-enhancing local Mongolian adventure for all the family
From
US $3820
16 days
ex flights
Malaysia rainforest bungalows near Kuala Lumpur
A small orchard resort on the edge of the rainforest
From
MYR 400 to MYR 1100
per accommodation per night
Gozo family activity vacation in Malta
Family activity vacation on the beautiful Island of Gozo
From
£1295 to £1595
8 days
inc UK flights
Sweden vacations, self guided canoeing
Self-guided canoeing in Stockholm's picturesque countryside
From
SKr 9595
7 days
ex flights
Northern Lights Family Christmas in Lapland
Winter 'Santa free' Lapland adventure for families
From
£1955
8 days
inc UK flights
Blue whale Azores family vacation
Best time to see the Blue, Humpback and Fin Whales
From
£655 to £695
7 days
ex flights
Self drive family vacation in Finland
A self-drive vacation in Finland for families.
From
€545 to €900
9 days
ex flights
Snowdonia Bed and Breakfast accommodation, Wales
Carbon Neutral 1883 guesthouse 700ft up in Snowdonia
From
£50
per person per night
Unusual activities for families
Going wild on water
Kayaking together as a family is a wonderful way to switch off, especially when you are handing over the reins of care to a responsible kayaking guide. Add a bit of white water rafting and wild camping to really up the alternative ante. Sea kayaking in Croatia, paddling on Montenegro’s Lake Skadar or staying on, rather than cruising round, Galapagos Islands are all aqua adventures with a difference.
Walking can be fun
It can sometimes be a hard sell persuading children to go on a walking vacation. However, throw in a donkey to carry your bags as you hike through the Alps, walking on the Great Wall of China on a specialist family vacation, or a swim at the end of each day after a day of Croatian coastal clambering, and they start to warm to the idea. Walking will never seem like a drag again.
Winter wilderness
Although an annual ski trip is like a religion for some families, there are so many different types of winter adventures to be had. If Santa no longer visits your house, regenerate some seasonal magic in Finnish Lapland, sledding with huskies, learning about Sami culture or going on reindeer sleigh rides. Or stay in a tree hotel and go horse riding through the snowy woods where you are suspended, in Swedish Lapland.
Our top Unusual vacations guide family Vacation
Devon eco lodge accommodation, England
Quirky eco lodges, 1 with Hot Tub, on a Devon nature reserve
From
£205 to £810
per accommodation per week
Accommodation
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Unusual vacations guide or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
Unusual family vacations advice
Natalie Morawietz, co-founder of our supplier Infinite Adventures:
I highly recommend Alaska for an unusual family vacation in America, but not with very young children as you have to cover very long distances. We always give a safety talk regarding bears too, so you really need to be aware of the rules and you won’t get into trouble. You don’t need to be scared, however. My experience with wildlife generally is that it doesn’t care about humans. It wants to be away from us. So, most of the time, if you stick to the rules, there is nothing to worry about. So, when we pick a lunch spot, it is always in an open space where we can see everything.
I highly recommend Alaska for an unusual family vacation in America, but not with very young children as you have to cover very long distances. We always give a safety talk regarding bears too, so you really need to be aware of the rules and you won’t get into trouble. You don’t need to be scared, however. My experience with wildlife generally is that it doesn’t care about humans. It wants to be away from us. So, most of the time, if you stick to the rules, there is nothing to worry about. So, when we pick a lunch spot, it is always in an open space where we can see everything.
Liddy Pleasants from our supplier, Stubborn Mule shares her tips on an unusual family vacation, to China: “China is ideal for families as there is such an incredible variety of experiences and activities. You might be learning to stir-fry in the morning and floating on a bamboo raft in the afternoon. There is always something going on, whether it is exploring markets, sampling weird and wonderful foods (fried scorpion anyone?), joining in with morning tai chi, walking on the Great Wall or heading into the backstreets by cycle rickshaw. China is suitable as a destination for children of any age as long as the itinerary is carefully planned. Younger children will enjoy having a few days in the same place and traveling at a slower pace, whilst older children will want a range of activities and a bit more 'action'. The thing to remember is that you can't see the whole of China in one visit. It is a vast country and the best trips are those where visitors concentrate on fewer places and explore them in depth.”
More about Unusual vacations guide
This unusual vacations guide steers clear of trends for ‘what’s cool and different right now’ but takes you on a journey of eclectic adventures , one of which is guaranteed to wow you into that ‘let’s do something different this year’ mode.
Unusual vacations usually tap into dreams that we have had for years, sometimes since childhood.
We love this section of the guide. Not just because they are unusual and fun places to stay, but also because accommodation like these are created by people who really want to blend with their environment, tie in with traditional culture and also offer a memorable vacation for people.
Choosing a top ten unusual vacations list is nigh on impossible, but not when you ask all of our responsible travel experts to pick their quirky leaders in the field.
This q (uirky) tips section is very useful, with lots of unusual vacation travel tips from expert suppliers who know that what they do is a bit different, but are doing it anyway because eventually people try them out, and that’s it - they are hooked.
Unusual vacation destinations are not all about where’s cool to go this year. They are about people who are providing out of the ordinary experiences in places that you might not usually think about visiting.
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Photo credits: [Page banner: Paul Vinten] [Intro: Jerome Bon]
[Going wild on water: Mohd Fazlin Mohd Effendy Ooi]
[Walking can be fun: Peter Dowley]
[Winter wilderness: Annika Thierfeld]
[Natalie Morawietz advice: pxhere]
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