Amy Walkington-Gray

We know what you are thinking! It’s not even summer, so why are we discussing the winter season? Well, we’re going to let you into a little secret - now is probably one of the best times of year to begin planning your festive family holiday before our handpicked hotels and flights are all snapped-up!

Located just two hours from Croatia’s capital Zagreb, the Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of Croatia’s most spectacular natural sites and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. The park is dotted with 16 stunningly blue lakes, 90 impressive waterfalls, vast forest lands, limestone canyons, and caves carved over thousands of years. It truly is a sight to be seen and well worth a visit for any family!

Due to the success of our Christmas and New Year family holiday competition, we decided that we wanted to see more #MyActivitiesAbroad photos – this time from your February half-term adventures!

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!

We know it’s hard to make a decision about where to go on your winter family holiday, so why not take some expert advice?

We asked our Activities Abroad and here’s what they had to say:

Without a doubt, one of the most desired holiday requests is an idyllic island holiday featuring days of sun, sea, and sand.  At Activities Abroad however, we see a lot more to islands than just that.  Our Island holidays offer adventures across mountains, through forests, along coastlines and on the sea in some of the most thrilling ways.

Get a feel for island life this summer with our top three island adventures:

Each year our very talented product team come up with exciting new holiday destinations that we know you’ll love. This year is no exception and because these new holidays are so good we couldn’t wait to share them with you!

Here’s a peek at what’s new for 2017 with Activities Abroad:

When work asked me if I would like to take my family to Gozo for the week and try out all the activities I had no idea that I was about to experience a destination that would remain in my heart forever.

The little island of Gozo (approx. size: 9 x 5 miles) is packed with culture, cuisine and colourful characters. The locals are welcoming, warm-hearted and generous. I had heard that if you ask a ‘Gozitan’ for a glass of water they will give you a bottle - and this was very true.

The island has a good public transport system although you do need to settle into ‘Gozo-time’ as no one here seems to be in a hurry.

We hired a car for the week and found travelling around very easy. They drive on the left hand-side although we were told by our guide that this does not really happen in the hotter summer months as everyone simply drives on whichever side has the shade! All roads pass through Victoria and you are surrounded by the sea – you can’t go far wrong!

Jo and Amy our Product and Sales managers are currently in Finland checking on preparations for our family Christmas holidays.

As they touched down in Rovaniemi it was clear winter had arrived and there was even a couple of inches of snow on the ground making everything look extra special!

We launched our holiday on Gozo in the summer of 2011 and it has received rave reviews ever since. With previous comments from families leaving comments like: