Family holidays from the UAE
Family Tours and Holidays from Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Happy Journey plans family tours from Abu Dhabi and Dubai in two kinds: holidays abroad, such as Georgia, Turkey, Egypt and the Maldives, with family rooms and daytime flights timed to school breaks, and family days out in the UAE such as desert safaris and city tours. We offer discounts for kids and a family discount, priced line by line.
- 4.6Google rating, 280 reviews
- 2walk-in offices, Abu Dhabi and Dubai
- Since 2020at Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi
- 7 daysopen every day, Sunday from 2pm
Packages
Trips you can book
Every package can change: dates, nights, hotel grade and tours. Prices are per person and dated.
5 nights
6 nights
5 nights
4 nights
01
Family holiday packages from the UAE: prices for two adults and two children
Most family holiday prices online are per adult, which makes it hard to see what a trip really costs. We quote for the whole family. The table shows starting prices for two adults and two children aged 2 to 11, sharing one family room or two connecting rooms, with return flights from Abu Dhabi or Dubai.
Georgia
- Nights
- 5
- Hotel
- 3 to 4-star, family room
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- Snow in winter, cool summers, short flight
Azerbaijan
- Nights
- 4
- Hotel
- 4-star, family room
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- Short flight, halal food, mountains
Armenia
- Nights
- 4
- Hotel
- 3 to 4-star, family room
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- Short flight, easy pace
Egypt
- Nights
- 5
- Hotel
- 4-star city hotel and Red Sea resort
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- Pyramids plus a beach
Turkey
- Nights
- 6
- Hotel
- 4-star city hotel and beach resort
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- History, food and beach in one trip
Malaysia
- Nights
- 6
- Hotel
- 4-star, family room
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- Theme parks, islands, halal food
Sri Lanka
- Nights
- 6
- Hotel
- 4-star, family room
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- Wildlife, tea hills and beaches
Maldives
- Nights
- 4
- Hotel
- 4-star resort, family villa
- From, family of four
- On request
- Good for
- A beach rest with no long drives
| Destination | Nights | Hotel | From, family of four | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 5 | 3 to 4-star, family room | On request | Snow in winter, cool summers, short flight |
| Azerbaijan | 4 | 4-star, family room | On request | Short flight, halal food, mountains |
| Armenia | 4 | 3 to 4-star, family room | On request | Short flight, easy pace |
| Egypt | 5 | 4-star city hotel and Red Sea resort | On request | Pyramids plus a beach |
| Turkey | 6 | 4-star city hotel and beach resort | On request | History, food and beach in one trip |
| Malaysia | 6 | 4-star, family room | On request | Theme parks, islands, halal food |
| Sri Lanka | 6 | 4-star, family room | On request | Wildlife, tea hills and beaches |
| Maldives | 4 | 4-star resort, family villa | On request | A beach rest with no long drives |
What moves the price most for a family is the school calendar. The same Georgia trip can cost far more over the winter break than in late January, because flights from the UAE fill up. If your children are under 2, they usually fly on an infant fare and stay free in most hotels. Older children pay a child fare, which depends on the airline.
Looking at other trips too? See all our holiday packages from Abu Dhabi.
02
What makes a package family-ready: rooms, flight times, transfers, food
A family trip fails on small things: a 3am flight, a room with one double bed, a two-hour transfer with no child seat. We check these before we quote, not after you land.
Checklist
- Rooms: a real family room, a suite or two connecting rooms, confirmed in writing by the hotel
- Flight times: daytime departures and arrivals where the route allows, so children sleep in a bed and not at the gate
- Transfers: a private vehicle large enough for the luggage and a pushchair, with child seats on request
- Short drives: no more than one long road day per trip, with stops planned
- Kids' clubs and pools: at beach resorts, we check the ages the kids' club takes and its opening hours
- Pace: one main outing a day, with free afternoons for rest or the pool
- Medical: travel insurance with medical cover for every family member
Some beach resorts in Turkey, Egypt and the Maldives offer an all-inclusive board, with meals, drinks and kids' clubs in one price. It suits families who will stay at the resort most days. On city trips, half board or breakfast only is usually cheaper, because you will eat out while sightseeing. We price both when it makes a difference.
