Family trips FAQs

Travelers aged 17 and under get 20% off family trips from 1 January 2026.

Our family trips have a minimum age of 5 or 10 (depending on the trip's physical rating) and a maximum age of 17. The minimum age is displayed in the trip page overview.

If you have older children and would prefer to do a more active trip or be in a group of families with similar aged kids, check out our teen family trips which have a minimum age of 10. You could also join one of our regular trips – most of which have a minimum age of 15 when accompanied by an adult.

Travelers aged 18 and over can't join a family trip unless they’re traveling with younger relatives.

Inclusions and extras vary from trip to trip, but at a minimum, all accommodation, on-trip transport and an Intrepid leader will be included. Some meals and activities are also included, and there are optional activities you can join for an additional cost.

In addition to the above, our Comfort family trips offer a complimentary arrival transfer and more meals. Our Premium family trips also offer a departure transfer, Exclusive Experiences, a night or two in a hand-picked Feature Stay, and included tipping for accommodation, activities and transport providers (leader tips are excluded).

For more details, check the ‘Inclusions and activities’ section of the Essential Trip Information.

Our family trips are built with young explorers in mind, so we try to keep travel time to a minimum and go at a child-friendly pace. Like all Intrepid trips, you’ll have a blend of included activities and free time – often with planned activities in the morning, followed by free time in the afternoon.

Sometimes you’ll have two full days of activities, but it’s always followed by a free day so you and the kids can relax.

Yes, all travelers need a valid passport to join our trips (unless you've booked a trip in your home country). We recommend that your passport has at least six months of validity as this is an entry requirement for many countries.  

Depending on your nationality and chosen travel destination, you may also require a visa. Contact your local embassy for more information about visa requirements. 

Our teenage family trips have a minimum age of 10 and offer more active and challenging itineraries for older children. If you also have younger children, we'll look at allowing them on these trips on a case-by-case basis depending on their age and the trip activities.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us to discuss your options. 

Our trips are guaranteed to depart once they have one fully paid customer, unless the minimum group size listed in the Essential Trip Information and/or Special Conditions state otherwise.

We never want to cancel a trip, but sometimes unforeseen things happen that are out of our control. We closely monitor all our destinations, and if your trip is changed or cancelled due to a Force Majeure Event or for operational reasons, we'll aim to notify you at least one month before your scheduled departure date. If you booked with a travel agent, they will notify you of any changes. Visit our trip cancellations page for more information.

If children are joining you on a trip without their parents or guardians, you should obtain a letter of consent to travel before you leave home. This letter proves the children have permission to travel with you.

Preparing this letter is easy – it can even be handwritten – provided it includes relevant information such as confirmation that you're permitted to travel with the child, the child's date of birth and their travel plans.

The letter should be signed by the child’s parents or guardians and witnessed by a notary public, Justice of the Peace or a similar public officer. While you may never need to show this letter, it’s important to have one just in case.

Flights

All transport during your trip is included in your trip price.

Flights to and from the starting point of your trip are not included. If you'd like help booking international flights, contact us for a quote.


Please note that we cannot book International flights if you’re in North America, but our flight partner, Ovago has access to some very affordable prices. Their expert team will save you time and effort by crafting a customized itinerary that meets your travel needs. Visit Ovago to get started.

Transfers

Transfers to and from your trip aren’t included in your trip price but can be booked at an additional cost.

Some trip styles have transfers included, so please check your Essential Trip Information and itinerary for a full list of what’s included.

If you'd like to arrive at your joining point hotel early or stick around post-tour to explore, contact us, and we can help you book extra nights of accommodation.

Like most Intrepid trips, our family trips have a maximum group size of 16, though they usually average 10 people. Small groups allow us to use local transport, stay in family-owned accommodations, connect with local communities and be flexible with itineraries. It also makes it easier to get to know the other families in your group.

Group sizes are displayed in the trip overview.

Our family trips are just that – for the whole family. That means you don’t have to leave aunties, uncles and grandparents at home. As long as there’s at least one child under the age of 18 traveling with you, you’re a family in our eyes.

The families on our trips tend to be a like-minded bunch, hailing from all over the world. After meeting the other families, it usually doesn’t take long for the kids to make new friends. The small group size also means there’s a good social mix for the adults to get to know each other while the children have fun.

Due to data protection, we can’t disclose any other family’s details. But we can disclose some basic details like the ages of the other children booked on the trip.

Yes, our leaders are all experienced and have the relevant checks and permits to work with children where required. They're friendly, organized and have a great rapport with the kids. They undergo extra rigorous training to ensure they can work well with the dynamic of the younger group members. 

Although we employ special leaders with experience leading adventures for children, they're not employed to provide childcare. Your leader is there to handle all the logistics and ensure your trip runs smoothly, but parents or carers must be responsible for children at all times.

Rooming arrangements vary depending on the accommodation, but children will always be placed in a room with a parent/guardian. Check the trip itinerary online for more details about the accommodation included on each trip.

Hotels:

Families of two will have a twin room.

Families of three will generally be given a triple room – either with single, double or rollaway beds.

Families of four or more will likely be given two rooms next to each other or on the same floor. Where possible, we’ll put you in a quadruple or interconnecting room.

Camping:

All tents are twin share. Families of three will be given two tents – if travelling with young children, you’ll also be given an additional mattress or camp bed so that you can stay together.

Overnight trains:

Some trips include overnight train travel. Depending on the country, sleeper trains may have two, four or six-berth compartments with bench seats that convert into sleeping bunks.

