This trip gives you the opportunity to see many of the key sights of Egypt with the exception of Abu Simble and is well organised with responsible guides to help you navigate a new culture when travelling with children. Egypt itself is a fascinating country full of history and culture and we had a brilliant experience of Egypt. There are some things that you should consider to ensure that this is the right tour for you. The trip does promise a first class sleeper train and 4 or 5 star hotels throughout but that is a local distinction and most were more a European 2 or 3 star hotel at best. This isn’t a luxury tour. Many of the tours are optional rather than included and as such you need to allow plenty of extra dollars if you want to have the full experience. This makes you feel somewhat like you’re being exploited because the extra trips are significantly overpriced compared to the face value of the entry tickets to the sites visited, but you can’t easily then organise on your own. This trip gives you the opportunity to see many of the key sights of Egypt with the exception of Abu Simble and is well organised with responsible guides to help you navigate a new culture when travelling with children. Egypt itself is a fascinating country full of history and culture and we had a brilliant experience of Egypt. There are some things that you should consider to ensure that this is the right tour for you. The trip does promise a first class sleeper train and 4 or 5 star hotels throughout but that is a local distinction and most were more a European 2 or 3 star hotel at best. This isn’t a luxury tour. Many of the tours are optional rather than included and as such you need to allow plenty of extra dollars if you want to have the full experience. This makes you feel somewhat like you’re being chased for more money all the time and the extra trips are somewhat overpriced compared to the face value of the entry tickets to the sites visited, but you can’t easily then organise on your own. We noticed our 13 year old went in as a child ticket but we were charged a full adult price for the tour by exodus because he was over 12. The brochure said group tips paid in advance are optional but recommended but we were chased for the exact amount ‘recommended’ which I suspect is a profit source for the local tour provider. The coach journey was advised as 4 hours but actually took 7 hours due to using back roads rather than toll roads. There can be delays and you need to be prepared to sit for long periods.
Family Holidays in Finland
Finland Family Holidays
Top 5 Activities on Family Holidays in Finland
Snowmobile Tour: Snowmobiling is a great way to travel across Finland’s icy landscapes. This adrenalin-fuelled activity will no doubt excite all the family as you whizz over frozen lakes and through dense forests. Snowmobiling is also a great way to cover more distance and travel further into the remote wilderness. Expert guides will teach you how to drive the snowmobile and you’ll be given full safety instructions before you set off.
Husky Safari: Playing a huge part in the Lappish culture and history, huskies have long been providing transport over the Arctic landscape. These friendly animals take you on a thrilling sledge ride through the snow-dusted forests and over frozen swamps. Before you set off, you’ll have the chance to meet the Siberian huskies at a nearby dogsled centre and learn about their nature and how they’re trained in these freezing conditions. Following guidance from the experts on how to steer the sledge, embark on a fabulous mushing tour. The adults can take it in turns to steer the sledge or enjoy the ride as a passenger and enjoy the winter wonderland scenery.
Snowshoeing Excursion: If you’re not familiar with snowshoes, they’re a form of footwear that allow you to walk on top of deep snow without sinking. They’ve been used in Arctic countries for centuries and snowshoeing is the best way to traverse the Finnish wilderness on two feet. It’s also a great way to really appreciate the scenery and wildlife close up. Set off from Basecamp at Oulanka National Park and follow the bends of the Kitkajoki River where you’ll pass frozen rapids and dense forests. Your guide will teach you everything there is to know about the local animals and birds that can be seen on your adventure.
Cross-country Skiing: Originating from Scandinavia, cross-country skiing is a popular activity in Finland and a fun way to explore the countryside. At Juuma Lake, a professional instructor will teach you how to use the skis. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the basic techniques, head out onto the lake to hone your skills. It’s a fabulous feeling gliding across deep virgin snow, surrounded by the scenic Finnish backdrop.
Northern Lights Tour: On Finland family holidays in the winter, a Northern Lights tour is highly recommended. Whether you want to head out to remote locations on a snowmobile, husky sled or snowshoes, this is an unforgettable adventure. Also known as the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights are most often spotted in countries that lie above the Arctic Circle and can be seen dancing across the dark sky in twisting ribbons of neon green, yellow and pink. Because the Aurora Borealis is a natural phenomenon, it can be unpredictable so when you do catch a glimpse of it, it’s even more magical.
Stephen Dossett Egyptian Family Adventure
Kelli Keesey Borneo Wildlife Family HolidayWe are traveling as a family of four with our two girls, 13 and 11 years old for four months. This tour was a highlight of our trip so far. We absolutely loved the animals and the jungle as well as being exposed to the culture and people of Sabah. Our tour guide Nostalia was a fountain of knowledge and took such amazing care of us. The people of Sabah are friendly and welcoming and with our guide as a translator we learned so much more than we otherwise would have.
Jon Browning Egyptian Family AdventureOur family of four went on this tour in February half term 2023. The places you visit are amazing, Pyramids and Valley of the Kings especially. 19 of us on the tour, really good bunch of people and the kids all got on well. We were first time travellers with Exodus and we really expected more effort to have gone in to their planning and attention to detail in making this a family adventure as billed. In reality it’s a tour Exodus seem to resell from an Egyptian tour operator and felt like an adult tour with kids on. e.g. after the 15hour overnight train journey when clearly the group were exhausted, the guide announced that the hotel rooms weren’t ready and we were going to do the next day’s itinerary then. This completely misread the group. Often the plan for the day didn’t factor in meals or breaks at a reasonable time, e.g. on the first day we at left at 0730 but lunch stop wasn’t till 1400, lots of very hungry children. For the overnight train to Aswan they don’t use the main station in Cairo but a small suburban one. They got us to the station 3 hours before the train departure and there was only a small café that served drinks. With a bit of thought they could have easily sorted out a family friendly restaurant with toilets etc, the food on the train is pretty poor so a meal before departure would have been welcome. With some planning all of this could be fixed easily. We didn’t expect someone from Exodus to be with us, but I did expect one of their team to have built the itinerary and worked with the operator to match the vision they sell. This just didn’t seem to be the case. Exodus say they have at some point visited the hotels etc but not been on this particular tour. The Cairo hotel (Cairo Pyramids – Steigenberger) was terrible, you don’t stay in the main part which is on the website but are in old bungalows that were like a 1* motel from the 1980s. I can’t believe that anyone from Exodus has stayed in that part of the hotel and they still let people stay there. At each hotel the group were met by a local representative from the tour operator, but never managed to once get the hotel rooms sorted to match the group, e.g. those that needed three beds seemed to always get two. I realise this seems petty but at 2030 after a 7 hour coach drive you don’t want to be spending another 45mins trying to sort out hotel rooms. It would have really helped if they’d got this type of detail right. The tour operator runs a tipping kitty which Exodus say is optional. In reality it isn’t. You are summoned to pay ($45 or $25 for kids) on the first day, also children age 12 or older are adults for this and the optional tours. The tour operator was literally chasing some people around hotels to collect any missing tip kitty. Exodus have said they are going to make sure the operator knows it is optional, but I think if it’s needed they should simply add to the cost of the holiday. The tipping kitty doesn’t cover the tip for the guide which is recommended at $4/day per person. We really enjoyed Egypt but think Exodus need to step up their game on this tour to make it close to experience they say they offer.
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