White water rafting vacations are a great way to spend your holiday with your family. While some people associate white water rafting with large waves, rapidly flowing waters ramming against huge boulders, tall waterfalls, and, wide eddies, there are tamer and more manageable versions. Indeed, some commercial outfitters even allow five-year-olds to ride their rafts.

Rivers are classified into six types, from I to VI. Class I is easiest to navigate, no major obstructions here and may even be thought of as more of a floating trip. Class VI is so rough that it is not recommended for rafting at all, not even by seasoned professionals.

The age of your family members will help define the Class you should get into. No responsible outfitter will recommend a class that is a potential danger to their guests. If your group includes children aged below eight, you will probably get a Class I or II rapids. Children aged eight to twelve may be allowed to join a group of adults in Class III white waters, while teenagers may be able to board a raft on a Class IV adventure. Your own experience in rafting will also be a factor, though if there are children in your group, it will play a less important role.

For Class IV rapids, everybody on board must know how to swim. They must be prepared for any special hazards they might encounter. For instance, if the water is extremely cold, they have to wear appropriate suits; if there are places where the water is not navigable that they have to carry their raft over sharp-edged rocks, they must have the proper footwear.

If you want to actively participate in propelling and steering your raft in the waters, choose a paddle raft, wherein each participant is given a paddle. To synchronize the paddlers motions and to tell them when and how to paddle, a professional guide calls out commands from the stern of the raft. In Class I or even II rapids, paddling isn’t too critical that the younger children can simply sit at the front and enjoy the ride. For the higher Classes, every member is expected to paddle to help propel and steer the boat.

Should you wish to simply sit back, relax and enjoy the view, you can choose an oar raft or even a motor raft. With these, there’s no need to paddle and, with the motor raft, you can even travel back upstream for another round of running the rapids. Often, outfitters recommend the motor raft if there are senior citizens in the group.

How long your vacation will take is another choice you have to make. You can choose a one-day or a one-week trip. Your children, or even you, might enjoy a night camping under the stars, cooking your food by a camp fire, and swapping white water rafting stories into the night. If you are not comfortable in a sleeping bag or in a tent, there are outfitters who provide lodgings in cabins or rooms.

Your outfitter can help you make the proper choice of the class of rapids you and your family should run, the gear you have to wear, the type of raft to use, and the length of your stay. Listen to him before you get on board, and you are sure to enjoy your white water rafting vacation.