Holidays are a fraught experience for any parent, but when you have only one pair of eyes, it’s far trickier. I became a single father when my wife Carolina died in June 2013. On our first holiday as a family of three, I played it safe and took Jake and Isabella, then eight and six, on an all-inclusive trip to Mallorca. We hardly left the hotel complex; its pool and unlimited food and drink made life easy for me. However, by the end of the week, Jake was bored. My challenge the following year was to find something more adventurous. I settled on a small group family activity holiday, which promised climbing, snorkelling, kayaking and diving – all new experiences for my children. The tour operator, Activities Abroad, bills the trip as a week with a fixed schedule, where parents get time to relax and let the guides take responsibility – no need to stress about booking excursions or getting lost in a hire car.