Tauck Bridges Olé, Olé, Olé
Tauck Bridges announced a new destination for 2014 with their Spain: Olé, Olé, Olé! tour. Enjoy three nights at The Westin Palace in Madrid, located at the center of Spain’s capital city’s cultural, artistic and historic heart and four nights at Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville – a luxury, city-center landmark hotel renovated in 2012. Special experiences include visits to Estadio Santiago Bernebeu Stadium to get a first-hand look at one of the world’s most famous soccer stadiums, a workshop in Madrid to learn about Spain’s time-honored tradition of puppets, a farm, and a hacienda to learn about the art of bullfighting on horseback. Dine in local restaurants. Join your family in a hands-on Spanish cooking class where you’ll learn to make perfect tapas. See Seville through the eyes of a local guide who leads you on a hometown bicycle trip. Tauck’s trips are ideal for families, children traveling with grandparents as well as multiple generations traveling together. Book early for the best availability!
New Spain Rail Pass
The Spanish Railway Network Renfe joined with the AVE Cities Network, the network of 17 Spanish cities connected by high speed train, 
to launch Renfe Spain Pass. Designed for international tourists, the new flexible ticket will increase your family’s mobility between the different cities in the AVE network by enabling you to choose the number of trips you want to take within a month, from four to 12, with rates that vary accordingly. The passes can be purchased up to six months in advance and start at about $208. Passes are valid on regular lines as well as on AVE high speed trains and are also good for discounts on museum tickets, bus tours and other attractions.
Learning Journeys
Learning Journeys, a division of Perillo Tours, has designed six family tours throughout the world that combine outdoor adventures, culture and
hands-on learning. Each itinerary includes a minimum of three educational experiences plus a Freedom of Choice Experience which allows your family to choose an adventure based on your interests. Examples include language or cooking lessons, crafts (such as mask making in Venice and kite making in India), farm visits and animal interactions (like falconry in Dubai and a bear rescue in India). Choose from the 13-Day Italian Family Journey, 9-day Costa Rica Family Discovery, 12-Day Greek Family Yacht Adventure, 10-Day Arabian Family Adventure, 10-Day India Culture and Cubs program and the 8-Day Kenya Family Safari. Tour courses range from two to four hours, providing unique opportunities for your family to broaden your horizon while immersing yourself in local culture and cuisine.
G Adventures Family Tours
G Adventures is now offering moderately priced family vacations to 32 different countries. The tours are designed to focus on education as well as adventure. Choose from an amazing array of destinations: Argentina, Belgium, Borneo, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Galapagos, Hong Kong, Iceland, India and Italy, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Peru, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, United Kingdom, US, Uruguay and Vietnam! 2013 tours are available from July-December and range from 5-15 days. These small group tours allow a maximum of 20 people, but average around 12 per trip. Accommodations are simple and authentic. These are not tours for those who like pampering and marble bathrooms, but are priced to match. A variety of promotions are currently available. Minimum ages apply for each tour depending on the level of adventure.
Family Adventure Travel
CW, formerly known as Country Walkers, introduced a new series of 13 family or multi-generational travel programs. The trips are private and 
custom created. Groups can be at any size from two to 32, with cost advantages for larger groups. Packages can include activities such as zip lining, river rafting and cycling. They can be arranged as guided or self-guided independent trips. For example, the Austria Family: The Lakes Region is a self-guided biking adventure including biking in the Lake District, a ride on an antique cog railway, the Mozart museum in St. Gilgen, Gmuden’s floating castle and backdrops from The Sound of Music ready for exploration. Kenya Family: Masai Mara and Beyond is a trip onto the high plains of the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya, including an encounter with Mount Kenya; a visit to a rhino sanctuary; and a river safari along Lake Naivasha. Nine more programs are offered to Utah, Montana and Wyoming, Costa Rica, Galapagos, Peru, Iceland, Switzerland, Morocco and Tanzania.
