Families that play together, stay together. Families that learn together, create memories for a lifetime.
Next June, my mother, sisters, nieces, nephews and my husband and I will be having our most memorable family reunion of all time — we’ve chartered a Road Scholar learning adventure aboard a cruise ship from Istanbul to the Greek Islands, ending in Venice.
We debated a trip to the Galápagos Islands and a classic African safari, but we finally settled on the Greek Islands and Venice, because my sister has always wanted to learn about antiquity in the cradle of Western Civilization. Whatever we chose, we wanted to make sure it was something the young ones would never forget.
Here are my tips on creating an unforgettable learning adventure for your next family reunion.
- Go with someone you trust. Road Scholar has been offering learning adventures for grandparents, grandkids and families for more than 30 years. We take care of all the details and are experts at planning activities that enrich each generation. You don’t want any surprises — or at least bad surprises!
- Pick something that offers options for everyone. The great thing about using a cruise ship as your base is that there are activities that appeal to each member of the family. You’re all together for the planned educational experiences on ship and in port, but then you also have time on your own to pursue your own interests, whether that’s reading, swimming in the pool or taking advantage of the many activities available on the ship.
- Make sure the trip you select fits everyone’s budget. The study cruise we chose is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so we were willing to spend a little more. The great thing about Road Scholar is that we have an extraordinary selection to choose from. There’s a whitewater rafting program in Idaho and a “safari” in California — each for under $700 per person. We even offer a marine science adventure in Virginia for less than $450 per person.
- Since everyone’s calendars fill up fast, plan your gathering at least a year ahead of time. If you have kids in the family who are still in school, then your best window of time is their summer vacation.
- Be sure to purchase travel insurance. Since you’re planning far in advance, it’s worth the peace of mind to purchase insurance in case something unexpected happens.
- Read up before you go. At Road Scholar, each trip includes a reading list. It’s been a lot of fun to read the same books and talk about them.
- When you get back, create an account on a photo-sharing website, where everyone can put their photos. Maybe someone will even take the time to create a photo album after you return.
We could have chosen a more typical family vacation, but it is important for my mother and my sisters and me that our family’s younger generations acquire a love of learning and new experiences. Is there a better gift we can give than that?
Click here to learn more about planning a Road Scholar reunion for your family or give us a call at (877) 209-4634.
I’d love to hear from you about what your ideal family reunion would be. Just add a comment below!
Cheers,
JoAnn
