It is that time of year when we make our resolutions, most of which are about being better people.  Award winning luxury tour operator Hands Up Holidays is at hand to help you realise your resolutions to both be better, and do better in 2016.

Hands Up Holidays has inspiring luxury travel ideas for families, couples and solo travellers to get 2016 off on the right footing, give back and help those less fortunate.

They do this by preparing tailor-made luxury itineraries that blend expert-led sightseeing with a meaningful philanthropic volunteer project, such as:

-      Building or renovating a house for a needy family in Morocco, Guatemala, Zambia or Cambodia

-      Changing the life of a paraplegic by installing a disabled-accessible bathroom for him/her in Bali

-      Conserving wildlife, including elephants (Thailand, India and Namibia), bears (Romania and India), penguins (New Zealand), kangaroos and koalas (Australia) and monkeys, parrots and more in Costa Rica

By travelling with the award winning Hands Up Holidays you will enjoy luxury accommodation throughout, tailor-made for you to create your perfect fulfilling trip that changes lives…not just your own.

Founder of Hands Up Holidays, Christopher Hill, says “incorporating an element of 'giving back' to a luxury family trip is a powerful way to bring families together, and also for children to appreciate how fortunate they are, as well as get immersed in another culture in a safe context. When this is combined with inspiring activities and time for relaxation, this adds up to making 2016 memorable and enriching, with a trip that the whole family will treasure.

Volunteer trips are of course fantastic for couples and solo travellers as well, in fact the range of volunteer opportunities are greater for them, as they are not restricted by the ages of their children, which can affect the volunteer projects that we recommend.”    

New Destinations for 2016 where you can fulfil your New Year's Resolutions

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

Free Guide shows How to Make Luxury Family Trips Meaningful

Hands Up Holidays (www.handsupholidays.com) is delighted to also 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-look website

Hands Up Holidays also announces its new-look website which 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

How Families Benefit from 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.

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

sarah@handsupholidays.com

or

Christopher Hill

Founder and CEO

chris@handsupholidays.com

Phone: 0207 193 1062

Mobile: 0776 501 3631