Summer Vacation Ideas for Kids & Teens

Summer has arrived and with it the ever pressing question- “What are we going to do while school is out?” If you have kids and teenagers in your life you know it can be challenging to plan a vacation for the whole family. Summer is also the time for great vacation deals. Whether you are looking for a last minute vacation in the coming weeks or beginning to plan a big trip for next year, there are some great deals around that also cater to families providing memorable experiences for everyone.

Part of planning a family vacation is the budget. If you are ready to take a family cruise and want to maximize your dollars for activities and excursions, cruise companies such as MSCCruises have several sailings where kids aged 11 and under cruise free. Norwegian Cruise Line also offers free cruising for a 3^rd or 4^th passenger in a stateroom, making it easier to cruise with the whole family. Both of these cruise lines offer a variety of age appropriate programs and activities sure to keep a smile on everyone. Cruises offer a lot of

activities for every age group, making this option and ideal choice when it comes to multi-generational travel. Most cruise companies have special programs and events just for kids and teens. Princess Cruises offer their Youth Centers and Teen Lounges, and Holland America Line has Club HAL, the Teen Loft and even specialized culinary experiences for kids ages 3-18. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has an award winning Ocean Adventure Youth Program and age appropriate activities on board. Cruise companies understand the value of vacationing with your family, and the benefit of providing activities and experiences geared towards different ages and tastes, making traveling with your kids and teens relaxing and fun.

Many travel and tour companies have realized the value of creating unique experiences when it comes to travel. This includes kids and teens. When you travel with your family you are creating life long memories. For many today this includes personal travel opportunities where the world is brought alive through up-close interactions.

Tauk Tours, an award winning luxury tour company, has created TaukBridges, travel with the whole family in mind. They offer a variety of adventurous vacations from African safaris to Costa Rica zip lining and river rafting, and the Galapagos Islands as destinations. Special Tauk Bridges tours even include on-tour film vignettes with BBC Earth natural history experts. If you have a film buff or naturally history scientist in the making, the jungle rafting trip along Costa Rica could be just the ticket with hands on field equipment and experiences.  

If you and your kids love Disney, take your next family vacation a step further with Adventures by Disney. These specially catered travel excursions bring destinations around the world to life like only Disney can. From movie themed trips, such as a Frozen® tour of Norway, to personal Adventure Guides and activities for kids of all ages and adults too, Adventures by Disney brings families together as they travel. 

Both Tauk Bridges and Adventures by Disney have expanded their family vacation offerings to 

include river cruises. Tauk Bridges’ all-inclusive family only river cruises brings families together from around the world, giving kids the chance to make new friends and enjoy age appropriate amenities together. There are shore excursions planned with the family in mind, from bike riding to culinary classes, or exploring the catacomb mazes of medieval Devin Palace on the Rhone River. There is always something to do and exciting places to explore.  

Adventures by Disney has ventured into to River Cruising in partnership with Ama Cruises. With cruises along the Rhine and Danube rivers, these make for a great way to experience northern Europe. Toboggan or zip line your way through the Black Forest on one of their newest river cruises, along the Rhine river. Have chocolate lovers in the family? On the Adventures by Disney Rhine river cruise there is a special stop in Cologne Germany where you can learn to make chocolate from the masters.

Traveling with your family can be a rewarding experience full of great memories and lasting connections. When you are ready to take the kids and teens on an adventure they are sure to remember, contact C.P, Trips and we can help you plan the perfect family vacation. 

Make the Gift of Travel and Adventure a Memory to Last a Lifetime

Now is a great time to get started on your holiday gift shopping, especially when it to giving the gift of travel. There are a lot of great deals from cruise and tour companies, as well as incredible packages for destinations across the country and around the world. A gift of travel provides much more beyond a splendid vacation. Memories to last a lifetime are created, and add even more meaning to the holidays. By planning a special trip for your family or a loved one, you are also giving a unique opportunity for some quality time spent together.

One great idea for a family vacation with the kids and grandchildren is to rent a house at the destination of your choice. A vacation rental home can give you plenty of room for the entire family and a lot of freedom with what to do once you are there. Compared to hotels, a rental home can offer more for less. You get more space, the average vacation home is 2,000 square feet and is designed to sleep at least 6 people. Hotel rooms on the other hand, average around 400 square feet, and you are limited to the number of guests that can stay in one room. There are also amenities that make traveling with the family easier, such as a washer

and dryer and kitchen so you can dine in when you want to. Staying at a hotel means more fees to pay such as for laundry services, or the ever tempting mini bar. Many vacation homes provide extras such as a private pool or hot tub, games, and media entertainment, at no extra cost. By saving money on where you stay, you have more options on what you do while on vacation, this is especially helpful when there is a larger group traveling together.

If you want to take the family on a once in a life time journey, there are some great new options being offered by Adventures by Disney, and Tauk Tours, two of our preferred vendors. Each of these companies cares about you, the client. They seek to provide unique travel experiences for every generation. Adventures by Disney is now partnering with Ama Waterways to provide a Disney family experience while river cruising along the Danube through 4 countries. The adventures Disney provides beyond its resorts are in depth and full of excitement and fun. Families explore the destinations they visit through the eyes of a storyteller, their own guide, to give special history and insight into every location. Disney’s Auluani Hawaiian resort lets your kids experience island life based off the popular Lilo & Stich movie, from Lilo’s point of view.

Tauk Tours offers their Tauk Bridges Family Destination tours, where all the details are taken care of so you and your family can relax. The tours focus on local color and cultural experiences, enriching the lives of every generation. Each tour has family friendly interactive activities to participate in, bringing out the natural curiosity in everyone. For example, kids can learn to make pizza while parents enjoy wine tastings. The tours are also all inclusive and include experiences you can’t get anywhere else, like going on a scavenger hunt in the Louvre Museum, walking hand-in-trunk with an elephant, or riding a trail with a cowboy in one of our National Parks. Tauk offers family travel tours in Europe, the Americas and Africa with each itinerary designed to enrich and inspire. Tauk is leading the way along with other companies such as Windstar Cruises, in a wonderful new trend, that of providing exclusive experiences for tour and cruise guests. Special events such as private dinners at historical locations are included in the latest itineraries around the world. Instead of being just part of a larger crowd of tourists, tour and cruise companies are lining up events where the only guests are those on a tour or ship. This brings a more in depth, intimate experience to your vacation, and adds so much more to the memories made.

If you are ready to pop the question to your sweetheart and want to do so over the holiday season, why not top it off with a romantic weekend getaway? Are wedding plans in full swing but you are not sure what to do about your honeymoon? A holiday gift to a resort could be just the answer. Getting away to a tropical destination during the cold winter months will help keep the spirit of romance alive and well. Sandals Resorts are worth looking into for an adult only, top of the line pampered vacation. Each Sandals resorts has incredible cuisine and amenities such as spa services, pools and hot tubs. There are plenty of activities also from yoga sessions to parasailing, hiking to kayaking, or you can simply dance the night away at the resort lounge. Their pristine beaches and elegant rooms will have you feeling like you are on your own private island, just where romance can reign supreme and make your hearts happy.

Romance is always a welcome gift at the holidays whether there is a proposal pending or not. There are resorts for every budget and destination desired, and these make for an ideally sequestered vacation away from it all.

Whatever you decide to do, when you choose to give the gift of travel, you are giving a lifelong memory that will be treasured. Spend some quality time with your loved ones and enjoy an adventure together, you’ll be glad you did.