Home The Egertons’ Effortless Family Adventure in Borneo: a Transformative Travel Tale

The Egertons’ Effortless Family Adventure in Borneo: a Transformative Travel Tale

by Guest Post

Here at ETG, we make family holidays fun, immersive, and — best of all — effortless for parents. Our experts take the stress of planning and logistics off your hands, so you have the headspace to enjoy your precious time off and encourage your kids to step outside their comfort zone to reap the rewards.

The lovely Egerton family have done just this, handing the reins over to Holly, and swapping their usual holidays in Europe for ETG adventures in Asia. The first to Borneo and more recently to Sri Lanka. Dan reflects back on their first family adventure and how it left a lasting impact on his kids…

The holiday that was more than just a break

Dan described the trip as a chance for his family to reconnect and explore the world in a way that felt meaningful:

One of the most important parts for me was letting my kids see another part of the world, rather than being stuck in their little North London bubble, so they realise that there are people out there living very different lives. And it’s not scary or overwhelming — it’s just different.

For him, the experience was also about opening his children’s eyes to the natural world:

It was about the kids appreciating the world and nature and how fragile it is, showing them the wildlife that actually exists on this planet—beyond just what they see on TV. For example, what does an orangutan smell like? That’s an experience you can’t replicate.

The power of behind-the-scenes planning

Dan emphasised how ETG expert Holly’s meticulous planning of their family holiday made all the difference:

We were away for 23 days, stayed in nine different hotels, had about nine different guides and maybe 70-odd meals. Everything was perfect. That doesn’t happen easily; it requires huge amounts of logistical planning and good people on the ground to make sure these trips run smoothly.

He also reflects that ETG’s expertise meant the family could simply relax and enjoy their time together:

Not a single person was ever late to meet us. A few flights were late, but that’s not in ETG’s control. Everyone was always there on time, smiling, happy to meet us. That meant we could just relax, enjoy the holiday, and not stress about the logistics.

A trip full of highlights 

Dan’s favourite part of the trip?

Quality family time, mainly. We all have busy lives—kids at school, me working—and just being able to share three meals a day together, chat, and enjoy each other’s company was really, really enjoyable.

The adventure was also packed with memorable experiences, from engaging with local guides while exploring to trying new foods. Dan mentioned how his son, nearly 10 years old at the time, took a real interest in the trip planning:

It was a big part of his growing up, actually, and over those three weeks both the kids came back quite changed by the experience.

The lasting impact on the kids

Reflecting on this, Dan noted how the holiday had changed his children emotionally:

I was expecting them to be more worldly and see the world in a different way, but they actually came back emotionally changed too, with a new… sense that there’s no need to be scared of the wider world.

Back home, the kids channelled their newfound inspiration into creative projects:

In the first week after we returned, they spent the whole time making nature documentaries with their cuddly toys. It was the sweetest thing in the world—they recorded films about elephants in the jungle and tigers, and they edited them on their iPad, adding voice-overs and music.

For anyone considering family travel

When asked what he’d say to families thinking about booking with ETG, Dan offered this practical advice:

You’ve got to plan carefully. You can’t just go and be spontaneous like my wife and I did when we were younger. You’ve got to think about whether the kids have enough downtime and enough sleep. Are we booking too many early flights and late flights?

Dan credited ETG for getting it right:

ETG really understood which activities would be good for us as a family and the importance of family time as well as giving the kids some independence. Having guides who knew how to look after kids while showing us around was wonderful.

After every great adventure, there’s a story. Huge thanks to Dan for sharing his with us. We’d love to hear from each and every one of you in our ETG community if you have a travel story to share. Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

TEMPTED TO GO ON AN ETG ADVENTURE, EN FAMILLE?

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