Experienced travellers can you suggest somewhere for newby to overseas travel

[snozzlemaid]

We've never been abroad as a family. We usually go self catering somewhere in UK.
I'm so fed up with that. I long to jump on a plane and not do self catering.
I've only ever been to a few countries in Europe by coach as a child so have absolutely no experience of travelling abroad independently as an adult.
I've got no idea where to start looking.
We'll be looking to go mid July. It'll be dp, dd (16) and me.
We've never flown before so wouldn't want too long a flight.
Dd and me don't do too well in too much heat. We wouldn't enjoy anything more than mid 20's.
Dp gets bored sitting around too much, so sightseeing would be needed. However, I'd love a bit of sitting by a pool with a book also.
I've no idea where to start looking.
What Country or even resort should I be looking at?

Watching with interest as pretty much same as me- very clueless at the whole process and wish I was an experienced traveler.

Portugal has a nice mix of tourist and local interest. Not the most expensive either.

Why not start somewhere like Spain? Although it might sound naff, the Costa Brava coast is beautiful, and there are loads of different types of hotels/apartments to choose from. Towns like Palafrugell, L'Escala, Begur or Tamariu are lovely. The flight to Barcelona or Girona isn't too long. And there's great sightseeing, culture and city life in Barcelona, Girona and Figueres which you can reach by bus or train if you're not confident driving there.

I was going to say Holland but no pool

However short flight - or Eurostar from this summer. Almost everyone speaks English. Easy to get round on train if you want to stay in more than one place eg Amsterdam, The Hague, Delft, Utrecht etc. Lots of sightseeing - museum card covers the whole country and is a massive bargain. Everywhere had free wifi.

Plus you can go to Efteling

If you want lower temperatures, you'll need to look at northern/mid Europe. North coast Spain might be cooler - fly to Bilbao.

For cooler weather - Netherlands, north Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway?
Slovenia is also lovely.
Austria can get pretty hot in the summer (I used to live there) but you can do a lovely combination of cities - Vienna, Linz, Graz, Salzburg - and lakes and mountains

I'd put in a vote for Iceland, we loved it there last year. However, it might be a bit cooler than you're looking for, mid-teens probably the best you can hope for in weather terms.

I wouldn't suggest Iceland for a beginner, and especially not for a 16 who gets bored easily. I'd recommend northern Italy. You'll have good weather for sunbathing by the pool almost guaranteed, but it won't be scorching. It's not a long flight and it's an area which is (generalising a bit) very tourist friendly.
I'd specifically recommend Bella Italia resort. It has a number of accommodation options including bungalows, apartments and a hotel. It's a large resort, but that means that you benefit from an on-site shop, small medical room, organised excursions, newsagents, and bike rental, plus loads of activities for your daughter (banana boating was my kids' favourite!). You can also book an airport transfer. For our first stay, we booked through Eurocamp. For our second stay, we booked directly with the resort.

Thanks Rice. That sounds great. Will look into that.

Why not Madeira as it won't be too hot in mid-July (as it might be at some other popular destinations)?

Maybe you would like somewhere on the Brittany coast? Short flight, moderate weather, family friendly.

I used to live in Northern Italy and it can sometimes be oppressively hot in summer.
I think the Canaries, especially Fuerteventura and Lanzarote feel cooler, despite high temperatures as they are very breezy. Flight is 4 hours tho so maybe too long?
Would a package be easier for your first holiday? Just one thing to book rather than separate flights, accommodation and transfers. We are going to Croatia this year near Dubrovnik, so combining siteseeing, water sports and beach/pool time. Similar to Italy, it can be hot. We booked a cheap package through Jet2 holidays.

We like the Algarve in Portugal for our beach holidays.

I currently live in Amsterdam and the weather can be unpredictable but there is a lot of culture to see here. Museums, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, the Anne Frank House, walking around the beautiful old city centre, taking a boat ride.

Just stay clear of the few streets a little to the left when you walk out of the central station. That's where the prostitutes and weed users are. It's perfectly safe but you might not want your children to see that.

I recommend to sleep somewhere else because of the expense. Haarlem is a very cute city and a very short train ride away but there will be other options if you look into it. Dinner in the centre is more expensive than if you wander a bit further away. And everyone speaks english, so easy.

Hi Maat, I live in Amsterdam too, so long now I have no problems with the Red Light District - yes, they do have normal businesses there, used to work there :-) - or weed users. It's all part of life here and so much more normal than seedy British areas like that.

Anyway, I digress.

Amsterdam IS great. You have museums, parks to walk or cycle in, beautiful canals for a boat trip, festivals, kids stuff like the zoo and Nemo Science Museum, sunken-looking ship off Central Station, you can walk there over the bridge, next to that the Amsterdam Maritime Museum and Ship, Anne Frank House. Etc,

Spain is amazing too. Always good for a first trip out of UK. Short and cheap flights too.

Another vote for Amsterdam, and you can take the train to The Hague and spend a few days there too including at the beach (there are other nice beaches closer to Amsterdam too).

How about a cruise?

The Dordogne or limousin area of france has pools but weather might be more to your taste. There are fab chambre d'hote places to stay who do b&b and will even do some meals in tge evenings or pack picnics. Lots of fun activities to try.

I used to live in Amsterdam and agree, it's a wonderful place.

How about Lake Garda in Italy? It's not too hot in July (although bear with me, I'm in Australia) - I think around 24'.

There's a lot of opportunity for sightseeing and day trips plus lots of resorts and hotels with pools (eg Du Lac et Du Parc Grand Resort or Belvedere Village).

Lisbon and Barcelona are both on the coast so a mix of sightseeing and relaxing on the beach. Short flights too.

Another vote here for lake Garda- nice temperature and plenty to do but also very relaxing. It's absolutely beautiful and only about a 2 hour flight from London. There's lots of outdoors-y type activities and gardaland the theme park to keep your dd and dd entertained, but equally you can relax by the pool or lake with a book