Some destinations are better suited for family travel than others, and the moms and dads on our staff were eager to share their favorite places to travel with their own kids.

Craig’s Pick: The Galapagos Islands

“Kids really love the Galapagos in the summertime. Not only do the Islands offer a unique wildlife experience on par with an African safari, but the routine makes for good family fun. The Islands are on the Equator, and the ships cross it numerous times during the cruise so the weather is the same year round. But in the summer the ships are loaded with mature, well-traveled kids, typically age 7-17. The early morning and late afternoon activities keep everyone in the family engaged and the timing of the activities and life on the ship keeps everyone on the same sleeping and eating schedule. With other kids onboard the parents can really enjoy some downtime during the siesta (10am-2pm) while the kids have fun and make new friends. This seems to be a perfect balance of family time, activities, kids’ time, and parents’ time.”

Jim’s Pick: Hawaii

“Hawaii is often thought of as a romantic destination for couples. But what most people outside of the West Coast don’t realize is the islands are one of the best family destinations in the world. Hawaii offers a worry-free environment that is safe and comfortable. Plus, you can drink the water! Some of my favorite family activities include: watching whales from a boat off the coast of Maui, kayaking to the Mokulua twin islands on Oahu, hiking through ancient lava tubes on the Big Island, riding mules down the Pacific’s highest sea cliffs on Molokai and taking a helicopter tour to see the stunning beauty of Kauai.”

Sande’s Pick: South Africa

“South Africa is an incredible experience for kids. Not only does it have game viewing but also so many other options. In Cape Town, the waterfront area is fun for kids to walk around with parents to go shopping and exploring. Take the kids on a tour to the Cape of Good Hope where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet with picturesque crashing waves, and on the return stop by Simons Town and see the Jackass Penguins whose loud bark sounds like a donkey.

Want more adult activities with the kids? Take them to a winery for a tour–still very interesting no matter what the age. There are also wineries that have many other kid friendly activities, like one that also houses a Cheetah sanctuary.

The Eastern Cape is an excellent area for game viewing with young kids because it is located in a malaria-free zone and still has the Big 5. Kruger and the Sabi Sands have some of the most incredible game activity in the country and the most beautiful family lodges. The information kids learn from the game rangers is amazing, and they soak up the information like sponges. The lodges also give you time to connect to your kids because they really have to unconnect to the world of Facebook and the internet and have some fun time just being with parents. There aren’t many places anymore that can still offer this.”

Debbie’s Pick: Egypt

“Kids can’t help but be impressed by Egypt’s rich history when they can take pictures in front of ancient pyramids, explore royal tombs and discover colorful artifacts and treasures. From viewing mummies to riding camels, a trip to Egypt is an unforgettable vacation for kids. The Egyptologists at the Valleys of the Kings and Queens are especially great at keeping kids of all ages engaged. Older kids can appreciate Egypt’s history and culture, and younger kids will be impressed by the majesty of it all. After taking my son to Egypt a few years ago, it’s one of my favorite travel destinations.”

Note: Egypt is on the road to recovery. U.S. travel warnings have been eased and elections are scheduled for Fall 2011. We anticipate family travel to Egypt will be safe and very popular in the years ahead.

Facebook Fan Pick

We recently asked our Facebook fans about the best place they’ve taken their kids. Here’s Travel Beyond client Kathy Klofft’s pick: “Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. We did a real “jungle cruise,” slept in a treehouse and listened to crickets all night and howler monkeys in the morning.”

Do you have a favorite spot for kids that wasn’t covered? Let us know in the comment section below!

Enrich their lives through travel

Let us know if you’re looking for new destinations to explore with your kids. Looking to enrich your children’s lives through travel? Learn more about Travel Trust®, which allows parents and grandparents to place tax-exempt gifts into a family trust.

About Flip Nicklin

National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin is regarded as the world’s premier whale photographer. In this presentation, Flip shares stories from his intimate whale experiences, talks about his trips with Lindblad Expeditions and explains the National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions partnership.

Interested in joining Flip’s next expedition?

Flip is leading two expeditions called “Baja California: Among the Great Whales” during March 2011. Let us know if you’re interested, as space is likely to run out.

Expedition Cruises in The Land of Darwin
Small ship expedition cruises to the Galapagos Islands are your opportunity to discover one-of-a-kind wildlife in a spectacular setting with a top-tier Expedition Team. We’re proud to have been the first in the Galapagos Islands. That’s over 40 years of experience with our Galapagos cruises in the Land of Darwin. And thanks to our long history of expedition cruises in the Galapagos Islands, you’ll do so much more than observe this precious ecosystem. You’ll interact with it. Grab a snorkel. Hop in a kayak. And discover up close the wonders that make the Galapagos Islands one of the world’s most unparalleled adventure travel destinations.

Join our hand-picked Naturalists and engaging Expedition Team on our year-round exploration of the Land of Darwin. It could be the most exciting educational travel experience you’ll ever have.

Learn More from Our Hand-picked Expedition Team
Expeditions to the Galapagos Islands are fascinating, informative and fun. And our veteran Expedition Team will help you to indulge in wildlife that remarkably shows no fear of humans. This makes each expedition cruise in the Galapagos Islands a travel photography hotspot. The leadership of these passionate experts will help you see more, learn more, and gain the fullest possible understanding off the remarkable wildlife that surrounds you.

Discover More with Unmatched Sea Exploration
Feel the freedom that comes with kayaking under your own power amid spectacular scenery. Take part in extensive undersea exploration complete with snorkeling (we provide the mask, fins and wetsuit), underwater video, glass-bottom boat, hydrophone and Splash-Cam. This technology, along with expert guidance, provides unparalleled insights into the underwater wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.

Year-round Expeditions, Consistently Astounding Quality
It’s important to note that we own both of our expedition ships cruising the Galapagos Islands. This distinction means we can ensure the quality of every aspect of your experience. It’s this level of oversight that most in the region simply don’t have. And offering year-round, week-long expedition cruises in the Galapagos Islands has enabled us to collaborate with the National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station based there.

A Note on Conservation
Since 1997, Lindblad Expeditions has demonstrated a commitment to the Galapagos Islands, working with guests to support the conservation of the islands. As of September 2008, more than $4.5 million has been raised for projects such as the removal of invasive species on Santiago and the support of National Park Marine Reserve patrol boats. Funds are contributed entirely to local projects, as determined by an independent board and implemented by the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station.

 To learn more contact Craig Beal at CraigB@TravelBeyond.com or call us at (800) 823-6063.

Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters

Lonesome George, the last remaining Galápagos giant tortoise, may soon be a father after years of efforts by scientists trying to get him to mate.

Ecuadorian officials are keeping their fingers crossed for Lonesome George, aged between 90 and 100 and described by the Guinness book of world records as the “rarest living creature”, after one of the two female tortoises kept with him laid five eggs.

George, said to be at his sexual peak, is the only known living Geochelone abigdoni tortoise. His companions are of a similar but different species. Scientists at the Galápagos national park have been trying for years to get George to avail himself of his female companions to ensure that his line does not peter out.

Lonesome George, weighing 90kg (14st 2lb) was a native of Pinta, an isolated northern island of the Galápagos. By the late 1960s, it was noted that the tortoise population on the rarely visited island had dwindled close to extinction. George, discovered in 1972, was immediately brought into captivity at the Charles Darwin research station on the island of Santa Cruz .

Scientists have been trying to get George to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies from the neighbouring island of Isabela into his pen, but he has been in no hurry to procreate.

George astounded conservationists last year by mating for the first time in the 36 years he has been in captivity. But the eggs laid by one of his female companions turned out to be infertile.

The national park has said that the latest eggs, described as being in perfect condition, are being cared for in an incubation centre. It will be November before scientists know whether they are viable .

“Now we have to wait for the incubation period of 120 days to find out whether they are fertile,” it has said..

Tortoises on the Galápagos have been hunted for their meat by sailors and fishermen to the point of extinction. Charles Darwin, when he arrived in the Galápagos in 1835, described how he and the crew of the Beagle lived entirely on tortoise meat. Also, the habitat of the tortoises has been eaten away by goats introduced from the mainland.

