Expert • April 2017
The ultimate family travel bucket list
What if the kids were in charge of your next holiday? We asked a panel of travellers-in-training – who also happen to be the offspring of well-seasoned globetrotters – to share their dream destinations and never-to-be-forgotten holidays
Sleep in a treehouse in Sweden
“My favourite holiday was in Lapland in Sweden. We stayed at Treehotel and slept in big dens high up in the trees. We went ice fishing, ate reindeer over a campfire and zip-lined through the trees. It was so much fun, even Mum and Dad joined in!”
Tom, 9, is the son of Tamara Heber-Percy, CTO and co-Founder of Mr & Mrs Smith
From Alaska to Australia
“I want to go to Alaska because I might see the Northern Lights. I would also love to go to Australia to visit the Great Barrier Reef and Ayers Rock. I’d like to see koala bears, but I’m not so keen on spiders.”
Edite, 11, is the daughter of Sue Cowley, author of Road School (Crownhouse)
Make like Bond in Jamaica
“My favourite holiday was at GoldenEye in Jamaica because it’s always sunny there, even when it rains. The huts you sleep in are so cute and the beach is amazing – I loved walking on the sand before breakfast. There is a lagoon you can kayak on and we could hear reggae coming from over the sea. But my favourite thing is that all the trees are bright colours.”
Lola, 7, is the daughter of travel and lifestyle writer and editor Emily Mathieson, @emilymtraveled
Go wild in Africa
“I would like Mummy and Daddy to take me on safari in Africa. I love watching Planet Earth on TV. I also want to go in one of the shark cages and see their teeth up-close.”
Alexander, 6, is the son of Estelle Lee, editor-in-chief of Smallish magazine
Road tripping in Canada
“My favourite holiday was when me and my mum went on a road trip through Canada. We camped in national parks in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. We saw bears climb trees and a beaver swimming in his natural habitat, and we cycled through the forests of Kejimkujik. We cooked breakfast over a mini portable stove – I enjoyed the eggy bread the most.”
Lucien, 12, is the son of journalist and author Rosie Millard
Adventures in Papua New Guinea and Switzerland
“I would like to go to Papua New Guinea because people live there who catch crocodiles and I’d like to see that. I want to be an explorer when I’m a grown-up. I also want to go to Switzerland to go skiing. It looks really fun.”
Freddie, 6, is the son of Alex Gorton, Co-Founder of online lifestyle, travel and interiors magazine Wear & Where
Thrills and spills in Orlando
“Orlando in Florida was amazing. I loved going to Disney World and Universal Studios, where we got to practise spells like Harry Potter. The water parks are fun, too. It was sunny and hot and we didn’t have to wear coats. It’s the best place in the world.”
Madeleine, 6, is the daughter of Katie Ellison, author of family lifestyle blog Mummy Daddy Me
Go fish in New Zealand
“I have three brothers and they all like football. I don’t, but I love fishing. I’ve got all Robson Green’s Extreme Fishing videos and I want to go to New Zealand’s North Island to catch hapuka and to Australia for barramundi.”
Barnaby, 10, is the son of travel writer and editor Amanda Morison, @TravelMorison
The beach life in Barbados
“I have always wanted to go to a tropical place and Barbados looks amazing. I have never seen such a bright blue sea and glistening white sands. I have heard you can go and see the sea turtles on a boat safari. What an experience.”
Tyler, 12, is the son of Stephanie Moore, author of home and family blog Renovation Bay-Bee
Spain’s wild west
“I love southern Spain. My mum says the hills around Almería are a lot like how Texas looks and we visited the old studios that were built for some of the Western films. The beaches are usually empty and we went to some good seafood restaurants where I ate prawns and calamari. We even saw a boy who had a jellyfish in a bucket.”
Dolly, 12, is the daughter of Clover Stroud, author of The Wild Other (Hodder)
Making a splash in Florida
“I’d like to go to Florida because I really want to swim with dolphins. I’ve never been to America but I watch loads of American TV programmes and I really like the way they live – there’s lots of sunshine and cool stuff to buy. But mostly it’s the dolphins I want to see.”
Sparkle, 9, is the daughter of journalist and author Lucy Cavendish, @lucycavendish1
This article has been tagged Destination, Travel Tips