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.

Although there are times when you just need the do-nothing-but-veg vacation, travel can be infinitely more interesting when we make deeper connections with our destinations. Context Travel, who by their own words are a group of “architects, historians, and art historians who organize walking seminars for intellectually curious travelers,” helps people to make those deeper connections and come away from their vacations with a richer sense of place. (more…)

As we mentioned previously, we headed for the Adventures in Travel Expo several days ago, and were pleased to see how many companies and destinations are thinking more about families. Families with older children are being urged to get active together, and those with tots are increasingly being given childcare options so that those more adventurous trips needn’t wait several more years.

Of all the operators we came across, the one that excited us the most was WAC Travel, a luxury adventure company that has designed several breathtaking trips for families. First, their family trips don’t feel like something thrown together just to tie into a trend. All of their trips, family and otherwise, were clearly well thought out, and they’ve already been vetted by the company’s owners and several clients, with the promise of excitement and pampering for all ages traveling.

We also like that their trips cover some vast terrain and climates. Snow bunnies will get a kick out the dog-sledding trip in Vermont, while those with a yen for farther and warmer shores might prefer the Ruins, Rainforest and Reefs package in Honduras.

All of WAC’s itineraries are personalized; they’ve devised a framework for each destination but what you do and don’t include is ultimately up to you. Travel dates are customized too: call today about an itinerary you like and you could be out the door tomorrow. Which reminds us of another thing we love: the prices. No, they’re not cheap, and they are just estimates, but they’re air-inclusive estimates, which gives you a better sense of what your final outlay will be. Drool over their website where a peek at the destinations, accommodations and activities they’ve put together will get you in the mood to start planning your next trip.