Whether you live in one of the regions modern megacities, or you’re an outsider looking in and what the possibilities are, we aim to help you on your journey to the Middle East.
A little more about “us” – who is Family Travel in the Middle East?
Us is far more than one person! Not just a personal blog, this website will be a collection of stories from our community. We already have an active online community who enjoy discussing the ins and outs of Middle East travel.
You can see our current list of website contributors here
The website has been founded by Keri Hedrick – an expat mum of three who has called the UAE home since 2012. She has been sharing her families story over on her personal blog “Our Globetrotters” for many years, but time has come where so many stories pertain just to the Middle East region, it deserved a little spot on the internet all of its own!
People have been awed by our stories but really we consider them nothing more than a great way to fill our leisure and recreation time, learning so much more about where we live as we go and gaining a deeper appreciation of why things are the way they are!
We realised speaking to many other families who travel regionally too that the challenges are often great; lack of information, language barriers or simply fear of the unknown. Once you break those barriers down and give yourself comfort, there are some amazing places to discover and so many hidden gems.
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – Muscat
What you will find on Family Travel Middle East
Destinations. Our aim is to bring you destination information like you may not have seen before. Our guides by country will set out the basics you need to know before visiting each country from safety to visas as well as the practical stuff that matters to families; suitable accommodation, distance and time information and suitability by age group.
You will note there are a few countries absent from our coverage, namely Syria, Iraq and Yemen. At present, civil unrest makes it impossible for us to recommend travel by families to these countries. It’s not discounting that there are areas of interest to tourists in this country but as at 2019, tourism is not recommended (and/or allowed).
Reviews. Based on experiences from our community, we will have accommodation, dining and activity reviews to share.
Inspiration. Looking for ways to spend a long weekend? Finding hidden gems? Longer breaks away from the Middle East using the great airline networks? We will be sure to include plenty of these ideas too – let us know what you’d like to see!
What this site isn’t for
Politics and Religion. This site WILL NOT enter into political or religious rights and wrongs. There are plenty of other places on the internet for these sorts of conversations. If we see negative, hateful, political or religious views being expressed in either the commenting section of this site or our community platforms, they will be deleted. It just ain’t the place. We are family-friendly explorers, that is it.
Booking your travel. We are not a travel agency! We do not personally book tours for you nor do we arrange your itineraries. We can provide you with recommendations and suggestions but we expect our readers to then use this information to self-plan their trip or seek a travel agency. We do include on this site links to third-party booking sites that we have an affiliate relationship with (ie we earn small income if you eventually book something). If we are ever sponsored or provided with gratuities in exchange for our views this will be clearly stated.
Safety advisories. We will not skirt over the fact that not all parts of the Middle East are safe for family travel (you can see our current safety advice here). We will guide you on safety precautions and advise behaviours to fit in with cultural, moral and religious norms, but we are NOT a Government advisory body. Wherever possible we will push you to the correct, most current international advisory.
We really look forward to growing the family travel community in the Middle East.
Want to be a part of it? Pop over to our JOIN US page and see exactly how you can get more involved.
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