First of all, you will need to consider who is in your family. Some activities aren't safe or enjoyable for certain age groups, especially small children. In other cases, you may find that outfitters and travel groups have restrictions based on age and size.
But you can, in fact, have an enjoyable family adventure vacation with small children.
Family Adventure Vacations with Babies and Toddlers
The hardest adventures to plan are those that allow babies and toddlers, but there's no need to give up entirely. There are still many family adventure vacations that are soft and safe enough for even little adventurers, such as:
- Hiking adventure vacations. Buy a sturdy baby or toddler carrier, and hit the trails. This is a fabulous adventure that is safe and fun for babies and toddlers, and exposes them to the great outdoors and wonderful views. It's also just an amazing experience to see the view from the mountain top with a baby on your back. Just be sure to be aware of weather conditions when hitting trails, and to pack plenty of supplies since you could be an hour or more away from supplies.
- Camping adventure vacations. Camping is so much fun for babies and toddlers, and it is perfectly safe so long as you do it in mild weather and use safe camping practices as it relates to wildlife and insects. Also, this is probably not the time for rugged, loner camping. Find a campground, and babies and toddlers will enjoy the socializing, too.
Family Adventure Vacations for Preschoolers and Children
As children get a little older, they start meeting some of the minimum requirements in age and weight for softer adventure activities. This is a great time to introduce your child to water sports and winter sports, such as:
- Water tubing or canoeing adventure vacations. These water sports do require certain safety standards, but they are lower on the scale of risk and knowledge needed. Be sure to use a reputable outfitter, and to seek out a family-friendly one. Be sure all safety equipment is used, that they provide brief safety training beforehand, and that all involved wear safety vests.
- First winter sports vacations. Your child of this age probably won't be doing tricks on the snowboard yet, but it's usually around age 4 that most family-friendly ski resorts start offering basic lessons. This is a good time to start children on learning the basics, and enjoying the child-friendly and beginner slopes.
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