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| When did Family Time Become a Luxury? |
Hightail
it home from work, take Tim to tee-ball, pick up Paige from piano
practice…run Gus to the groomer’s, fix dinner, help with homework, do
the dishes, pay the bills, guzzle a glass of wine and gape at the gobs
of to-do’s still left on your list…sound familiar?
In today’s whirlwind world of working parents, endless to-do’s and
countless after-school activities, we’ve barely got time to blink, let
alone sit down for 30 minutes. When did life become so busy that simply
finding time to get together as a family became a luxury?
Rose Cherin once said,“Heirlooms we don’t have in our family. But
stories we’ve got.” At ALA we say the heck with heirlooms. It’s time to
slow down, focus on each other and make some memories.
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| Jon Lehman on Family Vacations |
When
I first meet people and tell them my last name, they invariably ask if
it’s “Lehman” as in “Lehman Brothers.” Well, I’m not sure it was worth
the failure of the global economy, but I’m pretty happy that I’m not
getting that question much these days. In fact, I’m proud to have a
28-year association with the “Lehman” part of “Austin-Lehman
Adventures” in my dad, Paul Lehman.
Thanks to my dad, I’ve spent a respectable number of my days here
on Earth traveling to some pretty marvelous places. Being the son of
someone in the travel industry certainly has its perks. Even if my
education and my day job may have prevented me from taking off on every
Austin-Lehman trip that I’d like to, I’ve been fortunate to participate
in lots of family adventures over the years…
To read more of Jon’s blog, On Family Travel, click here
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| Matty Kirkland, ALA Guide and Expert on Family Fun |
Matty
has been guiding ALA tours in over 20 of our destinations for the past
ten years. His own family travel began at a young age when his parents
took him – along with eight siblings – on his first road trip to
Vermont.
“I loved traveling with my family, but keeping all eight of us
entertained wasn’t always easy for my parents. The best thing about ALA
family vacations is that with extra guides and vans, special equipment
and separate activities, everyone has a blast. Kids are never bored
(and we all know when the kids are happy, everyone’s happy!), and
parents have plenty of down time. I also love watching families
befriend each other on our trips. It’s incredible how well they mesh.
Kids and parents are always exchanging emails before a trip’s end and
many of them go home with new, lifelong friends.”
At ALA, we take care of all the details, large and small. Leave
your ‘parent duties’ at home and say goodbye to lugging bags, cooking,
cleaning, driving, or even carrying a guidebook – that’s what your
guides are for! Not only are they full of interesting facts and
insights, they’re up hours before you every morning, planning the day’s
activities – and come nightfall, they’ll book you a massage, seat you
at a table by the window at a favorite restaurant, and then shuttle you
home for a restful night’s sleep in the best suite our lodges offer. So
whether you’ve got a family of three, four, or ten like Matty’s, the
only thing you need to worry about is checking off the items on your
pre-tour packing list. The rest is up to us!
Curious to learn more? Give us a call at 800.575.1540, or click here for a full list of our Family Vacations
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Travel + Leisure 
National Geographic Adventure 
National Geographic Traveler 
