Make your family travels mean something more with trips that go deeper.
There’s a time and a place for a flop ‘n drop holiday, but when you need a little more substance to your travels with the kids, Intrepid’s family trips consistently bring moments that go a bit deeper and fuel everyone’s curiosity.
In addition to three new trips joining Intrepid’s family range for 2025, there are a handful of new experiences entering the fold, like getting served at a cafe by robots run by people with disabilities, helping elephants in Borneo or bundling yourself up in an arctic cocoon in Finland.
1. DIY your own Icelandic monster
A place built on folklore and fairytales is such a great place to take the kids on holiday. On Intrepid’s new Iceland Family Holiday, you’ll travel round-trip from Reykjavik and stay on a family-run Icelandic horse farm in Snaefellsnes, go hunting for geysers and waterfalls and watch actual for-real literally real-life lava flow from a recreated volcano. The trip wraps up with a visit to a family home where the kids can design their own Skrimsli – a wooly Icelandic monster pal they get to take home.
2. Take the kids to Thailand
The brand-new Southern Thailand Family Holiday brings some kid-inspired flair to travels around the region. Hop aboard a longtail boat for a sail to one of the islands in Cheow Lan Lake where you’ll spelunk into a cave and have lunch in a raft-house, which in a weird way kind of sounds like an alternate plot to The Goonies? Then, spend a night at a homestay and join your host family’s daily routines, dine together and learn new things. Plus, take advantage of a full free day in coastal Krabi to explore (or chill) your own way.
3. Lend elephants a helping hand in Borneo
A new experience on the fan-fave Borneo Family Holiday Comfort takes you on a cruise down Kinabatangan River to see the many creatures that call this river and its banks home, including monkeys, gibbons, macaques and maybe even pygmy elephants. That afternoon, you’ll pop in to visit Intrepid Foundation partner RESPECT (Responsible Elephant Conservation Trust) to learn about the work they’re doing to protect those pygmy elephants, and also help out by planting important (and reportedly yummy to elephants) napier grass to counteract threats of habitat loss.
4. Get crafty with changemakers in Vietnam
Kids get a new hands-on experience on Vietnam Family Holiday Comfort with a visit to Vun Art in Van Phuc village, known for silk weaving, near Hanoi. Vun Art is a social enterprise and Intrepid Foundation partner that provides training and employment opportunities to people living with disabilities, through their use of discarded silk fragments in art and textile products. Your family will hear about their work and get the chance to make your own artwork to take home.
5. Cocoon yourself in the Finnish wilderness
Finland Family Holiday is a new year-round spin on a winter-only trip that launched last year. From Helsinki, ride the Santa Claus Express train toward the Arctic Circle and visit the big man himself at Santa Village where the kids can hand deliver their Christmas list any time of year. Visit a reindeer farm and meet some sled dogs before totally immersing yourself in the magic of the Finnish forest. On a new arctic cocooning experience, you’ll get to wrap yourself in cosy blankets and lounge in a hammock among the trees. Read about one mum’s cocooning experience with her kids.
6. Visit the robot cafe that changes lives in Japan
You’ve heard of cat cafes, rabbit cafes, even a capybara cafe. On Japan Highlights Family Holiday, you’ll now be able to visit a very special robot cafe. At DAWN: Avatar Robot Cafe in Tokyo, you’ll be served by a robot atop your table. But each of these robots is operated by a person with a disability or condition that prevents them from leaving home. The robot pilots control the robot remotely from home, moving their head and limbs and interacting with the help of speakers, microphones, cameras and a display screen. They chat with guests and take their order, which another robot delivers to the table. During your visit, you’ll also get the chance to try your hand at controlling one of the robots.
7. Weave your way towards Machu Picchu in Peru
En route to Machu Picchu on Peru Family Holiday, travellers will now stop in at the Andean community of Ocutuan near Piuray lagoon between Cusco and Ollantaytambo. There, you’ll learn first-hand how the women of the community produce yarn and weave products for their families and to sell to earn an income. The kids can feed llamas, alpacas and guinea pigs before you all sit down for a communal lunch.
8. Have a homestay in South Africa
Starting in April on South Africa Family Holiday with Teenagers, you can top off a week of safariing through South African national parks and game reserves with a visit to the village of Phiring for a homestay with a local mum. She’ll welcome you in and invite you to join in the daily activities, share meals and learn from one another. This stay, and others like it on other family trips, help provide women and youth with economic independence.
9. Have a pancake party in Morocco
A new experience in Ait Benhaddou on Morocco Family Holiday Comfort takes you out of the movie sets (The Mummy and Aladdin were filmed here) and into an all-women-run teahouse for lunch. At Tawesna tea house, you’ll fill up on a hearty Moroccan lunch and then join the ladies for a hands-on pancake-making class. Moroccan pancakes (baghrir) are airy, crumpet-like patties made with semolina, flour and yeast and the perfect vessels for a dollop of honey.
Explore Intrepid’s entire range of family trips and see more new trips and experiences at The Goods.
