Paddington’s London
British children may now be more familiar with Paddington the talking bear than their American counterparts, 
but families from all over the world can take advantage of the Draycott Hotel’s Paddington Bear Package. The deal celebrates the release of the new Paddington movie and includes a Paddington bear plush toy, daily English breakfast, afternoon tea (including a mini-tea with marmalade option for children), a bus tour of London with a Paddington Bear guidebook, a scrapbook and accommodations in Family or Draycott Suites. The package is available through April 30, 2015. The 35 room boutique hotel is located near Chelsea’s fashionable Sloane Square in the beautiful borough of Kensington.
Samurai Discovery
Trafalgar Tours recently added Japan to their roster of family tours. Their 8-day Samurai Discovery includes the ruins of Edo Castle, the history of Tokugawa shoguns, sushi-making class, a Taiko drumming lesson with a master musician, the Edo-Tokyo Museum to see artifacts and architecture of Tokyo’s history and culture and lunch at a Machiya townhouse (traditional wooden townhouses) where your children take a calligraphy lesson. Japan’s video game appeal and technology are also highlighted on this trip. Your family will visit Sega Joypolis, an indoor amusement park in the center of Tokyo with rides, 3D movies and simulators; the Sony Building where children can play the latest games to their heart’s content; and the Pokemon Centre and Toei Kyoto Studio Park, where children can dress up as a samurai. This tour will operate in March, July, September and October.
Ski Europe with Club Med
Next month the new and all-inclusive Club Med Val Thorens, 
a 384-room snow resort in the Savoie region of the French Alps, opens. The property will be Club Med’s new generation ski resort featuring modern technology and entertainment options, plus direct access to The Three Valleys—the largest ski domain in the world providing 370 miles of ski slopes. The hotel features a restaurant, two bars, and a “take-away corner” for you to grab snacks and drinks before you hit the slopes. Skiing, snowboarding and Club Med fitness classes are included in the all-inclusive rate, and ski and snowboarding lessons are also offered. Early booking rates start at only $1,200 per adult for the week with discounted rates for children.
Low Cost Air to See the World
Two low cost, international airlines is now offering deeply discounted airfares to Europe and Brazil. Wow Air is an 
Icelandic discount carrier that began flying in 2012, but will start their first flights to and from the USA this year. New routes to Reykjavik, London and Copenhagen from Boston will begin on March 27 and seasonal service from Baltimore/Washington will run from June 4-October 24. Take note that WOW operates with an “ultra low-cost” model, meaning it charges for everything from checking a bag (starts at $48) to requesting an advance seat assignment ($3 to $38 per flight). Small carry-on bags are free, but bags weighing more than 11 pounds will cost at least $29 to bring on board. JetBlue founder, David Nelleman, began Brazilian airline Azul Air in 2008. It is now the 3rd largest airline in that country. The airline will begin service from Ft. Lauderdale on December 2 and Orlando on December 16 to Sao Paulo and onward nearly 100 Brazilian cities. Azul codeshares with United Airlines; so flights can accrue frequent flyer miles.
Family Cuba Program
Classic Journey’s is now offering a People-to-People program for families with children ages 8 and older that will introduce you to the real 
people of the island: farmers, artists, school students, naturalists, cigar-makers and more. In the company of expert guides native to Cuba, you will have an adventure that goes beyond the touristic to let you see and feel real life on the streets of Havana, in a mountainous eco-village, in the haunts of Hemingway, or in the fields of a peasant farm. Activities are multidisciplinary and often hands-on to maximize the interaction for children and teens as well as for adults. This exchange program is a thoughtfully planned learning experience that will be a distinctive addition to any educational resume or college application. On all Family Journeys departures, when sharing a room with two full-paying guests, children ages 11-16 receive a $500 discount; ages 7-10 receive a $750 discount; ages 3-6 receive a $1250 discount; ages 2 and younger receive a $1750 discount. When sharing a room with one full-paying guest, children receive a $250 discount.
Parisian Thanksgiving
Le Bristol Paris is enticing American families to enjoy some dinde (turkey) in Paris. Who knows you might 
see the ghosts of the Pilgrim Fathers at the Folies-Bergère! The hotel is offering an exclusive VIP package that is available throughout November. The package includes two connecting rooms with two American breakfasts. Breakfast for 12-year-olds and younger and all kids’ meals for children under six are complimentary (up to two children). The hotel has also created a treasure hunt for kids with a surprise gift. A Thanksgiving inspired menu at the hotel’s restaurant includes chestnut flavored desserts, pecan and pumpkin pies along with a traditional hot chocolate drink. The menu also includes Chef Laurent Jeannin’s pumpkin-inspired cotton candy which will be offered complimentary to all children.
Grand European Family Tour
Tauck Bridges is offering another new itinerary for 2015 that includes London, Paris, Rome and Umbria. The Grand European Family Holiday commences with a three-night stay in London, followed by an underwater journey to Paris onboard the Eurostar train for a three night stay, an overnight in an Umbrian Relais and three days of sightseeing in Rome, including an exclusive after-hours tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. All accommodations are upscale and family friendly. Plenty of hands-on activities will provide great family memories for years to come including dressing in costume to learn about the life of Louis XIV in Paris, a scavenger hunt in the Louvre, truffle hunting in Umbria accompanied by dogs trained to find them, a mosaic workshop in Rome and more!
See the World with A&K
For 2015, Abercrombie and Kent is discounting their Luxury Small Group Family Journeys by $800 and their lower priced Connection Family Journeys by $400 for children ages 12 and under. Next year will feature 10 new itineraries and destinations to China, India, Australia/New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Russia, Amsterdam/Paris/London, Peru and Costa Rica to existing trips to Galapagos, Alaska and African Safaris in Kenya and Tanzania. Every day includes at least one Family Discovery: a chance for your children to connect to their destination by interacting with nature, culture and local children. The highlight of an A&K family tour is a maximum of 18 travelers for the Luxury Small Group tours and 24 for the Connections trips in addition to a custom photo souvenir album of your trip. The Luxury Small Group Journeys also include a dedicated Young Explorers Guide on certain days to lead your children and grandchildren in hands-on cultural activities and midtrip laundry services to help you pack light.
New Austin Adventures
Austin Adventures is adding several new and exciting itineraries and destinations to their family portfolio for 2015 
including Arizona, Croatia, Montana, Namibia, Peru and Scotland. Choose from a total of 38 different family tour options. Also note that all first-time guests receive $100 off their first trip (if booked within 45 days of receiving one of their catalogs), children get a 10% discount and 2014 rates are available on 2015 trips when booked by November 1. Austin also loves family groups and when you book at least 10 travelers, one goes free! A great options for families traveling together and active multi-generational groups. Custom trips are also available. Your satisfaction is their top priority and if they fail to deliver or are unable to resolve a matter to your satisfaction during your trip, they are one of the few in the industry to offer up to a full money-back guarantee.
New From Backroads
For 2015, Backroads has added a new category called Family Breakaway for those traveling with teens and young adults. Choose from 13 Family Breakaway Bike trips and two Family Breakaway Multi-Sport trips with either upscale or casual lodging options. Trip leaders are more peers than chaperones and nightlife option include live music and urban cultural activities which can be done as a family or with young adults going out on the town on their own. These trips also focus on popular gateway cities as jumping off points and where many of our families have college students studying abroad or may want to study abroad in the future. In addition, Backroads is adding eight new Family Bike trips, four new Family Multisport trips and two new Family Insider trips (with more in depth cultural interactions). Backroads showcases amazing family trips throughout the world and most are 5-6 days long allowing time for us to create custom extensions to explore other nearby areas. Where will your family explore next?
