Tauck has announced its Tauck Bridges family-specific trips for 2010, and next year’s portfolio will include a river cruise designed especially for families. Tauck had tested the family river cruise concept earlier this year, and based on overwhelmingly positive guest feedback and strong sales, the company is formally adding it to its Bridges line for 2010. For next year, Tauck will offer a total of 12 Bridges itineraries in Europe, North America, Latin America and Africa.

The Tauck Bridges river cruise, “Blue Danube: Family Riverboat Adventure” (8 days, from $2,790 per person, double, plus air) begins in Budapest and travels the Danube River aboard Tauck’s MS Swiss Sapphire riverboat to visit Bratislava, Vienna, Dürnstein, Linz, Passau and Regensburg, with a full-day excursion to Salzburg along the way.  The itinerary incorporates a number of components crafted specifically to provide family fun, including a scavenger hunt and whitewater rafting in Bratislava, a hands-on strudel-making class, a visit to whimsical Hellbrunn Castle near Salzburg, and a marzipan sculpting class.  Departures of the Bridges river cruise are scheduled for July 1st and 29th.

Bridges trips have comprised one of the fastest-growing segments of Tauck’s business in recent years, and company CEO Dan Mahar credits the success to Bridges’ unique approach. “We build each Bridges trip around ‘shared enrichment,’ in which family members reconnect by building bonds – or bridges – as they experience the joys of travel together,” said Mahar. “Parents today want to stimulate their children’s curiosity and sense of wonder about the world, and they want to spend quality time together as a family. Bridges trips provide true enriching engagement within each destination, with the added benefit of having Tauck handle all the planning and execution of the vacation. Parents are free to totally relax and really get the most from the time with their children.”

Tauck introduced its Bridges trips in 2003, and the collection has grown to include a dozen itineraries. Especially popular are “Italia Bella: Rome to Venice,” “Castles & Kings: London to Paris,” and “Cowboy Country” which visits Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Other Bridges itineraries explore Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands, the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, Tanzania, and the historic mid-Atlantic corridor including Williamsburg, Washington, DC and Gettysburg, PA.

Those interested in more information on Tauck and its Tauck Bridges trips can contact their local travel professional, call 1 800 468 2825, or visit www.tauck.com.