A Walk on the Wild Side

We love that so many tour companies are expanding their trips for families. No, it is not easy to bike through the French countryside visiting wineries with a toddler, or to kayak through the Galapagos with a 5-year old. But time was when we rarely saw anything of an active nature offered to the under-teen set, and that is thankfully changing.

National Geographic Expeditions has 9 tours in their 2007 travel catalog geared towards families with children as young as 8. The selections vary widely, from a 10-day trip to Tuscany (nicely timed to coincide with a viewing of Siena's exciting Palio) to a 13-day excursion to China. There are stateside offerings too, including 6 days of exploring the Alaskan wilderness (which looks to be already sold out!) and 6 days exploring Yellowstone and the Tetons.

The trips nicely blend adult and children's interests. In New Zealand, a wine-tasting is on the itinerary for adults while a special safari through the Lord of the Rings landscape should captivate the kids (and adults too, actually - it's breathtaking.) Adults can learn about castle architecture in Tuscany while the youngsters play soccer with local children. Of course, there's much about all of the trips that will appeal to both adults and children: visiting castles, hiking, kayaking, and just learning about different cultures.

Lodging isn't really luxury class for most of these trips, but that's not the National Geographic specialty. What is is active fun and learning about new cultures - and to paraphrase a popular ad, that's priceless.