
Alpbachtal Tourismus
/ Matthias Sedlak
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Hiking is a great and memorable family holiday activity. Need a few suggestions? Check out our favourite kid-friendly trails.
Fancy an outdoorsy family day? Hiking is a great way to get your little ones connected to nature at a young age while bonding as a family over fun and memorable experiences. Add all the beautiful landscapes you will discover and the bonus of exercising in fresh air and you might even consider it as a mission to turn your offspring into dedicated hikers and backpackers for many years to come.
However, hiking with kids in tow is slightly different from heading out solo or together with fellow adults. Firstly, keep in mind you will have to slow your pace. Secondly, kids prefer to explore the trail rather than just walk from point A to point B. And thirdly, you might need to come up with some games along the way to keep them motivated.
To make things easier, many Austrian regions offer designated family trails these days, with interactive stations, playgrounds, picknick spots and a lot more.
Looking for the perfect hiking trip? Have a look at what Austria's federal provinces have to offer for families hiking with kids.
To make a family hike a success for everyone, it's essential to take your kids' abilities and interests into account when planning a tour. Keep in mind that hikes always have to be adapted to the weakest members of the group - in that case, this would be your children, especially the little ones.
So, how long can you actually hike with kids in tow? While times may vary depending on individuals, there are a few rules of thumb to follow:
Make sure that the backpack matches your kid's size and is not heavier than 10% of his or her body weight.
Hardly anyone travels without a smartphone these days and there's no doubt it's tempting to just snap your family pictures when on holiday and leave them on your phone for good. However, photo books and albums are a great way to remember experiences, so, it's worth taking the extra time to choose your favourite shots and get them printed. You might also want to take into account that, according to studies, kids best remember activities when looking at images of the experiences themselves, not the obligatory selfies.
So, when taking out your phone (or camera), think about the little details: the animals you encounter on your tour, a gorge you explore, or the wild flowers along the way. It comes without saying that some family selfies and fun shots of your kids should not be forgotten. But they usually happen spontaneously anyway.
Hiking for several hours? Nothing to worry about! When water is involved, children will easily lose track of time and forget about their tired legs.
The kids are slowly getting into the flow. While they were restless at first, hard to motivate and quickly tired, they have now found their rhythm. Equipped with "hiking sticks" found along the way, they are marching towards their end destination for the day: the mountain hut. Soon they will be enjoying the hearty farmhouse bread with homemade butter and mountain cheese and then spread out their sleeping bags in the dormitory - after admiring all the stars in the sky of course! What could be more romantic and memorable?