Favourite holiday

[Inspiremeaholiday]

We are a family who loves to travel extensively. We own a campervan and have had the opportunity to venture around Europe quite a bit.

We’re looking for recommendations of holiday destinations that your family loved. We prefer to rough it, go out and eat locally etc rather than an all inclusive.

So where shall we do in 2024? We were thinking Australia over Easter but might do Bali in September instead. We’ll start the year in Morocco.

please hit me up with your next family holiday recommendations!

Hopeful bump?

If I was able to go at any time of year, I'd choose India or Nepal or both.
Or greek islands once the temperature drops a bit.
Have you taken the campervan into much of Europe?
How old are your kids?

We loved Jordan - fascinating country & lovely people.

We were never harrassed - unless you count children saying "hello" & asking to practice their English.

We don't do rough, but there's a huge variety of accommodation available.
If you're thinking of driving, the standard of driving is quite high.

Bali was my least favourite holiday tbh (eta I’ve travelled a lot, including to areas advised against by the FCDO due to risk of kidnap)

How about Namibia

Skiing my all time favourite but maybe not in the campervan..

Do you mean 2025? How many children and how old? Your post reads a bit oddly to be fair.

We have had great family holidays in Vietnam. Very easy to diy with trains and vietjet. We have also been to Australia several times, each trip concentrating on a ‘small’ area: Perth, Margaret river and Albany, Adelaide and the barossa, Sydney and Tasmania etc.
South Korea was also easy with trains and buses: flew into Seoul and out of Busan.

Good spot @MissAmbrosia 2025!

Weve done a lot of Europe in the campervan bar a few further countries which will be 22 hours of driving to get to so looking outside of it.

We’ve done the Greek islands, Jordan and Namibia (actually most of Southern Africa and I wrote this post in Mozambique but now in Kruger in South Africa)

Interesting about Bali @PurBal ill be going for a friends 40th but isn’t high on my list.

ohhh Nepal!!! @House4DS that sounds great. Any particular area? I’ll look into it more.

We do ski most years, unclear if we’ll do it next year.

Great ideas @ShanghaiDiva I’ll look into it. I think your advice about “bite size oz” is actually great and on the money.

Kids are 16,14 and 6.

thanks to all who responded. Some great ideas for future trips

I spent a month driving around New Zealand in a camper van. The whole country seems well set up for vans/camping. Absolutely brilliant if you are outdoorsy people. Probably I would aim to avoid their winter, as some of the treks need to be postponed or cancelled in poor weather.

If you're thinking about going in your camper I'd go to Morocco - my parents brought me up in a bus and we lived there for over a year. Mostly Essouira, Paradise Valley, Taraghzout and the Atlas Mountains, but Marrakech is awesome too for a couple of days.

If you're flying I agree with Nepal. Mexico was also amazing, and Goa - I had a lush time in Myanmar too, though it is quite strict! Thailand is always an easy and great choice with absolutely loads to do especially on the islands.

@Saintmariesleuth new Zealand is a dream! Thank you

@IamaRevenant sounds amazing living in a bus. We’ve toyed with the idea of leaving the corporate rat race for a year to travel in our van. We are desperate to drive cape to Cairo and would love to do the put foot rally.

we’re actually due to fly out to Morocco 28th of December to specifically hit up Taraghzout. Not taking the van as it’s so far to drive. How long did it take you to get from the Uk to Morocco?

Weve done Mexico and loved it. Actually one of our favourite holidays. So anything that vibe is great.

Tell me more about Myanmar as my grandmother was born there and I would love to visit. I had friends who went who said it was a hard slog as tourism is so new. This was a few years ago though.

We’ve been to Thailand and are going again in October. Another firm favourite!

How about Japan? Or, closer to home, Iceland? We loved both.
Would you mind sharing what you did in Mexico? That’s on our list.

Costa Rica is amazing with lots of outdoor activities for kids your age, lots of unexplored beaches,

An amazing experience.

We would love to do Japan as a family and it was a consideration for next year but I’m travelling no to and from Japan 3 times this year (most trips are utterly pointless and I’m resentful) so will decided we take it off the list for this year.

