What’s it really like to travel with Austin Adventures? Your questions are answered by a mom who went on the Croatia Family Vacation.
Planning a family vacation can be a lot of work, especially when traveling with active kids and teenagers. There are accommodations, activities, meals, and so much more to consider! Like how much underwear to pack.
When planning a recent trip to Croatia, we decided to let someone else handle the details. Not just anyone, but Austin Adventures, an expert in small group adventure travel. In fact their motto is “The toughest part is going home.”
Austin Adventures began operating tours back in the 80s. You might think tour companies are for older folks, not families. Or perhaps you picture a lot of time spent on a bus, sightseeing from the window.
That’s definitely not the case when traveling with Austin Adventures. While some trips are designed just for adults, others are created specifically for family travelers. Itineraries are available in interesting places around the world, like the Croatia Family Vacation that we just experienced. You won’t be doing a lot of sitting around. Trust me.
Here are some questions you might have about traveling with Austin Adventures:
What does an average day look like?
Of course, the activities are specific to each trip. However, you can expect to start most days around 8:30. You’ll have breakfast at your hotel with your family before the designated meeting time.
Being on time is important as you’ll head out as a group.
You’ll want to bring a small day pack with essentials like water and sunscreen. Austin Adventures will provide snacks during the day.
Activities will be planned for you and you’ll be busy most of the day. There’s typically be a few hours to rest and clean up before dinner.
Speaking of meals, you’ll have lunch and dinner together as a group. Some of our meals were served family style, but in most cases we ordered off a menu.
Each night at dinner, your guides will provide a preview of the day ahead so that you know when to meet, what to wear, etc.
On the Austin Adventures website, there’s a sample itinerary shown for each trip. Our trip followed pretty closely to what was outlined online, with a few minor changes.
[ Related: Read our day-by-day account of the Croatia Family Vacation to see exactly what we did ]
Who else will be on the trip?
If you book a family itinerary, expect to be joined by other families.
These are small group trips, that are limited to a certain number of guests. For example, the Croatia trip hosts 18 people maximum. Our group included 4 families. There were 14 people in total, with 7 kids. They ranged in age from 9 to 17.
Most Austin Adventures guests are from the United States.
Is there a minimum age for kids?
Austin Adventures specifies that the minimum age for kids is 6. However, it’s 7-years-old when traveling in Alaska.
Be sure to read the itinerary and the activities involved to make sure that your child will be able to fully participate in the adventure. Although the family itineraries are tailored for kids, the activities can be strenuous and each day is planned for you.
Some things to ask yourself: Does your child have the stamina to be on the go for a week? Or the ability to interact with new people? How do they handle new foods? Can they do the activities? For example, in Croatia there’s a lot of bike riding. If your child’s not yet comfortable on a bike, this would not be the best trip for your family.
So while age 6 is the minimum age, certain trips would be better suited to slightly older kids.
How difficult are the activities?
Activity levels are listed on the website next to each trip, ranging from Level 1 (least active) to Level 5 (most active). Most family trips fall in the Level 2 or Level 3 range.
Our trip included biking, hiking, and kayaking. No experience was necessary for kayaking.
While participation is encouraged, it’s not required. On our particular trip, the biking days were long. A van will follow behind the group in case anyone needs assistance or a break. Several of us took breaks in the van for portions of the bike rides.
Your guides will support you if you – or your kids – need a break. Be sure to speak up.
[ Related: 8 Reasons to Take Your Teen to Croatia ]
What’s included with the cost of the trip?
A lot! It’s essentially an all-inclusive vacation. In general, accommodations, activities, transportation and most meals are included with your trip cost.
You’re responsible for your flights as well as any pre- or post-trip hotels. Austin Adventures will recommend a hotel. For example, during our Croatia Family Vacation, we stayed at Hotel Luxe. This was the Austin Adventures recommended hotel and the meeting point for Day 1 of our trip
[ Related: How to Spend a Weekend in Dubrovnik ]
Tips for your guides are not included.
You’ll also need to purchase travel insurance. This trip is an investment and you’ll want to make sure you’re protected in case of emergency.
Speaking of cost, a $500 discount is provided for kids 12 and under.
[ Related: 8 Travel Insurance Questions Answered by Experts ]
How does tipping work?
A gratuity of $15-25 per day, per person, per guide is the recommended tip amount. It’s a small way to show some additional love to the people who will make your week not only run smoothly, but be one of the most memorable of your life.
You should plan ahead and have cash with you. Depending on where you travel ATMs might be hard to find.
In some cases guides might have Venmo, PayPal, etc, but you shouldn’t count on this.
What types of food will be available?
As previously mentioned, most meals are included with your trip. We were only responsible for one dinner during our vacation.
We had breakfast at our hotel each morning. The hotels booked by Austin Adventures included expansive breakfast buffets.
Austin Adventures provided lunches and dinners. The locations were pre-determined. Tables were reserved for our large group. Some businesses opened on their day off, just to provide us with a taste of their local cutlure.
The food offered in Croatia was local – and it was excellent. We dined at some truly fabulous restaurants during our trip. It was a great chance to experience local foods and flavors. So, yes, that meant octopus was served at most restaurants. This may not be what you, or your kids, enjoy eating. That’s ok, there was typically a beef, chicken, or a pasta dish offered, too.
If you have a picky eater, you might want to travel with some familiar snacks from home.
If traveling with a food allergy, let the team know in advance. The guides did an incredible job helping me navigate my gluten allergy wherever we dined. They always made sure that I had gluten free appetizers, entrees, and desserts, as well as snacks during our daily activities.
What should I pack?
Although it depends on the itinerary and location, all trips are designed to be active.
Having clothing that you can move, sweat, and, potentially, get wet in is advisable. Quick dry clothing and clothing with sun protection will come in handy.
For a trip like Croatia which included 50+ miles of biking, consider investing in bike shorts. We found inexpensive, padded bike shorts on Amazon.
Otherwise, the attire was casual. T-shirts, shorts, and jeans will be fine. Pack swimsuits for playing in the ocean – or the hotel pool.
You’ll want to have a small bag or backpack to use as your day pack. Sunscreen is a necessity. Austin Adventures will provide you with a water bottle.
Of course, we also brought a lot of gadgets, too! We’d recommend a GoPro or Insta360 camera to capture your biking and kayaking adventures. We’d also recommend a waterproof cell phone case for taking photos while kayaking, paddle boarding, or swimming.
The Austin Adventures trip management website has helpful documents like downloadable packing lists. Be sure to review it prior to your trip.
I booked my trip! Now what?
Congratulations! Get excited for the trip of a lifetime.
Once you book, you’ll receive an emailing inviting you to create an account on Austin Adventure’s trip planning website.
You’ll complete your travel details here. This is where you’ll also find all kinds of additional information about the destination and your specific trip. Check out those packing lists at least a month before your trip in case you need to purchase anything, like those bike shorts we mentioned.
Austin Adventures will check in with you with any questions. You’ll also receive a helpful pre-trip phone call a few weeks before heading out.
Just a warning: you might get hooked on this style of travel. It was fun and stress-free. In fact, the other families on our Croatia Family Vacation had all traveled with Austin Adventures and raved about their previous trips to places like Yellowstone and Alaska.
The author received a complimentary trip for purposes of this review. All opinions are her own.
