Families that play together stay together

Time was when Sunday dinners brought generations of families together around the same table. Because today’s workplace has a way of scattering families across the country and even around the world, laying plans to reunite often goes to the experts.

Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA) reports a boom in requests and bookings for private, multi-generational trips.

“We have experienced a 33 percent increase in private family trips, double over previous years. Interest is running at an all-time high,” says Dan Austin, ALA’s Director. He says that for 2008 ALA already has several trips in the research and planning stage and several confirmed group bookings.

As a result, ALA is repositioning itself as the “go-to” company for planning and setting up private, custom, multi-generational vacations in the Americas and coming in 2008, Southern Africa.

ALA has designated Carol Austin, a 10-year veteran in vacation sales and trip consulting as senior administrator of private group sales. She will oversee the planning, booking and coordinating of all group trips, giving the client a savvy designated point person to deal with from start to finish.

Carol Austin’s experience is that families want an authentic, active, all-inclusive get together but often don’t have the regional knowledge, local connections and hours of pre-trip planning time needed for researching the right hotel, ground transportation, backcountry trails and equipment rentals.

“We have the expert guides, permits, support personnel, equipment, and more importantly, the insider’s knowledge and contacts to develop extraordinary, personalized itineraries from Alaska to the Peruvian Amazon, and now, in southern Africa,” she says.

“I have a passion for what I do and the years of experience and connections to back it up – all ending in the creation of a truly one-of-a-kind vacation. I’m accessible 24-7 if need be and have doused many a small fire or mini-crisis before it could develop into a vacation threatening situation,” she says.

The client needs to tell Austin what they want to do and when, the age range of the family participants and what the budget limitations may be.

“We’ll build it exactly your way. Looking for a higher level of challenge and distance? No problem. Want something that’s really over-the-top? It’s our specialty. Whatever your dream may be, a private family trip built to your specifications can make it an unforgettable reality,” she says.

“We’ve created highly successful custom trips with as little as two weeks notice,” she says, “but the more advance time we have from clients the more options we have as regards to the choicest lodging and special events.” Austin stresses that now is the best time to begin planning a 2008 adventure.

On a multi-generational private adventure guests control the selection, duration and difficulty levels of activities, how much and how to best spend down time, special treats and surprises (birthday parties, anniversaries, etc). Great care is taken to accommodate the wishes of grandparents to grandchildren and everyone in-between.

ALA’s most popular multi-generational destinations to date have been Yellowstone Park, the Canadian Rockies, Costa Rica and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

For a copy of the 2007-2008 catalog as well as information on ALA’s 32 unique luxury, multi-sport, adult and family active adventure travel itineraries, log on to Austinlehman.com.