Trip of a lifetime suggestions

[Ziferblat]

We usually focus on European travel but a big birthday is coming next year and my mind is turning to how few holidays we may have left with DC who are tween and teenage.

Where have you been that has blown your mind?

We are not super active but will try to shape up for the right trip and love great scenery, different cultures etc but also some comfort.

I’ve never been obsessed with animals but everyone seems to rave about safaris.

A lot of friends have gone to Costa Rica the last few years too.

Long haul places we have been to include: Australia and New Zealand; Malaysia, Singapore and Borneo with DC.

Before kids, we did the Yucatan peninsula and the entire West Coast of the US plus New York and Miami.

We would allocate about two weeks for this. Has to be in school holidays though DC get quite a lot of time off.

Where have you been that is long haul and you’d consider a trip of a lifetime?

I love the idea of South America but it is just so huge I don’t know where to start.

Anywhere else that you’ve been bowled over by?

@Rocketstarr I think you should take a bow. You’re clearly a seasoned traveller - not just a tourist. You sound like an adventurous family and I take my hat off to you doing this with a 5 year old and you’ve already done Uzbekistan!

I thought it might be a bit tricky to do the Stans DIY.

And it’s amazing that a ‘budget’ trip to Galapagos and Ecuador is still 10k plus. Several years ago that would’ve been a deposit on a flat!

I would rather have a shabby house and go on more trips though than miss out on travel.

We loved Vietnam and Cambodia - 15, 13 and 10 and all the DC loved it. Good to get SE Asia in at Christmas or Easter before the slog of exam/ mocks season starts which limits your choices somewhat.

Great food, really interesting history which the teens loved, some animals (but not loads - DD10's favourite bit was seeing monkeys in the jungle when we were doing our temples tour in Cambodia), everyone we met was wonderful. We had the best time.

One that I think hasn't been mentioned - Nepal? Unless you plan on climbing it (probably not) a day trip plane over Everest, fantastic temples and cultures that are unique, and people are just so friendly.

@chiefscoutsgoldaward Sounds incredible and good point. DCs are going to be year 7 and year 9… I was slightly put off Cambodia because of its harrowing recent history. This sounds trite but I do tend to dwell on tragedy and grief a lot and know I would not be able to get this out of my head… I seem to have lots of friends in both the southern and northern hemisphere who have done Vietnam in the last two years!

Funny you should mention ‘Race Across the World’ because my suggestion is directly inspired by that programme (series two) which was set in South America, and that’s the Iguazu Falls. Stunning!

Article about them.

www.enchantingtravels.com/travel-blog/iguazu-falls-the-worlds-largest-waterfalls/

That sounds amazing. As does Bhutan.

Jordan and Cappadocia are amazing OP, I couldn't agree more! If you loved Petra then Angkor Wat surely needs to be high on your list!

Edited to say I see you're not keen on Cambodia, sorry!

We spent 20 odd years living in African and South American countries. I’ve had many safaris, camping on my own or lodges. They are great but Iyou can’t guarantee what you’ll see and every country is so different I wouldn’t know which to recommend as your one and only.

I love Argentina and Canada- driving down the Ice fields parkway from Jasper to Banff was mind boggling

It’s not that I’m not keen on Cambodia - I’m just worried about ‘feeling’ the history too much. My DS is equally melancholic @Jan168 . It does appear that I’m drawn to other worldly landscapes and architecture. Everyone around me with our age DC is heading for safaris and Costa Rica though! I did actually have one friend who found Costa Rica disappointing!!

It is about at this point that I will admit my DD has suddenly started to develop an aversion to travel! I don’t know if it’s because she’d rather be with her pals or on a screen but she said she wants to do only UK holidays…. And she’s not afraid of flying as she likes having the screen time. I need her to get over this or she will be removed from the family 😅.

There is a lot of love for Canada on here and South Africa. Perhaps an insensitive question but to anyone who has been to SA in the last two years, how safe did you feel? I have friends from there who all know friends or neighbours who have been killed (locals, not tourists).

@GoldPoster It’s a lot of pressure isn’t it if you are trying to squeeze in the highlights of a continent let alone country into 5 days!! (The length of many safaris is so short and yet soooo expensive).

On the non-safari front, I’ve heard good things about Ethiopia and seen the most incredible pictures.

I have a confession: I have been to Canada (Vancouver and Vancouver Island). I wasn’t massively impressed! I do hear Banff is spectacular though. But it just feels like a huge country with not that much variety in its scenery for the distances travelled vs somewhere compact and scenic like New Zealand which also boasts lakes, mountains and views.

What about Mexico..a few days in Mexico City which is supposed to be amazing and then to a resort with lots of water activities for the teens

Canada is fab. We took the train from Toronto to Vancouver. Had a private cabin as it takes three days. Silver service in the dining car. Took the opportunity to catch a ferry to Vancouver Island for a couple of days too. We drove part of the way back through some stunning scenery. We then flew from Calgary to Toronto and drove up to Ottawa for the last few days. A wonderful holiday. But £££!!!

