Nick Trend selects family-friendly breaks to broaden everyone's horizons.
1 Cambodian homestay
Visiting sights and museums is one way to understand a country's culture, but interacting with local people can make a bigger impression on children. The two are combined on this action-packed family trip to Cambodia, which includes some rest
and relaxation, too: the hotels all have swimming pools and there are two beach days on Koh Rong Island at the end. Cultural highlights include the temples of Angkor Wat, a Khmer Village homestay and dinner at Banteay Chhmar, the floating village of Kompong Luong and a martial arts lesson in Phnom Penh.
● Family Cambodia Adventure from $2520 for adults and $2220 for children, for 12 nights, including some meals, and accommodation. Departures in April, July and December.
2 Mexican food culture
This Exodus tour for food-loving families explores the culinary culture of Mexico on a child-friendly itinerary. Fill up on fajitas and tacos, learn to make salsa at a cookery class in Izamal and sample exotic fruit in Valladolid's food market. Tulum archaeological site and the Mayan temples of Chichen Itza are also among the highlights and you will meet local families in the traditional village of Tixkokob on the itinerary.
● Magic Family Adventure from $3515 per adult/$2368 per child for 12 nights, including accommodation and some meals. Flights additional. Departs April to October.
3 Jordanian highlights
KE Adventure offers week-long tours that take in the key highlights of Jordan, travelling from north to south — typically including the Roman ruins at Jerash, a swim in the Dead Sea, a tour of the desert city of Petra and an overnight stay in a Bedouin camp with time to explore the country's capital, Amman, at the beginning and end of the trip.
● Jordan Family Adventure Holiday from $1520 per adult/$1329 per child for seven nights, including some meals. Flights additional. Departures April to July, and October to December.
4 China in comfort
Luxury specialist Ampersand Travel offers a family fortnight staying in some of China's best hotels. Alongside classic sightseeing (the Great Wall, Xi'an's Terracotta Army and Beijing's Forbidden City), this trip has a hands-on educational element, which includes a visit to a rural school, a martial arts lesson supervised by monks and a noodle-making class.
● An Educational Adventure: the Perfect Family Holiday to China from $12,000pp for 14 nights, including some meals and accommodation in high-end hotels like The Peninsula in Beijing and Shanghai. Departures year round.
