Where would you go for a trip of a lifetime?

[Japril]

We have a maximum budget of £16,000 to blow on a holiday that the kids (they will be 14 and 11 next summer) will love and gives them some kudos - they have only been abroad once before!
Any suggestions of where to go? I wondered about the Caribbean or the Seychelles. Or should we do something more active? I would love to go to Japan but they are fussy eaters!
My husband is quite a nervous traveller so anywhere that might be considered potentially dangerous is out!
We are not having a holiday this year so daydreaming about something awesome for next summer is keeping me going!!

I've been to Japan. Plenty of food choices so don't worry about the fussy eating. We went to Toyko then took a train to Nikko so see some of the countryside. All very safe and easy to navigate.

Australia. We did a tour, starting in Melbourne, onto Adelaide, Alice Springs, Uluru, Cairns and ending in Sydney. We used a travel specialist to plan it for us.

My most wow holiday was visiting Niagara Falls, Toronto and New York. Might be too adult for them, but Niagara Falls is very kid friendly. If you go, go Canada side.

What are you, your husband and kids into? Personally we have 3 big ‘one day’ trips Oz&NZ, Costa Rica plus an American trip combining a multi day kayaking trip, a few days at disneyworld, a few days on a horse ranch and a short cruise from Florida to the Bahamas

Could you ask your children what they want from a smaller trip and split off some of the funds to do those as well as a big trip, it’s a very large budget. I saw someone last year who did a kid focused trip and flew to legoland in billund then direct onto Milan for a football match staying at one of the nearby Italian lakes before flying home. Obviously your children are a different age and will have different interests but a similar concept?

Think about how much they want to sit in a car versus be active. Teens are sometimes underwhelmed by scenery alone.

Our teens loved Iceland the best.

Disneyland Florida, we took my son aged 11 last year, best time of his life! We spent a week at Universal Studios, then had 12 days in a huge Villa with a pool whilst we visited the other Disney parks. It was expensive cost £12k for 16 nights. With your budget, I'd stop over at New York City for a few nights on the way! Enjoy!

There are many once-in-a-lifetime places which will never be doable if you decide to split your budget into short holidays. They require both the time and the budget. You can get multiple vacations out of that budget but it will exclude those which is a shame.

We had a similar scenario last year. We went to Mexico and stayed in a H10 resort. We choose to use the extra cash on upgrading everything.

Our kids were 12 and 11, so the base holiday was £8k but we then upgraded flights to business, upgraded the hotel to privilege so we had a butler, had a roof top room with a private hot tub, free mini bar etc.

we also did private excursions, transfers etc so we were not on a bus with everyone and stuff.

it felt like a real treat but they’ll be back down to earth with a bump this year on a easy jet holiday to Spain!

if I had a new opportunity like this I would look at Ikos holidays. Luxury on a different scale :-)

Costa Rica or safari would be my choice.

Japan is not great for summer

Australia: It will be winter there but weather can still be nice depending where you go. Air fair will eat lots of your funds.

Definitely not India and Egypt for a nervous traveller. No way Dubai for a lifetime trip.

We loved Machupichu and Peru; we also loved Australia great barrier and Uluru.

I think Canada, Costa Rica, American road trip, zafari and beach are great ideas.

Florida and Caribbean are good ideas? But is it huracane season?

Maybe the Easter holidays will give you more choice in terms of weather.

I'd do Asia, land in Singapore enjoy the city and travel to Thailand and maybe stay on one of the islands. So many beautiful boat trips, beaches and it's relatively still amazing value for money. You'll be staying 5 star in Asia on those budgets. And the food is so varied something for everyone.

You could travel up northern Thailand and spend a few days on a elephant reserve and help out offset by some luxury hotels.

Or Singapore then across to Indonesia, there are islands off Singapore with beautiful places to stay.

Have a look at the banyan tree resorts across the world and maybe start with the hotel and work outward form there?

Japan is great as well, but not so much in the summer.

Oh and one other wow option is to hire a 32/34 ft boat and sail around the British Virgin Islands for a week and then stay on land for a week. You can go via companies that supply a skipper, or just motor around to different islands.

Food is pretty standard " amercian" so no worries on the food.

Also Greece for sailing is fab.

Or travel Croatia?

I'll stop now, there are so many places to see and what a fab thing to have to look forward too.

Costa Rica was the best holiday we've had.

I completely agree with this.

It’s a lovely idea to use the money to take your children travelling, but you could go on 2-3 trips to give them a breadth of experience. I’m not sure what you mean by “kudos”, but I am guessing you mean social capital. There’s far more social capital to be had from having travelled a few times and visited Italy, France, Spain, Greece (which most people know) than have only been abroad once to Seychelles.

You have the opportunity to make travel something which is not a once in a blue moon occasion for your children but something they can enjoy perhaps every other year for the next few years.

Second this - it was a few years ago now so not sure on safety aspect but a few days in a safari lodge, hire a car and drive the garden route through to Cape Town and do the Waterfront, penguins and Mandela Island. Best holiday ever that and a Caribbean cruise - the fun of on board activities and island hopping, great for nervous travellers as everything can be planned out

This again, but take in Whistler.

Oops, thought the original quote would appear. So here it is.

It’s a dump, very tacky, certainly not a trip of a lifetime.

I would look at Far East…..or a US road trip.

100% recommend a safari! It's amazing for any age! You can also tag on to a beach stay (Zanzibar, mauritius and maldives usially) and/or Cape Town with loads to do there!

I was going to say South Africa but a few people from there that I have met recently say it’s gone downhill, which is such a shame because I had the most incredible 6 weeks there about 30 years ago. Breathtakingly beautiful & the wildlife was unbelievable.
Another vote for Japan & for the trip through SE Asia. It does depend what you’re all into though.

@RabbitsRock really? I mean I don't have anything to compare it to from before I guess but we went in 2019 and is 100% the best thing I've ever done! I still think about my safari and feel emotional 😆 I also loved Cape Town and still feel there's so much more to explore there and want to go back!

I think for that budget and with two fussy eater teens and wary husband, I would go on an Alaska cruise. Fly to San Fran or Seattle for a few city days, then cruise up the inside passage. It will be comfy, great facilities and 'safe' yet you can splurge on activities like dog sledding, whale watching, snowmobiling, bear watching even helicopter onto the glaciers. It will take all your budget - sadly £16K wont go as far these days.

Iceland. I've never been but everyone who has gone raves about it.

I think a safari with kids would be tedious. You have to stay quiet, you might not see anything much....

Costa Rica to see the Sloths