Flying with children from Abu Dhabi or Dubai, a few habits help:
- Arrive early at the airport during school breaks, when queues at check-in and passport control are longest
- Pushchairs can usually be taken to the aircraft door; check the airline rule for your model
- Pack a change of clothes and medicines in hand luggage, in case bags are delayed
- Book a bassinet seat for infants on longer flights, where the airline offers one
03
Family trips by school break: winter, spring, Eid and summer
UAE school breaks decide when most families can travel. Abu Dhabi schools follow ADEK and Dubai schools follow KHDA, and the two calendars are close but not always the same. We plan trips to start the day after school closes and return a day or two before it opens.
Winter break
- Usual timing
- Ask us
- Length
- About 3 weeks
- Family trips that fit
- Georgia and Azerbaijan for snow, Turkey, Malaysia, Sri Lanka
Spring break
- Usual timing
- Ask us
- Length
- About 2 to 3 weeks
- Family trips that fit
- Turkey, Egypt, Georgia, Malaysia, Maldives
Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha
- Usual timing
- Ask us
- Length
- A long weekend to a week
- Family trips that fit
- Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt
Summer
- Usual timing
- Ask us
- Length
- About 8 weeks
- Family trips that fit
- Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Europe, Malaysia
Mid-term breaks
- Usual timing
- Ask us
- Length
- A long weekend to a week
- Family trips that fit
- Oman, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Maldives
| Break | Usual timing | Length | Family trips that fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter break | Ask us | About 3 weeks | Georgia and Azerbaijan for snow, Turkey, Malaysia, Sri Lanka |
| Spring break | Ask us | About 2 to 3 weeks | Turkey, Egypt, Georgia, Malaysia, Maldives |
| Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha | Ask us | A long weekend to a week | Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt |
| Summer | Ask us | About 8 weeks | Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Europe, Malaysia |
| Mid-term breaks | Ask us | A long weekend to a week | Oman, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Maldives |
Book four to eight weeks ahead for school breaks, and earlier for the winter break and Eid, when flights from the UAE are busiest. For trips timed to the holidays, see our Eid holiday packages, our New Year holiday packages and our summer holiday packages from the UAE.
04
Short-flight family holidays: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Egypt
With young children, a short flight matters more than anything else on the plan.
Georgia
Snow at Gudauri in winter, cool green mountains in summer, and the Tbilisi cable car. Short drives and family rooms are easy to find.
Georgia tour package
Azerbaijan
Baku's seaside boulevard, the mud volcanoes and the cable cars in Gabala. A Muslim-majority country, so halal food is easy to find. Ask us for a family plan built around Baku and the mountains.
Turkey
Istanbul for history and food, then a beach resort in Antalya with pools and kids' clubs. Visa rules depend on nationality.
Turkey tour packages from the UAE
Egypt
The pyramids and the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, then a Red Sea resort for snorkelling and pools. Most comfortable from October to April, when it is cooler.
Egypt tour package
A good first family trip abroad is Georgia or Azerbaijan for four or five nights: one hotel, two or three outings, and a flight short enough for toddlers. Turkey and Egypt suit children who are a little older and can manage a longer sightseeing day.
Here is how a relaxed 5-night family plan in Georgia usually runs, as an example of the pace we use:
- 01
Day 1: Arrive in Tbilisi
A daytime flight, pickup with child seats fitted, and an early dinner near the hotel.
- 02
Day 2: Tbilisi
The cable car to Narikala in the morning, lunch, and a free afternoon or the funicular to Mtatsminda park.