North America seems to be eye watering these days. I have a v wealthy relative who couldn’t believe what he paid in the US and Canada the last few years. He’s been going for 35 years for work and leisure!

Mexico does sound great @junebirthdaygirl . We went to the Yucatán years ago pre kids and figured it would be a great place to return with teens.

@Ziferblat I've been to South Africa twice this year and several times previously. Absolutely love it and haven't felt any less safe than other places ive been. It's the same as most places, including the UK, take sensible precautions when out and about. South Africa is a beautiful country which offers so much for tourists.

Bhutan was on my shortlist for this year but didn't make the cut because I can only travel in monsoon season. It's staying on the list for when I retire.

I'm going to Jordan at Easter though :)

I was in SA in 2022 ( so 3 years ago) Cape Town had loads to do, bought a pass which got us entry fees drinks and even meals included. Was fantastic value. No real hassle but we did use Ubers if travelling at evening/ nighttime. After that we hired at car and travelled stopping over in various places until we reached port Elizabeth. From there we flew to Johannesburg. That didn't feel too safe and really wouldn't return there

Wasn't interested in Safari and my OH had been on one in Kenya so didn't bother with that

And one advantage is that you won't get jetlagged lol

Guatemala? I went earlier this year with DH and teen DDs and it was amazing. Lake Atitlan is beautiful with lovely villages to explore. The colonial capital Antigua is fascinating too. You can hike up active volcanoes if that’s your thing. Definitely felt off the beaten track - we have been to Costa Rica and Mexico on previous trips and I much preferred Guatemala as it felt less touristy.

I’m currently in Canada, British Columbia, and absolutely loving it! It’s by far the best holiday I’ve been on. The whole place is beautiful. Vancouver is a really lovely city. The scenery is gorgeous. We’re here with our 6 year old who’s also having a blast!

Sounds incredible. Would you feel comfortable sharing some details of how you found the guide and your itinerary/accom? Planning a similar trip and a bit overwhelmed about where to start! Thank you

Brazil is an amazing country, but you need to throw some money at it to guarantee comfort and you would probably want to visit several destinations (internal flights) to get the most out of your trip.

Rio has the bucket list tourist stuff that’s definitely worth doing -Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer. Our teens / young adult loved it.

Amazon Rainforest tours up in the North East are pretty wonderful, although again, comfort costs ££££ if you want to stay overnight rather than do a day tour.

The lagoons and sand dunes at Lencois Marenhenses National Park are spectacular.

We went to South Africa 2 years ago and I think that it would be a fantastic trip for teens - we did Joburg, Drakensburg Mountains, Safari (Nambiti Game reserve which was our best safari ever!) and then along the garden route to Cape Town (stayed Camps Bay) saw loads of whales, dolphins, sharks. Lots of easy hiking along the way. Great food and we didn’t feel unsafe anywhere, even walking around at night.
We are currently in Sri Lanka travelling independently on the well trodden route and it has been really easy, varied, great food, lovely people and lots of beaches for our last week! There are lots of families with teens enjoying it. Still fairly unspoiled

South America or India 👌👌🏼 The beauty of both of those places is the variety in each place, each place varies so much in food, language etc As well as amazing natural landscape, history and friendly people (as well as amazing architecture temples etc, this more applies to India)

I’m in South America right now and the top spots include:

Peru (Macchu Picchu hike, rainbow mountain, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, and the Peruvian Amazon are all amazing)

Colombia - loved Cartagena and Medellin and it’s really not very unsafe anymore.

The Galapagos. For obvious reasons.

Oh I forgot I also loved Guatape in Colombia and the surrounding lake lands.

Our family Trip of a Lifetime was Japan. Perfect for teens. It's clean and safe but very different from UK. Teens love the robot humans and dogs that greet you at stations and hotels, love the bullet train - all the modern stuff. And the cable car over the mountains spouting foaming yellow sulphur, where you can buy black eggs boiled in the hot springs.

There's also amazing wildlife and ancient history - castles and incredible shrines (teens loved Fushimi Inara, where you are given little wooden foxes and you write your wishes on them and tie them in the trees, or Nara where you plant incense sticks in sand and ring bells, then feed rice cakes to the deer that roam around the temples.

We stayed in a Buddhist monastery, in a traditional ryokan on the samurai trail, that the DC said was like walking through a Studio Ghibli film (rice paddies and big wooden waterwheels), bathed in hot springs, fed wild monkeys.

The food is great for teens too - noodles and mild curries and Korean BBQs, okonomiyaki pancakes.

I could go on and on. One of my DC now in his mid twenties told me he still thinks about that holiday almost every single day.