Frequently asked questions about Explore Family adventures
See below for the answers to our most-asked questions about our family adventures. Find out more in our blog post that answers top questions for your first-time family holiday, including trip pace, downtime, and accommodation.
How old are children on family adventure holidays?
The average age of children on a trip varies depending on the holiday and destination - our trip pages shows the average age for each trip. The ‘ideal from’ age is quite flexible depending on the type of trip but in addition there’s a minimum age which is often applied for safety reasons. The average child age on our family tours is between 12 and 13 - this can be found in the 'Family information' section of the trip page. If you'd like to know more about the people already booked onto a certain departure (family size, age of children etc), give us a call and we can help you choose a trip with similar aged children.
Are Explore Family adventures suitable for single parent families?
All of our small group Family adventures are ideal for single parent families. We know that no two families are the same, and will do our best to accommodate you in single, twin and triple rooms according to your needs. What's more, we'll never charge you for single room occupancy when you're travelling as a family. By travelling as part of a small group with Explore, the stress of planning a family holiday is taken away as we'll look after the logistics for you. And there'll be other children - and adults - to share your holiday experiences with.
Find out more in our travel guide for single parent family holidays.
Are tour leaders trained to work with families?
Our leaders are carefully selected and trained to manage the tour in a professional, organised and friendly way. They understand the needs of families and have an informal, approachable style which children like. Their infectious enthusiasm inspires the minds of the young explorers and brings the destination to life.
Do tour leaders provide childcare?
Our leaders are trained to manage the logistics of the tour and make sure everything runs smoothly. Although they will interact with the children throughout the holiday they are not expected to provide childcare: parents are responsible for their children during the tour.
How much independence do the children have?
Although parents are expected to take responsibility for their children during the tour, what tends to happen especially as the children get to know each other is that they gather together as a group while the adults relax nearby. In practice this works really well for both children and adults.
How active are your holidays?
All the tours vary: some are quite relaxed and others are full-on. Each has a ‘Tour Pace’ ranking to make it easier for you to choose the right holiday for your family. Walking, cycling and multi-active tours are also graded according to their level of difficulty.
Can children (or adults) opt out of the activities?
Yes, you can opt out of any activity if you like. You can normally choose either to do your own thing independently or to come along and watch the others. If your child wants to opt out of an activity you will need to stay with them. If unsure please ask our adventure travel consultants beforehand or discuss with your tour leader on the tour itself.
What are the hotels like?
We use a wide range of accommodation on our family holidays, from simple homestays to very comfortable hotels. We prefer to stay at smaller, locally owned hotels where possible, and on many tours we use a variety of accommodation including guesthouses, wild camps, safari lodges, village houses, feluccas in Egypt, haciendas in Cuba and so on. Facilities vary but we choose accommodation that is clean and comfortable. You can use our accommodation grades to check how comfortable the accommodation is overall, or read the Tour Notes for more detailed information about each overnight stop.
How will you allocate hotel rooms?
If you’re a family of two, four or six we’ll arrange twin rooms for you. If you’re a family of three or five we’ll arrange twins and singles as necessary, or triples depending on your preference. Wherever possible we try to book families into adjoining rooms, or at least into rooms close to each other, but cannot always guarantee this. On some tours there may be a night or two in communal sleeping areas, for example in a desert camp or a village house.
Do the hotels have swimming pools?
We know children love to swim so nearly all the hotels we use have pools. There are also opportunities to swim in the sea, lakes and rivers along the way. See individual Tour Notes for details, where we’ve marked every day where swimming is available with a special symbol.
How safe are Explore family holidays?
Safety standards on all of our tours are carefully checked on a regular basis. All accommodation, transport and activities are checked and our tour leaders are fully trained in safety management. While accidents can never be ruled out altogether we do our utmost to ensure the holidays are safe.
What will the food be like?
The food on our family holidays is often one of the highlights, for children and adults alike. We prefer local restaurants that serve authentic and freshly made food. The tour leaders know all the best places and can usually find one with menu options to suit everyone. If your children don’t like their food too spicy it’s almost always possible to arrange milder alternatives. Vegetarians are well catered for in most countries, especially in Asia.
What’s included and what extras should we expect?
Accommodation, transport and most activities are included, along with some meals. As flexibility is an important part of our holidays we leave some activities optional (for you to decide at the time whether or not to do them) and we often leave meals free so you can choose where and when to eat, and how much to spend. Please see individual Tour Notes to find out how much the optional activities and non-included meals will cost.
Are there any child discounts?
No, we offer a 100% price guarantee which ensures that once your booking is confirmed the price won’t change, regardless of fuel surcharges, foreign exchange rate changes, increases in government taxes or for any other reason.