New holiday ideas

[2026HolidayLand]

In the past 12 months we’ve significantly changed our lifestyle and eating habits etc and are now looking for holiday ideas to match.

We’ve always done a lot of all inclusive beach type holidays and recently a couple of cruises. We did Thailand earlier this year (3-4 different places which we absolutely loved).

We would really like to build our savings next year so not looking for anything too expensive but a change from the AI type places, no car needed but some lovely walks / excursions etc and still somewhere to have stroll out on and evening and watch the world go by. We’re not super fit yet so not strenuous hikes etc!

It would be two adults and a teen. Thinking probably an apartment when she can have her own room. Live North so flights from Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle or East Midlands.

What about Japan? We did that this Easter with a 11 and 14 year old, flew Manchester to Dubai then to Toyko and made our way around 8 different places and close back from Kyoto. We booked everything ourselves so it was much cheaper than a tour.

loads to see and do, amazing people and the food was excellent!

I think Japan might too ‘big’ for next year but definitely one to look into for the future.

Lanzarote? You can hire bikes and cycle by the beach on the car free path. From PDC to Puerto Calero is a nice walk on the cliffs then water bus back to PDC. Sightseeing the Cesar Manrique architecture stuff and the volcano. Day trip to Fuerteventura. PDC has a rooftop cinema.

La Santa is meant to be great for sports but I’ve not personally stayed there. In PDC there’s a few gyms that do daily/weekly passes.

I thought it would be horrible and tacky but I was pleasantly surprised how much there was to do.

Thanks will take a look into this!

There will be loads of places you could go, but have you looked at Neilson holidays? More active than normal AI, but still an organised package and not overly expensive.

Scillies? Stay on St Mary's (go for evening walks) and spend each day visiting an off island and walking on those?
Probably self catering so you eat to fit your diet and budget.

What about Mallorca, Have a couple of days in Palma, then take the tourist train to Soller and stay ther a couple of days and then take the tram down to Port de Soller and stay there a few days.

Sicily has a good mix of excursions, walks and culture, and most places are well-connected by train or bus.
For walks, you could do Riserva Naturale Orientata dello Zingaro (reachable by bus from Palermo), Mount Etna (by bus or cable car from Catania), and Alcantara Gorge (bus from Catania or Taormina). Cefalù is also a great base for exploring coastal paths and is reachable by train. You could also take a ferry to the Aeolian Islands where you can walk on different volcanic landscapes.

This is the sort of thing I think we might be looking for! Thank you. Will look into this.

Cycling in the Netherlands.
Very easy, very safe and some nice places to explore.

From Leiden (picturesque university city) you can cycle to the coast and get a train to Amsterdam.

A river cruise might suit all of you. There are usually daily excursions , nothing too strenuous.
The cost will usually include flights, transfers, all food & sometimes a drinks package - so are not as expensive as they might seem at first glance.

Fly into somewhere like Geneva or Vienna and do a train journey around Central Europe. Loads to see and do, stunning scenery, walks, exploring etc. Take it as slow as you like! DH did this with DD this summer and I was properly jealous looking at their pics (I had to work!).

We did this a few years ago and loved it. However, this would have to be booked very early as accommodation gets snapped up. Like, booking now for next summer might be OK but not necessarily.

When we went we didn't start looking until January for the summer period and almost gave up but we were lucky enough to snap up something that came free due to a cancellation.

Edited to say we were also two adults and a teen DD when we did it. As a family we have always liked walking.

Thank you!

A Scandinavian city for a different vibe. City walks, train out to coastal walks, cycling through forests etc. mix of city culture and gentle activity.

Other options include somewhere like Lake Garda. Places to explore like Milan and Venice, evening walks, cycle routes and cycle hire, kayaks, paddle boards exploring the lake by boat and some gorgeous villages around the lake. Equally you can just sun yourself!

How about Northumberland - somewhere like Seahouses or Bamburgh then you can walk the coat path, body board on Bamburgh beach, lots of castles and you could book an afternoon's coasteering or kayaking. These guys are great - ex military so you really feel you're in safe hands. https://northernoutdoor.co.uk/adventure-activities/

I do quite fancy Lake Garda, is it very expensive when you are there?

No more than many other destinations really!

@owlexpress Neilson is amazing but I would say very expensive!

I had a look for dates in August and some were coming out about £1500pp for a week. Obviously we all have different ideas of expensive, but if OP usually does AI or cruises I'd assume she's paying around that usually. Just a suggestion anyway, I've never actually done a Neilson holiday but it's on my radar as a potential option.

Neilsons are great but still have that AI vibe to them IMO, you really go to use the facilities at the resort not to do sightseeing and day trips. Or maybe that's just how we use them?? It seems a waste to be paying for the activities that are provided on site and not make full use of them.
Madeira might suit, it's not really a "resort" sort of holiday and we found the local buses ok from Funchal.
Or a city break?

Sailing holiday - different location every day, you will get a decent workout hauling ropes, plus there's usually an option for a good walk every day & you meet a huge range of people. Plus on most of the boats you will get to learn a bit about navigation, sailing in different conditions.

Try Venturesail or Classic Sailing - they both have lots of options around the UK, Scilly Isles, Mediterranean, or the Atlantic coast. I prefer traditional ships, but there are more modern & luxury options too.

Sounds amazing but expensive?

Last year we did two weeks in Austria, walking and lake swimming. We primarily did mostly flat walks or caught cable cars up to the top and walked down but most places we went had free printed tourist guides with maps of graded walks of all different lengths and difficulties. Stop in mountain huts for a drink and food on the way.

There are also cycling/ebiking options in lots of places.

Public transport is great and there are plenty of options for a day off. Train to Mittenwald was an enjoyable one for us.