Orlando – The perfect holiday in the sun

For many families the annual summer holiday is the perfect welcome break from working life and time away from school for the children to enjoy themselves. Thousands of families every year will take time off typically during July and August and jet off to somewhere warmer for a few weeks.

Top of the list for many UK holidaymakers is Orlando in Florida, with the theme parks as well as the weather being the main draw for tourists all over the world. Families with young children will obviously be going for the Disneyland theme park and MGM studios but there’s plenty more outside the magical kingdom.

There are plenty of other attractions such as the Kennedy Space Centre where you can see and learn about the American space shuttles and rockets. The space centre focuses a lot of their experience on what it is like to be an astronaut with plenty of videos and artefacts from previous space expeditions and a shuttle launch simulation.

For the petrol heads out there you can visit the famous Daytona racetrack to indulge the speed demon within. Interactive experiences are available such as an EA Sports simulation of driving in a stock car on the banked curves of the race track. Another feature is the IMAX 3D cinema where you’ll experience what it is like to be a part of the excitement.

Whilst flights to the USA are long many families opt to take slightly longer periods away such as 3 weeks or more. It’s not surprising considering the weather in Florida is typically ideal for the majority of the year with only a few really humid months during the summer. Many tour groups advise September or October as best times to visit as you’ll still be getting warm weather but will hopefully avoid larger crowds that flock to Orlando in peak summer months.

Spring is another time that many people may think would be a better choice than summer but with the spring break period making Orlando extremely popular with college students you would need to be sure about your timing to not get mobbed by the crowds. Florida winters are not nearly as bad as over here and whilst you won’t be able to walk around in your shorts all the time it is still milder than in the UK during the colder months.

One thing to remember though is that from June until October it is hurricane season and so there will be the occasional downpour and high levels of humidity that will certainly tire you out quickly. You may lose a day or miss a flight because of the weather, all the more reason to spend longer in Florida!