Where To Go When With Kids by Lonely Planet

An invaluable colourful hardback for any family keen to travel. This guide offers families 300 different destinations around the world, organised by month of the year. It focuses on family-friendly activities for children of all ages. Each month features an interactive flowchart, allowing families to make informed decisions about possible destinations based on their preferences for relaxation, adventure, or cultural learning.

The book has a mix of world favourites and the unexpected. To give a taste, Arrowtown in New Zealand is recommended in January for the summer light and perfect conditions for gold panning. Or you might want to venture to False Bay in South Africa to enjoy the throngs of penguins at Boulders Beach. February destinations include suggestions to Rome, Italy, for shorter queues for the famous pizzas, or Yellowknife in Canada for the best time of the year for aurora-watching, or Dublin, Ireland for a beguiling tour of the National Leprechaun Museum.

Lapland, Finland, is recommended to visit in March for the dogsled rides. Singapore in March has the least rain, lowest humidity and a myriad of family-friendly activities. For any dinosaur-mad child, Lo Rioja, Spain, is the place to visit in April to enjoy the ‘Route of the dinosaurs.’  And April is the best time to visit Japan to enjoy the cherry blossom season.

New York City is recommended for a visit in May, before the summer brings crowds and baking streets that never seem to sleep. By contrast, staying at the Tree Hotel in Sweden in May allows the ultimate tree-house experience.

Lake Tekapo in New Zealand is recommended for June to enjoy the mid-winter stargazing at a Dark Sky Reserve. For something completely different, you could visit some of Asia’s most spectacular ancient ruins at Angkor Wat, Cambodia and avoid the crowds.

Looking for Loch Ness in Scotland? July is the best time to visit if you hope to catch a glimpse. Or gently cruising on the canals in Amsterdam in the Netherlands is an activity that kids will love, with a chance to take a hand on the wheel or tiller. For August, you might like a safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, or visiting the Coral Coast in Fiji, or visiting Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory in Australia. In September, options include the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia, Xi’an in China or the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. In October, the family could browse the UK’s top museums in London or visit Dracula’s castle in Transylvania in Romania.

For later in the year, there are numerous destinations on offer, including the Grand Canyon in the USA, the Southern Lakes of New Zealand and Chiang Mai in Thailand in November. And for something different in December, how about tiger watching at the Ranthambhore National Park in India or enjoying the festival lights in Copenhagen, Denmark?

Where to Go When With Kids is both inspirational and practical, and it will be a well-used resource for families, prompting many fun conversations, as well as practical advice for booking the next family holiday. It has great suggestions and insights.

Reviewer: Karen McMillan

Lonely Planet