After we received such a fantastic response to our #MyActivitiesAbroad competition that we ran over the Christmas holidays, we decided to run it again over February half term!

Having watched Dame Judi Dench embark on her wonderful adventure to Borneo, we’ve been having some serious wanderlust thoughts about travelling in her footsteps!

These days, it can be difficult finding time for the whole family to get together, which is why we’ve always championed holidays as a brilliant opportunity for some precious family time. What can make this even more special, however, is a multi-generational trip where Mum, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa and the kids are all invited – you could even extend the invitation to Aunts, Uncles and cousins!

When you consider the bucket list moments, bonding opportunities and quality family time that travel can bring, a multi-generational holiday is something we think everyone should experience.

You could travel to Finnish Lapland where adventures include meeting Father Christmas by day and standing under the Northern Lights at night. If you prefer warmer destinations, you could explore the Atlantic islands of Madeira or São Miguel in the Azores, where you can go whale watching and snorkel alongside wild dolphins. No matter what your preference, we have the holiday that will suit the whole family. And remember, our Family Travel Experts are always on hand to help, simply call 01670 789 991 today to get started.

Following the announcement of the winner of our Junior Expert Writing Competition, we’re thrilled to share the entries from our runners up.

When we asked our clients if they had any budding writers in the family who might want to enter our Junior Expert writing competition, we didn’t expect to have some future JK Rowling’s, Charles Dickens’ and Jane Austen’s on our hands!

Here at Activities Abroad, we know travelling is different for every family. That’s why we know there is no ‘perfect holiday’ to suit everyone. However, there are a few tips and tricks we’ve learned during our 16+ years’ experience in family travel that can help you perfectly plan your family holiday.

If you are anything like us then you have probably started to dream of escaping the cold dark days of winter and embark on a family adventure to sunnier climbs! Now it might only be January but the good news is that the some of our favourite sunny escapes are just around the corner!

Although we love the Mediterranean islands of Sicily, Gozo and Croatia, there is one destination that we are particularly excited about – Madeira! Not only is this sub-tropical location full of picturesque landscapes, fascinating culture and dramatic views but it is also home to some wonderful family activities too! However, rather than rambling on for too long we’ll let the pictures do the talking. So, sit back and prepare yourself to be inspired!

With Christmas just around the corner it won’t be long until the memories of mince pies, turkey and presents start to fade and you’ll find yourself longing for your next family holiday. Although February half-term provides plenty of exciting opportunities to escape to some incredible destinations with your children, here at Activities Abroad we’re also starting to get excited about the Easter holidays!

We have some great news that we are delighted to share with you all – we’ve only gone and won another award!

Activities Abroad is delighted to announce that it has been named ‘Best Adventure Specialist for Families’ at the prestigious Family Traveller Awards 2018!

If your family is anything like ours, then you’ll have been thrilled to welcome the king of nature documentaries, David Attenborough, back to your screens on a Sunday night.

There can be a lot of pressure deciding how you want to celebrate the new year, especially when you have the whole family to think about. That’s why we’ve carefully designed family new year holidays to take the worry away.

No matter what your age, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without the famous man in red. What’s more, we know that for the little ones a meeting with Father Christmas can be a truly magical experience. That’s why we’ve carefully designed a selection of holidays that include personal and memorable meetings with Father Christmas, right on his home soil.

Lapland offers so much to families wanting to revel in all the joys that come with an escape to a winter wonderland. With so much choice, we understand that it can be hard to narrow down exactly what you want to do on your family break. So, in order to help you plan your next Arctic escape, we caught up with one of our Travel Experts, Laura to get her top three experiences to have this winter with your family:

Here at Activities Abroad, we know that most families can’t wait to tick husky sledding off their bucket lists. However, when you and your children actually get the chance to experience it for the first time, it can be quite daunting. So, in order to help prepare your family for one of the Arctic’s most exhilarating experiences, we have put together our top tips for any husky sledding beginner!

