Winged Boots’ Guide to Transformative Education Vacations for Parents and Children

The world has lessons that your children will never learn in a Personal, Social, Health and Economic classroom. A good place to start is Africa. Enjoy a safari in Serengeti National Park or Maasai Mara National Reserve, witnessing the big five and even the big migration if timed well, before trekking with the local hunter-gatherer tribe. In Northern Tanzania, the Hadzabe people allow a rare glimpse into their nomadic way of living. Similarly, you can visit a local Masaai village where you'll receive the precious opportunity to take part in their traditions, witness ancient ceremonies and even go hunting for wild honey. Life-enriching experiences with locals are also popular in southeast Asia. Receive a blessing at Pura Tirta Empul in Bali, enjoy a traditional cookery class in Thailand or soak up the stunning scenery of Cat Cat Village in Vietnam while discovering the Black Hmong culture.

Just a two-and-a-half hour flight from London, Rome is a great weekend adventure that’s brimming with history to excite young minds. The Colosseum is certainly a good starting point – be sure to book a tour with access to the Gladiator floor and underground – but don’t forget about the Roman Forum, Palantine Hill, Castel Sant’Angelo and The Pantheon. While in Italy’s capital, simply walking from landmark to gelateria will unlock a wealth of archaic sites, so ditch the public transport and put your trainers on to truly immerse your family in history. For life pre the Roman Empire, fly an additional hour (from London) to Athens to discover Ancient Greece. Explore riveting ruins and centuries-old temples while learning about art and history, delve into the birthplace of democracy and discover more on Greek mythology.

What better way to learn about our planet than by discovering it first hand? Teach your little explorers about biospheres in Costa Rica, where active volcanoes, palm fringed beaches and tropical rainforests live in harmony with wildlife and flourishing fauna. Explore the misty heights of Monteverde Cloud Forest or observe nesting sea turtles in Tortuguero National Park, all while discovering the country’s unique ecosystems. For older children and teens, New Zealand is an entire Geography curriculum. Its landscape is vast, encompassing a diverse range of landforms such as fjords, glaciers, mountains and volcanoes. Located on The Pacific Ring of Fire, volcanoes can be viewed on geologist-led tours amongst hot springs, bubbling mud pools, geysers and waterfalls. Meanwhile underground in Waitomo, a population of cave glowworms offer a bioluminescent experience via boat.

Discover our favourite eight-night Costa Rica family tour.

Discover America’s musical backbones with a trip to the 'deep south'. Visit The Grand Ole Opry and The Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville or head to New Orleans, the home of jazz, where the soundtrack to your holiday will be a saxophone, trumpet or trombone. However, to discover the birthplace of blues, soul and rock ‘n’ roll, Memphis is your stop. Explore where Elvis Presley recorded his first few singles with a tour of Sun Studio before visiting Graceland, located 20-minutes outside of downtown. Beale Street is brimming with live music bars, however, note there is an 8pm curfew for those under 21. If classical is more your speed, we recommend a visit to Vienna. A city synonymous with Mozart and Beethoven, there are plenty of opera houses and live music venues within the city that are perfect for budding composers.

London is brimming with galleries to teach children of all ages about the fascinating world of art. However, to understand Catalan Modernism, fly to Barcelona to discover Gaudi’s best architecture. Be sure to visit all three casas as well as Park Güell and the soon to be completed Sagrada Familia. For iconic Renaissance paintings, stop by The Louvre in Paris, which is so much more than Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The Last Supper, also by Da Vinci, is on display in Milan while Michelangelo’s Last Judgement and Creation of Adam are within the Sistine Chapel in Rome. To team your art history lesson within a family holiday, why not visit Louvre Abu Dhabi? Or, en route to Cancun, stop off at Mexico City to see Frida Kahlo’s former home which is now a museum dedicated to Surrealism.

Calling all gamers, coders, and those super smart kids who can work both an Android and iOS. If new tech fills their heart with joy and gets the cogs whirring, then a visit to Tokyo should definitely be on the agenda. In Japan’s capital, you can enjoy lunch with a difference at the robot café where you’ll be served by Avatar robots. Plus, you can browse the latest tech in the buzzing shopping district Akihabara Electric Town. Alternatively, fly across the pond to San Francisco and in between trips to Fisherman’s Wharf, a visit to Alcatraz Island and sightings of The Golden Gate Bridge, drive to Silicon Valley to Googleplex. Although you cannot enjoy a tour or have access to any of the buildings, you can walk around the campus, ride the colourful Google bikes and see Stan the famous T-Rex. Other major tech companies in Silicon Valley include Uber, Pinterest, X and Apple. You never know who you may bump into.

FIVE MINUTE READ: Our guide to Japan's top cities.

Starting close to home, a weekend to Bath is a must for Jane Austen fans. Visit The Jane Austen Centre and enjoy finger sandwiches and scones in the Regency Tea Room before walking down Gay Street where the novelist once resided. And while you’re in the city, Bridgerton fans have pick of the bunch with a wealth of filming locations from the Royal Crescent to The Assembly Rooms and Guildhall. If murder mystery is your genre, Agatha Christie readers should ride the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train on one of its many European routes, while romantic readers should fly to Verona where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was based – you can even visit what many believe to be Juliet’s house, complete with balcony. Further afield, those who admire spy novelist Ian Fleming should fly to Jamaica where you can stay in his former residence which is now a boutique hotel named after one of his famous books, GoldenEye. Where Fleming wrote many of his James Bond stories, it's brimming with history as well as private villas which range from one to five bedrooms.

Explore some of our favourite Bridgerton filming locations

Having your nose in a textbook doesn’t compare to seeing the big wide world, and this is especially true when learning about biology. Travelling allows you to discover endangered species and pioneering rehabilitation projects that are helping to save them. Dubai’s Jumeirah hotel group has a brilliant conservation programme that helps rescue sea turtles. The Turtle Rehabilitation Sanctuary at Jumeirah Al Naseem offers educational talks and feeding sessions daily at 11am educating both parents and students on the dangers of polluting our oceans. Maldives has many similar programmes, lots of which target the restoration of its beautiful coral reefs. Anantara Dhigu Maldives has a fantastic coral adoption programme where you’re invited to plant coral in the hotel’s reef nursery and follow its growth with photo updates and return visits.

You’re spoilt for choice with endless active holiday ideas, however some of our favourite family experiences include snorkelling The Great Barrier Reef; getting your PADI licence in Koh Tao, Thailand; and hiking in Utah’s Zion National Park or up Le Pouce mountain in Mauritius. Whatever you choose, we’re sure it’ll be a memory-making opportunity where you’re not shouted at for forgetting your kit or jogging round a muddy field in the British drizzle.

To discover more on how we can help plan your next education vacation, or perhaps include an eye-opening experience into your next planned family getaway, contact the team on  0203 816 0985 or submit an online enquiry today.