We take great care in choosing locally owned and run accommodation. We avoid big chain hotels in favor of smaller establishments that offer an authentic experience. The standard of accommodation varies depending on whether you choose a Basix, Original, Comfort or Premium family trip.

Basix family trips usually include a mix of two or three-star hotels and full or part-camping. Some campsites offer creature comforts, while others – like our bush camps in the Okavango Delta – have limited facilities, but it's all part of the fun! Not to mention the amazing night skies and wildlife experiences on your doorstep.

Original family trips include a range of accommodations such as three-star hotels, overnight trains and homestays. Homestays offer a unique opportunity to immerse your family in the culture.

Comfort family trips generally include four-star hotels with upgraded rooms. The same goes for our Premium family trips, with the addition of a night or two in a memorable Feature Stay – it could be a former royal palace in Jaipur or an overwater villa in Borneo.

We have an allocation of rooms at the hotels we use, and all families will be placed in the same standard of room. You're welcome to request an upgrade, but this will need to be arranged directly with the hotel when you arrive for an additional cost.

We know staying connected and enjoying pool time are important for many families, so we try to use hotels with these features where possible. Depending on how far off the beaten track the trip wanders, there may not be hotels with pools nearby, but your leader will try to find you a freshwater lake or secluded beach where you can take a dip.

You can see the hotels we use and other important accommodation details in the Essential Trip Information.

We design our trips to be immersive, experiential and inclusive. All activities are age-appropriate and can generally be enjoyed by anyone with an average fitness level. You’ll find the physical rating on the trip page.

For families that enjoy a more active adventure, some of our teenage trips have a higher physical rating and include activities like hiking, biking, kayaking or whitewater rafting. The distances for these activities are in the itinerary.

All our trips involve some degree of walking, occasionally along uneven paths and up stairs, so contact us if you have any mobility concerns.

While we encourage everyone to get involved with all activities, it may be possible to opt out of some activities and stay at the hotel or do some independent exploring instead.

Adults are responsible for their children at all times, so you’ll need to supervise them if they want to opt out.

Yes, our trip designers, many of whom are parents, have crafted these itineraries to keep the whole family happy. The included activities are designed to entertain both kids and adults.

We try to minimize time on the road and there’s also plenty of free time to spend together as a family or explore independently. Plus, the kids usually love hanging out with each other, allowing you to have some downtime and chat with the adults.

If you have an allergy, please advise us when booking and we’ll try our best to accommodate this. It may be difficult in some restaurants to determine if dishes are 100% allergen-free, so we encourage you to take the same precautions as you would when eating out in your home country. Your leader can also provide recommendations and assistance.

We try to accommodate all food requirements, so make sure you advise us at the time of booking. Although we endeavor to have alternative options available, it may be difficult in some restaurants to determine if foods are 100% allergen-free. We advise that you take the same precautions as you would when eating out at a restaurant in your home country, and maybe pack snacks that you know are safe as a precaution.

There’s usually a vegetarian option available, but it depends on the destination as some cuisines offer a wider range of vegetarian/plant-based options than others.

Please advise us of any dietary requirements when booking so we can try our best to accommodate you.

Health and safety is our top priority. Most of our family trips use a mix of public transport (primarily trains and ferries) and reliable local transport providers. All our vehicles are fitted with seatbelts, and we run regular inspections to ensure they meet our strict safety requirements.

Please reach out if you have any questions.

We partner with trusted local operators to run all our activities. They are well aware of the necessary safety equipment and procedures, including supplying correctly fitting life jackets and helmets. We also run regular audits to make sure our partners continue to meet our rigorous safety policy.

Our leaders are well-trained in all aspects of health and safety and provide briefings before all activities.

Yes, all families must have comprehensive travel insurance to cover them in the event of illness or medical emergency, preferably a policy that includes repatriation. Please provide us with your insurance details before departure. 

It’s best to arrange travel insurance before you depart your country of origin. If you’d like assistance arranging insurance cover, please get in touch.

In most countries we visit, there are private, Western-style hospitals or medical centers.

If you have any medical issues or become unwell during the trip, your leader can contact our local office to find you the best and closest medical assistance. We also recommend contacting your travel insurance provider who'll offer assistance and advice on policy coverage. They usually have a recommended medical center or hospital with English-speaking medical staff.

If a family member has prescription medicine, we recommend bringing extra in case they lose or damage it, as it might not be available in the destinations you’re visiting. We also recommend carrying a prescription letter and advising your leader of any medical conditions on day one.

In some countries, certain medications may be banned, so make sure you check with a medical practitioner beforehand and get the relevant documentation (i.e. a doctor’s letter to verify the condition, medication and dosage) to take with you.

If you’re traveling with medicine that needs to be refrigerated, you must let us know when booking.

Like any other trip, you should pack a supply of Band-Aids and disinfectant, some paracetamol, motion sickness tablets (if necessary) and hydrolytes (or something similar) for any little bumps or bruises along the way.

Please get in touch with your local doctor or specialist travel vaccination center at least 60 days before departure. They can tell you what specific vaccinations you need for your trip.

Your leader will advise you on the safety of drinking local tap water. For destinations where it’s unsafe, we recommend that you pack water purification tablets rather than buying bottled water (it’s better for the environment). We also recommend bringing a reusable water bottle to refill at hotels and restaurants.

All the hotels we use have Western-style flushing toilets. In some rural areas, the toilet facilities may be of a more rudimentary standard than your family enjoys at home, so it’s best to carry toilet paper and hand sanitizer just in case.