We’ve written before about Context, the tour company specializing in walking tours led by scholars.  The company has now joined with Insider’s Italy to provide not only a family tour, but one with a sustainable bent.  Whoo-hoo – get your family travel on AND be (relatively) earth-minded? We love it!

The “Farm to Fork, Roman Food Culture for Families” tour was designed for families to bring a new twist to attacking that bastion of cultural travel – Rome. Not forgoing the scholarly aspect, the tour will be led by scholars, cultural historians and yes, food professionals, all of whom have specific experience dealing with children.  Kids will get fantastic opportunities to experience the history and culture of Rome through such unique experiences as visiting the Markets of Trajan, tasting ancient Roman recipes, and preparing basic Italian cuisine at the home of a noted Roman chef. Kids should also enjoy the one day set aside to exploring a seasonal product; depending on the time of year, they could make cheese in the countryside or pick olives and watch the production of olive oil.  And they’ll love the excursion to Naples to make that kid-friendliest of foods – pizza!

With a max of 8 people or 2 families per trip, the trip can really be customized to fit both the interests and the ages of all travelers.  Should you want to make it even more special, Context will happily arrange a private tour just for your family.  For more information, visit the Context website.

This is the kind of package we can’t wait to take with our daughter – alas, it’s only for big girls and their moms, so we’ve got several years before we’ll do anything like this.  For now, our tea parties are replete with stuffed animals and pots of sugar water – but we’re passing this on to those of you eager to connect on a more adult level… (more…)

Complimentary daily breakfast, “Nanny-On-Call” service and children’s cooking classes highlight the five-night “Family Fun in the Sun” package offered at the exclusive, 29-suite Esencia estate in the Riviera Maya. The package, available through Oct. 31, features five nights’ complimentary accommodations for up to two children under the age of 12 in the same suite as parents, breakfast each morning, two hours of “Nanny-on-Call” service each day while parents enjoy a treatment at Aroma Spa or dinner at Sal y Fuego, and a two-hour children’s cooking class for each child. Roundtrip transportation to and from Cancun International Airport is also included in the package. Rates start at $1,999 for accommodations in a Garden Room. Taxes and service fee is additional. For reservations, please call 877-528-3490 or visit www.hotelesencia.com.