September 2018

Travelling as a family is a post our blog could not do without. Those of us who regularly organise trips with children know how difficult it can be to choose the right destination for them. As our colleague Yolanda has just returned from Thailand, we asked her to tell us what it was like to travel to this Southeast Asian country with children.

My first trip to Thailand It was many, many years ago… and I remember it particularly well because it was one of the first long-haul trips of my life!

This year I was planning to take my daughter on her first big trip. She is 12 years old and, by the way… beautiful!!!

I had fond memories of my first trip, and when it came to choosing a destination, I knew: Thailand was chosen for their first experience in this fantastic world!

Once we decided Thailand as our family travel destination, the questions begin…

• Will it be a safe destination?
• Active and varied, but suited to children’s pace?
• Fun?
• Interesting?

I can tell you that Thailand is ideal for travelling with children, with something for almost everyone. The varied itinerary combines two major cities, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, a great adventure in the northern mountains, where we will enjoy various activities and spend time with local ethnic minorities, followed by a well-earned finale… days of relaxation on the beach!!!!

We know that travelling with children slows the pace. This trip lets you enjoy the destination at leisure, without feeling that precious time is slipping away: there is time for everything. It is as if the clock would stop so we could make much more of the day. Explaining what lies ahead and involving children in the experience helps them engage and feel excited about each new adventure. It helps us parents relax and enjoy watching them have fun.

Luggage is one concern when travelling as a family. You need very little for this trip!!!

Comfortable clothing and walking shoes are the most important things. Toys can stay at home!!! And for shopping lovers… Thailand is an ideal destination!

A very well-balanced trip and, let’s be honest… AFFORDABLE!!! We know that, when travelling with children, the daily budget can multiply by the number of family members, without increasing the number of people paying the bills, right? Travelling with children to Thailand is within your budget.

I encourage you to try this adventure and I assure you that it is possible travelling with children and having a wonderful holiday.

If you enjoy travelling to little-known places or experiencing different cultures and now have children, keep pursuing your passion and take them with you.

All our Organised tours of Thailand are designed for travel in a small group of 4 to 12 people, making it an ideal destination for families, large or small.

When children are older, an active and varied trip often works extraordinarily well, and Thailand offers adventure, comfort and safety.

Thailand is a wonderful destination for travelling with children and introducing them to the world of travel.

Traveling to Thailand with children

If you are still not convinced that Thailand is an ideal destination for travelling with children, we want to offer more reasons to go. As a picture is worth a thousand words, here is Paula Tel’s video, filmed in Thailand, which won our 2016 competition. It perfectly captures the spirit of family travel in a destination as special as Thailand.

Some wonderful holiday full of special moments in Thailand. A video showing a very active family in this Asian country. The closing motto, “We are the sum of all the moments in our lives» could not have been a better choice.

Thailand with the family with Viajes Tuareg -> Video winner of the video contest 2016

You go around the world with your camera on your shoulder (or your mobile phone) and we need images that show what our journeys are like. Shall we make a deal?

We invite you to enter the competition: it is simple, fun and there are great prizes. The only condition is that the images must have been taken on a trip organised by Viajes Tuareg during 2018.

Instruction manual (summary)

PHOTOGRAPHY – Prizes and categories

1st prize. 800 €
2nd prize — €300
3rd prize. €200
Special prize “Viajes Tuareg around the world”…200 €
Award for the best photo by popular vote. 200 €

Maximum five photographs per participant
JPG format; minimum resolution of 72 dpi and minimum size of 2300 px width

VIDEO – Prizes and categories

Auteur video prize. €1,000
Short video prize: “Us in fantastic places”. €200
Short video prize “Us with the local people”. 200 €
“We did it” short video prize: 200 €

Videos entered in the instant video category must be no longer than 30 seconds and do not require editing.

More information about the competition rules and conditions

Send us your photos and videos by email to concurso@tuareg.com

Ideas for a good result

Track 1

Track 2

As the saying goes, September is the month for the rich, but perhaps October is one of our favourite months for travel. As autumn begins, many of our destinations take on distinctive colours, displaying shades you will not see at other times of year.

For those lucky enough to travel in October, visitors even seem to receive better treatment, with fewer people queuing and fewer visitors at the main attractions.

With the arrival of autumn the trekking season in the Himalayas and northern Southeast Asia welcomes the end of the monsoons and the arrival of winter. In South America, it is an ideal time to travel, similar to our month of June, with few visitors and more affordable prices at the main tourist attractions.

