All fun, no stress: These tour operators offer the best family vacations worldwide – Erectial

Making your family vacation dreams a reality isn’t always easy. Whether you’re planning a trip with just your immediate family or a big multigenerational vacation with the grandparents, getting all the messy details right can be a challenge. Guided family tours remove one of the biggest pain points of all: mapping out an itinerary and choosing lodging and activities. They’re especially nice once you arrive at your destination and can sit back and let your guide handle the details.

From vacations with nonstop action to relaxed sightseeing experiences for kids (and adults) who prefer to take it slow, there’s a family-focused tour operator tailored to your exact interests. Here are my picks for the top guided tour companies that make family travel adventures a total breeze.

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1. National Geographic Family Journeys with G Adventures

If you’re looking to travel the world in an adventurous and educational way, you can’t beat National Geographic Family Journeys with G Adventures. Appropriate for families with kids ages seven and up, these family tours explore everywhere from U.S. national parks and Iceland’s glaciers and fjords to Costa Rica’s rainforest and the desert sands of Morocco, all while drawing on National Geographic’s expertise in areas like photography, geography, conservation and wildlife.

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Tours include family-friendly hotels that speak to the culture or character of the destination and have amenities like swimming pools when possible. Meal times offer plenty of opportunities to try the local cuisine as well as options for not-so-adventurous eaters. Accommodations, most meals, transportation, and fees for scheduled activities are built into the tour price. Families will also have time to explore the area on their own and can add on optional activities if they choose.

2. Trafalgar

Tour operator Trafalgar boasts more than 200 itineraries for families, including trips in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Tours feature planned activities plus downtime to explore at your own pace, as well as the opportunity to add on optional experiences. Travel Directors take care of the details and provide an insider’s perspective on each destination. 

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Popular family tours include a Costa Rica excursion filled with wildlife watching and a volcano trek; a pioneer adventure in the American West that includes visits to national parks and a train ride through the scenic landscape; and a tour of Italy offering pizza-making lessons, visits to famous landmarks, and even a stint at gladiator school. Group sizes average about 40 people and tours include all accommodations and transportation during the trip, plus most activities and meals.

3. Adventures by Disney

With Disney in its name, it should come as no surprise that Adventures by Disney is a go-to choice for family tours. Adventures by Disney offers immersive guided tours on all seven continents led by Disney-trained “Adventure Guides” and local experts who help families truly experience the culture of each destination visited. The company’s land adventures typically range from 30 to 40 guests, while its expedition cruises and river cruises vary in size by destination. All tours offer special access to local sites, along with curated activities and accommodations for families. 

Tour itineraries are designed to promote family togetherness, but there are also activities geared toward getting the “Junior Adventurers” (children 12 and younger) to have fun together while parents relax or explore on their own. Transfers to and from your arrival and departure spot, all transportation during the tour, accommodations, most meals and snacks, scheduled activities and entertainment and most gratuities are included in Adventures by Disney’s tour price.

4. Thomson Family Adventures

Small group tour operator Thomson Family Adventures has been running family travel tours since the 1990s, and the company prides itself on a “white-glove experience” that helps kids and adults go beyond the basics in a destination to make lasting memories. Expert guides lead the way, and some tours also have special guides called “rafikis” (Swahili for “friend”) to help kids get to know each other and explore the local culture.

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Bucket-list destinations like Tanzania, Baja, Peru and the Galapagos Islands are popular family tour destinations offered by Thomson Family Adventures. Each tour comprises about three to four families (and no more than 20 guests) and includes accommodations, entrance fees for activities, land transportation, guides, and most meals and snacks. Some destinations also include flexibility for families to explore on their own. Family groups can also book custom trips for a private family vacation experience.

5. Backroads

Active travel company Backroads divides its family trips into three distinct age groups: families with kids and teens (best for ages nine and up), families with older teens and 20s and families with adult kids in their 20s and beyond. Doing this allows the company to tailor the tour activities, programming and travel times to specific age groups, while bringing together folks of similar interests and travel styles. Tours include accommodations, most meals and snacks, private tours at attractions, bikes and other equipment and most gratuities.

