Taking Family Time is Taking Off!
The #TakeFamilyTime advocacy campaign has clearly struck a nerve with families, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
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Looking for that special family Christmas gift? 5 reasons to give the gift of time with a family vacation (plus booking tips)
We look for gift ideas that are meaningful, create joy, build lasting memories, build us to be better people, and make us stronger as a family.
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Come Join us at the New York Times Travel Show
As we have in years past, the Family Travel Association will have an extensive presence at the 2020 New York Times Travel Show, Friday, January 24 through Sunday, January 26, affording our members several opportunities to raise their visibility within the industry, and with the more than 30,000 consumers who attend the weekend consumer days. […]
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What can we do to help America #TakeFamilyTime more?
On another page, we presented some of the obstacles preventing parents from taking more vacations. Since then, eight of our members provided their input. THANK YOU for your engagement. THIS is why we launched #TakeFamilyTime. The practical side of us understands that having 58% of American parents (and other adults with children in their home) NOT […]
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Wyoming Encourages Families to Celebrate and Educate During Women’s Suffrage 150th Anniversary
Nothing educates like travel does. Learning history from a textbook, or even through video, can’t match the opportunity for a child to be immersed in an environment where they can experience history firsthand. That’s why the Wyoming Office of Tourism is leveraging the fact that 2019 is the 150th anniversary of Wyoming women’s suffrage, and […]
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FTA Launches #TakeFamilyTime Campaign
#TakeFamilyTime is an advocacy campaign meant to rally its membership around the alarming trend of American parents not using all their vacation days and raise the awareness of the importance of traveling together as a family.
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Why I left Wall Street to launch a Cuba travel business
Who knew that building a business in an emerging market would be such a gut-wrenching experience? Yet, as a 30-year old Harvard Business School graduate, I set out to pursue my dream of launching a socially conscious travel company.
Continue Reading StoryKnowledge is Power to Grow FTA Agents’ Business
Continuous learning leads to continuous success. That’s why in April 2018, the Family Travel Association launched “FTA Academy,” a 23-module video certification program open to all FTA Travel Advisor members. The Academy offers insightful and thought-provoking content for agents at every stage of their career. FTA Academy was created by Sally Black, FTA Director of […]
Continue Reading StoryDive Vacations Help Families Explore An Amazing World Underwater
Few family vacations offer the promise of connections between children and parents like dive vacations do. “A scuba diving vacation forever changes the way you see the world – both above and below the surface,” said Jennifer Small, public relations manager with FTA Member PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) Worldwide. “By sharing this unique […]
Continue Reading StorySelling Families on Intimate Animal Encounters
One of the biggest draws for families to travel is the opportunity to have intimate encounters with animals in their natural habitats. We asked Ryan Connolly and the team at FTA Member Hidden Iceland to help you understand the draw of Iceland’s hometown favorite – The Puffin – with a little help from FTA Member […]
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FTA’s Rainer Jenss Speaks at Signature Travel Network’s Inaugural Luxury Forum in Dallas
Signature Travel Network held its first Luxury Summit in Dallas, Texas on April 10th. The sold-out event featured senior representatives from a variety of industries and organizations within the luxury segment, as well as over 250 Signature members. “Luxury travel is one of the fastest-growing segments of our business, and our greatest opportunity,” said Ignacio […]
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CEO Q&A With Nora Livingstone, Of Animal Experience International
FTA sat down with Nora Livingstone, CEO and Founder of Animal Experience International, one of our newest members, to understand how she built her company’s itineraries and brand promise based on her personal family travel experiences. Describe what AEI is and who you target primarily? AEI is a small woman-owned tour company that sends people […]
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FTA and Recommend Magazine Help Educate Travel Advisors
The FTA recently collaborated with Media Partner Recommend Magazine to bring insights and best practices for professional travel advisors seeking to focus on the family travel market. Recommend Magazine Editor-in-Chief Paloma Villaverde de Rico moderated a panel discussion that included FTA member and travel advisor, Nicole Thibault, owner of Magical Storybook Travels, and FTA Communications […]
Continue Reading StoryBruce Poon Tip to Speak at FTA 2019 Summit
The Family Travel Association (FTA) is proud to announce its first 2019 FTA Summit keynote speaker, Bruce Poon Tip, founder of G Adventures, a tour company that has been a leader in bringing local life experiences to group tours. G Adventures recently announced its partnership with National Geographic is expanding with the launch of National […]
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How Do Queer Families Choose a Destination?
