Hi from Rick: Focusing on Family Fun
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| Touring with other families brings the bonus of built-in friends. |
Dear Traveler,
If you've been reading Tour News for a while you know what a cheerleader I am for family travel. It's made a profound difference in our kids' outlook on life (and probably will on their careers as well). It also enriches the travel experience for us parents. Anne and I have always enjoyed our grown-up getaways, but our trips with the kids have had an unforgettable magic to them.
If you've been dreaming of taking your kids (or grandkids) to Europe, making it a reality requires some preparation. But planning ahead is more than practical — it also makes the fun last longer. That's why this month's issue of Tour News looks ahead to summer 2009, with a special focus on families.
To help jump-start your planning, this month you'll learn about the new ways our tour program is welcoming families in 2009 — including just-announced "family-friendly" summer departures for Italy, England, Ireland, and Germany-Austria-Switzerland. You'll also find lots of tips for traveling with kids, an interview with a young-at-heart Family Tour guide (what's this about group tattoos?)…and more.
I'm just back from Europe now, looking forward to the Northwest's last, best slice of summer, and spending time with our kids as they both prepare to head off to college this month. Our 18-year-old Jackie just showed me photos of her first trip without parents. As she bragged her "trip without parents was the best ever," I thought, "naturally...that's what all those trips 'with parents' were all about." Now she's packing her enthusiasm for the world off to Georgetown University in DC, and Anne and I are thankful we were able to introduce our daughter to the world on trips just like the ones we now include in our family tour program.
Thanks for traveling with us.
Rick Steves