Canada travel guide for families

Small group holidays are great for families that want to meet other families. You’ll be in a band of up to 13 people following a set itinerary – particularly appealing for single parents or guardians hoping to holiday with likeminded people who aren’t preteens. The minimum age is usually eight, due to included activities like horse riding and rafting, and longer drives.

Best of all, a guide will steer the way all the way. They’re the ones who know how to approach this vast country best – and how to translate it. They’ll show you how to hike safely in bear country, how to set up a camp in the wilderness, and add backstory to the paths and canoe routes long used by Aboriginal Canadians.

Tailor made holidays aren’t always explicitly labelled as family trips, but they usually are by nature. The holiday company will create a holiday that suits your likes and dislikes: whether that’s swapping summer holidays for spring break or staying at a campsite you’ve had on your wish list for years. They’re also great if you’ve got very young children: you can request accommodation and activities suitable for pint-sized travellers.

Whichever type of holiday you choose, accommodation, some meals, camping equipment (apart from your sleeping bag) and transport are usually included.

Forget your camera. A smartphone will do just fine for scenery shots and selfies, but you’ll need a SLR with a decent zoom if you want to capture that bear plodding along the valley opposite. About 25 percent of the temperate rainforest in the world swathes British Columbia, the mountains have notoriously fickle weather, and the coastlines are prone to showers – so don’t leave your raincoat at home. Just think: it’s these downpours that feed the rainforests and waterfalls. As tempting as it might seem to strike out into the Canadian wilderness Grizzly Man style, you don’t want to do it completely alone. (It didn’t exactly work out for him, either.) An expert holiday company will match you up with just the right activity providers, and guides will lead the way to the most family-friendly mountain trails. Consider the cities as stopovers. You’ll spend most of your time exploring the mountains and coasts, granted, but cities like Vancouver harbour impossibly scenic parks and beaches at the end of the Rocky Mountains. Add on an extra day or two, if possible.

The best family holidays are pure Canadiana, putting you up in a mix of campsites, hotels and motels. Some small group holidays include eight nights of camping – just enough for you to get to know your fellow campers and mine your guide for stories. You’ll usually be asked to bring your own sleeping bags. Outdoor cookouts are a Canadian must-do; they’re a well-earned feast after a day on the hiking trails or river rapids. You’ll usually be expected to chip in with cooking, washing up and breaking down the campsite – it’s when you’ll find you and the kids making friends for life. Wherever you lay your head, a good night’s sleep is guaranteed. You’ll be sacked out.