Exploring the great outdoors for school holidays

IF YOUR idea of a family holiday is to book a hotel or resort with the best kids’ club to drop off your offspring at, think again.

More parents these days are heading outdoors, with wildlife and nature at the top of their agenda when they organise their trips, says Krystal Tan, founder and director of bespoke travel company Blue Sky Escapes.

“There’s a real hunger to pry kids away from screens and our air-conditioned bubble, and put them somewhere their senses are stimulated in the best way because that’s where the most endearing memories come about,” she says.

“Gifting your child the chance to watch elephants drink at eye level from a vehicle in Tanzania or come face to face with an orangutan swinging through the rainforest in Sabah is far richer than the latest toy.” 

Blue Sky Escapes has sent families on exotic journeys – from riding yaks in breathtaking landscapes in Yunnan, China, to picking fruit, milking cows and sleeping in mud-and-stone farmhouses in Bhutan.

Most of her clients are well-travelled and are done with “the obvious kids’ holiday circuit” of Tokyo Disneyland and the Maldives. 

Learning through doing 

As the parent of a nine-month-old daughter and three-year-old son, Tan believes that while children may forget the finer details of such activities, “the lived experience” no doubt leaves an imprint in their psyche and nervous system.

Most recently, she enrolled her son in a short-term course at a nature-based school in Bali – where his trip to class was via motorbike and he ran around barefoot in the jungle with his classmates.  

Likewise, Lynn Yeow-De Vito, who runs boutique communications agency Loop PR and is a mother to four teenage boys, looks out for hands-on, active and exciting activities that spark curiosity and involve a sense of adventure.

SEE ALSO

On the design trail in Hiroshima

They have been on cave visits in Italy and farm stays, including a farm-to-table experience in Japan.

“It helped them understand the connection between where food comes from, how it is grown and the effort in preparing a meal – something they don’t see often in everyday life,” she says.

It also touches close to home since her husband, Beppe De Vito, owns the ilLido group of restaurants.   

Broadening horizons 

Anthony Lu, Booking.com’s regional director for South-east Asia and Greater China, confirms that nature holidays are as popular as city trips. 

He shares: “Booking.com’s Travel Trends 2026 research shows that 47 per cent of family travellers took a major city trip in 2025 while 46 per cent took a nature trip, and 2026 logistics remain similar.

For nature and countryside destinations, Mui Ne in Vietnam, Port Douglas in Queensland, Australia and Manaus in Brazil are emerging as trending destinations, offering access to beaches, rainforests, and outdoor adventure.

“We’re also seeing interest in hybrid destinations – such as Kochi (on Japan’s Shikoku island) – which combine urban culture with nearby natural scenery.”   

Aside from helping them to relax, such activities broaden children’s horizons through food, culture, nature and wellness, shares Oriol Montal, Marriott International’s regional vice-president for the Asia-Pacific, excluding China.

“Marriott’s data shows 28 per cent of high-net-worth (HNW) travellers are planning rural escapes and 30 per cent are booking wildlife safaris, which indicate that nature is becoming a bigger part of the luxury family travel mix,” he highlights.  

Hotels have responded with more nature-based programming, curated excursions and experiences that let families engage with the outdoors without sacrificing service standards, he adds, referring to HNW traveller habits.

“What is popular is the balance between discovery and comfort.” 

Barefoot luxury – the family version    

Given their natural settings, resorts have an advantage.

Aside from Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villa’s water sports activities, families are taken on a night cruise through the Sungai Lebam mangrove forest to witness the glowing dance of fireflies. Nearby at the 180-acre Desaru Fruit Farm, children can taste fresh raw honey as they learn about beehives.

Families also enjoy the so-called barefoot-luxury island life at Nikoi Island.

Children snorkel and paddle-board, while parents linger over long lunches without rushing to go anywhere.

Leanna Crowley, marketing and communications manager at Cempedak and Nikoi Private Islands, says: “It’s the kind of place where families can slow down, reconnect and spend real quality time together in nature.”

Such holidays reflect a shift in the perception of luxury.

“For many now, luxury is less about formality and excess, and more about space, time, nature and connection,” she adds.

“Luxury is time – time together, time outdoors, time without distractions. Parents love that their children can run around barefoot, explore safely and enjoy a sense of freedom that’s hard to find elsewhere today.”  

Immersive experiences 

Taking advantage of its island location, Capella Singapore has launched the new Island Explorer package to immerse children more deeply in its environment, as well as enable them to bring home tangible mementoes.

The specially designed Explorer Kit comes with a journal and Polaroid camera that children can use to document the suggested sites in the pages. 

Johanna Dlugosch, the hotel manager of Capella Singapore, observes: “When given the freedom to explore and engage with their surroundings in an interactive way, (children) naturally become more observant, curious and confident.”

She notes that such activities can help nurture creativity and independence, too. 

Letting children have a hand in planning the holiday is part of the learning.

This is something Aun Koh, the assistant chief executive of marketing and development at National Gallery Singapore, did during one particularly memorable trip with his eldest son, now aged 15, who was seven at the time.

They travelled to Naoshima, Teshima, Inujima and Okunoshima, also known as "rabbit island”.

“I got him involved with the planning, which meant ferries, buses, trains and a lot of walking,” he says. “It made the trip feel like an adventure we were figuring out together.” He has two other children, now aged eight and 12.   

All together now 

Learning a skill is a good family bonding activity and for Koh, it is skiing. They first joined an organised group ski trip with Yamayama Travel that made the experience seamless. Since then, it has been an annual affair.

A Walk Japan trip is next on the radar. “My friends say it’s incredibly rewarding,” says Koh.

Walk Japan allows travellers above the age of 12 to tag along with adults.

Some of its gentler treks suit younger walkers, such as the East Hokkaido Walk – a week-long, fully guided experience that opens participants’ eyes to the wildlife-rich landscapes of Japan’s northern island.

The trail passes through landmarks such as Kushiro Shitsugen National Park, Lake Akan, Atosa-Nupuri Volcano and Shiretoko Peninsula, a Unesco world heritage site.  

These itineraries draw travellers who want more purpose when taking their children to see the world.

“Post-Covid-19 luxury travel has become more about reconnection, well-being and making memories – in a way that feels emotionally rewarding rather than simply booking the most extravagant hotel or longest itinerary,” says Montal.

“We’re seeing families plan more intentionally than before, with less emphasis on ‘more’, and more emphasis on whether a trip delivers real meaning for the whole family.”    

Doing new things together is key for many parents, observes Dlugosch.

She highlights that many families have moved beyond the traditional concept of occupying children separately through resorts’ kids’ clubs.

“Parents today want to participate in the experience alongside their children and create memories together,” she says.