PHOTO: Gay couple walking through fall woodland with daughter. (Photo via monkeybusinessimages / iStock / Getty Images Plus) Choosing a family vacation destination is tough enough, with sometimes vastly different ideas of what would be cool to kids of different ages—not to mention what the parents want. But for LGBTQ families, there are added issues […]
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4 Common Misconceptions Your Customers Have of Volunteer Travel
Let’s be honest, when your potential customers hear the term “volunteer travel,” what’s their gut reaction? There’s a good chance they picture a group of college-age kids in a third world country. By day the agenda calls for physically demanding labor, while at night they envision sleeping in creaky wooden bunk beds. While this assessment […]
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6 Extraordinary Family Vacation Ideas for 2019 – Dude Ranches Out West
Are you looking for exciting family vacation ideas? Think outside the box and perhaps consider a dude ranch vacation in the west! For more than 100 years dude ranches and guest ranch vacations have provided limitless fun and engaging things to do for the whole family. Mom and dad will appreciate the all-inclusive rates – […]
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Why Moms Choose a Dude Ranch for a Great Family Vacation
Dude ranches make an incredibly memorable and enjoyable family vacation – for moms especially. With a sense of togetherness and shared experiences moms and the whole family are sure to love their time in the great outdoors, horseback riding and participating in a limitless number of outdoor adventures, such as hiking, fishing, white water rafting, […]
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New FTA Board Members Announced
To kick off the new year, the President of the FTA, Rainer Jenss, announced the addition of four new members to the Advisory Board: Mike Janes, Ben Perlo, Peter Ross, Ashish Sanghrajka. The Advisory Board is comprised of a variety of industry luminaries who have a strong belief in our mission and the expertise to help […]
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Intrepid Travel Product Managers Are Parents Too
The itineraries and experiences empowering families traveling with adventure tour operator and FTA Member Intrepid Travel, often result from the personal experiences of employees like Family Brand and Product Manager, Dyan McKie. Based in Melbourne, Australia, McKie has been in the travel industry for 20 years, but today uses her personal insight as the mother […]
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Family Travel Radio – Affordable Vacations are as Simple as a Mindset Shift
Author and freelance writer Erin Kirkland talks with Family Travel Radio’s Aaron Schlein about how travel is more affordable when parents shift their perspective. Budget travel has “negative connotations,” Kirkland tells Schlein. “We need to start thinking about shifting our mindset, and make the phrases affordable and budget, come back to being something meaningful.” In […]
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Take Over Our FTA Social Media in 2019
Social media is one of the key ways FTA members stay in touch with each other and their followers. In 2019, we will continue to expand platforms on Facebook and Instagram for our members, so you can demonstrate your talent and offerings.
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Parents Say They Would Cancel Christmas To Travel Instead
Over half of parents (66%) say they would cancel Christmas this year to travel instead, with majority (78%) noting they would rather spend their money on a vacation instead of holiday gifts.
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FTA Join Forces with Northstar Media To Help Agents Sell To Families
The FTA collaborated with Family Getaways and the Northstar Travel Group to further their efforts to educate travel professionals on selling family travel.
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Tauck Tours Offers New “Great Migration” Safari Tour
The annual “Great Migration” is considered one of the grandest wildlife spectacles on earth, when millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles travel a circular route through eastern Africa in search of fresh grazing lands. The annual procession is now the focus of a new nine-day Tauck safari, “Great Migration: Tanzania & Kenya,” providing travelers with […]
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Costa Rica Hosts FTA Media
Il Viaggio Travel, a San José, Costa Rica, ground operator, recently took advantage of one of the greatest FTA member benefits – the ability to connect with other members, create meaningful business relationships, and help parents discover what our members are offering traveling families. The company recently launched a new product line – Costa Rica […]
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Celebrity Cruises earns Special Needs Group award
Celebrity Cruises recently was named the 2018 Power Partner by the Special Needs Group (SNG), an organization that seeks to educate travel industry professionals about the issues faced by some travelers with accessibility challenges. Celebrity Cruises, an FTA member, is the first supplier to have successfully completed SNG’s Certified Accessible Travel Advocate (CATA) program, and […]
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FTA Developing Travel Agent Resource Center
The FTA has started working with members on a Travel Agent Resource Center designed to help travel advisors better understand what our suppliers offer families and how to sell to their products and services more effectively.
