Sporting Vacation Ideas for an Active Family Trip to Europe
When planning a holiday as a family, it can sometimes seem difficult to please everyone. You might feel like relaxing, but worry that the kids may get bored. The older children might want to take part in activities and adventures, but you have no idea where to begin.
Fortunately, if this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Adventure holidays have become more popular in recent years, with many sports on offer across a host of destinations, especially in the varied terrain of European countries such as Italy, Turkey, Spain and France.
But it doesn’t have to be all action – these holidays can easily be combined with the relaxing break you or your partner are looking for, enabling everyone to find the activity levels that suit them.
Activities are as varied as they are interesting. Spain, for example, has a rich culinary heritage, making it a great place to interest kids in cooking, with many courses on traditional dishes such as paella or almond cakes a firm favorite.
For something a little more physical, Italy also offers a wealth of options, such as horse riding tours through the beautiful countryside, which can include everything from easy forest trails to more complex day-long rides. Often, tours such as this will allow you to combine the activities with more leisurely pursuits, such as swimming, relaxing in a spa or enjoying the landscape from a local castle or country house.
 |
| freedigitalphotos.net/suranualpradid |
Other well-known beautiful countries such as France could also be the place to take the whole family on activities. A donkey tour is one example, with many companies running fully planned trails through verdant regions such as the Ardeche and its many forests and meadows. France also has a rich cycling tradition, with its bike trails, known as VTT (which stands for “vélos tout terrain” – or bikes for all land types), famous throughout the world. Taking your family cycling through hills and mountains, and perhaps even on the trails made iconic by the Tour de France, would offer a thrilling break very different from the usual pool-and-sun-lounger experience.
The wide choice between land and sea means you can also choose according to your preferred location. Seaside options can include ocean-based trips such as whale watching off the coast of Portugal or sea kayaking off Croatia’s islands. Easily combined with the more traditional beachside breaks, these extra activities can add unforgettable memories to the standard vacation.
Activity holidays need not mean totally unfamiliar sports either and can often offer the opportunity to get your family involved in sports they might already know but never have a chance to try at home. More common activities such as golf holidays in Portugal, for example, can work well. Being on holiday can give your family the space to really get stuck in, so why not look into booking an alpine tour of Austria, a toddler-friendly boat trip in Turkey, or a fun golf break in Le Touquet, France?
Overall, activity holidays can provide varied and exciting breaks for all the family, from younger children, to older teenagers, to the big kid inside us all.
