• What to know if you go

LINI S KADABA/MBR (ENLARGE)

A traditional African wildlife safari might offer the opportunity to experience tribal cultures. Some families traveling today want to interact with and serve local communities.

NICK ARROYO/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)

Families with health concerns about Third World travel can ease into the exotic vacation experience by going to a destination such as Costa Rica, which is relatively well-developed.

JIM GENSHEIMER/KRT (ENLARGE)

The price of vacations to destinations in Asia, such as Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, has become more favorable now that travel to Europe has gotten more expensive, says one travel expert.

London — Money. Security. Good schools. Many American families have it all. But there may be something they don't have — experience of places that don't have it all.

That's why many travel experts say that travel to the Third World has become a popular vacation trend in the past few years.

By traveling to impoverished places, parents are able to provide their children with a window into a world they may not have known existed.

"There is a definite trend toward socially conscious travel by families that want to experience life beyond Disney World," said Betty Stark, a travel industry consultant in Madison, Wis. "Security can be a concern, though, so many of them work through organizations that have hands-on experience in dealing with Third World destinations."

Travel agencies that specialize in family holidays say that treks to faraway places such as China, Thailand and various African destinations are booming, and that these excursions are a far cry from the days when Mom, Dad, kids and dog piled into the station wagon and roamed from state to state.

So many American families are clamoring for travel that removes them from their comfort zones that many companies now offer a wide range of family safaris — complete with visits to the local schools — in places such as Botswana and Tanzania.

Journeys International in Ann Arbor, Mich., is one agency that organizes "cross-cultural explorations" for families.

Director Will Weber said he has witnessed an increase in travel by families to underdeveloped parts of the world, in spite of warnings issued by the State Department against journeys to some of these places.

"I think this reflects a determination to show children that the world is not as dangerous as certain political philosophies might wish to portray it," he said.

Weber said he's also seen an increase in the number of teachers taking high school students on trips to places such as Mali, Kenya, Vietnam and China, obviously with parental consent.

Seeing different lifestyles

Shirish Trivedi of Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Baltimore said that many parents who traveled widely when they were younger want their own children to experience something beyond the typical beach vacation.

"They have been looking to travel to destinations where their children can experience the different lifestyles that they are not accustomed to," he said. "Even many travel channel programs are emphasizing destinations that are not common to show the life in these places."

Trivedi also said that the price of vacations to Asia and other Third World destinations has become more favorable now that travel to Europe has grown more expensive, and this has added to their appeal.

The dollar has been losing ground against many of the world's major currencies, including the euro and the British pound, making travel to Europe a pricier prospect.

"The cost of the vacation to various underdeveloped countries is often much less, and therefore many families feel it's worth doing these kinds of vacations before their kids go off to college," he said. "We have seen more and more families try to take at least one vacation to this type of destination."

Lending a helping hand

Many families not only want to tour underdeveloped regions, but they also want to interact with local families and to serve local communities.

Barbara DeGroot, media relations manager for Global Volunteers, one of the largest nonprofit groups sponsoring volunteer vacations, said she has seen a 145 percent increase in the number of people going on volunteer vacations since 1995.

The organization, based in St. Paul, Minn., offers trips to 20 countries around the world and allows travelers to participate in locally directed projects such as building houses and teaching English.

To encourage family participation, the organization offers discounts to families of as much as $200 per person, up to a maximum of $800 for a family of four.

In general, fees range from $795 for U.S. programs to between $1,500 and $2,650 for two- to three-week international programs, depending on the community.

Ann LoCicero, the Italy-based owner of www.kidscantravel.com, an online travel magazine, said the main concerns keeping many families from visiting Third World countries are related to health, not security.

"Many families put all of Africa into their 'no go' category because they assume malaria is everywhere," she said.

LoCicero said that American families with health concerns often take an initial "baby step" to a destination such as Costa Rica in Central America, which is relatively well-developed.

LoCicero said that there's no question family tours involving biking and hiking are becoming a larger component of the offerings from adventure travel outfitters in the United States and elsewhere.

"Families are increasingly interested in backpacker-types of trips and back-to-nature types of trips," she said. "People are definitely traveling further away than they used to and participating in more activities than they used to when they get away."

IF YOU GO

Companies that specialize in exotic travel for families:

Journeys International: www.journeys-intl.com.

Thomson Family Adventures: www.familyadventures.com.

Global Volunteers: www.globalvolunteers.com.

KidsCanTravel.com: www.kidscantravel.com

Wildland Adventures: www.wildland.com.

Where to go

Here are some countries that have become popular as family travel destinations, and how they are ranked on the latest United Nations Human Development Index of 177 countries.

48. Costa Rica

74. Thailand

81. China

109. Vietnam

131. Botswana

152. Kenya

162. Tanzania

175. Mali