036: Family Travel Trends and the Family Travel Association

Kim and Tamara were recently out in Tucson, Arizona at the Family Travel Association Summit and they share their experiences in Arizona and chat with Rainer Jenss about family travel trends and the goals and mission of the Family Travel Association. ON THE PODCAST 00:30 - Tamara and Kim chat about their recent travels to Arizona 12:15 - Horseback riding experience with cacti 15:03 - Talking with the Rainer Jenss 20:04 - Don’t underestimate things your kids will like 22:51 - Surprising results in research on family travel 25:30 - Challenges that limit families from traveling 30:55 - Top ten lists of destinations 32:14 - Pricing for safaris 34:30 - Travel consultant vs. Travel agent 39:29 - Favorite travel gear 41:50 - Tip of the Week ABOUT RAINER JENSS As the President and Founder of the Family Travel Association, Rainer Jenss has a wealth of experience and knowledge on the subject of family with children. Before putting his professional expertise and personal passion to the ultimate test by traveling around the world with his wife and two young children, Rainer Jenss was a Vice President and thirteen-year veteran of the National Geographic Society. As Publisher of National Geographic Kids, Jenss helped transform the publication into the most widely read consumer magazine for children throughout the world. Since returning from the yearlong trip, Jenss has dedicated himself to be an advocate for family travel as an essential part of every child’s education. By creating the Family Travel Association, Jenss aims to establish a collective and unified industry voice that will help change the way families travel – charting a path for the future generations of travelers the industry needs to cultivate. Facebook and Twitter. Email Rainer at [email protected] he will be more than happy to email with you. FAMILY TRAVEL TIPS Plan ahead, especially if you are traveling during spring breaks when the cost of traveling is higher. Iceland has grown in popularity as a family travel destination. Make sure to plan at least six months ahead of time because the high amount of travelers and not too many hotels. South Africa, Alaska, Costa Rica, etc. are all places that are offering more options for family travelers. For your next vacation, look into using a travel consultant rather than a travel agent to help you figure out what your options are with the budget you have. FAVORITE TRAVEL GEAR Rainer makes sure that he packs his ‘ExOfficio’ Underwear everywhere he goes. His kids still pick on him about it because he hasn’t worn any others since he first bought them for a trip. TIP OF THE WEEK Make sure to keep track of the time differences when you travel. MENTIONED ON THE PODCAST Ciao Bambino FOLLOW US AND SPREAD THE WORD! If you liked this show, please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play and leave us a review! Have a question or comment? Send us an email or leave us a voicemail at +1.641.715.3900, ext. 926035# You can also follow our travels on Stuffed Suitcase and We3Travel, or follow the Vacation Mavens on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for listening! This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission.