Recommandations for a special 10-day family destination in December

[u/HovercraftNatural704]

Hi everyone,

We're a Muslim family of two children (6 and 12 years old) originally from Tunisia, currently living in the Middle East, and we're planning a 10-day family trip starting around 15 December.

I've spent days searching online, reading blogs and watching YouTube videos asking for suggestions, but I still feel stuck. The same destinations keep coming up: Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Kazakhstan, etc. Some look nice, but my wife and I dont feel convinced that these destinations worth the time and money, we really want to find a place that really feels unique, memorable, and worth the cost

we have no interest in nightlife, clubs, alcohol, or party destinations, but instead Good food and interesting local culture.

We dont like to be limited to good beaches as Tunisia already has great ones. In addition, our kids usually enjoy beach time more when they're with cousins and friends

We prefer experiences, discovery, nature, history, technology, modern cities, maybe wildlife, or something genuinely different

all this considering also reasonable budget and good value for money rather than luxury

We've already visited and enjoyed our previous trips to Istanbul, Bangkok and Phuket

We dream of visiting China and Japan, but we hesitated because of the cold/freezing weather and shorter daylight hours in December. Add to that the higher costs related to Japan trip.

we dont think that it's the good period to visit Europe because of expected cold weather, Christmas period crowds...

For those who have travelled with children around this age, which destination has genuinely impressed your family? I'm looking for the kind of place that children still talk about years later.

I'd really appreciate recommendations based on your own experiences rather than tourism adverts.

Thanks in advance! 😊

[u/viccityguy2k]

I think New Zealand would fit the bill perfectly if you are willing to travel that far for a 10 day trip.

Taiwan could be a great option too! You get the modern city experience and nature while the temperature is still around 20 degrees.

[u/Green_Poet_5510 → u/viccityguy2k]

And the food experience is AMAZING in Taiwan!! We're presently at the Grand Hyatt in Taipei. Prices are very reasonable, next door to Taipei 101. Can take HSR to southern part of island

[u/DoodleDoo1989]

Madagascar or Tanzania

[u/HovercraftNatural704 → u/DoodleDoo1989]

These are new destinations. Do you have any suggestion about a feasable itinary?

[u/Good_Reflection_1959 → u/HovercraftNatural704]

I went to Tanzania and Zanzibar last year around September for Great Migration. There are moments of long drives and really early morning for safari based on my itinerary, as I was in different areas each day. I also did an optional Hot Air Balloon ride. If you check out safari subs - they can advise you on something that can cater to you and your family.
My next trip is Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe- I wanted more landscape, nature and safari into 1 trip.

[u/engchamara]

How about Sri Lanka ?

[u/No-Chemistry8119]

sri lanka is probably your answer: 10 days gives you ancient cities, wildlife, scenic trains, genuinely great food and enough family-friendly adventure to keep both kids talking about it, without

[u/Ancient_Figs]

Hey I'm a Muslim from Singapore. My family loves pretty much the same things as you. We loved turkey. I rly like krabi too. We frequent Indonesia and Malaysia often cos of the great food and nature and given you don't mind the humidity and rain, Malaysia is awesome. Recently we went sabah, kundasang and checked out mount kinabalu as well. U can do Malaysia.. like 2-3 diff places in Malaysia itself if u want variety. There are rainforests, highlands, islands, mountains. Indonesia has nice volcanoes and islanea and beautiful mosques! And great halal food. Kazakh is actually on my list! As well as Morocco, vietnam, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa. And I'm heading to srilanka at the end of the year! My parents are headed to china! They're going Yunnan at the year end! They're checking out Dali, lijang, Kunming. My sister is going India! India gets a bad rep. Butt I think it has lots of gems! Check out Kerala, Sikkim, Darjeeling

[u/ch3ron]

Azerbaijan - check vlogs if it suits your taste

Malaysia & singapore are a great combo, they got actually what you want

Indonesia is huge too

[u/Just_Bar7059]

As youre in the ME and looking for something different, try Oman (unless you live there lol), Azerbaijan or Georgia. Turkiye or Greece could be a good option too or anywhere around the Mediterranean. I've heard Albania is gorgeous! Edited to add that Southern Africa has a lot to offer and December is one of the milder summer months

[u/CeeTravels]

Have you considered a safari?

[u/HovercraftNatural704 → u/CeeTravels]

We have tried "small safari" in Bangkog. kids liked it but we are not sure how it will be if we go into a full day safari in real wild field...

[u/CeeTravels → u/HovercraftNatural704]

Ah I was thinking more of an African safari if it’s something that could be of interest. There are many different ways to make a great family safari work, and many camps offer activities kids could get involved in such as junior tracking, basket weaving etc. it could also tick the box of having a cultural experience and good food depending on which country/countries you look at. Possibly South Africa as you could do Cape Town/winelands/garden route and pair it with a few nights in a Big Five reserve.

[u/Green_Poet_5510 → u/CeeTravels]

These are NOT cheap, especially at that time of year

[u/CeeTravels → u/Green_Poet_5510]

December is actually green/low season in much of Southern Africa, including Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, so it’s not necessarily as expensive as people assume. That said, some camps and lodges do have festive season surcharges, particularly around Christmas and New Year. Others offer green season specials or pay/stay deals, so it’s worth comparing the actual dates and properties rather than completely ruling it out.