World Book Day celebrates children's stories and the love of reading. Here at Activities Abroad, it is one of our favourite days in the school calendar! Not only is it a chance for parents to share their favourite books with their children and help develop their imaginations but we also believe that there is something magical about picking up a book and transporting yourself to somewhere else in the world with just the turn of a page!

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!

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!

Anyone who has ever been on a holiday with children will know that there is only so much exploring of historical sites, visiting museums or trudging through markets that your children (and you) can take on a summer escape. When the tiredness from all this exploring hits there is only one thing left to do – head underwater!

While scuba diving offers the most freedom to explore the many spectacular oceans and seas that you will encounter on your travels, snorkelling is great for two simple reasons. Firstly, it is easy enough for most children to pick up relatively quickly. Secondly, it is a much cheaper and easier way to explore as there are no lessons or qualifications to worry about.

With so many amazing places to snorkel around the world, we have compiled a list of our eight favourite places for you to explore with your children.

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:

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!

From the moment I landed in Essaouira and stepped off the plane into the warming sun of Morocco, I knew this was going to be a fantastic trip.

A short transfer away, we arrived at Rebali Riads, our home for the next two nights; and what a home it was. The peaceful, luscious gardens are filled with colourful flowers, which drape from the riads and down to the refreshing swimming pool below… a place I spent much of my time in!

I started my Moroccan journey in Essaouira, which means "little picture" in the Arabic language, and it certainly lives up to its name! With high sea walls and charming alleyways, it is a delight to explore.

and the winner is...

This summer we invited families to share their memories of their Activities Abroad holiday with us and we were delighted with the great response we received. From the Mihill family hiking through the Paklenica National Park in Croatia to the Crump family canyoning in Slovenia, we received some amazing images and videos from our summer sun holidays all over the world.

We created a video of some of the #AASummerFun 2015 memories so you can enjoy a piece of the action.

Click here to watch the video.