5 Places To Find Family Holiday Inspiration

So where do you go to find your Family Holiday Inspiration? It’s that time of year when I realise that the few, rare, quiet moments I have I probably spend thinking about sunshine, and time off, and quiet beaches and long lazy days and sunsets with a glass of something cold… holidays.
Amid the craziness which is family life in the run up to Christmas, I do find that a quiet ponder about where our next trip will be feels like a gentle cool hand on a hot brow. It’s soothing, and helps me see past the winter mayhem (which I do so love, I promise) and to look forward to something special in the coming months. I won’t book anything yet (though I probably should…), but by the time we wish in the new year we’ll already have a pretty good idea where our family holidays will be in the coming summer.

But where do you get your Family Holiday Inspiration? How do you choose where to take the kids this year? Every family has their own unique mix of wants and needs, and all of us strive to find that perfect balance between plenty of fun stuff for the kids and enough interest for the grown-up brains too. Because we all know that when you get it wrong, a family holiday can feel plodding, slow and low-level exhausting. Not the really bad ones where a disaster happens. No, the ones where you just it it wrong – picked the wrong location, the wrong property, the wrong activities. Just the wrong thing. and everyone’s willing, and really wants to have a good time – but it just never seems to click. and to be honest, it’s a relief when you you get back home.

But get it right, a great family holiday enters into family legend. It’s not just a brilliantly happy fortnight – oh no, it’s becomes way more. You’ll reminisce about it over dinner in years to come, when you see photographs randomly show up on your screensaver you’ll smile and feel that warm glow – and every year you’ll hunt for some new Family Holiday Inspiration to see if you can replicate that warm, relaxed, glow of pure happy that the right holiday brings.

The trouble is, it’s not an exact science. We had one of those magical perfect holidays the very first time we took the kids abroad and stayed at Parc De Fierbois Eurocamp. And yet when we returned the following year in happy expectation, it just wasn’t as good. The week spent in freezing cold in a truly remote Northumberland holiday cottage was fabulous. And yet a remote cottage in the Lake District , while perfectly lovely, just didn’t seem to work for us in the same way.

So to help you find your next perfect adventure, I’ve rounded up the very best places to have a noodle with a coffee, and pick up some Family Holiday Inspiration.

Family Holiday Inspiration; 1 – Magazines.

It’s an oldie, but a goodie. If you’re hunting for Family Holiday Inspiration, then flicking through a magazine packed with ready-made ideas, suggestions and reviews is an excellent place to start. There are plenty of travel magazines out there – my personal pick of them is the digital version of Family Traveller. Packed with excellent and wide-ranging advice which always looks beyond the obvious. I never read it without my brain saying “oh! I would never have thought about taking the kids there!” and clicking through to explore further.

Family Holiday Inspiration;  2 – Blogs. Obviously.

Find a range of family travel blogs, and follow them through the year; watch their own adventures, and you’ll find not only all the inspiration you need, but also an honest insight into the pitfalls, benefits and unexpected extras from the places they go and the things they see. For a quick start guide, take a look at our map of the world, with travel bloggers favourite places pegged on it. Whether it’s watching Jenny and her family spend 3 months driving & camping across Africa, Kirsty & Stuart and their three teens Interail through 12 countries in 3 weeks with their folding bikes or Daisy and her family having an idyllic couple of weeks in the south of France , or following single mum Sally on a California Road Trip with her daughter, there’s always a blogger family which enjoys what you do, who have kids the same age as you, or who just might inspire you to go try something new. 

Family Holiday Inspiration; 3 – Instagram

This one’s a no-brainer – Instagram is endlessly inspirational! But you have to use it right, or you’ll be drowned in a sea of pretty, with no practical use. 
First, follow the right people. Search for some relevant hashtags – but the key part is ‘relevant’. Seach for #TravelBlogger or #TravelGoals and your feed will be filled with Pretty Young Things who’s only connection to travelling with a child is to sigh and frown at the parent of a baby crying on a plane. 
Make the hashtag #familytravel and you’ll see a gazillion images of families doing what you love. Find pictures that speak to you, follow them, ask them questions – Instagrammers LOVE to talk about their travels!

Family Holiday Inspiration; 4 – Google

Well, yes. Obviously. But don’t use Google to find ‘places to stay in Italy’. No no no. Not yet – that’s for after you’ve decided where you’re going.
First look for actual inspiration – maybe Google “best family holiday destinations in the world 2018” or “brilliant family adventure holidays“. Perhaps “best family beach resorts in Europe“.
Keep it broad if you’re totally flexible and open to suggestions, or go the other way and get ridiculously specific – “best family beach resorts with kayaking in Croatia horse riding restaurants“. Perfect for us, and yes it still brings back a raft of suggestions to get our teeth into.
And don’t just look at the top two results, either!
Set aside some time, sit back with a coffee and go on a Google-wander. Meander through pages, follow the links to what takes your fancy – I guarantee within 10 clicks you’ll be bookmarking and investigating flight costs.

Family Holiday Inspiration; 5 – Book shops!

here I am, a child of digital, and I’m actually suggesting you go old school. Visit your local book store (yes, like you needed an excuse…), head to the travel section and see what catches your eye. Maybe you need to flick through Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist, maybe NatGeo’s 100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life will ping on the lightbulb of excitement. Or perhaps the Montenegro Marco Polo Pocket Travel Guide will fall at your feet; take your inspiration from whatever throws itself at you!

So – go make yourself a coffee, settle in a comfy chair and get reading. 2019 is going to be an amazing year for adventures, I can feel it in my bones.  Right now we’re loosely planning an exciting road trip/backpacking adventure to Scotland, an explore of Italy and a lazy fortnight sun-soaking in France – we’re making the most of the last few summers with the teens, so are obeying their holiday wishes and going for favourite spots of theirs, but hopefully mixing it up with some new activities and tours.
Where are you thinking of heading to next year?

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