If you are looking for somewhere to travel with your family in the continent of Asia, you have plenty to choose from. There are a number of concerns which you might be worried about when it comes to this continent, however, and that is why you might need to think a little harder about it than you normally would. The truth is that you should be able to easily find a few good places to travel around Asia with your family, so long as you are happy to make a few compromises, or you don’t mind going further afield than you might initially have planned. Let’s take a look at some of the best Asian spots for family tourists, so that you can have some idea about where you can go as a family and what you might be able to do when you are there.
Thailand
If you are taking your whole family with you, you will probably instinctively be reaching for some of the more touristy places. This is a good instinct, as you know that those places are likely to be much safer and to be easier to navigate as a family. One of the best tourist spots anywhere in Asia, and even the world, is Thailand. If you visit Thailand, you will see that it is supremely easy to get around, that there is a good degree of safety and a low crime rate, with hardly any violent crime at all, and everyone speaks English to a relatively proficient level too. There are few better places to go to to get used to travelling in Asia, and you will find that you probably want to take your family back there at some point too.
What’s more, there is so much to do in Thailand with your family that you will feel spoilt for choice. If you are going to go to the capital of Bangkok, then you might want to time it for the Thai New Year, when they traditionally celebrate this event with a giant water fight in the streets. That could be particularly fun for your kids – but if you would rather get out of the city, you might prefer to go to somewhere like Phuket, far south from Bangkok and much more of a countryside area. This too is beautiful, with the kind of idyllic beaches that you expect to see on a postcard, and it is somewhere that you can go to genuinely unwind and relax and not have to worry. There are a number of nice resorts there, including a couple of very fancy ones which you might be surprised are very affordable. Definitely worth thinking about if you want to take your family to this beautiful country.
Thailand is the true jewel of Southeast Asia, and if you are keen to introduce your family to travel in this part of the world, then it is arguably the best place to start out. Do that, and you will possibly even feel more able to take your family somewhere else in Southeast Asia in the future.
Penang
Located near Malaysia, Penang is one of those Asian destinations which is not thought of quite as often, and yet can be especially exciting if you have never been there before. It is a true cultural highlight of Asia, and without it you would not be able to consider a tour of the continent complete. But what is it that might draw you to Penang, and why would it be so good for those travelling with a family in tow? As it happens, like Thailand, Penang is surprisingly tourist-friendly, and you will find that you are more welcomed there than in many other places around the world. The people are notoriously friendly, and always happy to spare guests food and shelter. But you will be able to stay in true luxury if you are going to stay in Penang, especially if you find some glorious Penang apartments to stay in. but what can you expect to do in this beautiful state if you do take your family along?
At its centre both geographically and culturally is the city of Georgetown, a city you can easily wander around and get lost in for days at a time if you are not careful. There are any number of mansions and stately homes to visit, some particularly beautiful public gardens, and a massive range of street and restaurant food which will leave you wanting more. Beyond Georgetown, you have the Penang National Park, which is around 2300 hectares large and a perfect place for a picnic or even a few nights of camping. If your family is fairly active, you will even be able to trek this beautiful place, and that in itself could be a pretty complete holiday abroad.
Whatever you do in Penang, it is one of the little gems that you really shouldn’t overlook, and you will find that it is especially welcoming to your entire family, no matter how many of you there are.
Nepal
A little more rough-and-ready, but still very tourist-friendly indeed, Nepal is a great spot for the family who like a little bit of a challenge when they go abroad. The Nepalese are amongst the friendliest people on the planet, and their culture is extremely welcoming, but the landscape of the country itself is almost entirely mountainous, and it is only for those who are keen to do a fair bit of trekking. Fortunately, that is also one of the most enjoyable highlights of visiting Nepal, nestling as it does in the foothills of the Himalayas. If your family is spiritual, then you will be glad to hear that you’re walking through the very heartland and homeland of the Buddha himself. If not, it’s a beautiful country which you will get a lot from experiencing regardless.
Visiting Nepal is also doing something wonderful for the country itself. A few years ago, it was famously shocked by a huge earthquake which left much of its infrastructure completely destroyed. In the past few years, they have managed to effectively restore it, and that is in large part thanks to the revenue they get from tourists visiting their country. If you visit, you re adding to what is actually the greater proportion of their GDP, so you know that instead of ruining it, as is often the way with tourism, you will actually be helping it out. This is a great opportunity to display to your children the ways in which you can actually use travel to make the world a better place, and not pollute it pointlessly.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates might have a number of strict rules surrounding dress and behaviour, but if you go to certain places, you will find these to be fairly relaxed, often in response to the influx of tourism that those places get. The most-visited city in the UAE is not its capital Abu Dhabi, but rather the famous Dubai, which has become a centre of wealth and extravagance for its own sake, and is therefore increasingly a popular place to go and spend a few weeks or even just a few days. But what can you expect if you do decide to take your family to this unique and diverse city?
First of all, it is a city built on the desert, so you can can expect enormously high temperatures and humidity. In high summer it is unbearable even for natives, so as a visitor you will probably want to keep it to the lower seasons if you can help it. If you or your family are keen to shop, then there are hardly any better destinations in the world than Dubai, which is built almost entirely on the idea that its tourists and visitors will want to do so. It has a couple of the largest malls in the world, the largest Starbucks and McDonalds, and much more besides. If that is your cup of tea, then you will not be disappointed. Beyond that, it is also known for its beaches and luxurious lifestyle. If you are keen to give your family a taste of luxury, you might find there is nowhere better to go in the Asian continent.
The above are all great examples of the kinds of Asian destinations you can take your family. If you are keen for an Asian holiday any time soon, any of the above will suffice.