Last remaining places on SMALL GROUP trips with GUARANTEED DEPARTURES in October that still have availability*:

*The number of places available changes constantly. Please check availability when booking your trip.

The stages of this trek follow the “teahouse” trails, used by local people, through forests of bamboo and rhododendrons. This trip to Nepal is rounded off with visits to Pokhara, the valley of Kathmandu, National Park of Chitwan and the city where Buddha was born, Lumbini.

On this trip to Peru, we set off from Arequipa and begins the journey towards the Colca Canyon that continues to the lake Titicaca for overnight stays on the Peninsula of Capachica. The route continues through the Andes to Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, for ascend to Machu Picchu.

We started the trip in Yangon, the main city of Myanmar and we will fly to the religious Mandalay. From there we will sail towards Bagan to admire the plain of the 2000 temples and fly to the Lake Inle. We cross the lake and the mountains to reach a region recently opened to tourism, Loikaw and visits to its Kayah and Kayan ethnic minorities.

A trip to Italy to the east of Sicily and the islands of Stromboli, Vulcano and Lipari. A combination of spectacular walks in a Mediterranean setting and an introduction to volcanic phenomena and archaeological remains Greeks, Romans and Byzantines.

An intensive, active trip to Vietnam, seeking out rural villages in the Sapa mountains and on An Binh Island in the middle of the delta, combined with visits to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh. The journey ends in Cambodia, in the temples of Angkor. For those who want to end the trip on the beach, these days can be replaced with a stay on the peaceful tropical island of Phu Quoc.

What better way to end the year than with an exciting holiday Adventure trip. This is what we offer at Viajes Tuareg. Here is a small selection of our routes, with 7 destinations for Travelling at Christmas specially selected.

With the arrival of autumn, many of our destinations reveal a new palette of colours. Ochre and brown dominate in the northern hemisphere, while the bright colours of spring bloom in the southern hemisphere.

Today we want to leave you some inspiring pictures for autumn travel. Click on the image to see our routes to the destination in the photograph. You can consult here all our autumn trips 

Active travel, hiking and trekking. It's not just where we're going, but what we're going to do when we're there.

What is the best time to travel to Antarctica?

1.- Antarctica: NOVEMBER and early DECEMBER
2.- Antarctica from DECEMBER to mid-FEBRUARY
3.- Antarctica from mid FEBRUARY to MARCH
3.- What is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current?

With the arrival of summer, coastal areas are free of ice which allows the ships to leave. A period of five months between November and March when weather conditions are more favourable and where more than 20 hours of sunlight a day for activities.

In November, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current begins to moderate temperatures throughout the southern hemisphere. The Drake Passage offers windows of weather when it is possible to reach Antarctica without facing 10-metre waves.

Antarctica in NOVEMBER and early DECEMBER

Late spring and early summer in the southern hemisphere. The continent is covered in snow, and the pack ice begins to break up. At this time of year, Antarctica is a wonderful white landscape, with abundant icebergs and sea ice.
Sunlight encourages abundant phytoplankton growth, attracting marine mammals to feed near the coast.

It is penguin mating season, and birds are laying their eggs.

Antarctica from DECEMBER to mid FEBRUARY

Midsummer in the southern hemisphere. During this period, the warmest of the year, The snow melts, revealing rocks and tundra that allows us to go for walks.

Almost round-the-clock daylight delights photography enthusiasts.

Less sea ice means easier access to more distant areas. Seal and sea lion pups can be seen. Penguin chicks hatch, and their parents spend hours feeding them.

Antarctica from mid-February to March

End of summer and beginning of autumn in the southern hemisphere. Antarctica is preparing for winter. It's the period when the sea ice reaches its smallest extent, allowing access to the most remote areas. It is also the ideal time for activities on land, with less snow.

The whales return to feed and it is the best time to observe them; seals and elephant seals rest on land, and penguins moult.

What is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current?

The Circumpolar Current forms part of the great ocean circulation driven by changes in water temperature. The coldest water flows along the ocean floor towards the equator, while warm surface waters from tropical latitudes flow upwards to replace the colder water that sinks.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current flows from west to east, counterbalancing the opposite direction of all subtropical currents in an area called the Antarctic Convergence,
an area of approximately 40 km where the waters sink northwards towards the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.