19 Dec 2015
Tags: family travel, luxury family travel, Luxury Travel, eco-luxury, voluntourism, Luxury voluntourism
Free Guide: How to make luxury family travel meaningful
Award winning luxury family travel specialist Hands Up Holidays (www.handsupholidays.com) is delighted to announce the release of a free guide for families about how to make their travels meaningful and inspiring.
The Guide encourages families to incorporate philanthropy, volunteering and sustainability into their trips, and gives reasons why 'giving back' whilst travelling works so well for families, and can be so transformative, both for them and for communities.
The Guide runs through some of the misconceptions about voluntourism, such as “We will need to rough it”, explaining that with Hands Up Holidays, families can enjoy luxury accommodation throughout.
The next section gives families 10 questions to ask voluntourism travel providers, such as:
“Will we really be beneficial to the local community?”
“Can I tell my kids we will be making a difference in the world?”
“What level of support can I expect?”
The guide finishes with the Top Five Tips for Families to get the most out of their Luxury Voluntourism Adventure.
As an added incentive for families to sign up for the guide, they will receive free room upgrades by quoting the code provided at the back of the guide when they book their trip.
The founder of Hands Up Holidays, Christopher Hill, says “Many families are happy to just flop by the pool and let the resort's kids' club look after their kids, and there is a place for that, but equally, many families want to bond together on holiday, and even make a difference, whilst also having an adventure exploring their chosen destination.
This free guide makes the case for why families should consider including an element of giving-back into their trip, then helps demystify family volunteering trips, and gives some solid advice for families when embarking on booking on a luxury voluntourism adventure. Whether or not they end up booking with us, it is our hope that families will be better equipped to make their travels more meaningful, bonding, and inspiring.”
New website as well
Hands Up Holidays also announces its new-look website, and several inspiring new destinations for 2016 where families can make a difference: Namibia, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Bhutan and Italy. Watch this space too, as the company plans on releasing Oman, Hungary, Montenegro, Sri Lanka, Barbados, St Lucia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe during the course of 2016.
The new-look website has the following new functionality:
- Add to Wishlist – anything, from an experience such as a private cooking class with a celebrity chef in Bangkok, an eco-luxury hotel in Cape Town, to a volunteer project in Peru, can be added and saved to a wish-list, which clients can log-in to via Facebook, and return to whenever they like
- Plan My Trip where clients can submit their travel preferences
- Be Inspired – a panel of inspiring photos from around the world to get the travel juices flowing
- A dedicated Family Trip section
- A dedicated Eco-Luxury Accommodation section
New Luxury Voluntourism Destinations for 2016:
1. Namibia – guests can conserve desert elephants by digging alternative water sources away from communities
a. combine this on a tailor-made basis with highlights such as Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast, and Etosha National Park
2. USA– clients can restore native plant and animal habitats, or sort food at a food bank in San Francisco; serve meals to the homeless in New York, or renovate homes in New Orleans
a. combine this on a tailor-made basis with highlights such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Miami, and Napa Valley
3. Australia– families can conserve koalas, tiger kuolls, kangaroos and wallabies
combine this on a tailor-made basis with highlights such as Sydney, Melbourne, Kakadu and the Great Barrier Reef
4. New Zealand – clients can help maintain penguin habitats
a. combine this on a tailor-made basis with highlights such as the Bay of Islands, Queenstown, Milford Sound and Rotorua
5. Bhutan – travellers can help build a home for a low-income family
a. combine this on a tailor-made basis with highlights such as Punakha, Thimpu, and Tiger's Nest
6. Italy – guests can serve meals to the homeless and gain insights into what it takes to live rough on the streets of Rome
a. combine this on a tailor-made basis with highlights such as Florence, Puglia, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, and the Dolomites
The Benefits to Families of Luxury Voluntourism
- Children appreciate how fortunate they are by helping others less fortunate
- Families bond closer together
- Children get to interact and engage with another culture in a meaningful, safe context
- Luxury accommodation means families can make a difference and don't have to rough it
- Tailor-made itineraries mean families get to volunteer and explore the destination, with expert guides
- Families add a new dimension to their travels as they get to know the locals
- Children learn about sustainability as they stay in eco-luxury accommodation, eat from restaurants that source their food locally, and use eco-friendly transport options
- Even children as young as four can get involved with wildlife and environmental conservation projects
These luxury trips are ideal for families, and can be tailor-made to suit their preferences, such as length of trip, activity, and accommodation.
To find out more visit www.handsupholidays.com or email info@handsupholidays.com.
Travellers can request their Guide to Making your Luxury Family Vacation Meaningful here: bit.ly/FamilyReport.
About Hands Up Holidays
With offices in London and San Diego, Hands Up Holidays is an award winning responsible luxury tour operator dedicated to offering eco-luxury tours that blend sightseeing with meaningful, hands-on ways to make a difference in all of its trips.
Hands Up Holidays offers eco-luxury trips in 40 countries throughout the world, with a special focus on families.
Contact Details
Sarah Milner-White
Communications Manager
or
Christopher Hill
Founder and CEO
Phone: 0207 193 1062
Mobile: 0776 501 3631
