We don’t just look forward to holidays because they’re a chance to linger over lazy breakfasts, lie in the sun with a book, or because it’s practically the law to drink frozen cocktails from 5pm. Oh no. Holidays are a much-needed opportunity to spend quality time with the family.
At the moment, of course, we’re clocking up more hours than normal with our nearest and dearest, what with work, school and unloading the dishwasher a billion times a day, but we’re missing out on those special moments, 100% devoted to fun.
The good news? You don’t have to forgo the memory-making togetherness that travel provides. If you’re a family gripped by wanderlust, a good wifi connection is your passport to exploring the world ...
France: culture, cycling and choux
From delicate French fancies to mountainous choux pastry, one of the reasons we adore French holidays is the food, food and food. The BBC’s Good Food app has countless family-friendly French favourites, from foolproof chocolate eclairs and madeleines right through to, er, French fries drowning in cheese. While they’re baking, get vertigo-inducing views of the Parisian skyline by scaling the Eiffel Tower with Wanderlust Travel, or get your culture fix with Google Arts & Culture, where you can find yourself up close to a Monet or exploring the cool street-art movements in underground Paris. If you have young children, check out the BBC Bitesize Introduction to France which, with its funny videos, interactive games and colouring sheets, is educational too. Le Tour might have been postponed, but older children and adults alike will want to grab their yellow jersey for the Tour de France and Pro Cycling Manager 2020 video games (available from 4 June), where you can whizz through the Champagne region and climb the Pyrenees without breaking a sweat.
Spain: paella and dancing
Bring Spanish cooking to your casa by making paella. Whether you like yours classic or the more controversial Jamie Oliver style (with *whispers it* chorizo), it’s a dish the whole family will enjoy making. Another crowd-pleaser is bound to be learning the Spanish shimmy and “the banana” with the BBC’s Greatest Dancer Masterclass on YouTube (and if your teens want to upload the results on TikTok, all the funnier). Now you’ve got loose hips, you need to learn how to roll those lips – the language app, Duolingo, is fun, free and fantastic for all ages. Olé.
The US: Disney without the queues
Streaming Disney+ isn’t the only way to get your fix. Grab your Mickey ears (Pinterest has loads of DIY ideas) and take a trip around Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida on Google Street View, or experience the attractions, boats, rides and more (sans the queues) at Virtual Disney World on YouTube. Are your kids more into astronauts than Aladdin? Tune in to the Space Programme podcast for those aged 6-12 on the Fun Kids Radio app. Afterwards, take your whole crew on a virtual tour of the Grand Canyon with Google Arts & Culture app: just click on the yellow man, swipe or tilt your screen and you’ll be off. End your day by whipping up some whoopie pies with the BBC’s Junior Bake Off. Trust us, they’re worth the washing-up.
Photograph: Constantinos Iliopoulos/Alamy Stock Photo
Greece: beaches and Brosnan
Picture this: you’re sitting in a beach taverna in time for sunset, the ouzo is flowing, the octopus is on the grill, the kids are devouring moussaka, and the anchored fishing boats are bobbing in the sea. Struggling to imagine it all? Skylinewebcams.com has a beach section, so you can watch the waves lapping on to the sand in Corfu or the sun setting in Santorini. Team with the Sounds of the Ocean playlist on Spotify, or the watery sounds on the Calm app, and you’ll instantly be in holiday heaven (just be sure that everyone has gone to the loo before listening). Afterwards, bask in the Greek sunshine by teaming Mamma Mia with a mass family singalong. It’s bound to leave you all with a huge smile and not just because of Pierce Brosnan’s iffy tuning. If your kids are more into gore, stream the Groovy Greeks on Horrible Histories while you curl up with the audiobook of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin on Audible.
Thailand: paradise with pad thai
Forget virtual tuk-tuk tours. For a totally different way to explore Thailand, that’ll leave everyone open-mouthed, go on a wakeboard trip through Bangkok’s waterways and floating markets with wakeboarding pro Dominik Gührs. After that, you’ll be hungry: Rosa’s pad thai chicken is a doddle to make and a total crowd-pleaser. Once any little ones are in bed, throw a handful of sand from the kids’ sandpit on to your toes and stream the film The Beach (rating 15), or download The Beach soundtrack and let Leftfield and Moby et al take you to this pocket of paradise.
London: West End shows to expeditions
Just because you’re stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t immerse yourself in the best family-friendly music, theatre, film, food and drink that London has to offer. Make a cuppa, get comfy and have a nose around Buckingham Palace with the official Buckingham Palace Expedition, then take a tour of the Tower of London and finish up by checking out the dinosaurs at the National History Museum. Feeling peckish? Bread Ahead, the bakery school in Borough Market, is offering daily baking tutorials on its Instagram live page at 2pm. Of course, no trip to London is complete without a West End show. Why not bring Ratty, Badger, Mole and Toad into your living room by streaming the Wind in the Willows musical? Alternatively, the film Paddington (Amazon Prime), is set in London and hits that rare sweet spot of entertaining little ’uns and parents alike. Afterwards, impress them by pulling out the Paddington book for a bedtime story. Now, THAT’S multimedia parenting at its cleverest.
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