Top family holiday ideas for 2020

Best for: Wildlife fans

Charles Darwin described Borneo as ‘one great, wild, untidy, luxuriant hothouse made by nature’. And despite the concerning threat of logging and mining in places, it remains a rainforested paradise stuffed with wildlife. Orangutans are stars of the show and you can visit a sanctuary and learn how they’re being protected. But there’s heaps of other wildlife too. You can take a boat ride deep into the jungle spotting monkeys and crocs on the way. Then stay the night in a jungle lodge and head out on a night walk to see fireflies and tarantulas. And don’t forget the coast! Confident swimmers can stick on a snorkel and explore the kaleidoscopic corals thronging with fish. With any luck, you’ll see turtles and rays too!

Best for: Family road trips 

We think the spiritual home of the automobile is the world’s best family road trip location. There are lots of routes but here are two we particularly rate. First, there’s Route One. The Pacific Coast Highway as it’s also known, is a breezy ride along California’s sparkling coastline. It connects sun-kissed beaches, friendly fishing towns and buzzing hi-tech cities like San Fran, LA, and San Diego. Oh, and make time to jump aboard a boat to see the epic wildlife like whales and dolphins. Second, there’s the famous Route 66. At places like historic Kingman or Seligman you feel like you’re on the set of a movie with neon-lit diners and historic general stores and filling stations. Grand Canyon is just up the road too…

Best for: Beach babies

Wherever you go in Thailand, youngsters are greeted with a smile and a wave, so it’s a wonderful place for family holidays. Younger families will absolutely love the beaches. The sand is sugar soft, just perfect for hours of sandcastle building and play. The sea is so warm it’s almost like a bath and the shores slope really gently so little ones can splash in safety. It’s hard to choose a favourite, but we particularly like Ko Phangan on the east coast. There are lots of comfy places to stay but it’s not too developed and the beaches are quiet and peaceful. The weather during the UK summer holidays is also far better than the west coast which is often rainy at this time of year.

Best for: Curious teens

One of the things we love about family holidays is seeing kids learn new things – literally having their horizons widened. And young culture creatures will find Vietnam enthralling. Ancient pagodas shrouded in rainforest, thought-provoking reminders of the Vietnam war, spiritual limestone caverns with smoky shrines  – it’s a place brimming with history and adventure. What makes it so special is its people, so we have a range of homestays here that mean your kids can meet them and hear their stories first hand. You’ll experience the every day too, you can help catch fish and plant rice. Some of our hosts will teach you to cook tasty traditional dishes, while others will take you for a foodie tour of the backstreets of Saigon… on the back of a vintage Vespa.

Best for: Thrill seekers

Nowhere does the great outdoors quite like Canada. For starters, it’s immense. It’s the world’s fourth-largest country and has a population around half the size of the UK. Older kids will have an absolute blast here. How about zooming upriver on a high-speed dinghy looking for bears in Pacific Ring National Park? Or maybe sea kayaking at sunset to spot sea lions lazing on the rocks. At a safer distance, you can watch mighty orcas and whales breaching or try your hand (and feet!) at stand up paddle boarding across shimmering lakes with a backdrop of vast mountains. Best of the lot? We reckon it’s flying through the treetops and across foaming rivers on a high-speed zip wire.

Best for: Eco-conscious kids

If your kids are fans of Greta Thunberg they’ll find real inspiration here. Costa Rica takes its eco-credentials very seriously. Despite its small size, it’s a biodiversity hotspot and wildlife and habitat protection are top of the agenda. What that means for family holidays is an untouched natural world brimming with unusual creatures, coupled with low impact resorts where respect for the environment is paramount. Yes, if the kids want to learn about conserving our planet this is the right place to come. Our local guides won’t just show them the sloths, the monkeys, the myriad birds, the dolphins, and whales – they’ll also teach them all about conservation and protection. At the right time of year, they might even get to see rare green turtles laying their eggs on the beach.