Family travel: Going on the edu-vacation

After two years of quarantines and classroom closures, millions of children across the country have fallen behind in class. And parents, eager for lesson plans that can supplement learning, are now seeking experiences with an educational bent when they travel.

“Previously, families didn’t ask in advance about what educational activities are available at the resorts. Now they do,” said Chitra Stern, founder and CEO of the family-friendly Martinhal resorts in Portugal. Nearly half of her new bookings, Stern said, now include questions about on-site educational opportunities for children. Last year, the luxury resorts began partnering with the United Lisbon International School to offer a two-week educational summer camp for its younger guests at Martinhal Lisbon. Courses, which are available for children ages 3 to 17, begin at 440 euros (around $500).

After a pandemic dip, enrollments are on the rise for family-learning itineraries with tour operator Road Scholar, which produces educational travel programs for all ages. Options for children and their caregivers, which start at $699 per adult and $449 per child, include combining history and geography with spotting grizzlies in the Canadian Rockies, or learning French while taking a scavenger hunt through Paris’ Louvre.

And noting an uptick in children road tripping with their parents, the Colorado Tourism Office last summer launched Schoolcations, a series of free itineraries based on Colorado road trips and designed for grades K-5.