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Tours: Away for the Holidays – Join Thomson Family Adventures and Create Memories. One of the easiest ways to escape the madness of the holidays is to latch on to a family tour. The family adventures described below are all available during the Christmas or winter school break. I have highlighted a few unique memory making itineraries.

Follow the links included to several more. Think of the following short descriptions as gift wrapping for a family adventure. The ideas described read like a special present just waiting to be unwrapped. From an Africa safari or a jungle trek in Panama to feeding reindeer in Lapland or riding an elephant in Thailand, unwrap one of these memories with your children. It will be Christmas with a twist.

Tanzania: Wildlife, the Maasai and the Serengeti on a Thomson Family Safari. Christmas in Africa – cool! Just imagine traveling in custom four-wheel drive Land Rover safari vehicles along back roads following dusty tracks and having a new surprise every day. Take your kids and surprise them with new stuff. This family adventure includes travel through rugged yet beautiful landscapes, stretching from the volcanic cone of Mt. Meru to the Great Rift Valley and from the dramatic, tree-strewn landscape of Tarangire to the endless plains of the Serengeti. Each tour allows for unique opportunities to meet villagers, school children, artisans, the Maasai, Tanzanian guides and to make long-time friends. Participants will have time to connect with residents who are willing to share their thoughts, traditions, language and everyday lives. Riding in safari vehicles will make wildlife viewing easy. No two days will be the same. Expect to see Mother Nature’s daily documentary which may include a lion stalking a herd of zebras; hundreds of gazelles springing across a dirt road; a family of tiny dik-dik antelope hidden in the tall grass; elephants with their young babies drinking and bathing at a watering hole; hippos wallowing in a pool; or a family of cheetahs patiently hunting its prey. Bonus points: On every Thomson tour with eight or more participants a tour mentor will travel along to provide hands-on activities, games and reading materials for children. Need to know: Tanzania Family Safari is 11 day/10 nights and geared for ages six and older. (Thomson Family Adventures 14 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472. Toll-free 1-800-262-6255 or www.FamilyAdventures.com)

Thailand: Phuket, Chiang Mai and a Reclining Buddha with Thomson's Thailand for Families. Thailand is a land of startling contrast - luxurious palaces filled with unimaginable treasures and humble mountain villages, quietly stunning natural beauty and boisterous metropolises, Phuket's crystal clear waters and bustling water markets. Families will learn how to train elephants at the National Elephant Institute, paddle through limestone caves off of Phuket, and ride the rapids of the Mae Tang River, cycle through Thonduri, explore Bangkok and fly through the jungle on one of the world's longest ziplines. The tour truly offers families a chance to sample everything Thai - from the culinary adventure of Thai food (including cooking classes) to Thailand's ancient Buddhist tradition. Exploring Thailand with the whole family is a wonderful, exciting, horizon-expanding adventure. Bonus Points: Every children under the age of 12 sharing with two adults is elegible for $200 off tour price. Also, on every Thomson tour with eight or more participants a tour mentor will travel along to provide hands-on activities, games and reading materials for children. Need to know: Thailand for Families is 10 day/9 night and geared for ages eleven and older. (Adventure Center 1311 63rd Street, Suite 200, Emeryville, CA 94608 USA. Toll-free 1-800-228-8747, 1(510) 654-1879 or www.adventurecenter.com)

Panama: Thomson Family Adventure, Jungle, Beaches and the Panama Canal. Panama offers visitors natural beauty, smiling residents and a few delightful surprises, better yet a chance to practice Spanish with a purpose. They offer three holiday departures each ideal for an active family because it provides easy access to the untouristed system of natural parks along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. There is an opportunity to interact with the indigenous Emberá people who live a traditional lifestyle alongside the Panama Canal. Activities include exploring misty cloud forest reserve at Baru Volcano National Park; rafting the Esti River through a forest of ancient ferns and beautiful orchids, past hidden waterfalls and trees where monkeys and sloths keep watch; snorkeling the waters of Bastimentos Marine National Park has some of the Caribbean's most spectacular coral reefs; seeing monkeys, slow-moving sloths, croc-like caiman and tropical birds of all kinds on coastal islands; sleeping at the luxurious Gamboa Rainforest Resort in the heart of the Soberania National Park; seeing the Panama Canal and the Miraflores Locks and interpretive canal exhibit; visiting Gatun Lake and riding in traditional dugout piraguas along the Chagres River. Bonus points: On every Thomson tour with eight or more participants a tour mentor will travel along to provide hands-on activities, games and reading materials for children. Not only that, but Panama is just a short plane ride away from the U.S. The Panama family adventure is 8 days/7 nights for ages six and older. (Thomson Family Adventure 14 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, MA 02472. Toll-free  1-800-262-6255 or www.FamilyAdventures.com)

Content researched and created by Travel Communications Inc. Images provided by Travel, Thomson Family Adventures. Copyright 2011.

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