Award winning ethical luxury family travel specialist Hands Up Holidays has trips for families to travel and give back and help those less fortunate. And with Hands Up Holidays, all trips are 100% tailor-made to enable travelers to create their ideal ethical luxury family trip that changes lives…not just their own.

These give-back trips are so popular with families because:

  • Children appreciate how fortunate they are (some have even foregone their Christmas presents so that children they interact with can have gifts);
  • Families bond closer together;
  • Families get to interact with and gain insights into another culture
  • Volunteering can increase the chances of university entry

New destinations for 2017 where families can resolve to travel more sustainably are:

Italy – serve meals to refugees and other homeless people in Rome, gain insights to what it is like to sleep rough, and combine this with your chosen highlights, such as Florence, Sicily, Sardinia, Venice, Amalfi Coast, Puglia or Lake Como.

Zimbabwe – help build a home for a needy family, interact with them and hear their stories, then finish off with exploring Victoria Falls and Big 5 safari in pristine game parks.  

St Lucia – assist at a remedial reading program and help with homework in the library afterschool, and provide mentoring and support to disadvantaged youth…blend this with hiking, sailing, zip lining, aerial tram rides and beach relaxation.

Barbados – make a difference with the Variety Children's Charity selling Christmas tree decorations, wrapping gifts, host a Christmas party for children, and feed the homeless…combine this with a submarine trip, catamaran and snorkeling excursion, wildlife parks, rum distilleries and beach relaxation. 

USA (Texas) – help at a center for riding for the disabled: interact with horses, clean the stalls and get your hands dirty with horticulture and facility projects, and learn about the incredible human-horse bond and the therapeutic benefits to the disabled…combine this with enjoying the highlights of Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, finishing up in the wilds of Big Bend National Park and quirky Marfa.      

USA (Florida) – make a difference at the bird hospital in Key West and assist with maintaining the outdoor bird habitats, with bird rescues and yard maintenance…combine it with exploring Key West, catamaran trips, Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park and Miami