If you are anything like us then you have probably been longing for the chance to escape the heat of summer and cool down! Now it might still be the summer holidays but the good news is that winter is around the corner and here at Activities Abroad we think that there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the colder months!

Former television presenter and journalist Eleanor Findlater was looking for a holiday to suit her family's love of nature and adventure. After contacting Activities Abroad we knew there was only one place we could send her and the family - The Azores! We caught up with Eleanor to find out what she and her family thought about these incredible islands and the adventures that they enjoyed:

Sitting 563 miles west off the coast of mainland Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands are no doubt one of the most famous archipelagos in the world. The very name conjures up images of exploration, adventure and incredible wildlife, found nowhere else in the world. From Charles Darwin, to his famous ship the HMS Beagle, and an amazing array of unique animals, that helped the famous scientist come up with his theory of evolution, there is something very special about these incredible islands that puts them on many a bucket list.

Now although the amazing wildlife is certainly reason enough to make a trip to these wonderful islands, they are not the only reason you should be planning your next family holiday here. With so many good reasons to travel to these islands we have chosen just five of our favourites to encourage you that a trip to the Galápagos Islands is the ideal adventure for your family of explorers!

Associate Global Editor at the Daily Mail Online, Jake Wallis Simons is a multi-award-winning journalist, best known for his work the BBC, Sky News and The Daily Mail. In his spare time, he has also written several novels including the best-selling 'The English German Girl'.

Whilst looking for a family holiday with his three children he stumbled across the Azores. Here at Activities Abroad we have been celebrating this picturesque archipelago for years so we thought we should catch up with Jake and see what he thought about the stunning islands:

Here at Activities Abroad we have always viewed rivers, lakes, canyons and oceans as natural playgrounds. Over the course of nearly two decades, we’ve travelled the world seeking out, and, very importantly, trying out the very best water-based experiences.

This got us to thinking about which are our absolute favourites so we asked our Family Travel Experts to come up with their particular choices. This resulted in a very comprehensive list so we decided to whittle it down to one per country.

With our time becoming increasingly more valuable, as more and more things seem to eat away at our time, it is perhaps unsurprising that more and more families are choosing to use holidays as a way to meet up and spend time together as families.

In 2018 it has become more and more common to find grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, parents and grandchildren all enjoying a well-deserved family holiday together. These multi-generational or ‘3G’ holidays have lots of benefits too!

We approached Kotor along the snaking coastal road that hugs the contours of the bay on a warm early evening in September. Below were the beautiful lights of Kotor twinkling in the distance, inviting us into its beautiful streets. My excitement grew as the lights kept dipping in and out of view and we wound and twisted along the curves of the road until finally, we arrived ready to begin our Montenegrin adventure!

if you are like us then you probably got a real taste for the summer over the recent sunny bank holiday we enjoyed. And here at Activities Abroad we think there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the summer holidays!

Having worked at Activites Abroad for almost 9 years I have always dreamt about taking my family to Lapland.  I am very lucky to be able to visit many of the wonderful destinations that we offer as part of my role as Product and Operations Manager and I consider many of our local partners as friends rather than just business associates.

We recently caught up with Laura from our marketing team to find out about her experience meeting reindeer in Finnish Lapland, here's what she had to say:

So, I’m a little bit of an animal lover (ok - major animal lover) and when I heard I was going to Finnish Lapland and getting the chance to meet reindeer, I couldn’t have been more excited!

When telling friends I’d been on the island of Gozo I was often met with a ‘where’s that’ reaction. It seems Malta’s little cousin is still relatively unknown compared to other more mainstream Mediterranean family destinations.

Without an airport, and covering only 26 square miles, it is immediately apparent when stepping off the short ferry from Malta that this island is a little different. Gozo hasn’t had anywhere near the development of its larger neighbour and retains a wonderful charming ‘older’ and more rural feel.

Active family holidays are a fantastic way to get some quality time with kids – including hard-to-please teens! - while enjoying a favourite pastime or discovering a new hobby, whether it’s cross-country skiing, a husky safari, cycling, surfing or all manner of other outdoor pursuits.