If kids were travel consultants

If kids were travel consultants.

We’d never suggest allowing the kids to create your family holiday (two solid weeks in McDonald’s sound good?) but we can suggest a handful of activities they’ll go loopy for.

BRILLIANT IDEAS FOR SPORTS STARS

1. Test your skills at water biking.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Seaway Waterbike Tours aren’t conventional tours, but rather a peddle across Broadwater estuary aboard buoyant water bicycles. Somewhere between a dinghy and a push bike, these aqua-mobiles are easy to master. Join a guided tour and pedal to nearby snorkelling spots, or rent hourly and forge your own route.

2. Explore Waterbom Water Park.

KUTA, BALI

Asia’s lushest water park is centrally located in the heart of Kuta. Nestled in tropical gardens, 13 water slides range from classic donuts and high-rise speed chutes, to racing slides and half pipes. With nail bars and spa stops, face painting, hair braiding and pizza, there’s something for everyone.

3. Try adrenaline water tubing.

NAVUA RIVER, FIJI

Enveloped in towering rainforest, Navua River is sandwiched between Fiji’s tropical Namosi Highlands. Sitting within an inflatable donut, navigate mild rapids and deep gorges as part of a river tubing adventure. Tube the rapids, take a dip and stop for lunch, waterfalls and village visits.

BRILLIANT IDEAS FOR CREATIVE TYPES

1. Attend an International Arts Festival.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Every October, the annual Melbourne International Arts Festival inspires visitors to fuel their imagination with music, dance, theatre and visual arts. Budding creatives love the expressive art styles, while the brightly decorated ‘Melbourne Art Trams’ are dressed to impress — in all manner of thought provoking designs.

2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

NEW YORK, USA

NYC bound? Keep an eye on The Met event calendar for family-friendly art programs. General admission is free for those 12 years and younger, while “Start with Art” is held on the first Thursday of every month for kids aged between three and six. Activities include stories, sketching and singing.

2. Paint on Rainbow Beach.

SUNSHINE COAST, AUSTRALIA

Rainbow Beach is famed for its multicoloured sands. So vibrant are these sand cliffs (in rich tones of yellow, gold, red and orange) you can break off a nugget, add a little sea water and paint vividly across the beach. Best accessed by 4WD, we recommend a day tour from Noosa.

HOT TIP

By AMANDA RADOVANOVICH, House of Travel Richmond

“When travelling with kids, keeping them entertained is crucial. Your holiday doesn’t have to be like Christmas, but some new items will keep them amused. For the plane, pack a new game or toy and a few books they haven’t read. But don’t allow them to open anything until they’re on-board. Their attention will be too focused for restlessness.”

BRILLIANT IDEAS FOR Gamers

1. Be blown away by Holoverse.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

Once upon a time, virtual reality was the future. Today, it’s the Gold Coast. At Holoverse, the world’s first holographic entertainment centre, visitors get lost in a world of make believe. With forty hologram rooms, you can swim with sea turtles, explore ancient civilizations and fight wayward robots.

2. Pin down onsite entertainment.

VANUA LEVU, FIJI

Namale Resort & Spa is an all-inclusive resort on Vanua Levu island, with the on-site (and much raved about) Kava Bowl Indoor Entertainment Centre. Not only is it the only place in Fiji where you’ll find 10-pin indoor bowling, there’s also a 3D virtual golf simulator, air hockey, darts and ping-pong.

3. Get buzzing in gamer heaven.

TOKYO, JAPAN

Tokyo is nirvana for gamers. Sega, Nintendo and Pokémon all abound. The legendary Electric Town of Akihabara is bursting with anime, gaming memorabilia, arcades and the unmissable Super Potato retro games centre. You’ll also find Pokémon Centres around the city, packed with merchandise.

BRILLIANT IDEAS FOR Smarty pants

1. Get outta this world at NASA.

HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA

Explore a full-scale space shuttle and rocket flight deck, then take The NASA Tram Tour to astronaut training facilities and the iconic Mission Control. A four-hour ‘Level 9 Tour’ offers the ultimate experience to meet scientists and engineers, or you can lunch with an astronaut every Friday and Saturday for an additional fee.

2. Fossil hunt in Thunderbird Park.

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA

As any mini geologist will tell you, thundereggs are other-worldly rocks formed from volcanic ash. At Thunderbird Park, in Tamborine Mountain, keen foragers are invited to go fossicking for hidden ones. Staff will cut the rocks to reveal hidden crystals and anything found can be taken home.

3. Get lost in the upside-down house.

PHUKET, THAILAND

This three-storey upside down house is warped, weird and bizarre. With three kooky attractions in one, there’s the reversed house, the outdoor A-Maze and the Chamber of Secrets, a puzzle which locks guests inside two rooms and requires a lot of riddle resolving to escape.

We aim to please travellers of all ages. Come in-store, call us on 0800 713 715 or visit houseoftravel.co.nz.