This was published 7 years ago
How to tour the UK and Europe with the family
Visit Edinburgh Castle, in Scotland, on a Trafalgar's Castles and Kilts tour.Credit: Getty Images
Tour groups are often maligned as lemmings following a leader with a flag on a stick.
As author and spiritual advisor Eckhart Tolle writes, "Life is an adventure; it's not a package tour". But our expectation was turned on its head by an Intrepid Tour through Vietnam a couple of years ago.
It was fun to be thrown together with other families, with whom we could share the child wrangling.
We'd wander off for our own adventures, then regroup over lunch and dinner.
Now, we're looking at other destinations, including Europe. This is the best time of year to buy airfares for the northern summer.
A bus trip is a cost-effective way to see a lot of spots in a short period of time.
Trafalgar's European Wonderland tour takes you from Rome to London, making Venetian masks, visiting the Circus Maximus, and spinning pizza dough.
Sally and Ian Francis took their kids Lily and Josie, aged 11 and nine, on this trip in July.
"We especially loved seeing the Colosseum, visiting Siena on the day of the famous Palio di Siena, the gondola ride with an opera singer, a cruise across Burano Island and seeing the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe," Sally says.
While the food was a highlight of the trip, they were worried about the children's allergies.
"We were quite concerned about how much we would be able to be involved in experiencing the different food with a nut allergy and a gluten allergy, but our guide went above and beyond to make sure we were catered for at every place we ate."
This was an important factor in our adventure through Vietnam. Our guide, Khao, asked the chefs what ingredients were in each dish, and ensured we weren't drinking ice from river water.
On Trafalgar's Castles and Kilts tour, the kids can see the crown jewels, Harry Potter's house, and Edinburgh Castle. Deb and Jeff Hescott and their two adult children Matthew and Dylan, aged 18 and 21, stayed at Ruthin Castle in Wales and visited Hadrian's Wall.
"Everything was organised for us," Deb says. "We just needed to get on and off the bus when told and the staff provided a lot of useful information while travelling. The travel directors were friendly and very knowledgeable and made our trip very informative and a load of fun."
There's no need to read aloud from guidebooks, or repeat pages from Wikipedia. Someone else can answer the kids' questions. (Even the ubiquitous, "Are we there yet?")
Things have changed since the old days of the Contiki Tour. These days, luxury coaches boast Wi-Fi and the accommodation is 4 to 5 star.
The best bit is the VIP access: straight to the front of the queues. An organised tour also enables you to remain within budget, especially given the exchange rate. There's no time wasted being lost, or eating in terrible restaurants.
Anything that makes family travel easier is a good thing, in my book.
Maybe following a flag like a lemming isn't so bad after all?
tracey.spicer@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.