Ali's blog posts

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!

1. When you use an offer, you accept our terms and conditions relating to that offer (in legal terms you are deemed to have accepted them and agree to be bound by them).
2. Unless the offer states otherwise, the offer can only be applied once and is valid for single use only on one booking. Offers cannot be combined with any other offers, promotions or discounts.
3. The offer will only be available when booking directly with The Artisan Travel Company and cannot be used by customers booking indirectly through travel agencies or by customers who reach us via a third-party referral website, such as Responsible Travel. For offers listed on third party websites, please refer to their terms and conditions.
4. Bookings must be made on or before the dates specified on the applicable offer.
5. All discounts are valid on selected dates, as specified on the applicable offer.
6. All offers are subject to promotional availability, dates and accommodation. Depending on popularity or availability offers may be amended, extended or withdrawn. 
7. Offer is non-exchangeable.
8. All offers are only valid on flight-inclusive holidays.
9. There will be no cash alternative.
10. If you decide to cancel/amend your holiday and a refund is needed, it'll be for the price you actually paid, taking into account the offer or discount.
11. We can decline your booking, if we don't think the promo code or offer used is valid for the product(s) ordered, or if we reasonably suspect fraud.
12. The offer must be quoted at the time of booking and cannot be applied retrospectively to existing bookings.
13. Customer must be aged 18 or over to place a booking.
14. We can change these terms and conditions or withdraw an offer at any time, with reasonable notice.
15. Our standard booking conditions and privacy policy apply.
16. These terms and conditions are governed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
17. The promoter of these offers is Artisan Travel Company: Company registration: No. 04482022. Registered office:  Maling Exchange, Hoults Yard, Walker Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE6 1AB. ABTA No. Y6261, ATOL No. 6865, AITO No. 5180.

Repeat clients – Save 5%

• Save 5% on your next holiday when you book with one of our three brands; The Aurora Zone, Artisan Travel and Activities Abroad.
• Offer is valid when used within 48 months of travel.

Refer a friend (repeat clients)

• Refer a friend to travel with any one of our three brands (The Aurora Zone, Artisan Travel and Activities Abroad) and they’ll receive £50 off their booking.
• Additionally, for every booking that quotes your name and address, you'll also receive a £50 John Lewis gift voucher.
• Offer is based on a per booking basis and only valid when used within 24 months of travel.

 Save 10% Off Brochure Prices

• Offer applies to this trip only: Spain – Pyrenean Family Adventure
• Offer applies to bookings made from the 14^th November 2024 to 15^th March 2025 for travel in July and August 2025
• This offer must be claimed at the time of booking and not at a later date
• Valid until departure date (subject to availability)
• This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer
• This offer requires payment of a 20% non-refundable deposit at the point of booking
• Please quote CATALANPYRENEES10%

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:

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.

Family holidays have always been a big part of Lauren’s life with her enjoying many happy times away throughout her childhood. Some of her favourite experiences include camping trips around the UK and exploring the Spanish countryside on a big family summer holiday. She has also been lucky enough to tour California too, visiting the likes of Las Vegas, San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.

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!

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!