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Each tour focuses on family activities and dedicated kid time and adult time for socialization among the generations (the kids might all eat together one night, for example, or the adults might head off on a bike ride while younger travelers are otherwise entertained). Backroads runs its guided tours in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. Family tour groups average about 16 guests per trip, but most U.S. trips can accommodate up to 26 travelers.

6. Explore Worldwide

You can choose the level of activity you want based on everyone’s ages, interests, and abilities with the family tours offered by Explore Worldwide. “Relaxed” tours include morning downtime and pool days, “moderate” tours have a little more activity but still some downtime, and “full-on” family tours feature busier days and some early morning starts. Groups generally range from three to five families with a maximum group size of between 16 and 20.

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Explore Worldwide’s guided family travel tours include all accommodations, most meals, and excursions. The company seeks out family-friendly lodging with pools and unique stays like tree tents or houseboats. Tour destinations include Asia, Europe, Africa, Central America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and North America, and most are suitable for kids ages seven and up. 

7. Tauck

Tour operator Tauck’s collection of family tours (called Tauck Bridges) includes guided land journeys, European river cruises, and a small ship ocean cruise in the Galapagos Islands. These tours are designed specifically for families, prioritizing elements like hotels with swimming pools and family-friendly restaurants built into every itinerary. The tours work well for parents traveling with young children, grandparents traveling with their grandchildren, and multigenerational family groups. Tour guides called Tauck Directors lead families on these excursions.

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Popular family trips include tours of the American West in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. European itineraries are also popular with families and range from a tour of Ireland to a family river cruise in Portugal. Tauck’s guided family trips include accommodations, all excursions, admission to all attractions, all gratuities, most meals, airport transfers and luggage handling. Riverboat tours can accommodate up to 130 passengers, while group sizes for land journeys tend to average between 35 and 40 people.

8. Intrepid Travel

The family tours offered by Intrepid Travel bring together three to five like-minded families for true cultural immersion in the tour destinations. Because these tours have an average group size of 10 people, the experience is typically more intimate than those available with larger tour groups. Itineraries feature plenty of activity to keep the kids entertained, plus some downtime for taking a breather. Most hotels along the way have pools as well.

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A focus on sustainable travel runs through all of Intrepid’s tours: Families might plant vegetables and gather produce in Costa Rica, visit an orangutan rehabilitation facility in Borneo, or learn about Masaai culture in Kenya. Closer to home, you might follow a wolf tracker in Yellowstone or watch a glacier calve in Alaska. Intrepid’s family tours include all accommodations and in-trip transportation as well as some meals and activities.

9. Road Scholar

Originally founded as Elderhostel in 1975, Road Scholar provides a range of tour options for lifelong learners with a focus on “boomers and beyond.” The not-for-profit organization has been offering programs for grandparents and their grandkids since 1985 and now has more than 80 learning adventures for family travelers of all ages. Its Grandparent and Family Programs make multigenerational travel easy, allowing families to focus on spending time together and soaking in their destination.

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Popular tours for grandchildren and grandparents or for multigenerational family groups include a wildlife-filled Costa Rica adventure, a Galapagos excursion where travelers can swim and snorkel with local sea creatures, and a “Teenagers in Paris” tour for grandparents and their adolescent grandkids. Tour descriptions indicate the activity level needed for participants to keep up with all the action. Tours include lectures, field trips and hands-on experiences led by experts; all accommodations; most meals; and transportation and gratuities throughout the program.

10. VBT Bicycling Vacations

For families with older kids and teens interested in multigenerational travel, VBT Bicycling Vacations offers a range of biking tours where participants pedal through scenic destinations around the world, including Italy, Croatia, British Columbia, and Chile. VBT’s guided bike tours have two trip leaders, one who bikes with the group and one who drives the support van offering water, snacks, and a ride for any travelers who need or want a break. Tours also include a bike and helmet, accommodations, most meals, admission fees to attractions, and cultural activities.

Families confident in both their biking and navigation skills can opt for a self-guided biking tour. These tours include accommodations, bikes, breakfast, route info and suggestions for local activities, but offer lots of flexibility and the ability to customize your experience. Tour descriptions include info on daily mileage covered and biking time as well as how challenging (or not) the local terrain will be. You can also add an air package for maximum convenience.

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