Thomson Family Adventures debuted a new series of educational family vacations with Smithsonian Journeys that will operate in the summer and fall of 2012. These Smithsonian Family Adventures will offer families cultural learning experiences in Tanzania, Peru, Costa Rica, Turkey and China.

The family vacations are designed for families with children ages 6 and up. They will take place during both summer and winter vacations starting in 2012 and focus on providing families with enhanced educational experiences in some of the world’s most fascinating travel destinations. These special tours combine Smithsonian Journeys’ 40 years of experience in educational travel with Thomson Family Adventures award-winning family vacation itineraries.

The programs will offer extensive hands-on cultural learning opportunities. In Tanzania, guests will travel full-time with a professional photographer. In China, families will spend three days at the Linden Centre in Yunnan Province, experiencing Chinese village life close-up. In Peru, families will travel to a floating reed village on Lake Titicaca, and can study two volcanoes in Costa Rica.

 “We are honored to be working side by side with such a great organization as Smithsonian and look forward to providing a truly unique family travel experience to our guests,” said Jim Kackley, general manager, Thomson Family Adventures. Since 1998, Thompson Family Adventures has focused on connecting families with travel options that meet their specialized needs. The operator was rated number one in family travel in 2008 and 2009 by National Geographic Adventure.

“By expanding our family travel program to include more family-friendly itineraries, Smithsonian Journeys offers new opportunities for families to enjoy Smithsonian far beyond the museums in Washington, D.C.,” said Carol LeBlanc, vice president of Smithsonian Enterprises. “Together with Thomson Family Adventures, we will extend the Smithsonian’s superb educational resources to families who desire a truly unique travel experience. These are educational and fun trips that we know the whole family will enjoy and cherish.” For more information, call 800-262-6255.