How to Find the Right Family Activity Holiday for your Family!

Posted 30-11--0001 by Sally Guillaume

Choosing the right family activity holiday can be surprisingly complex, especially when everyone has different ideas about what makes a good week away. One person may want plenty of outdoor activities, another may want time to relax, and parents are often trying to balance adventure, comfort, safety and logistics.

With over 20 years’ experience organising family activity holidays in the Alps, we’ve seen how much difference the right format can make. 

This guide shares a practical way to narrow down your options and choose a holiday that works for the whole family.

1.Start by identifying what matters to everyone

Before looking at destinations or specific holidays, it is worth taking a step back and clarifying what each member of the family actually wants from the week.

Some priorities are straightforward — good weather, time together, comfortable accommodation — while others may be more specific, such as particular activities, access to a pool, or simply not having to think about cooking and logistics.

A simple way to approach this is to note down anything that everyone agrees on. These shared priorities often give a clearer starting point than trying to compare destinations too early.

In some cases, this may be enough to guide your choice. More often, however, different preferences will emerge — which is where a more structured way of narrowing things down becomes useful.

2. Use a simple whittling-down exercise

If your family has several different ideas, it can help to narrow things down in a more structured way. This works for choosing a destination, accommodation style or activity mix, but we usually recommend starting with the experiences first. Once you know what kind of week people are hoping for, it becomes much easier to choose the right place.

Ask each person to write down:

• three experiences they would most like to have, in green
• three things they would definitely prefer to avoid, in red

These do not all need to be specific activities. One person might write “white-water rafting”, while another might write “time by a pool” or “not too much driving”. The aim is to understand what really matters to each person.

Once everyone has done this, lay the lists out together and group similar ideas. You will usually start to see patterns emerging — for example, a clear interest in mountain-based activities, strong enthusiasm for water-based activities, or a shared preference for a more relaxed pace with time to unwind.

It is equally useful to identify anything that appears more than once in the “avoid” list, as these can quickly rule out certain types of holiday.

Occasionally, the same activity may appear in both lists. In that case, it is worth treating it with caution — it may be something to include as an option rather than a central part of the week.

This process does not give you a finished plan, but it does make it much easier to identify the type of holiday that is most likely to work. For example, if most of the family is interested in mountain biking, rafting and walking, then a mountain destination with a flexible activity programme is likely to suit you better than a beach or sailing holiday. At the same time, if one person is hoping for downtime, choosing accommodation with a pool or easy access to relaxed afternoons can help keep the week balanced.

3.Be realistic about compromise

It is rare to find a holiday where nobody has to compromise at all. The aim is not necessarily to give everyone their first choice every day, but to find a format where everyone feels considered.

For example, if most of the family is drawn to mountain activities such as walking, biking or rafting, but one person is mainly hoping for warm weather and time by a pool, a demanding point-to-point trek is unlikely to be the right choice. A mountain destination with a flexible activity programme, comfortable accommodation and space for downtime may work much better.

Good compromise is not about forcing everyone into the same mould. It is about choosing a holiday with enough variety and flexibility for different people to enjoy the week in their own way.

4. Turn your priorities into the right holiday choice

Once you have a clearer idea of what matters most, choosing the right holiday becomes much easier. Your search terms can become more specific, and you can start comparing holidays by format rather than just by destination.

For families with mixed interests, a  flexible multi-activity holiday often works well. This allows different family members to choose different activities during the week, rather than everyone having to follow exactly the same programme.

If your family has a clear shared interest, a more focused holiday may be a better fit. For example, families who love mountain biking may prefer a dedicated downhill mountain biking trip  or a tailored version of an e-bike trip from the Alps to Provence. E-biking can work particularly well when there are mixed fitness levels within a biking family.

For families who enjoy walking, food and local culture, a walking-based holiday may be more suitable. The  Tour of Champsaur is a good introduction to Alpine walking from village to village, while stronger walkers may prefer a more challenging itinerary such as the Tour du Vieux Chaillol, which can also be adapted with shorter days for younger family members.

For families looking for a shorter, more intensive activity experience, a a via ferrata short break or rock climbing mastery weekend  can work well as part of a longer holiday in the Alps. These options are particularly suitable if you want to focus on one activity for a few days, either as a standalone adventure or as a more structured element within a wider trip.

The key is to match the holiday format to the needs you have identified: flexibility for mixed interests, a specialist trip for a shared passion, a short focused break for a specific activity, or a more balanced programme for families who want activity without every day feeling full-on.

A little time spent clarifying priorities before you start searching can make the whole planning process easier — and usually leads to a better week once you arrive.

For more advice on keeping everyone happy across different ages, you may also find our guide to Planning a Family Holiday for Mixed Aged Children - How to Keep Everyone Happy useful.