Saddled up on the savannah
Last year, my nine-year-old and I toured South Africa along the
Garden Route with Explore. We saw the whales at Hermanus, observed
elephants nurse their young at the Addo National Park and Tom
returned with perhaps an unhealthy fixation with dung beetles
eating poo and being so much more important to the eco-culture of
the wild than their size belied.
Mum and cubs at the waterhole
I'm commissioned regularly to write
features and produce TV programmes about my travels, but this time
the experience so moved me, I also wrote a poem. The pace of the
trip, Tom's appreciation of the wild animals, seeing them in their
natural habitat and meeting the locals was one of the most amazing
experiences on all our travels. There are moments of that trip that
still haunt us both - not least the visit to Monkey Land, where our
guide could barely contain his contempt for those who use monkeys
as organ grinders and pets, and where all the 'friendly' primates
we saw were psychologically and irrevocably damaged.
High noon!
The Explore product works on a variety
of levels. The trips manage efficiently the pace and expectations
of families - both the parents and the children. Accommodation is
well chosen, as are restaurants en route. The guides are
enthusiastic and informed, more than able to manage parental
tantrums as well as those of their much easier to please children -
vital for a family holiday, especially when several mums and dads
are likely to have different parenting values and expectations
initially. Explore also understand the basic truth about children
that given the choice, they prefer to be outdoors 'doing something
as they are learning' (especially boys), and ideally with their
parents and peers.
A good siesta by the waterhole
Ten years on I have never grown tired
of my adventures as I continue to travel the globe with my son, and
being with him has definitely enhanced my experiences. Someone
who's travelled a lot tends to think they've seen it all - but
having Tom has made me realise my journey has only just begun. He
sees adventures with much better, less judgmental and pre-conceived
eyes, and now increasingly so do I. I cannot recommend adventure
travel strongly enough to all parents. Your children, and their
children, will thank you for the legacy you are leaving them.
Sarah Tucker is an award-winning travel journalist,
broadcaster and best-selling novelist (The Playground
Mafia). She specialises in adventure and family travel and is
currently filming The Young Explorers for cable TV. Her latest
novel, School's Out, is due out in July (£6.99 Arrow
Books).
www.sarahtucker.info
Click here to view Sarah's poem on her
experience in South Africa
Discover South Africa, Ref FCP, from £1,669
(Adult) / 1,489 (Child)