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Recommend Magazine Survey: How travel agents are booking family travel
Recommend Magazine is interested in learning how travel agents are booking family travel, how it has changed and grown over the last few years, and how niches within the general segment are changing how travel advisors sell this particular demographic. That’s why Recommend is partnering with the FTA to better understand family traveler booking practices […]
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Diverse Family Offerings Mean Saint Lucia Isn’t Just for Romance Travel
Saint Lucia consistently ranks at the top of romantic Caribbean islands, but what many families and travel agents might not be aware of is that it is also a very kid-friendly destination. For any agent whose clients are looking for a lush getaway, with a diverse set of family-oriented resorts and activities, Saint Lucia should […]
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Canadian Families Have a Passion For Travel
Canadians prioritize visiting new places and exploring with their children, according to a survey recently presented at the 2018 Family Travel Association Summit. Canadian families have a tremendous passion for getting away together, as evidenced by the 81 percent who told the Family Travel Association (FTA) that they are “very likely” or “likely” to travel […]
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Save the Date: South Dakota, Summit 2019
The South Dakota Department of Tourism will host the Family Travel Association 2019 Summit, Oct. 20-24.
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Day 2: The Momentum Continues
Still glowing from an evening of awards and networking, attendees reconvened on Day 2, Tuesday, focused on supporting families whose special needs aren’t always being met by the travel industry. Tuesday morning also included an eye-opening main session about the special challenges that families with special needs members face in feeling comfortable traveling. Myron Pincomb, […]
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FTA Summit 2018 Serves Up Passion, Innovation and Insights
The 150 delegates who attended left Bermuda with a renewed sense of excitement and resolution about the opportunities the family travel market offers their businesses.
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FTA Honors: Celebrating Innovation, Excellence, and Person-of-the-Year
It was a night unlike any other, many travel veterans said. Monday evening, at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, the FTA unveiled FTA Honors.
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Reaching the Summit
More than 150 travel industry members will be meeting at the Fairmont Southampton Princess in less than two weeks, for the FTA’s 2018 Summit. Hosted by the Bermuda Tourism Authority, this year’s summit will focus on “Innovation,” as we gather to discuss issues like the affordability of family travel, travel for families with special needs, […]
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On the Air: Announcing Family Travel Radio
On October 1st, The Family Travel Association (FTA) will launch Family Travel Radio, a podcast designed to help parents discover what’s possible when it comes to traveling with their children. Family Travel Radio will be hosted by podcasting veteran Aaron Schlein, who has produced nearly 100 episodes of two existing podcasts, Dramatic Travels Family and […]
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Under Construction: FTA Travel Agent Resource Center
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be reaching out to FTA members to gather assets for the soon-to-be-launched FTA Resource Center for Travel Agents. We want to hear from you about what tools and information would help you better connect with your FTA colleagues, and improve your business. The Resource Center will be designed to […]
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Life Travel Map by Global CommUnity
Raising a global citizen takes planning The key years for travel with your child are ages 5 to 18. During those 13 years, families are also juggling extracurricular activities and life road bumps that will further limit your travel time options. That is why Global CommUnity created the Life Travel Map. You can study the destination […]
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Beyond the Beach: Unexpected Travel Destinations for Families with Fun and Learning in Mind
Luxury travel agents from Tzell Travel share their tips for unforgettable experiences for families around the world Experiential travel is hot and it’s not just for grownups. Travel Leaders Group’s recent Travel Trends survey revealed that luxury travelers are most interested in experiential travel and that’s no different for families, according to Tzell Travel Group […]
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5 Ways To Help Nurture Your Child’s Love of Animals – At Home and Away!
Animals hold a special place in our hearts – and anyone with children knows this love starts at a young age. Some of our first words are the sounds made by favorite animals.
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Thomson Family Adventures Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Thomson Family Adventures introduces exclusive 20th Anniversary offers to benefit families. Watertown, MA- Thomson Family Adventures, a leader in the family adventure travel industry, is proud to announce that it is celebrating its 20th year in adventure family travel. Since the company’s inception in 1998, thousands of families of all ages have been able to […]
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Virtuoso: Absolute Trends In American Family Travel in 2018
As the busy summer travel season approaches, global luxury travel network unveils that families are roaming the world in search of experiences that create closer bonds and lasting memories.
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Family Vacations Still Possible Despite Inflation Increase
More than a third of Americans were planning to take a vacation more than 50 miles away from home involving more than 2 immediate family members.
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FTA Unveils “FTA Academy”: Industry’s First Family Travel Certification Course
The Family Travel Association is proud to announce the launch of the FTA Certification program for travel agents that specialize in family travel. This certification course is the first of it’s kind in the travel industry.
