Ideas for a family adventure/ nature holiday on a £12,000 budget

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We are a family of 5 with three kids 10,11,13.

We usually camp in the UK, with a few short euro city breaks. Even pre kids we didn't travel much.

I've just had £12000 inheritance that I want to spend on a 'big' holiday but having never done it I don't know where to start!

I want to go for 2.5 or 3 weeks. No all inclusive, and I certainly don't want luxury but not exactly backpacking either. I was thinking 3 or 4 destinations, hopefully not too much self catering (good value restaurants etc therefore important), nature, activities.

I'm not instantly drawn to SE Asia, it appears too touristy for me, definately want to avoid gap year party people. Equally i don't want remote!

My dream destination is Costa Rica and I thought it was a no brainer, but actually it looks like my budget wont stretch 😥

Can anyone help me please?

What about a California Road Trip? We have a 16,14 and 8 year old and have booked for this summer for 17 nights. We start in San Francisco and are travelling down to San Diego. We booked it all independently and it’s well under £12,000! We’ve included a 5 night stay in a vineyard house between LA and San Diego at the end of our trip for some downtime. There is lots of things do for children in every destination, we are having difficulty choosing! Just an idea that might help.

Are you thinking of going in the summer holidays? If so, Borneo has good weather at that time of year. You could fly in to Kuala Lumpur and spend a few days there, then fly to Sandakan for the orangutan sanctuary, rainforest discovery centre (the night walk is amazing) and sun bears, and then to Kinabatangan for wild orangutans, jungle treks, river cruises and the possibility of seeing the Bornean pygmy elephants.

Travel around Sri Lanka we have been 3 times and still so much more to see and do. Mind you depends on what time of year you are looking to travel?

Costa Rica was more touristy than Sri Lanka, Borneo and Vietnam in my opinion.
Fantastic though! But expensive - eating out at least as expensive as high street UK places.
In Sri Lanka you could easily come in under that budget including having your own driver.
Borneo is low cost too. Internal flights are handy for KK to Sandakan.
Accomodation to suit every budget (We're at the backpacker end). And certainly eating out for every meal.
We did both with similar aged kids and they loved it.
This homestay was a huge highlight on Borneo if you are ok with basic accomodation but the most amazing food.
https://www.kopelkinabatangan.com/experiences/miso-walai-village-homestay

Thank you so so much!

As I said, Im not well traveled so was thinking SE Asia in terms of Thai beach parties. Borneo isn't somewhere I had ever considered but it looks perfect!!!

Anymore insights on Borneo especially, or anywhere similar, very much appreciated.

This has always been on my dream trip list but assumed it would be far out of budget! I will certainly do more research. Thank you

I shouldn't said! Yes, August 2027.

Does that £12,000 include everything such as spends? I’m surprised you’ve been able to find it so cheaply for a family of 5, as a family of 4 I’m struggling to do it under £14,000 for 2 weeks, and £17,000 for 3 weeks.

Thank you so much for the advice.

Would you mind telling me more about what a homestay means? In theory I do like the idea of basic accommodation, good food and meeting a community, but is this a working holiday type thing? What are the other guests like? Thanks.

OP I’m not very versed in going East so I’d be tempted to look at Canada, would you be confident to drive?

I was going to say Costa Rica but as you’ve already said it’s too expensive I would second Sri Lanka. Very easy to travel around. Vietnam could be an option? I would love to do a California trip with my DD and get to Yosemite as well.

I'm very confident driving but I thought this was a more expensive trip than my budget?

Costa Rica is definitely doable on your budget. For example, TUI does a self-drive 14-night tour including flights, hotels, activities and a lot of meals, which comes in at less than £10k for a family of 5.

SE Asia, it is very easy to avoid rowdy bars and beach parties. Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam - there are so many amazing places to see there, both nature and culture.
We are doing a Indonesia trip next year, but different time so not sure it's good season for you. Borneo orangutans, Komodo dragons and some sailing around islands.

Australia New Zealand and Fiji?

A couple of years ago we took our teens to Yellowstone and Universal studios, they loved it!

100% Vietnam we did 2 nights at the start in lovely hotel in Hanoi then joined a tour group with G adventures for 9 nights which was brilliant and then 2 nights in a nice hotel at the end. I paid £9k for 4 of us flying premium so you can easily do it on your budget for 5.

It really depends what you want to do, we like hiring a car and booking air bnbs, I find Canada much more affordable for food than the US because the Canadian dollar is more in our favour. The flights can be pricier though, we got around this by flying into the US and driving the rest of the trip to Canada as the US flights were so much cheaper.

I came to say California road trip! It’s is an amazing place and lots of wild nature. We did that and a cruise in Alaska, whales bears and eagles. You could do both. We get a flights with Avios points.

when booking hotels in the US get ones that include breakfast and fill up there.

look at suites that sleep 5 instead of rooms.

recommend the riu plaza fisherman’s wharf in SF and the Garland in LA near universal

a cruise could be a cheap alternative but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I love them and they are super easy for budgeting and

Start by looking at the companies who put together packages. Like https://www.familiesworldwide.co.uk/why-us. Then once you’ve got a feeling about where you want to go to, you can see if you are happy to do your own thing. We always do this. Get an idea on an itinerary and then tinker to meet our needs

This is a great idea thanks

US, Canada and such - I mean I've done them one end to other, can be fun for sure. But if it's once in a lifetime trip, I would go for something more exotic and different.
If you have decided on the country and want help from travel agencies, reach out to local ones. Quotes for similar itineraries we got from UK agencies were 3 times as much as from local Sri Lanka agencies.

A package family holiday to Africa with a safari element in it? There's a thread here with ideas:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/holidays/5520220-budget-safari-2027-help

How about Namibia? There's accommodation at all levels and it's easy driving.

We did this in Costa Rica https://rafikisafari.com/wp/ and it was awesome. Their super lekker package is great for a family.