Now where were we? Let’s get this show back on the road

Vaccine, you say? Time to come out and play! From sun, sand and sea classics to more exotic escapades, Henry Jones introduces 10 pages of fun-filled inspiration to get you planning your next family adventure

Of all the things that have been damaged in the past 10 months, it is the shrinking of the concept of “family” that many have found the most upsetting. What existed, a short while ago, as a frequent mingling of ages and generations, has, in plenty of cases, been reduced to Zoom windows and remote conversations. The babble of children with grandparents, the catching up with siblings, reminiscences with relatives – much has been boxed up and pushed into a virtual world that feels a wan substitute for normality.

The upside of this is that, when restrictions finally lift, the sense of reunion, and the joy of it all, will be inescapable. There will be tears, there will be parties and there will be travel, as families make up for lost time with days and weeks together in the sunshine. When you have spent a year mostly cooped up inside, the horizon will look more alluring than ever.

The extended family special in this issue is looking forward to this scenario. On page 15, Jenny Southan examines the delights of an intergenerational “workation” in rural France, while, on pages 12 and 13, Laura Fowler offers 30 suggestions for family breaks in 2021 – including getaways with grandparents.

Of course, there is much more to family travel than meeting up with the inlaws – and the focus rarely strays too far from keeping children happy and entertained. So where to do this? Perhaps in “upstate” New York, where the Adirondack Mountains provide a calm and spectacular contrast to the Big Apple (page 14). Possibly on a chartered yacht around the Ionian Islands of Greece or more exotically in Indonesia (page 11). Maybe here in the UK, where we are rediscovering our love of camping closer to home (page 15). Or perhaps even in the Maldives, where resorts range from the extravagant to the relatively affordable – with each having their merits (page 16).

When? That is the thornier question. Not right away, certainly, with the virus still dogging our heels and pandemic travel restrictions closing off the EU to British travellers until the spring at least. But with the vaccine rollout under way, the gloom should disperse as 2021 picks a better path than its predecessor. Many of those paths will lead to the beach.