Here in the UK, if you speak to any parent at the school gates you’ll hear the same old holiday destinations over and over. The same resorts, the same sun drenched stretches of foreign coastlines, the exact same experiences year after year. Now, I know, these destination decisions are sometimes driven by money and what’s cheap and what’s reliable. But wouldn’t it be nice to do something a little out of the ordinary for a change? Wouldn’t it be nice if your children were the ones going back to school with tales of adventure and of wonderment, rather than telling the same stories as the child sat next to them about sitting around a pool and maybe seeing a small colourful fish swimming around their feet at the beach. Breaking free from the routine is not unachievable. It may go down as the trip of a lifetime, but it’s completely doable. Here’s how.
See Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is a family attraction. I didn’t know this, but there’s a theme park with aquatic performances, an all American arcade, a water park, and loads of other stuff for adults too, including shopping and golf. Check out Niagara Falls Canada resorts and begin to get to grips with the bigger picture of everything Niagara Falls could offer you and your family. Personally, the helicopter tour over the roaring edge of the falls sounds like the kind of story I’ll be telling for years to come – and one that the other parents at the school gates haven’t all heard a hundred times before.
Take a Viking Tour in Stockholm
Scandinavia offers so many viking tour packages that it’s hard to know where to begin. I’ve found a compromise between city sightseeing and a day trip to experience a true viking adventure. The thinking is that you board a ship in Stockholm and you are whisked away across a lake and taken back in time to when Vikings ruled and everyone carried a sword and a shield in case a bit of a battle broke out unexpectedly on the way to the shops. Or something. The destination is Birka, considered the oldest Viking settlement, with a fort and a harbour. There are reenactments and tours to keep your little ones wide eyed and glue to the action all day long. End the day with a top meal at one of the many on-site restaurants, and return to Stockholm having survived the scourge of the vikings!
Experience the Christmas Markets in Berlin
This one you obviously have to wait for – Christmas markets are pretty time sensitive, and you can’t expect to rock up in Berlin at the height of summer and find all the festive splendour and décor you were promised online. But the wait will be worth it. You may not know that the Berlin Christmas markets aren’t one thing. They spread across the town through different streets, filling all of the available open spaces. There’s a 50m high ferris wheel, a 600 square metre ice rink, three daily visits from Santa, and live music. There’s also all manner of gifts and food to buy, of course.