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Traveling with Children is Easier and More Valued Than Ever
Parents report traveling with children is easier today than it’s been for past generations, according to new research by Lonely Planet in conjunction with Lonely Planet Kids. The travel media company surveyed 1,800 parents with children under 18 about their travel habits, preferences and how family travel has changed compared to when they were young. […]
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Longwoods International and the Family Travel Association join forces to promote family travel in the U.S.
Longwoods International, a leader in tourism market research, and the Family Travel Association, the leading coalition of the family travel industry, have teamed up to produce a new profile of family travel in the United States. Their study, released today, is called the Profile of the American Family Traveler. It taps into Longwoods ongoing Travel […]
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Heed call to help make family holidays safer
More than 20 holiday operators have signalled their commitment to improving safety on holidays by signing up to contribute their accident and fatality data to the Safer Tourism Foundation (STF). Last week Telegraph Travel launched its campaign for safer, fairer and better travel in 2018, arguing that only when operators agreed to pool their statistics […]
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The Most Annoying Things About Family Travel
The thrills (and spills!) of parenting seem to be amplified when you’re on vacation. Like, your kid isn’t just crying because she’s tired—she’s crying because she’s jet-lagged and thinks day is night. And she has an audience of 250 people on a plane, with no exit strategy. It’s enough to make parents want to turn […]
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DOT studies pricing models that split up families flying together
Over the past decade, as most U.S. airlines have begun charging extra for choice economy seats, it has become more complicated for those traveling as a party to secure seats together without paying an up-charge. It was for that reason that in July 2016, Congress instructed the DOT to review and determine if new airline […]
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New Growth Potential in Family Travel Market
Travel agents definitely have an opportunity when it comes to selling to families who are craving information and price transparency. According to a new study by the Family Travel Association (FTA) and the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYUSPS) Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism, opportunity is being left on the table in […]
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FTA Summit 2018
The annual FTA Summit is a trade-only, conference-style event that brings together the leading players and key influencers in family travel, including top suppliers, A-list media and travel agents who specialize in this important market segment. Come prepared to network with fellow FTA members and industry professionals while gaining key insights and learning about best practices from […]
Continue Reading StoryHelp a Charity While Growing Your Business
FTA members have been invited to take part in the first Travel/Culinary Auction on Charity Buzz (see link with details). This online marketplace offers experiences and incredible luxury packages bene?ting charitable organizations. They provide access to the largest community of high net worth (median of $3M), philanthropic individuals “shopping” for themselves, family and friends (the […]
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FTA Has Strong Presence at NY Times Travel Show
The New York Times has announced that its annual Travel Show reached a new record of 32,398 participants—the highest attendance in the Show’s history. Attendance included 10,268 travel trade and 22,130 consumer attendees during the three-day event that took place from Jan. 26-28, 2018 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The FTA was the […]
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Spring Getaway to Europe’s “West Coast” at Martinhal Sagres Family Beach Resort
With over 300 days of sunshine, warm temperatures year-round and known as a water sports haven, Portugal’s Algarve coast is already a firm favorite beach destination for travelers in the know. For spring getaway far from the crowds, a stay at Martinhal Sagres Beach Family Resort Hotel offers families the perfect beach escape with cultural […]
Continue Reading StoryGet your Clients Ready for a Little #TravelSauce
‘Grandma, would you please pass the incredible adventures?’ As fall settles in here in the Northern Hemisphere, the minds of your clients are inevitably starting to turn toward the holidays. Now is the time to add to your social media campaign plans a generous helping of #TravelSauce. Inspired by an initiative by FTA Member OARS, […]
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Use Us! – And Get the Most out of your FTA Membership
The FTA exists to serve its members. After all, if there are no members – there is no FTA, right? To that end, we’d love to have you use us. Seriously. Did you join to connect with the 80+ vetted freelancers and bloggers in our Media Center? Want to reach more agents? Need to connect […]
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FTA Summit – Register Now
The cabin block for the Family Travel Association (FTA) Summit is filling fast. So register now to ensure your ability to network with the best of the family travel industry (including media and agents)! The event is October 23-27 on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas and it is your conduit to family travel industry influencers and key decision makers. […]
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The Best Things to Do with Kids in San Diego
There are plenty of things to do in with kids in San Diego. Here are 10 of the best things to do, from Legoland to the zoo and beyond.
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Preferred Hotel Group Introduces Preferred Residences
Preferred Hotel Group introduces Preferred Residences, a worldwide collection of exceptional villas, bungalows, condominiums, and other idyllic units available at renowned luxury hotels and resorts.
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