30 amazing family holidays for 2021
From forest holidays in Britain to surfing in Canada, here are 30 adventures to banish the lockdown blues
Find adventure in Costa Rica
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Of all the things that have been damaged in the past 10 months, it is the shrinking of the concept of “family” that many have found the most upsetting. What existed, a short while ago, as a frequent mingling of ages and generations, has, in plenty of cases, been reduced to Zoom windows and remote conversations. The babble of children with grandparents, the catching up with siblings, reminiscences with relatives – much has been boxed up and pushed into a virtual world that feels a wan substitute for normality.
Embrace the freedom and fresh air of a horseriding holiday
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‘No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle,” reflected Winston Churchill in his autobiography. Granted, this has ended up as one of his lesser-known quotes, but he was surely right. When it comes to a sense of liberation and adventure, nothing beats the thrill of a good canter through a glorious landscape. As the first signs of spring start to show and the vaccination programme gathers pace, now is surely the time to start dreaming of saddling up and heading to the hills, especially as so many have been deprived of the thrill of being on horseback for so long. It’s the perfect antidote to weeks of wintry lockdown. But, where to go?
Andean flamingos dance on the salt pans in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Physically drained by the efforts of tending to their young, females who ve raised a chick the previous year lack sufficient colours for courtships. Instead, they must patiently wait their turn, while eating furiously to regain their pink power.
For a chance to see them in action, Journey Latin America (journeylatinamerica.co.uk; 020 3131 7959) can tailor-make a 13-day Signature Chile tour from £4,520pp, excluding international flights.
Magnificent birds of paradise
There are more than 40 different birds of paradise living in the dense forests of New Guinea. All boast an array of outrageous quirks and even more flamboyant outfits, but the magnificent does particularly well to earn its name. A dancer with more disco moves than Saturday Night Fever s John Travolta, the male woos his woman by performing an elaborate show. After finding a spot where enough light can shine through the canopy, he clears the grou
Extraordinary cruise holidays you can book with confidence
The route out of lockdown has been revealed, and now we can take pleasure from planning trip-of-a-lifetime holidays
The beautiful Mekong river opens up destinations in Southeast Asia
Credit: ALEXANDER HAFEMANN
Here we are, grounded in a prolonged and unfamiliar time-warpish travel ban, and yet there are holidays – extraordinary, adventurous, sigh-inducing “trip-of-a-lifetime” holidays, coming out of the woodwork. We can at least find pleasure in planning.
Expedition cruises lead the way when it comes to seeking out the remote corners of the planet. The simmering pools and steaming fumaroles of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in far eastern Russia. how does one get there? By ship, of course. Struggling to choose between the Arctic or Antarctica? See both on a big-ticket trip.
Last modified on Thu 11 Mar 2021 07.39 EST
For millions of people around the world, this Friday evening should be the most joyous of the year â the first night of carnival. In a normal year, brass and steel pan bands in New Orleans and Trinidad would be polishing their instruments after months of rehearsals, and mardi gras paraders pulling on spangled costumes before hitting the streets. And
Cariocas, residents of Rio de Janeiro, would be limbering up for what they proudly call âthe worldâs biggest partyâ.
Not this year, sadly: itâs been cancelled everywhere from Cádiz to the Caribbean. What a shame. Carnival would be the perfect antidote to our current woes: five carefree nights of dancing, music and drinking ⦠social distancing be damned.