Intrepid’s family adventures invite children aged five and above to sleep under star-lit Saharan skies and spy Borneo’s secretive sun bears.
The best family travel moments rarely come from ticking off landmarks. They come from shared experiences in unfamiliar places, when you’re learning, laughing or taking it all in together.
Intrepid’s family trips are built around these shared experiences: hands-on, out of the ordinary and designed to bring everyone into the moment. From wildlife encounters to creative workshops and big outdoor adventures, these are the kinds of experiences that linger on to become part of family legend. Here are 15 travel experiences that’ll prove hard to forget.
1. Make lunch for sun bears in Borneo
In Borneo, the rainforest feels less like a backdrop and more like part of the experience. On the Borneo Premium Family Holiday, you’ll visit the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre with founder Dr Wong and get stuck into preparing treats for the world’s smallest bear species, from tasty snacks to enrichment toys. It’s hands-on, a little messy, and more fun for the kids than watching from a distance. After all the adventure, downtime arrives on tropical Gaya Island, where you’ll stay in overwater villas and learn about local marine life.
2. Meet robot hosts in Japan
Japan’s cutting-edge technology is a big draw for younger travellers. On the Japan Highlights Family Holiday, you’ll visit a Tokyo robot avatar café where android servers are operated remotely by people with disabilities. You can chat to them virtually and even have a go at operating one yourself, which, for kids (and let’s be honest, adults), is way more exciting than your average café.
Read more: How to make your next family adventure a hit
3. Learn Bollywood dance moves in India
India’s Golden Triangle pulls families in with its grand architecture and layered history, but culture here is just as much about music and movement. On the India Golden Triangle Premium Family Holiday, your time in Jaipur includes a Bollywood dance class, where you’ll all learn the moves together, drop your guard down and end up laughing more than expected.
4. Get creative with wool in Iceland
Iceland might be known for dramatic volcanoes and waterfalls, but its folklore is pretty special, too. On the Iceland Family Holiday, you’ll visit a local home in Reykjavik to craft your own skrimsli (wool monster) while hearing stories of elves and trolls that sound half like myth, half like local gossip. A bit unusual? Yes. Memorable? Also yes.
5. Watch meerkats and camp on the salt flats in Botswana
In Botswana, the horizons are wide and even the most diminutive wildlife has big personality. On the Botswana Family Safari Comfort trip, you’ll meet a playful meerkat colony, before heading out to camp on cushioned, roll-out mattresses amid the otherworldly plains of the Makgadikgadi salt flats. With nothing but open space above and a sky full of stars, it’s the perfect place to marvel at the universe together.
6. Embrace Arctic calm in Finland
Lapland might conjure images of racy, pacy huskies and snowmobiles, but it also knows how to slow things down. On the Finland Family Holiday, you’ll head into Halipuu Forest to experience ‘Arctic cocooning’, essentially swinging in a hammock wrapped in blankets and gazing up at the trees and the sky. It’s a simple, shared experience, where the emphasis is on bonding and quiet contemplation.
7. Watch elephants roam in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka packs a lot into a small island, including beaches, temples and wildlife. On the Sri Lanka Premium Family Holiday, an open-top jeep safari through Minneriya National Park puts you and the kids in the middle of it, with large, sometimes 100-strong, herds of elephants often moving across the landscape together, and bonus cameos from a cast of monkeys, deer and possibly leopards.
8. Hang out with pandas in Chengdu
There are highlights aplenty on the China Family Holiday, but Chengdu’s pandas tend to steal the spotlight. You’ll head to the research base to watch giant pandas (and their smaller red counterparts) doing what they do best: eating, lounging and generally winning everyone over. If you visit at the right time, there might even be young cubs in the nursery.
Read more: How two dads bonded with their kids on a family trip to China
9. Go big at Uluru in Australia
In Australia’s Red Centre, everything feels supersized: the skies, the silence and, of course, Uluru itself. On the Central Australia & Uluru Family Holiday, you’ll cycle around its base to appreciate the scale from every angle, then watch as the rock shifts colour with the changing light. It’s the kind of moment that quietly holds everyone’s attention – kids included.
10. Get the story behind K-pop Demon Hunters in South Korea
In South Korea, you can move easily between the traditional and the very modern, often in the same afternoon. On the South Korea Family Holiday, you’ll visit Girimsa Temple for tea with a monk, where centuries-old folk tales come with a twist: they helped inspire K-Pop Demon Hunters. There’s also a chance to make your own Buddhist rosary, which definitely beats taking home a fridge magnet.
11. Sleep under the stars in Morocco
In Morocco, among the artfully messy pottery and hands-on cooking classes, you can quickly move from big-city energy to the silence of the sand-shifting desert. On the Morocco Premium Family Holiday, that transition ends with a night in the Sahara, complete with a traditional dinner, live music and a star-studded sky. For kids, it’s a moment where the setting does most of the talking: camels, dunes, music and a night sky that feels almost unreal.
12. Cook up a feast in Greece
Greece has family travel covered: sunshine, history, beaches and food that’s worth lingering over. On the Greece Family Holiday, you’ll join a cooking class on Poros Island, where you’ll learn to make dishes like spanakopita (a flaky pastry layered with spinach and feta), while focussing on the process rather than perfection. Expect a bit of mess, a lot of taste-testing and very few complaints.
13. Spend time with a Maleku community in Costa Rica
Families are drawn to Costa Rica’s wildlife and coastlines, but its culture is just as rich. On the Costa Rica Premium Family Holiday, you’ll visit a Maleku community, learning about the traditions of Costa Rica’s smallest Indigenous group and having a go at making a traditional jicara drinking cup, made from natural materials such as gourds. It’s a simple, hands-on exchange that adds another layer of depth to your time here.
14. Go to sleep on the water in Vietnam
Halong Bay’s towering limestone formations look as if they’ve been deliberately designed to impress. On the Vietnam Family Holiday, you’ll hop aboard a traditional junk boat and cruise through the limestone-karst-speckled landscape, with time to swim, kayak and drift into hidden caves along the way. Then, as evening falls, it’s time to anchor in a quiet bay to watch the sunset before a night beneath starry skies.
15. Turn ocean waste into art in the Galapagos
The Galapagos Islands are all about wildlife and a visit here will make you passionate about protecting it. On the Galapagos Family Holiday, a workshop on Isla Santa Cruz sees you working with a local artist to turn collected beach plastic into something new. It’s a great chance to get the kids thinking about conservation while doing something practical and fun.
Launch your next family adventure on a small-group trip with Intrepid. Intrepid’s family trips are designed for people travelling with a child aged between 5 (or 10 for some trips) and 17.
