Family Travel - Venture Magazine Issue #? Pages 22-23
Are we there yet?
Travel with the family can be hit or miss. Getting the transport and accommodation just right, and pleasing everyone in the family, can be difficult. Kumuka has taken the stress out of holiday planning, with our new Family Adventure Tours. We recognised that our kind of travel doesn’t just appeal to adults – kids love adventurous holidays too! Now you can go together, secure in the knowledge that all practicalities have been sorted by some of our most experienced travel professionals.
Helen Dwyer, Family Adventure Tours operations manager, talked to Venture about what makes Kumuka’s family tours so successful.
Q Let’s start at the beginning... What are your top
tips for a great family holiday?
A Firstly, I’d say, read the brochure
and read up on the destinations that interest you very carefully.
Make sure you’re really comfortable with the climate,
or the activities such as hiking or four-wheel drive journeys.
What’s most important is not that it’s going
to be great for the kids, because they’re usually
happy, but that the adults, who tend to be more set in their
ways, are completely happy too. That’s what makes
a great family holiday: happy mums and dads.
Q It doesn’t have to be mums and
A Indeed not, we take single parents or
grandparents or other guardians. There just have to be children
of five years or over in the party.
Q And how many in the group for each tour?
A It can vary, anything from one family
– and people sometimes love that, as it’s like
a private tour – to a maximum of 16 people, which
would normally be about four families.
Q Kumuka goes to some very remote parts
of the world. How safe are they for families?
A Everywhere we cover is fully checked
out and constantly appraised and reappraised by our adult
tour groups, so the leaders and guides will be feeding back
to Kumuka about any issues they’ve had. As will our
passengers of course. Obviously for parents it’s essential
that they feel secure with us when booking, so we go out
of our way to make sure every aspect of the trip is safe
and easy, with clean accommodation and well-maintained vehicles.
Q I was going to ask you about the vehicles.
How do you cope with the stress of kids on long journeys.
Don’t they all wind each other up and get very bored?
A Well, for a start we deliberately keep
travelling time down to a minimum. As for getting bored,
they usually end up teaming up with other kids in the group
and have a brilliant time. And we also vary the means of
transport as much as possible – four-wheel-drive,
minibus, light planes, train, boat, tuk-tuk... Parents should
bring some activities along for the kids, though. In fact,
it’s best for each child to have their own day bag,
with books, maybe binoculars for wildlife, and possibly
a camera.
Q Presumably the accommodation on these trips is fairly basic?
A No, not at all. We always stay in nice
places – not the sort of establishment where children
aren’t welcome, of course, but not scruffy travellers’
lodgings. We always aim to include places with swimming
pools, good kids’ facilities and nice food. We do
use some teahouses on Nepal treks, and we do some camping
on African safaris. We don’t find children complain
about that! And we usually stay for a couple of nights,
which is more relaxing than moving on every day. Also, quite
a lot of the time is free, which gives families the chance
to do their own thing and explore entirely on their own.
Most of them have a fantastic time doing that, either on
their own or teaming up with another family for the day.
Q Okay, so I’ve got the brochure,
the kids are all arguing about where they’re going
A You do need to do some background reading.
I think most people will have some inkling in one direction
or another... maybe wildlife, great cultures and civilisations,
or maybe it’s a place your friends have been or you’ve
been wowed by a TV documentary. But everywhere has its particular
merits. The key thing is that all our family tours are to
places that Kumuka knows really well and has great products
in, and that our experience tells us will be appreciated
by children as well as adults because of what they offer.
Q What about what’s included in the
price? How much should people budget for all the extras?
A Actually, they don’t usually need
that much. Unless you’re going to do lots of shopping,
or your taste in drinks is expensive. We include all the
main excursions and other extras in the main brochure price.
Consult your local Kumuka representative or the brochure
for details.
KUMUKA'S FAMILY TOUR QUIZ
These questions feature countries in our family programme.
See how many you can get right! Email your answers with
your name and address to venturemag@kumuka.com for a chance
to win a Rough Guide to the destination of your choice and
10% off your next family booking. A total of 10 Rough Guides
are available and the draw will take place on March 15,
2007. Answers will be on our website (www.kumuka.com)
thereafter.
China
1 What are the famous warriors of Xi'an
made from?
2 What is the main Chinese dialect called?
(clue: there’s a fruit with the same name, although
there’s no connection).
Nepal
3 Which mountain range (which includes
all the world’s highest peaks) stretches the length
of Nepal?
4 Chitwan National Park is an important
refuge for the Asian rhino. How many horns does this endangered
animal have?
India
5 The Indian film industry produces more
than 1000 feature movies each year. By what name, reminiscent
of its Californian counterpart, is it usually known?
6 The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the
Taj Mahal as a mausoleum. But for whom?
Sri Lanka
7 Most of the elephants in Sri Lanka are
domesticated, used for transport and heavy lifting. What’s
the easiest way to tell them apart from their African relatives?
8 By what name was Sri Lanka known when
it was a British colony?
