Let me tell you a favorite story about my buddy, Rick Price. When the kids were young, the Prices and the Cantrells spent a weekend in two adjacent cottages at the Colorado State Forest. The cabins are primitive, and when we woke up Sunday morning, I had to break ice in our water supply. I hadn’t slept, the wood stove fought me, and desperate as I was for even a cup of instant hot chocolate, the thought of the miles between me and a cup of decent coffee had me in a mood.

A knock at the door and voilà! Here’s Rick, looking for all the world like Santa Claus in a lumberjack shirt, his beard already tinged with frost from the 30-second walk from his cabin, and in his hand, a fully charged Italian espresso caffettiera! Two minutes later, I’m pouring a shot of fresh espresso into my hot chocolate, the cabin is magically warming, Santa has gone on to other duties, and I’m feeling like it may be a good day after all.

Can any single experience enrich a child like travel? And how about travel to some of the world’s great cultural centers, with the kind of thoughtful anticipation and planning that rescued me that far-ago morning?

That’s the Prices’ company, ExperiencePlus! I wrote Rick to ask him how old a child needs to be to really profit from a trip with them. He says:

We’ve had families with teens tell us that our trip gave them the “best vacation"  they’d ever had, namely because we handled all the details, removing anyone in the family from the role of decision maker or authority figure.  Indeed, though, it is best for kids over 12.
 
Read about one family’s experience here.

How’s that for a spectacular holiday gift for your kids and your family? (And by the way, some great recipes on the site.)