Escorted Tours for Families

Privately escorted tours for families in New Zealand are a fantastic way to travel.

With a guide on hand to oversee the details, your family will have more free time to spend together.

And if you join up with another family for your vacation, an escorted tour allows you to travel together in a larger, more comfortable vehicle.

Here are a few details to keep in mind when planning your escorted family tour.

Planning the ideal escorted tour for your family

While planning your family vacation, your travel consultant will make sure these details are accounted for in your final itinerary.

However, if you are at the initial brainstorming stage, these suggestions will help you decide what will be possible.

1. Minimize driving times on escorted tours for families

Children of all ages grow impatient when stuck in the car for long periods of time.

Even though your guide will do the driving throughout your vacation, privately escorted tours for families should be designed around routes with minimal driving.

Driving distances in New Zealand often cannot be shortened. If this is the case, allow time for plenty of stops along the way, and discuss with your guide whether there are any activities available to break up the journey.

Alternatively, choose a shorter route or stay in one location for a longer time.

2. Select activities that appeal to all ages

Your travel consultant and private guide will help suggest appropriate activities for your family.

If possible, choose excursions that appeal to all family members.

For instance, a steamship cruise across Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu followed by a farm tour and lunch offers the novelty of an old-fashioned ship and interactions with farm animals for children, while adults will enjoy the majestic views, the farming history, and the fine cuisine.

If you are traveling with younger children, your guide will help you find suitable playgrounds where your children can burn off their energy.

And if you are traveling with teens, seek active or adventurous activities to keep them engaged. Suggestions include outdoor adventures (hiking, kayaking, biking, skiing) and adrenaline activities (jet-boating, ziplining, bungy jumping, rafting, caving).

3. Choose the best family accommodation on escorted tours for families

To give your family space to relax and a place to spend time together in the evening, stay at apartment-style accommodation on your privately escorted family tour.

If you are traveling with another family, the communal spaces–the dining room and lounge–are the perfect place for children and adults to convene and hang out together.

New Zealand has a wide selection of two- and three-bedroom apartment-style accommodation available for families, most of which is less expensive than booking two separate hotel rooms. In addition, these apartment-style rooms include full kitchen facilities, dining rooms, and lounges.

4. Factor in mealtimes on your escorted family tour

Children are liable to grow irritable if meals are not served at predictable times.

On your private tour, plan activities around mealtimes. When driving long distances, your guide will know the best places to stop for snacks meals along the way. And if your children are accustomed to eating at a specific time, inform your guide in advance so he or she can plan around this.

Read about what escorted tours are and about escorted tours for seniors.