Istanbul Family Tour
Context Travel, an operator of expert-led educational theme tours, is offering two new walking tours of Istanbul designed for
families with children under 12. The program is designed by museum educators and teachers. Sultan’s Way takes children into Topkapi Palace with a trained Ottoman historian using the figure of the sultan and his life as the narrative thread. The itinerary is designed as a series of engaging activities for kids that introduce basic ideas of Ottoman history. Young Archeologists of the Ancient Orient focuses on Istanbul’s Archeological Museum, learning about ancient empires by examining objects from Mesopotamia to the Ottoman period.
Irish Castle Adventure
The magnificent Ashford Castle in Ireland is offering a Summer Family Package that includes two nights in a Deluxe Family Room
(for up to four guests); a full Irish breakfast; family horseback riding for one hour; a family falconry lesson for one hour and dinner for the family on a night of your choice. Package rates start at $1,805. Located in County Mayo, this 5 star luxury hotel showcases a wide array of rooming options and recreational pursuits including horseback riding, lake cruising, clay pigeon shooting, bike tours, spa, gym, tennis, watersports and more.
St. Regis Rome
For an upscale hotel experience in the beautiful city of Rome, enjoy the iconic St. Regis and receive half off your second 
room for children up to age 21. Their Unforgettable Moments with Your Family package is available through December 31 and also includes free meals for children up to 12 years of age and guaranteed connecting rooms (based on availability). This 5 star luxury property is ideally and centrally located in the center of Rome for seeing all the sites. The hotel also features St. Regis’ Family Traditions program which provides locally designed family friendly activities, tours and special welcome amenities to enhance your overall experience.
Southeast Asia Luxury
Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas offers luxury escapes for families in several Asian getaway destinations. 
At each resort, Anantara offers extras such as welcome and departure gifts for children, kids’ in-room amenities and turn-down treats. Each property showcases unique and local family experiences. In Thailand, the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa’s on-site Elephant Camp, an expert “mahout” (elephant caretakers) teaches children the Thai commands to drive their very own gentle giant. Families who journey down the Andaman coast to Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa can swim through a cave to reach a hidden beach, take a boat trip in search of dugongs (similar to a manatee) and participate in natural conservation by planting mangroves. Venturing further afield across Southeast Asia, the Anantara Spa can be enjoyed by little ones at Anantara Seminyak Resort & Spa in Bali, Indonesia with manicures and pedicures and a chocolate facials designed for children. Kids surfing classes with Tropicsurf are also available. At the Anantara Kihavah Villas in The Maldives, a pirate cruise sails families to an uninhabited island to hunt for treasure and play Robinson Crusoe. They also may encounter marine life with a snorkeling trip or watch the underwater drama unfold at the resort’s unique underwater restaurant. As previously noted in our newsletter, at Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, younger guests can learn about protecting the future of the destination in a tailor-made, educational excursion with a marine biologist.
New Family Trips from Wildland
Wildland Adventures has added a new family trip to the Central American nation of Nicaragua. 
Their active Nicaragua Family Vacation takes you off the beaten path to reveal the natural beauty, friendly people and colonial charm that is Nicaragua’s heart and soul. Accompanied by their naturalist guide, your family will set out to explore the picturesque Spanish colonial city of Granada by horse-drawn carriage, trek through rainforests amongst hundreds of tropical birds, fly through the rainforest canopy by zip line and hike amongst the Mombacho and saya Volcanoes. You can also open your children’s eyes to other cultures when you visit a community kitchen to help prepare a meal for the local kids and when you stop off at the small school to spend some time with the teachers and students. The perfect ending to this Nicaragua adventure vacation is a stay at the luxurious Morgan’s Rock Hacienda and Ecolodge, a stunning location that overlooks a sheltered, crescent-shaped white-sand bay on the stunning Pacific Ocean. Wildland has also added new trip itineraries for families in Belize, Peru, South Africa and Kenya.
