Published 9th Sep. 2025
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Family sabbaticals are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to broaden horizons, inspire youngsters and spend quality time together. But there’s a lot to consider before taking the plunge. As Co-Founder of Original Travel and one of Conde Nast’s Top Travel Specialists for family travel, Tom Barber know a thing or two when it comes to travelling as a family. Read on for his top tips on everything from education and visas to sabbatical goals…
1. Planning
2. Best age for children
3. Length of time
4. Climate considerations
5. Accommodation
6. Education
7. Visas
8. Money
9. Holidays
10. Pets
11. Goals
My first top tip? Start the planning process as early as possible (ideally, a year or more in advance). A last-minute family sabbatical just won’t work. Depending on where you’re going, the visa process can take some time, and you need to leave enough time for vaccinations, many of which require advance planning.
In my experience, the best age to take children on a sabbatical is when they’re tweenagers (aged between ten and 12). At around this age, they’re old enough to engage in a range of activities, are curious about the world around them and open to learning about different cultures. Once they reach the teenage years, you’ll likely face a lot more grumpiness (ah, the joys of adolescence).
Image by Lush_pexels
Another crucial consideration is the length of your trip. The most popular family sabbatical length is three months (equivalent to one school term), the ideal amount of time for many. More time on your hands? Lucky you! But if you’re worried about how well you’d all cope beyond the three-month mark, my advice is that if you can cope for three, you’ll be able to cope for six. The longer the sabbatical, the more horizons broadened, perspectives challenged and inspiration sparked.
While it’s easy to become carried away in the planning stages of a family sabbatical, don’t forget about the practicalities. Think about whether it’s the right time of year to visit your chosen destinations and be aware of seasonal weather patterns like monsoons. Trust me, nobody will be having fun if you’re stuck inside all day…
If you feel comfortable doing so, I recommend doing a house swap for a family sabbatical. This way, you can save money while also getting a feel for real life in a destination. Hotels – while they have many merits – can prevent you from experiencing the culture and day-to-day life of a place, thereby defeating the point of the trip.
When it comes to education, the best thing to do is to work with your children’s school, which can often provide resources. Staying in one destination for four months or more? We recommend finding a local school. Our friends at Oppidan Education can also create a tutoring plan around the exam syllabus, and you can even complete exam board-approved courses online (sometimes with a tutor on hand). And then there’s ‘stealth learning’. Whether it's learning to Bollywood dance with a choreographer in Mumbai, or studying constellations with an astronomer in the Atacama Desert, this covert form of education is all about children learning something new while having fun.
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Image by Claire Guarry
While most countries limit standard tourist visas to three months, a few notable exceptions exist, including Costa Rica, Canada and New Zealand. Longer visas are, of course, possible, but to stress our earlier point about planning, it’s important to leave enough time for the application process to avoid delays (and disappointments).
My top tip for avoiding foreign exchange fees while travelling is to take out a Revolut or Starling account. If you’re staying put in one place for a while, opening a local bank account is your best bet.
We know, we know. The idea of taking a ‘holiday’ while on sabbatical sounds ridiculous. But hear us out. If you’re staying in one place for a long time, it’s important to plan a trip or two away to keep up morale and vary the daily routine. Celebrations like birthdays are a good excuse for a getaway, or why not create your own?
Image by Birgit Sfat
Can’t bear to leave your beloved pooch behind? Don’t worry – some countries will allow you to bring your pets along too (provided they’ve got a pet passport and are microchipped). Alternatively, use a trusty housesitting network for peace of mind that your home and pets are well looked after while you’re away.
Before setting off on a family sabbatical, it’s important to work out your goals. This will help you to stay on track while on your travels. Perhaps you want to spend more quality time together, learn new skills, reset, challenge perspectives or learn a language – your reasons for a family sabbatical will be varied and unique.
Written by Tom Barber | Header image by Olivier Romano
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