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At Travel for Kids, we encourage you to explore a new destination
with your family in mind, focusing on the interests of you and your children.
Is one of your kids especially interested in wild animals? Would your kids
like a long bike trip through the Loire or kayaking in Alaska? Has your
family been talking about an extended family vacation, taking the grandparents
along too? Do you have a toddler and a pre-teenager? Are you concerned about
traveling abroad with kids for the first time? Depending on what your family
is like and what you want to do on your trip, you may want to consider signing
up for a family tour package. |
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Imagine squatting down next to a land iguana chewing on a
piece of cactus, watching a herd of antelopes streaking across a wide plain
at sunrise, holding a baby orangutan or catching a piranha for dinner. Experiencing
the glories of nature firsthand is something you'll want to do in your travels
with kids. In places such as Africa, the Galapagos, the Amazon in Peru and
Ecuador, in order to protect the wildlife, while giving travelers access
to nature in the wild, you'll need to book a tour. |
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Does your family share common interests, like nature or archeology?
A great family experience is an "inter-generational" trip, with
Grandpa and Grandma, parents and grandkids. Watch sea turtles on the
beach in Costa Rica, or explore the Inca ruins of Peru – active grandparents
will enjoy the time spent with parents and kids, far removed from home,
job responsibilities and after-school schedules. |
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Travel with other families and kids. Traveling in the company
of other kids can make a trip special, especially if you have an only child.
Kids will spend hours entertaining each other on long plane flights or train
rides. Even pre-teen boys will grudgingly admit that girls are okay to be
with on a trip abroad. Best of all, parents can relax in the company of other parents,
the kids are off with the group of kids. If you know of another family you'd
like to travel with, it's sure to be fun for all. |
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Do you have an active, outdoorsy family, that would like to
bike the country roads of countries in Europe? Mixing outdoor sports with
the cultural setting of a foreign country is a wonderful combination. You
can ship your bikes and helmets to Europe, or, rent bikes and hope that
there are the right size kids bikes, or you can book a family tour that
specializes in bike tours for families, and has all the right gear for you. |
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Want to be more adventurous, but aren't ready for prime time?
Would you like to travel to some more distant destination, beyond the cruises
or resorts, but don't feel ready to handle the local scene in a foreign
country all on your own? Haven't really had much experience with travel
abroad, and don't want to start with your kids in tow – it's one thing
to find yourself stranded in an airport as a solo traveler, it's another
thing with tired kids too. A good tour company will design an itinerary
that is comfortable, safe, and fun for everyone in the family. |
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Customized trips are also another option. Tour companies that
specialize in family travel can arrange a trip, customized to your kids'
ages and interests. Want to take the kids out of school for several weeks
or months? A family tour company will help you combine travel and out-of-school
requirements. |
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Choose a tour company that specializes in family packages
– they'll provide travel arrangements with kids in mind, a schedule
that isn't too many things in one day. Family tours will also have equipment
for kids, e.g. fins, snorkels and masks in kids sizes, or bikes and helmets
on a biking tour, strollers and cribs for toddlers. For kids and parents
alike, you'll have time to relax and discover the joys of travel. |
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Family tour companies |
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Thomson
Family Adventures offers exciting worldwide vacations designed by families for families. Destinations include Alaska; Baja, Mexico; Belize; China; Costa Rica; Morocco; Egypt; Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands; Panama; Peru; Tanzania; Thailand and Turkey. The company's expertise and understanding are so highly regarded in the industry that Smithsonian Journeys has recently decided to collaborate with them for their Smithsonian Family Adventures which offer a myriad of intriguing educational perks, like a private guided tour of Olduvai Gorge, a visit to the floating reed islands on Lake Titicaca, or the opportunity to tour the Ad Astra Rocket facility and learn from astronauts. Plan your own custom trip or travel in small groups of three to four families. Each group of eight or more travels with a mentor whose knowledge and experience will complement your adventure. Kids of all ages will enjoy discovering the world through guided nature hikes, school and home visits, and games and sports with local children. |
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Journeys
for Families is a 34-year old tour company with active
adventures, cross-cultural experiences and wildlife safaris in Asia, Africa,
the Americas and the Pacific, offers unique expertise in family travel.
