Planning tips for that family trip to distant destination

By Kristin Jackson
Seattle Times travel staff

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If you're considering an adventurous family trip — to Kenya, India or other developing countries — here are some things to consider:

Go with your comfort level

Don't push yourself too hard. Glossy magazines and guidebooks may make off-the-beaten-track trips seem like no big deal. However, cultural differences can be intense and travel snafus common. Plus, children can become extra-dependent, both logistically and emotionally, since they're removed from all their usual routines.

If you're anxious about coping with it all or continually nervous about crime and illness, you won't enjoy the trip and neither will your kids. A more sheltering way to go is to join a small-group tour or have a tour company set up a private, customized trip with hotels, local transport and guides pre-arranged. (See the list at the end of this story for a sampling of tour companies.) Some travel agents also may be able to arrange such trips.

Be prepared

Expect the best, but be ready for the worst. Make sure you have adequate medical and trip-cancellation insurance, especially important when traveling with young kids. Check ahead on vaccinations and medical precautions, and take along a well-stocked, first-aid kit plus the phone number of your doctor back home.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extensive information on travelers' health: www.cdc.gov.

Educate yourself

Inform yourself about the political/social conditions and customs of your destination.

For travel-safety information, see the U.S. State Department's travel Web site: www.travel.state.gov or phone 888-407-4747 for recorded information. For alternative perspectives, check Britain's Foreign Office, www.fco.gov.uk, and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, www.voyage.gc.ca.

Good sources of information and tips, especially for independent travelers, are the books and Web site of Lonely Planet, the budget guidebook publisher: www.lonelyplanet.com. Travelers' tips are posted at its online Thorn Tree.

Educate the kids

Talk to children in advance about some of the things they may see — from child beggars to different customs. Find articles, books, documentary films and photos to make it more real.

Plan to take it easy the first few days, especially in big, jarring cities, so they can get accustomed to things.

Have your children keep a journal during the trip. Also talk with them, and their teachers, about doing a school report on the trip when they're back home.

Small-group tours

Here's a sampling of companies that offer small-group overseas tours specifically designed for families (and many can arranged customized tours). For more choices, check the Specialty Travel Index, which lists hundreds of travel companies: 415-455-1643 or www.specialtytravel.com.

• Wildland Adventures of Seattle offers family tours in Central America, South America, East Africa and beyond. 800-345-4453 or www.wildland.com.

• Seattle-based REI Adventures offers some family trips, mostly in North America and Mexico; other overseas trips may be suitable for older children. 800-622-2236 or www.rei.com/travel.

• Familyhostel offers learning vacations for families in Europe and the United States. 800-733-9753 or www.learn.unh.edu/familyhostel/.

• Butterfield and Robinson is an upscale Toronto-based company with extensive family itineraries (plus English-speaking nannies in hotels). 800-678-1147 or www.butterfield.com.

• Abercrombie and Kent is another luxury-travel company with family trips to East Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and beyond. 800-554-7016 or www.abercrombiekent.com.

• Also investigate educational/community service trips through churches, temples, charities and volunteer groups, such as Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org). They're cheaper than many tours. A useful resource is "Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others," by Bill McMillon (Chicago Review Press, $16.95).

Kristin Jackson: 206-464-2271 or kjackson@seattletimes.com

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