Iceland we’ve done but only in winter. We didn’t see the northern lights (still stings)

We absolutely loved Mexico. We stayed in playa del Carmen. We visited cancun, Cozumel to see the manta rays and starfish, down to aklumal to snorkelling with the turtles (amazing), we did the ruins of tulum, Chichén Itzá, cenotes and cancun (don’t go). We didn’t do tours took local and a few tourist buses. It was amazing.

@BabyRach yes Costa Rica looks fab! Will add it to the list! Thank you
Anything you particularly recommend?

No idea how long it takes from the UK, we were living in Europe (mostly Spain/France/Portugal) before heading over to Morocco. I would absolutely recommend travelling in your camper! My childhood was awesome and so free. My oldest sister met her future husband in Taraghzout (he also had a bus) and she lived there for a few years, it's a brilliant place!

For Myanmar I joined a mountain biking tour group so it was all quite scheduled. I think (not sure though) you have to be with a group/tour guide in order to enter - I would agree tourism is very undeveloped there, barely anyone speaks English and it would have been very hard without our guide. Beautiful country and people though!

How about USA, it’s such a diverse country. We did a road trip starting in San Francisco did some of the pacific coast highway and went inland and saw Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Zion and Bryce national parks which was amazing. There really is something for everyone there. Also, there’s a lot of Mexicans in California so a lot of food has Mexican influence if you loved Mexico.
I’d love to go back and see more.

I second Costa Rica. It's not cheap, but you can definitely do the cheaper end. Eg Poor Man's Paradise is great if you are prepared to rough it a bit, which it sounds like you are.

Canada might be worth considering as well, hire a campervan and pick either east or west - probably west.

Manuel Antonio is a good place to visit for fantastic for wildlife - AMAZING
Zip linning in the rain forest
Kayaking
Bird watching - Diversity of birds
Water sports
Biodiversity
Costa Rica is also a very cheap country.

Am in Vancouver on holiday Absolutely stunning, amazing weather and friendly

So much to explore .
On Vancouver Island at the moment with so many other islands to explore.
Best place I have ever been too and I have travelled extensively.

Had some good holiday in WA
been north…..kalbarri, monkey Mia…..been south …..lucky bay, esperance, bremer bay and Denmark……been west to the Margaret river area…..as well as Perth and Fremantle

Bali is ok …..we preferred Lombok

love Canada ( my DS1 lives there) the Rockies are amazing we stayed Banff and Jasper and did everything from these 2 bases ( about a 5 hour drive between them…… or you can do the Rockies from BC instead of Alberta and combine with Vancouver

Just popping in to say your life sounds amazing!

Thanks all! So many great ideas. @Applesandpears58 love the US but I’ve spent two stints living their and after university (partially went the the us for university) I spent 5 months driving a battered old car around the US. My best friend and I drove (or got toed) the across the USA and up both coasts. Such wonderful memories. And you’re so right about America being diverse. Some people just think of the coasts but there is so much in the middle!

@BabyRach thanks for the tips. I’ll look into it.
@Wedoourish I’ve never considered Vancouver island. Thank you! I’ll add it to the list.

@Kitkat1523 thanks for the tips. That’s super helpful as Perth flight is a full 3-5 hours closer than going to Sydney and my best friend from high school that I travel the US with now lives in Australia.

@Nevernottrying thank you! I think I should have mentioned neither my husband or myself are from the UK and both have lived in multiple countries hence why the level of travel. We’re also sort of in the expat community (especially when we lived in New York) which means we have people we are friendly with everywhere so can save a bit of money by staying with friends and getting a more local experience.

Thank all for responding and giving advice!

We are just back from 2 weeks in Sri Lanka and LOVED it. Went all around the island with a driver (very easy and cheap and he was such a great bloke). Your teens will love Ella - in the mountains and a backpacker haven, like Thailand was in the 90s! Worth exploring the north and east too which is Tamil country and tourism is only really just emerging there.

I also second Canada and especially Vancouver Island - we hired a motorhome and went all over a couple of summers ago. It's beautiful and diverse and packed with wildlife.