-
Looking for any ideas for a good destination on BA/Aer Lingus/Iberia please –
-BAPP CV expires 15Apr26 and we’re now restricted to school holidays, dang
-Good for a 5yo
-Easter holiday first 2 weeks April 2026 (or possibly half term mid Feb) I know this will be difficult to get award seats
-We currently live in Cyprus (British military) so we first have to travel to LON (or DUB or MAD)
-therefore destinations like Eastern or Central Europe, Asia, Australia would be a bit silly
-We’d love to return to JNB and Kruger with the kid, but April is Malaria high risk season so I think that’s a bad idea
-We did Bermuda when kid was 2yo and it was lovely
-I feel very uneasy about USA these days (and I’m a dual US/UK citizen). While there’s lots of US national parks I’d love to visit, I’m also concerned Trump cuts to the national parks will have quite a negative impact on them
-husband will be on a separate ticket (cash or avios upgrade) might be in a different cabin that’s fine
-might settle for short haul or PE/WT+, even though that’s not the best use of a CV, it’s better than nothing or paying cash for 3 paxAny ideas for a young kid in April in northern or western Europe, or the Americas, or somewhere without malaria? I’ve done so much research and reading forums etc and have not come up with anything great yet, so any suggestions would be very much appreciated please x
I would potentially look at Canada (and select a part of it, e.g. Toronto to Montreal, or BC). Plenty to do, lovely national parks, although not all will be open, really easy to travel around albeit vast distances as you can appreciate.
Alternatively, Argentina is an excellent and you can use out of MAD. Again, lots to do, excellent food but will require a reasonable amount of internal travel if you want to maximise the trip. Plenty of threads here on Argentina which, if you do want to explore further, I would highly recommend reading.
On the basis I don’t believe there’s an easy way to travel from Cyprus to Spain, you probably want to ignore Madrid as a hub.
How about Pilanesberg in South Africa – it’s Malaria free.
And +1 for Canada but it could still be quite cold at that time of the year, especially in the Ontario/Quebec area.
What about Denmark? Legoland (not Feb half term), Viking stuff, a great kids museum in Copenhagen. Or one of the Scottish hotels with activities plus a bit of time in Edinburgh? Enjoyed a long weekend at Crieff Hydro when my youngest was about 7 or 8.
If you enjoyed Bermuda (great beaches, crazy prices, lots of ex-pats, safe, no mass tourism), you’d probably enjoy Grand Cayman. You’d need to be on the ball to get avios seats in school holidays but it’s not as competitive as other Caribbean islands or Cancun/Orlando/etc.
It’s very easy to rent a car and explore the island (on the left!) as well. Also there’s plenty of condo-type accommodation if you don’t want to be in a hotel the whole time. Fantastic diving and snorkelling if you’re into that.
If you’re worried about the USA, why on Earth are you thinking of going to South Africa?! Even if Trump destroys the USA (which is unlikely despite his efforts), South Africa is a long way further down that road!
SA is incredibly popular on here!
USA and Canada are both great options. I think I’d feel safer in the USA than the UK right now with all the sabre-rattling bluster coming from UK/France. Scandinavia/Iceland also provide lots of options.
-We currently live in Cyprus (British military) so we first have to travel to LON (or DUB or MAD)
-therefore destinations like Eastern or Central Europe, Asia, Australia would be a bit sillyThis is what happens when you let the tail wag the dog. Fly where it suits your family and where they can have a good time.
Dont drag your family through a grueling journey to a poor destination for the sake of using the voucher.-We currently live in Cyprus (British military) so we first have to travel to LON (or DUB or MAD)
-therefore destinations like Eastern or Central Europe, Asia, Australia would be a bit sillyThis is what happens when you let the tail wag the dog. Fly where it suits your family and where they can have a good time.
Dont drag your family through a grueling journey to a poor destination for the sake of using the voucher.this is a great bit of advice.
They’re 5. They probably want to go to Disney. Sorry 🤣.
More seriously – not even Donald Trump can destroy the wonder and beauty within the US national park system. If you have some targets then don’t let him put you off. Yellowstone/Tetons is my absolute favourite. California has some great ones. Don’t overlook the state parks too; often just as good and comparatively deserted.
We did Texas with our 5 and 1 year old girls in October and loved it. Particular highlights were NASA space center Houston, staying at a ranch and roasting marshmallows over a camp fire near Bandera, and an interactive art place called Hopscotch in San Antonio.
We also did an open jaw to Gothenburg and back from Oslo, using a ferry in between, last Easter. We only did a couple of days in each city and had a great time. The ship museums in Oslo were lots of fun and Universeum in Gothenburg was superb.
If you’re worried about the USA, why on Earth are you thinking of going to South Africa?! Even if Trump destroys the USA (which is unlikely despite his efforts), South Africa is a long way further down that road!
I don’t agree – South Africa is a wonderful country to visit and although there are still a lot of inequalities between the haves and the have nots if you read the safety advice you will be fine. You are more likely to be a victim of crime in the US than ZA.
In any case the most odious South African is now in the US!
Sorry not sure if my reply went thru – how about Mexico? Cancun and head to Riviera Maya. Your 5 year old would have a whale of a time…
Costa Rica?
+1 for South Africa.
Took our two children down last year and everyone loved it.
Next year we will be doing Kenya and Tanzania (Zanzibar) so could suggest that.
Using our 241’s on Air France.NS
@Norsksaint, which 241’s are you planning to use? I only know of the BA and Virgin ones, neither of which can be used on AF.
@Norsksaint, which 241’s are you planning to use? I only know of the BA and Virgin ones, neither of which can be used on AF.
Sorry @northernlass living in Norway means I have 241 AMEX vouchers on SAS which gives me access to AF and the rest of the skyteam network. Means I managed to bag 3 biz class seats return to NBO from Oslo.
If you’re worried about malaria in S Africa in April, try Madikwe or Samara. Both beautiful malaria free reserves, not as expansive as Kruger, but amazing non the less.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Popular articles this week:
