Winning tip: New England, US
When the children's plea for a 'proper holiday' – one involving flying, not camping – became deafening, we booked flights for Boston, hired a car, picked a hotel for the first night and set off. For two blissful weeks we visited the city and beaches. We were offered a husband for our eldest daughter on the Mayflower, walked some of the Appalachian trail and saw moose, a bear and eagles. Eight years on, it's still the holiday of their childhood memories.
bostonusa.com
Martian29
France
Raguenès Plage, Névez, Brittany
Tucked away down country lanes between Concarneau and Pont-Aven, this is a really lovely beach, and ideal for children with its soft sand sloping gently into the sea. There's a small island off shore and dunes and rocks for exploration and adventure. Névez has a number of excellent campsites nearby – the one where we camped was linked to the beach by a path through a field of poppies.
Camping Le Raguenès Plage, +33 2 98 06 80 69, camping-le-raguenes-plage.com
buryboy
Spain
Vías Verdes
The Vías Verdes are "green routes" through Spain. Former railway lines, these gravel tracks are traffic-free and suitable for cycling and walking. They provide a beautiful alternative to on-road cycling, ideal if you have young kids in tow. Routes are pretty flat or at least nicely graded, even in hilly areas, because they were originally designed for trains. The network is not huge at present but there are plenty of two- to three-day excursions to be enjoyed on the existing vías. This is a really fun way to explore Spain.
viasverdes.com/greenways
africabybike
New Zealand
The Rock boat trip, Paihia
The Rock is an overnight boat trip that takes you out to the Bay of Islands, where you can fish, go kayaking and gaze at the night stars. The next day we swam in the ocean and collected green-lipped mussels, which we cooked and ate on board. Our daughter loved this and we saw her confidence grow as she swam in the water. We then moored at one of the islands and went walking. As we kayaked back to the Rock we were joined by playful dolphins.
+64 9 402 7796, rocktheboat.co.nz, overnight trips from $198pp based on two sharing, half-board
Janestatham
Pukawa, Lake Taupo
A beautiful little place on the shore of the lake and away from all the tourists, this is one of the first Maori settlements, and has lovely little baches (chalets) to stay in among the most amazing native bush.
There's loads to do – swimming, fishing, hiking. It's ideal for families but it's quiet enough to get lost in the beauty of it all, so great for friends, too, to stay and chill out like we did.
There are natural hot pools close by and the mountain is also a short drive away for skiing. We stayed in a little bach for only £65 a night and it slept eight! Keep away from the big towns, I say, and get back to nature.
+64 210 227 7088, pukawa.co.nz, from
valeriew
India
Goa
I felt like I'd roughed it enough as a backpacker and now was the time for more comfort and style. We stayed in a fantastic villa in south Goa, right on the river, with two bedrooms, a huge deck for the kids to run around in, air conditioning and back-up power (very important), and french doors that opened out on to glorious sunsets. It was perfect – we used the pool a few minutes' walk up the road at the six-star InterContinental when we weren't at the beach. Our boys made lots of friends – which meant we did too – and lazy afternoons spent swimming and chatting turned into sunset cocktails and impromptu dinners on the beach. It was one of the most surprising and laid-back holidays we have ever had.
+44 7813 036695, kokoindia.com
susiep74
Wet-O-Wild water park, Kolkata
If you're anywhere near Kolkata, chances are you're hot, sweaty and dreaming of a dip in some nice cool (and clean) water. Well, a trip to Wet-O-Wild at Nicco Parks could be exactly what you need – an outdoor water park complete with slides and wave pool.
Because it's India, you have to wear your clothes in the pool – shorts and T-shirts are fine (girls, I wouldn't advise vest tops). The rules say cotton is not allowed, which flummoxed me until I tried to use one of the slides wearing an entirely cotton outfit. I stopped halfway down because of the friction. So, go for man-made materials such as nylon football shirts. These can be hired at the pool if necessary. Decent food and drink is available on the poolside (dosas, noodles, chaat, tea, coffee etc).
Entry to Nicco Parks plus the pool complex is 350 rupees (£4.95) – a bit expensive for India, you might say, but to me being able to cool down like that was priceless. There are theme-park-style rides in Nicco Park too, which require a separate ticket.
+91 33 2357 8101, niccoparks.com
EloiseHorsfield
United States
Anchorage, Alaska
The interior of Alaska is pretty wild yet easy to access thanks to good roads, and it is very safe compared with most wilderness areas, with emergency services a phone call away (we had to go to the doctor with a sick child). Renting an RV means you can travel into the back country without forgoing creature comforts. Kids will love sleeping above the front seats on the bunks, and the separate bedroom with queen-sized bed gives you privacy and comfort. We travelled with toddlers but it is suitable for newbors to teens. You can fly in via Seattle. We then took the state ferry from north of Seattle to Whittier – it takes six days, but it's something you'll never forget.
RV hire from Great Alaskan Holidays in Anchorage (greatalaskanholidays.com) costs from £70 a night for a motorhome for four; Alaska Marine Highway System, akferry.org, from £1,400 for a family trip from Bellingham to Whittier, including cabin
ajchm
Ecuador
La Posada de Tigua
This is a fantastic little dairy farm with amazing views, on the Quilotoa circuit. The couple who own it are really friendly – they took our kids off on the llamas and let them milk the cows. There was great homemade food using lots of stuff from the farm, as well as cold beer and wine and a wood-burning stove for cosy evenings. The rooms are quite basic but clean, and they were building en suite showers and loos when we were there.
+593 3 2814870, laposadadetigua@latinmail.com
Rosacon
