I started to have second thoughts about traveling to Ecuador with our kids, ages 5 and 8, when it was time for the kids to get their travel vaccinations. It was with the first painful scream that I then wondered what on earth are we doing!? We were leaving the country in a month, flying on an airplane for over 15 hours, and bringing our kids to a country where they had to rely on their mother’s college Spanish to get them through and their father’s crazy, offensively defensi

Known as the "Land of Lakes and Volcanoes," Nicaragua is a perfect family-friendly vacation destination! Whether you’re seeking pristine beaches and waters, a lovely tropical climate, kid-friendly surf lessons, cultural activities, or amazing rain-forests and jungles, this one-of-a-kind destination really has it all. And, it is considered among the safest countries in Central America. We are excited to share some of our favorite family-friendly activities you can enjoy while

Join us in 2017 for our Transformative Travel Connections Nicaragua program! TTC is a unique, year-long program for Seattle-area youth (age 12-18) who want to learn about international development challenges and expand their horizons through meaningful family travel, community service and sustained virtual connections with Nicaraguan youth. Applications due December 15, 2016- Apply here. Starting in January of 2017, TTC includes six monthly pre-travel workshops, a 10-day imm

Would you like to have a fun and meaningful family vacation, filled with experiences your family will never forget? Consider exploring Cuba as a family vacation destination and immerse yourselves in its vibrant culture, music-filled streets, and outdoor recreation opportunities for all ages! You may have heard about President Obama’s historical visit in March of 2015 to reestablish friendly relations with our closest Caribbean neighbor, just 90 miles from Miami. This is the y

Volunteer on a family trip to Peru in support of female artisans in a rural Andean community, and learn firsthand about Peruvian life by participating in a homestay with a Peruvian family! During this 10-day trip to Peru, you will learn about the ancient history and cultures of the Sacred Valley and be welcomed by Peruvian people who take pride in offering incredible services and experiences to visitors that include traditional foods, celebrations and festivals. Our tour has

Learn, Serve, and be Immersed in the safe & peaceful country of the “endless plain” on our unique Tanzania family adventure. Join Global Family Travels as we go on a safari to discover the extraordinary wildlife and connect with the rich cultures of the people of Tanzania up close. This trip is a great way to be introduced to the to the amazing continent of Africa! Located inside the African Great Lakes region, Tanzania is home to the some of the best game reserves and natio

We arrived in Ecuador on April Fool’s night, our guide Juan met us after our flight. Colorful orchids, giant ferns and epiphytes were a few of our favorite cloud forest sights. Hummingbirds amazed us as they hovered and fed and butterflies kept landing on Bryce’s head. We zoomed on zip-lines high above the cloud forest floor And after each rope swing Bryce and Viv wanted more. Rafting through the rapids, we laughed in delight When Eduardo shouted “seguro” we held on tight. We

Does your family love to travel and want to make a difference together? Consider taking a volunteer vacation with your family! In this blog, Global Family Travels shares the top 10 reasons your family could benefit from volunteering together. If your family is interested in learning more about these opportunities, subscribe to our blog! 10 Ways Your Family will Benefit from a Volunteer Vacation: Volunteer vacations instill a sense of social responsibility and global citi

Global Family Travels dedicates this blog post to our wonderful tour Chinese tour guides, who became our extended family while were traveling in China. We were very fortunate on this tour to have a fabulous primary guide, David Qi, who accompanied us to each destination and shared his in-depth knowledge of China’s history, and we also had three different local guides in Beijing, Xi’an and Chengdu who provided detailed information about their respective cities and the sights w

Our Mystical Mamas Tour group journeyed to some of Northern India’s most spiritual places, learning about Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism as we traveled. New friendships were formed both within our group and with our host communities as we took in the sights of India’s beautiful historical monuments and temples, witnessing the ways of life in both the cities and rural areas we visited. As we traveled, we also learned to meditate and explore our own spirituality, lau

Our family was very excited to be going on the Pandas, Warriors and Cities tour in June of 2013! Months prior to the trip, I was already thinking about what to pack and looking into tips for traveling to China with kids (ours were 6 and 8 years old when we went). Here are a few travel and packing tips to get you started. Food & Beverages: Chinese Food is not very sweet, so if your kids have a sweet tooth, you may want to take along some of your favorite candy. Tip: Most

Our family adventure to Nicaragua with Global Family Travels was above and beyond what we expected – what an amazing country it is and so many fun things to do! Homestay and Service Learning Adventure on Omtepe Island After spending the night in Managua near the airport, our stay began with a lovely homestay with the Alvarez family on Omtepe Island, a beautiful, serene island that offers a little of everything that Nicaragua has to offer, from pre-Columbian history, two beaut

The recent article about the UK couple that got fined over $1,500 for taking their children out of school to go on holiday got me thinking about how their reasoning was no different from most – travel for a lot of families is not affordable, both in time and money. Fitting travel into a family budget is challenging for many. As a mother of two kids myself, travel is important to our family because we want our children to learn about other places and cultures so they will b