Family Adventures FAQs

How long will we be travelling for each day?
Travelling overland is what our trips are all about, we think the journey is part of the adventure. Inevitably, this means there will be some days where we spend a bit of time travelling. That said, we design our family itineraries with children in mind, trying to minimise the amount of time we spend getting from A to B. On our family overland trips in Africa, you’ll be travelling on one of our overland expedition vehicles, which come fully equipped with comfy coach seating, tables, a music system and fridge – and most travellers use the time we spend driving to read, sleep or play games with other families.

In other parts of the world we’ll travel in private minibuses or local transport such as trains.  Check out the detailed trip notes for each itinerary for comprehensive day-by-day travel time information.

Are there age limits for Children?
We do have restrictions on the ages of children that we take on our Family Trips. Children must be older than 5 years old and under 17. Once you are 18 you can go on the full range of our trips. Our Family Adventure Holidays have been made taking the needs of children and parents into account so you can be sure that the trips will be suitable and enjoyable for families. As the name suggests the trips are for families and children must be accompanied by an adult.

How does the accommodation work?
When camping, we use 2-man dome tents and it’s up to you to decide who shares with whom in your family group. When staying in hotels and guesthouses, where possible we will try to accommodate you in triples/quads or family suites. Also some hotels also offer inter-connecting rooms.

I have special dietary requirements, is this a problem?
No, you will need to inform us of your dietary requirements and any allergies when you book (add this in the medical conditions box), there will generally always be a vegetarian option available.  Your group will be divided into smaller cook groups who will cook for everyone on a rota basis.  If you are vegetarian and do not wish to handle meat you will need to be in a group where there are others that are happy to do this.  In East and Southern Africa there is a camp master in charge of the cooking and the group will help with preparation and shopping etc.  If you have a specific allergy or intolerance and are concerned that suitable foodstuffs may not be available en-route please bring these along with you.

What are the risks associated with children and Malaria?
This is a serious problem world-wide and you should seek expert advice before travelling. Malarone Paediatric, the world’s first anti-malarial developed specifically for children was recently launched, and whilst they are quite expensive, they have proved to be 98% effective in preventing the most serious forms of malaria in clinical trials. We would definitely recommend you discussing this medication for your children with your GP if you are booking a trip that travels through malaria risk areas. Of course the other important thing to remember is to cover up well and use plenty of insect repellent, so as to avoid being bitten in the first case.

Some trips have the Guaranteed symbol but others don't. Why aren't all trips trips Guaranteed?
We offer guarantees on a number of our most popular trips so that as a passenger you can be sure that if you book a seat on the truck we can guarantee you that your trip will run (so long as there are 4 people booked on the trip).
At Dragoman we're a caring responsible bunch and that counts for the environment as a whole just as much as the places we travel through. Due to our commitment to responsible tourism we won't run trips with less than 4 people booked on, even guaranteed trips. We try to run trips with full trucks rather than ones with empty seats this helps us be kind to the environment.
If you are booked on a trip that needs to be cancelled our reservations team will get in touch with you and try to find an alternative date/trip that suits you.

I only have a suitcase do I need a rucksack?
Although you will not have to carry your main bag long distances you will need to help load and unload them onto the truck. For this reason we recommend that you use a backpack or soft bag rather than a heavy suitcase. During your trip your main luggage will be kept in the back locker so you will also need a small daypack. This can be used to carry your camera, water bottle and other personal effects for daily use.
The size of baggage that can be brought on this tour is limited by the locker space on the truck. Different trucks have different-sized lockers however to be safe we recommend that your bag be no larger than 66cm deep, 30cm wide, and 30cm high. The weight limit for luggage on all trucks is maximum 20kg.  Backpacks should not have an external frame unless it can be easily removed and stored separately to avoid damaging other people's luggage.
Your clothes and equipment should be appropriate for the conditions you are travelling in. On overland trips Dragoman will provide all camping equipment apart from sleeping bags and ground mats (except on routes between Nairobi and Cape Town where ground mats are provided).

For a comprehensive kit lists take a look at the Dragoman kit list that Nomad Travel have created.  Dragoman customers will receive a 15% discount on all equipment purchased either online or in store and 10% on vaccinations. Click to see the kit lists nomadtravel.co.uk/pages/dragoman