The conventional family holiday has for many blended families become a thing of the past.
Contemporary families are these days just as likely to include a mix of teenagers who didn’t grow up as siblings, a wide range of ages and conflicting interests, and adults who have come together as partners prepared to take on the children of their loved one.
Blended families and stepfamilies now account for the fastest growing family type in Australia, having increased by 50 per cent in number over the past decade. One in five families is now included in this sector.
Travel with Kidz, the travel specialists who search the world looking for unique family holiday experiences, has come up with a brilliant solution.
Rather than impose conventional family packages on blended families, the team at TWK has shortlisted the world’s best experiences which address the various demands of blended families, offering a range of diverse interests while providing a focus of enjoyment for the family as a whole.
General Manager of Travel With Kidz, Lise Angus, was so determined to get it right for her clients she and partner Jim Fanning took their own blended family on their first holiday together in Vietnam, spending 15 days , including 7 days of cycling which commenced in Hue and wove through Central Vietnam to finish in Nha Trang in the South.
Between them they have five teenaged children ranging from 14 to 21 years of age, all with varying degrees of fitness and interest in travel and Asian culture. The only thing they had in common was a slight resistance to the concept of sharing time together and a mutual dependence on their Ipods. The 6am daily starts probably didn’t help either.
Travelling with a group totalling 16 and organised by World Expeditions, this intrepid group quickly immersed itself in the simple routines of a well-planned cycling holiday, equipped with easy to ride, 21 gear mountain bikes and taking a route which excluded obvious tourist traps and explored stunning scenery and remote villages.
The tour is fully supported, with a bus to take luggage and constant refreshments, along with anyone who elects to sit out the cycling, and a truck to convey the bicycles and mechanics.
The group convenes every 15 kms, which means you can cycle at your own pace, in your own space (for teenagers, read headspace), knowing that there’s someone to guide you along the way when your thoughts drift off and you don’t want the discipline of paying attention or organising the family – as appealing for parents as it is for children.
In Lise and Jim’s case, the trip was a great success, partly because the program gave everyone enough freedom to lose themselves a little and do their own thing, and partly because at the end of each day they would get together and be immersed in a vibrant local culture which often involved feasting with locals and staying in some wonderful places.
“Imagine a holiday in which you give seven family members the freedom to do their own thing? It’s possible you’d never see each other again!
Cycling in Vietnam is ideal for families, as it provided the freedom for everyone to do their own thing, but the overall structure to unite us at the end of a day over a great meal in fantastic local places to collect our thoughts and laugh about our day,” Lise explained.
“Best of all, everyone was so blown away by the scenery, the culture and the people, that the IPods only got an occasional look in!” Lise added.
PACKAGE DETAILS:
The World Expeditions 15 day ‘Vietnam by Bike’ trip departs monthly all year round from Hanoi. It costs $2540 per person twin share and includes breakfast daily, 7 lunches and 8 dinners, internal flights Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City, 21 speed mountain bikes, airport transfers, expert bilingual guide, medical kit, comfortable well located hotels, private vehicle support, comfortable train travel from Hanoi to Hue, sightseeing and site entry fees
All prices valid at time of release but subject to change. For bookings please call Travel with Kidz on 1300 729 541
For further information contact:-
Wendy Buckley
Managing Director
Phone: 02 – 9932 4011 Mob: 0414 – 557 667
Email: wendy@travelwithkidz.com.au
Lise Angus
General Manager
Phone: 02 – 9932 4060 Mob: 0425 210 075
Email: lise@travelwithkidz.com.au