- 03
Day 3: Mtskheta
A short drive to the old capital, back by early afternoon for a rest or the hotel pool.
- 04
Day 4: Mountain day
The one long road day: Ananuri and Gudauri, with snow play in winter or green valleys in summer.
- 05
Day 5: Free day
Shopping, a park or the zoo, and packing without a rush.
- 06
Day 6: Fly home
A late-morning transfer to the airport.
05
Beach family holidays: Maldives, Bali, Sri Lanka and Malaysia
Beach trips are easier for families than city trips, because the days need less planning. The choice comes down to how long a flight the children can manage and how much you want to do besides swim.
Maldives
- Flight
- Ask us
- Good for
- One resort, no driving, calm lagoons
- Watch out for
- Seaplane transfers cost more; pick a speedboat resort for short stays
Sri Lanka
- Flight
- Ask us
- Good for
- Wildlife, tea hills, beaches in one trip
- Watch out for
- Long road transfers; keep stops to two or three
Malaysia
- Flight
- Ask us
- Good for
- Kuala Lumpur, theme parks, Langkawi beaches, halal food
- Watch out for
- Plan a rest day after arrival
Bali
- Flight
- Ask us
- Good for
- Villas with pools, Ubud, beaches
- Watch out for
- A long trip; suits 7 nights or more
Beach family holidays from the UAE
| Destination | Flight | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maldives | Ask us | One resort, no driving, calm lagoons | Seaplane transfers cost more; pick a speedboat resort for short stays |
| Sri Lanka | Ask us | Wildlife, tea hills, beaches in one trip | Long road transfers; keep stops to two or three |
| Malaysia | Ask us | Kuala Lumpur, theme parks, Langkawi beaches, halal food | Plan a rest day after arrival |
| Bali | Ask us | Villas with pools, Ubud, beaches | A long trip; suits 7 nights or more |
See our Maldives packages. For a beach trip with more to do on land, see our Malaysia tour package from the UAE, which pairs Kuala Lumpur with an island.
Sri Lanka and Bali give older children more to do: elephants and safari jeeps in Sri Lanka, rice terraces, monkeys and pool villas in Bali. Both work well with seven nights or more and two bases at most, so the children are not packing every other day. Ask us for a plan for either.
06
Family tours inside the UAE: desert safari, city tours and dhow cruises
Not every family trip needs a flight. We also book family days out in the UAE, with pickup from home in Abu Dhabi and timings planned around younger children. These suit weekends, visiting grandparents and the first days of a school break.
Desert safari
- What you do
- Dune drive, camel ride, sandboarding, dinner and shows at a desert camp
- Length
- Afternoon and evening
- From
- Ask us
Abu Dhabi city tour
- What you do
- Ask us
- Length
- Half or full day
- From
- Ask us
Dhow cruise
- What you do
- Dinner on a traditional boat along the water
- Length
- Ask us
- From
- Ask us
Yas Island theme parks
- What you do
- Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, Yas Waterworld or SeaWorld
- Length
- Full day
- From
- Ask us
Family days out in the UAE
| Tour | What you do | Length | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desert safari | Dune drive, camel ride, sandboarding, dinner and shows at a desert camp | Afternoon and evening | Ask us |
| Abu Dhabi city tour | Ask us | Half or full day | Ask us |
| Dhow cruise | Dinner on a traditional boat along the water | Ask us | Ask us |
| Yas Island theme parks | Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World, Yas Waterworld or SeaWorld | Full day | Ask us |
For the desert, we suggest the evening safari for families: it starts after the midday heat and ends with dinner. The dune drive can be gentler on request for small children. See desert safari Abu Dhabi for the details. For culture without the heat, an Abu Dhabi city tour covers the main sights by air-conditioned car. For theme parks, we sell yas island tickets and can add a hotel night on Yas Island.
