See Southeast Asia with the Family

Southeast Asia is so much more than beaches — it is a place for the family to come together. From visiting with elephants on the banks of the Mekong and taking a vespa through the streets of Hanoi on a street food tour to ziplining through jungles and taking a helicopter over Angkor Wat, Southeast Asia is where the family can go to have fun, grow, and explore.

Home to Angkor Wat, elephants, and an array of travel experiences for the whole family, Cambodia can make for a perfect marriage of adventure, luxury, and culture. Mom and dad will be pleased to know that there are plenty of luxury resorts to be found both on the beach and at some of the country’s most popular attraction and travelers can go seamlessly from dense rainforest in Botum Sakor to white sands in the Gulf of Thailand.

• Visit the Kulen Elephant Forest Sanctuary for an ethical pachyderm experience. 
• Take a helicopter so see Angkor Wat like never before.
• Marvel at the culture and acrobatics of the famed Phare Acrobatics Show.
• Vist with the APOPO Hero Landmine Rats who are  saving Cambodia from unexploded landmines.
• Ride an ATV through the Siem Reap countryside at sunset.

Best known for beaches and cuisine, Thailand is Southeast Asia done easy. With ultra-luxe resorts from Phuket to Chiang Mai, family visitors to Thailand will find a travel hub that’s ready and waiting for family fun activities. Thailand’s Andaman Sea hosts some of the most famous beach destinations in the world, Chiang Mai up north is Thailand’s cultural capital, and Bangkok is one of the most impressive international cities in mainland Southeast Asia.

• Join an ethical elephant camp to learn about these amazing creatures from a Thai mahout. 
• Take to the skies and go ziplining over the scenic Maeram River.
• Go whitewater rafting through the tropical forests of Chiang Mai.
• Learn how to make traditional Thai cuisine with the family before exploring the street food of Chinatown. 
• Have fun at KidZania, an informative, interactive city for children. 
• Embark on a private wooden boat to explore Bangkok’s canals on the way to a traditional puppet show. 

Vietnam allows family travelers to move at their own pace. You can zip around the busy streets of Hanoi or waltz around Hoi An shopping and eating. A developed, booming nation, Vietnam provides chances for the family to take in some of Southeast Asia’s most famous locales — from the Red River to the Mekong Delta — all while taking time to appreciate the cuisine, exciting scooter and cycling tours, and the quaint beauty of rural Vietnam. 

• Discover Hanoi’s Old Quarter from the quaint comfort of a cyclo.
• Zoom through the alleys of Hanoi on a Vespa Street Food Tour.
• Ride through the countryside of the Red River Delta on a vintage motorcycle. 
• Have a family sepak takraw lesson, a native sport in Southeast Asia using a rattan ball.
• Explore the picturesque countryside of Hoi An by bicycle and visit with a former Viet Cong guerrilla to learn more about the US-Vietnam War.

Laos is unique in mainland Southeast Asia. Landlocked and one of the least developed nations in the region, Laos is ideal for a family that wants to relax and have a mindful, spiritual experience. The jungles here are thick, the coffee is fresh, and the culture is genuine. However, all of this potential also makes for an ideal location for adventure, a place to zipline between waterfalls and kayak the Mekong. Laos is the best of both worlds. 

• Cycle to waterfalls on the Mekong and explore the old French railway line by bike.
• Kayak on the Mekong for a chance to see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins.
• Have buffalo milk ice cream and wander the bucolic grounds of Laos Buffalo Dairy Farm.
• Take part in the rewardingly spiritual tak bat, a pre-dawn alms-giving ceremony for monks in Luang Prabang.
• Take in the Garavek Theater for traditional music and tale telling.
• Make snacks for your new elephant friends at the Mandalao sanctuary on the Nam Khan River.