Mark Tran guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 10.51 BST Article

Many, many thanks for a GREAT trip!  I don’t know where to start in telling you about it, but I’ll try…

The Galapagos… well, simply incredible!  We could not have been happier with Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic.  The boat was wonderful and we loved our very comfortable little room on a lower deck… (much less rocky than the more expensive cabins!).  The staff did everything possible to make us feel comfortable and at home while on board.  And the naturalists were simply outstanding.  As a part time tour leader myself, I was tremendously impressed by their breath of knowledge about the islands AND their skill in challenging/encouraging us to take full advantage of the experience.  After being told over and over that the wildlife would be amazing, we could not believe how close we could come to a wide range of animals.  We never imagined that we would go snorkeling, that we would enjoy it so much, and that we would find ourselves swimming along with sea lions while watching boobies dive for lunch.  It was just an amazing week…  Oh, and BTW, we both read a biography on Darwin and Kurt Vonnegut’s book Galapagos before we left and we highly recommend both to Galapagos travelers. 

 As for Peru… Also wonderful, but I’ll give you the bad news first.  It was a very difficult trip for us both, physically speaking, in part because of the schedule we have been on and in part because of the altitude.  We were VERY tired by the time we hit Machu Picchu, and while we had a great time, we were really beat.  I spent much of our Cusco time on Oxygen, and Sara picked up a bug somewhere, but we still had a great time.

Our hotels in Peru were fabulous!  The Casa Andina Private Collection chain is excellent and we especially liked their hotel in Arequipa.  They were all wonderful however, and we were quite pleased with our choices.  The hotel in Aquas Caliente was a nice place to stay, but nothing special.  I would probably stay there again, but…  Well, the only reason to stay there is to get yourself to Machu Picchu early the second morning…

The Ramada Inn at the Lima airport was comfortable the first time we were there…  But we stayed there a second time as well.  The day we left Peru Sara became very ill.  We went to the airport Ramada to let her rest for our six hour layover, and they did some emergency laundry for us AND got a doctor in to see her.  Without their service we’d still be there.  They were a lifesaver for us.

Ceiba Tops was a great experience.  While not as luxurious as we might have been expecting, it was very professionally managed and our stay there was an experience of a lifetime.  We will never forget the canopy walk, and the birdwatching there was also great.  We loved traveling on the river, fishing and the hikes we took.  Thanks for recommending this spot.

This is of course where we got in trouble with the airlines…  We had booked a 9 PM flight from Iquitos to Lima, and we left the lodge at 3 to start the journey.  Explorama had very professionally booked us into a hotel in town for our four hour wait for a flight, but they helped us change our flight to depart around 5:30 instead.  That’s why we were listed as “no-shows” for the original flight, and why we had trouble the rest of the way.  In fact, for the rest of our flights we had trouble with check in everytime, and we never got the seats we expected to have, although they did get us sitting together each time.  (Otherwise, LAN was really quite good and we would recommend them.)

Condor/Avanti Tours were great.  The tour guides were terrific and we always knew we were in good hands as they met us every step of the way.  If there was any problem with them, it was that they were SO good that we didn’t have to speak Spanish very much!  As tired as we were for much of the time in Peru, we were very grateful to have booked them and would highly recommend them to anyone traveling in the region.

We would highly recommend the Colca Canyon tour to anyone going to Peru.  Arequipa is a great little city, not nearly as commercial as Cusco, and we would have liked to have had more time there.  The two day tour to the canyon (the deepest canyon in the world!) was very difficult, as we went up to 15,000 feet just getting to our overnight in Chivay.  The next morning at the canyon was extraordinary as we saw 18 condors in flight, making the trip well worth our time.  Another day in Arequipa would have helped us adjust to the altitude and given us a day to rest a bit more too. 

Machu Picchu was all that was advertised.  A great way to end the trip.  Our tour of the site was excellent, but the second morning when we got there before the “day-trippers” was the highlight.  Just a spectacular site…

The whole trip was spectacular and it is difficult to describe without overusing superlatives.  You made it possible for us and for that we are both extremely grateful.  Your assistance in planning, your knowledge of the region and the opportunities, your helping us to keep to our budget (more or less!) and your help with the airlines during our trip, all made this experience as easy as possible for us. Thank you VERY much for all of your help.