Visiting family from abroad? A UAE family package can combine these into a few days: a city tour on the first day, the desert on the second, a theme park on the third and a dhow dinner on the last evening, with hotel nights in Abu Dhabi or Dubai if your guests are not staying with you. We can also help with their UAE visit visas. In summer, we move outdoor tours to the early morning or evening and put the theme parks, which are mostly indoors, in the middle of the day.
07
Kids' and family discounts, and paying in instalments
Happy Journey offers discounts for kids and a family discount, as listed on our Google profile. Every family quote shows the child pricing line by line, so you can see where the saving comes from.
- Infants under 2 usually fly on an infant fare without their own seat
- Children 2 to 11 usually pay a child fare and a child rate on tours
- Hotels set their own rules on free child stays and extra beds
- Travelling outside school breaks is the biggest saving of all
We take debit and credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, JCB, Discover and China UnionPay) and NFC mobile payments.
08
Documents for children travelling from the UAE
Children need the same documents as adults, and a few more in some cases. Check them a month before travel: a child's passport is often the one that has quietly expired.
Checklist
- Each child's valid UAE residence visa, which should not expire during the trip
- A visa or e-visa for each child where the destination needs one, even if a parent is exempt
- Travel insurance covering every child
Some countries treat children of different nationalities differently, so a family with mixed passports may need different entry papers. Bring copies to our office and we check the full list, or see our visa services in Abu Dhabi for the countries that need a visa in advance.
Two timing tips. And if a visa application needs the child's school letter or birth certificate, ask the school before the break starts, not in the last week of term.
09
How to plan a family trip with Happy Journey
- 01
Tell us about your family
Dates or the school break you want, the number of adults and children, each child's age, and a budget for the whole family.
- 02
We shortlist
Two or three destinations that fit the dates, the flight length your children can manage and the budget.
- 03
You get a family quote
A day-by-day plan, the room type confirmed, flight times, and the full price with child pricing shown line by line.
- 04
We check documents
Passports, residence visas and any visas for every family member, before anything is paid.
Our office is Office 329A, 3rd Floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, next to du and opposite Spinneys. The mall has free parking and a wheelchair-accessible entrance, car park and toilets, so it is easy to visit with a pushchair. We are open Monday to Saturday 9am to 9pm and Sunday 2pm to 9pm, and have been open since 20 May 2020, with a 4.6 rating on Google from about 280 reviews (3 November 2026).
Questions
Family tours FAQs
The questions parents ask us most. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp, call 02 679 8008 or visit our travel agency in Abu Dhabi at Mushrif Mall.
What are cheap family holiday packages from the UAE?
Travelling outside school holidays and booking six to eight weeks ahead keeps the price down.
Are all inclusive family holiday packages available?
Yes, all inclusive family packages are available in places like Turkey, Egypt, the Maldives and Mauritius, where resorts include meals, drinks and kids' clubs. We compare all inclusive against half board, which is often cheaper in city trips.
How much is a Maldives family package?
Seaplane resorts cost more. Many resorts let young children stay free, so the right resort choice matters.
Do you give discounts for kids?
Yes, Happy Journey offers discounts for kids and a family discount, as listed on our Google profile. . Ask for a family quote and we show the child pricing line by line.
What documents do children need to travel from the UAE?
. Bring copies to our office and we check the full list.
Which family tours can we do inside the UAE?
Inside the UAE, families book desert safaris with camel rides and dinner, Abu Dhabi and Dubai city tours, and dhow cruise dinners. We arrange pickup from home in Abu Dhabi and plan timings around younger children.
It's your smart choice
Let's plan your trip together
Send your dates and travellers on WhatsApp, or walk in at Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi or BurJuman, Dubai. We reply with options and today's prices.
Enquiry
Send us your enquiry
Tell us where, when and who is travelling. A consultant replies by phone, WhatsApp or email.
- Abu DhabiOffice 329A, 3rd Floor, Mushrif Mall
- DubaiShop 1041, BurJuman
- Call us02 679 8008