Once in a Lifetime Holidays

For parents, making sure your children have unforgettable experiences is an important part of a family holiday. To see their faces light up at the sight of a beautiful beach or glimpse of an elephant will stay with you forever. Our top pick for a once-in-a-lifetime family holiday idea would be a safari in Africa – nothing can quite replicate seeing the Big Five in their natural environment. We think you'd agree that spying a lion in the African bush for the first time is nothing you won't ever forget! For a different, but still incredible, family holiday of a lifetime, somewhere like Elephant Hills Tented Camp in Thailand will put your young ones nose-to-trunk with these incredible creatures. Aside from the wildlife, everyone loves a stunning beach, don't they? Places like Mauritius also make for a great family holiday of a lifetime, where you can build sandcastles, snorkel or embark on a dolphin-spotting cruise.

Romance, seclusion and somewhere laden with precious memories you can create for yourselves – these are all key ingredients of a once-in-a-lifetime holiday for couples. Somewhere far-flung and tropical like The Islands of Tahiti and Fiji promise breathtaking tropical scenery and plenty of tranquil time together. If you're wildlife lovers, then a safari in somewhere like Tanzania or Kenya affords wild encounters with some of the planet's most majestic creatures. Or, if you're after a raw sense of adventure, then a road trip through New Zealand or Australia really is a bucket list holiday for couples to experience.

Nowhere possesses a raw sense of adventure than New Zealand or Australia. In either country, you could hop in a car and hit the open road, discovering myriad jaw-dropping landscapes as you clock up the miles. New Zealand is smaller, so you can fit a large chunk of the country in a two-week trip, but in Australia, you can also hop on a plane to experience different parts of the country. California also offers another epic road trip experience in the making. Elsewhere, South Africa is a great country for combining several different experiences in one place, with the beautiful city of Cape Town, delightful Cape Winelands and safari game reserves all easily combined for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Exploring the likes of Thailand, Vietnam and Borneo are incredible adventures in their own right.

We're sure you've got your own list of bucket list holiday ideas – those places you've always dreamed of visiting but never quite got there. The Islands of Tahiti may be once such destination, where the luminescent lagoons and glorious emerald peaks of Bora Bora make you misty eyed. If you're an animal lover, a safari in somewhere like the African bush of South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya may be your idea of heaven. Or, you have always wished to splash out on a private island escape in the Caribbean, such as Petit St. Vincent or even Necker Island! There are so many bucket list places in the world and our travel specialists can help you narrow down which one might be right for you.

While you're on holiday, you want to have a few once-in-a-lifetime experience peppered throughout your relaxation time. There are so many out there: if you're in New Zealand, why not go skydiving in Queenstown? Or, if you're thinking of travelling to Western Canada, you can spot bears and whales. But once-in-a-lifetime experiences come in all shapes and sizes, whether it's swimming to a beach bar in the British Virgin Islands, getting up at sunrise to witness Angkor Wat in Cambodia at dawn or staying in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora.

It really depends on what kind of holiday you're after! You may already have an idea of a bucket list destination already – Bora Bora and an African safari are two popular examples! If you're struggling to think of some stand-out places to add to your bucket list, try thinking of what type of holiday you enjoy most or an experience you've always dearly wanted to do. If you've always wanted to stay in an overwater bungalow, then the Maldives or The Islands of Tahiti would be perfect. If you're an adrenaline seeker, then New Zealand is packed with unforgettable cycling, walking and sky dives. For wildlife, an African safari is the perfect, while for a true luxury island experience, take your pick from any one of Fiji, the Maldives, the Seychelles or anywhere in the Caribbean!

Can you beat a safari for a bucket list family holiday? Your kids will have learned all about these wonderful animals in the wild and a safari is their chance to see them in the wild – much better than in any textbook! Mauritius is not only a fantastic holiday destination for families but is also chock-full of experiences like quad-biking, dolphin-spotting cruises, hikes to waterfalls, snorkelling and much more. You can combine jungle, beach and city in Thailand, while Jamaica boasts beautiful beaches for your children to play on and incredible experiences like climbing a waterfall!

For pure romance and seclusion, you won't find a better once-in-a-lifetime escape for couples than The Islands of Tahiti. Bora Bora gets a lot of the attention, but we'd combine it with other islands in French Polynesia for an incredible holiday! A destination like Tahiti does command a premium price, but it's well worth it in our opinion. The Maldives is another great option for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday on a remote island and we also love Zanzibar, as it's also great for twinning with a safari.

New Zealand and Australia would be our top recommendations, with their wealth of varied experiences, landscapes and culture being a joy to immerse yourself in in a single trip. The jungles of Borneo and their resident orangutans are begging to be explored, while you can combine a number of the other countries in Southeast Asia like Cambodia and Laos or traversing the length of Vietnam from north to south.

We do! While not exclusively all-inclusive, most hotels in a lot of our destinations have all-inclusive offers which we can include for you. The only major exception is The Islands of Tahiti, where all-inclusive offers are not available.