In addition to offering a schedule of family group departures to Costa Rica,
Panama, Belize, Peru, the Galapagos, Australia, New Zealand, China and Tanzania
during school holiday periods, Journeys customizes trips in 60 countries,
and often works with individual families planning round-the-world trips
or exotic family reunions. |
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Classic
Journeys – Named a World's Best Tour Operator by Travel + Leisure Magazine, Classic Journeys offers family-friendly tours designed to satisfy the curiosity, energy-levels and attention spans of multiple generations. The small groups are all accompanied by multiple local guides and include first-class, family friendly accommodations. You’ll enjoy a balance of physical activity and cultural immersion with a mix of activities for the whole family plus kids-only chaperoned events. Our unique formula lets the whole family have a happy travel experience in regions from Tuscany and Amalfi to Provence, Costa Rica, Ireland, the Canadian Rockies, and Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks. We can even arrange any itinerary as a Private Journey for your family only. |
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Wildland
Adventures Family Travel – Wildland Family Adventures are fun,
active vacations that are sensitive, close-up encounters in nature and authentic,
cross-cultural interactions with native people. Owners Kurt and Anne Kutay
have been leading family trips throughout the world since 1986, inspiring
the design of itineraries adapted to the interests and abilities of young
people from toddlers to teens. Immerse your family secure in your health,
safety and comfort, with professional local guides who combine a mastery
of their profession with personal parenting experience. Wildland family
destinations include Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Guatemala, Peru, Patagonia,
Galapagos, Alaska, New Zealand, Africa, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan. |
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Quivertree Family Expeditions –
Quivertree is a new kind of travel company, run by families who love to explore, for families who love exploring. Founding brothers, Gideon and Philip Nurick, have traveled with their children for 17 years over six continents and use their passion and experience to create the perfect family experience. We're about real family travel that entails seeing the world. Seeing the world means tasting, observing and feeling the special sensations that happen in real places with real people and cultures. Quivertree provides each family with a unique custom-designed experience. How do we do that? You'll only go where we've boldly gone before. Currently offering trips to Guatemala, New Zealand, Southern Africa, India, Colombia and Israel/Jordan, Quivertree will add up to ten additional destinations including Iceland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos, and Turkey. |
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What families have to say |
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"Our guide Steve was a wonderful host! His irrepressible
good humor and energy made every day an adventure.... The kids loved the
beaches, the hermit crabs, the swimming, the waterfalls. All of these were
big draws, of course, but the United States has beaches.... For me, the
best part was the people, and seeing a way of life so different from our
own, to spend a traditional Sunday with a chief and his family, to sit cross-legged
with the women's committee, to attend the ground-breaking for a new school."
(Journeys for Families) |
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"The most treasured experience with my granddaughter
Holly, was participating in a Maasai gathering to celebrate the rites of
passage from warrior to elder. We felt privileged to attend as this was
clearly not part of any tourist itinerary. Our Wildland guide had purchased
a cow to donate to the Maasai community to honor their ceremony near our
camp. A friendship blossomed between Holly and a Maasai teenage girl named
Zena. The girls exchanged necklaces, shared life stories and then mail addresses.
What nations could learn from those two young girls who spoke from their
hearts." (Wildland Adventures) |
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“My family and I have traveled twice with Thomson. I don’t even bother to ‘shop around’ anymore because Thomson always exceeds our expectations. My experience is this: their pricing is fair and competitive… their guides are fabulous; all logistics are taken care of so you can focus on your trip rather than travel nuisances. These trips are an investment in which you are creating memories that will last a lifetime.”
(Thomson Family Adventures) |
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"In many previous walks, nine, we have not had a better
guide than Jorge. He is a teacher, a leader, a friend, a guide, a wonderfully
enjoyable companion for such a trip. Our family had a splendid time, learning,
looking, walking, laughing and enjoying those we were with. It was a wonderful
holiday of learning to love Costa Rica and appreciate it almost as much
as does Jorge. We will highly recommend your walk for anyone interested
in Costa Rica." (Classic Journeys) |
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"When we started to plan our trip to India, Gideon was instrumental! Our bookings, drivers and tours were all handled very professionally and we were able to consult until our trip was perfect. The service provided to us in India was outstanding! We felt that we were truly taken care of by the drivers and representatives. I wouldn't hesitate to plan our next trip to India in the exact same way...and hopefully that'll be SOON! " (Quivertree Expeditions) |