Thailand
9 Which famous bridge was constructed by
prisoners during World War II?
10 What is Thailand’s main religion?
Vietnam
11 Who was Vietnam’s famous nationalist
leader who first called for independence from the French
and later led his people against the Americans?
12 On our Vietnam expeditions, we take
you on a junk. What is a junk?
Borneo
13 Borneo is the third largest island in
the world. The oil-rich sultanate of Brunei is located on
the north coast. Which two other countries share the rest
of the island?
14 Which large, endangered ape can easily
be seen on Borneo?
Uganda
15 Which lake, named after a British monarch,
is the main source of the Nile?
16 In Uganda, we take a day trip to visit
an island refuge for a primate that is the closest relative
of humans. What animal are we talking about?
Zambia
17 Which waterfall on the Zambezi river
straddles the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe?
18 The Zambian town closest to these falls
is named after the famous Scottish explorer who ‘discovered’
the falls. Do you know his name?
Botswana
19 What is the traditional mode of transport
in the Okavango delta?
20 Most of our safari drives are taken
in 4x4 vehicles. What does 4x4 mean?
South Africa
21 Which national park on the border of
Mozambique is South Africa’s largest?
22 Which is South Africa’s largest
city?
Egypt
23 What is the name of Egypt’s traditional,
Nile sailing vessel?
24 We visit the Red Sea resort of Hurghada,
for beaches, diving and snorkelling. In the Bible story,
which prophet parted the waters of the Red Sea?
Ecuador
25 What does the Spanish name Ecuador mean?
26 While in Ecuador, we go trekking on
Cotopaxi. What is Cotopaxi?
Peru
27 Which civilisation created a vast empire
centred on Peru that lasted until the 16th century?
28 Which great South American river has
its source in Peru?
FAMILY HOLIDAYS BRIEFING NOTES
China Adults captivated by China – children always love the Xi'an warriors, Temple of Heaven
Nepal Trekking holiday – need to be happy with lots of walking. Unbelievable scenery and sense of space. Chitwan National Park exciting – rhinos and tigers, elephant-riding.
India Rajasthan – Includes Taj Mahal, forts, camel rides, tiger-spotting, local transport variations, Pushkar camel fair (depends on when they go), Jaipur.
Sri Lanka Very diverse. Includes sightseeing, activities and beach time at Bentota. Elephant sanctuary, cycle ride round medieval capital (Polonnaruwa), tea plantation, wildlife jeep safari.
Thailand Real north and south trip. Bangkok sights, jungle rafting, hill tribe visits, Ayutthaya bike rides, River Kwai, Koh Samet beach stay.
Vietnam Again, get to see a lot of the country, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Kids like the overnight junk cruise, flight to Hoi An is fun and mums and dads enjoy walking round a beautiful town. Mekong Delta always a highlight.
Borneo Couple of tours available: one in Sarawak (Iban longhouse stay), the other in Sabah (more opportunities for orangutan visits and snorkelling).
Uganda Very pleased we offer this. People are great with kids here. Amazing chimp island visits, plus other wildlife-viewing and activities, including tree-climbing lions, canoe trips, camping and 4x4 safaris.
Zambia and Botswana Victoria Falls is mega for everyone; Chobe and Savuti are incredible for elephants. Kids and adults alike love the mokoro trips through the delta.
South Africa Enabled – Our tour for families with disabled and wheelchair-bound members. Awesome experience for all, especially in the private game reserves, where people can have really close-up experiences with wildlife.
Egypt We really pack it in on this one, including all the sights in Cairo, plus Aswan, Nile cruise, and Hurghada for the beach, diving and snorkelling.
Ecuador The one for rainforest fans, plus we do activities like river-tubing, horse riding, volcano climbing, markets, spa treatment and river swimming.
Peru Seeing Machu Picchu is the centrepiece, but we also go riding, go to Lake Titicaca and stay with a family, visit markets and take a short flight above the Andes mountains.
Please order our new Family Adventures brochure from www.kumuka.com. If you can't find a tour to suit you in our brochure, one of our consultants will be happy to compile a tailor-made.
WHY NOT TRY:
CHINA:
CHINESE KITES, WARRIORS AND PANDAS 9 DAYS
Beijing, sleeper train to Xi'an, City Wall cycle ride, Teracotta
Warriors, Shanghai
BORNEO:
ORANGUTANS, TURTLES AND ISLANDS 7 DAYS
Kota Kinabalu, snorkelling in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Poring
Hot Springs and Canopy Walk, Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary,
Selingan Turtle Island, Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
AFRICA:
WILDLIFE, WATERFALLS & ADVENTURE 12 DAYS
Livingstone / Victoria Falls (Zambia), Chobe River Cruise,
Makgadikgadi salt pans, Okavango Delta, Traditional village
visit, Moremi Game Reserve, Savuti (Botswana)
FLIGHTCHECK:
For
flights to connect to all our Family Adventure tours from
the UK or Australia, contact your local Kumuka office.
