Austin Adventures' Montana Family Vacation Named One of “50 Tours of a Lifetime”

April 10, 2014 - PRLog -- BILLINGS, MT,  – The editors of National Geographic Traveler announced today that Austin Adventures’ "Montana Family: Great Western Adventure" has been selected as one of National Geographic Traveler magazine’s ninth annual “50 Tours of a Lifetime.”

This trip will be featured in the May 2014 issue and listed on a special Tours of a Lifetime landing page on National Geographic Traveler’s award-winning website.

“Southeastern Montana is a gem of a region right here in our own backyard,” explains Dan Austin, Founder and President of Billings, MT-based Austin Adventures. “It’s been overlooked by adventure travelers far too long. That’s why we took great care in building what we think is a captivating tour itinerary that takes in all the best activities and places. There’s a huge satisfaction in knowing the editors of National Geographic Traveler agreed!”

The magazine’s selection process looked for 2014’s most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided and most sustainable tours offered worldwide.

“This year marks the 30th anniversary of National Geographic Traveler, which has always looked at the world through the lens of culture, nature, and history. The tours we selected go beyond destination to add meaning and context,” said Norie Quintos, executive editor. “They open the mind to new possibilities, new connections, and new ways of thinking— all critically important given the world’s complex issues.”

For more information please see http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/tours/

Montana Family: Great Western Adventure is a six-day/five-night program that begins and ends in historic Billings, MT and is priced at $1,998 per adult double and from $1,598 for children. Departure dates are June 22 and 29, July 20 and Aug. 17 and 24. See: http://www.austinadventures.com/packages/montana-family-g...

As with all Austin Adventures itineraries, the historic and cultural landscape and terrain determine the range of activities. This region is rife with opportunities, from the Little Bighorn Battlefield, a memorial to the Sioux and Cheyenne, and to the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry, to Cody’s rollicking Stampede Rodeo. And in between are the Rockies from Beartooth Mountains to Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley. Guests can get up close and personal with a towering grizzly, a friendly lynx and a great horned owl on a private tour of Billings' ZooMontana; they hike into Montana's beautiful backcountry working up an appetite for a bison burger at the famous Grizzly Bar in Roscoe; saddle-up and ride with cowboys through the foothills and journey to the “Top of the World” on the Beartooth Highway for spectacular 360-degree views and the chance to play in the snow in the middle of summer.

About Austin Adventures For over 40 years Austin Adventures (formerly Austin-Lehman Adventures) has provided adventure vacations, now on six continents, building an international reputation for small group active travel to destinations in The Americas, Europe, Africa and Antarctica. Its specialty is adult adventure (multi-sport), family, biking, hiking and small ship cruising adventures, all focused on history, culture and nature’s gifts.  Small group trips feature exceptional regional dining, distinctive accommodations and all-inclusive rates and services. In addition to scheduled group departures, Austin Adventures offers customized trip planning and a money-back satisfaction guarantee. The company’s Vice President of Operations, Kasey Austin, was singled out by editors of OUTSIDE Magazine as the world’s top Family Guide for 2014.

In September 2013 Austin Adventures joined the Xanterra Parks & Resorts® portfolio of experiential leisure offerings. Known for its “Legendary Hospitality with a Softer Footprint,” Xanterra Parks & Resorts® entities include lodges, restaurants, tours and activities in national and state parks and resorts as well as a cruise line, railway and tour operator. Xanterra Parks & Resorts has operations in the Grand Canyon, including Grand Canyon Railway in Williams, Ariz., and The Grand Hotel in Tusayan, AZ.; Yellowstone; Zion; Crater Lake; Glacier, Rocky Mountain and Petrified Forest National Parks; Mount Rushmore National Memorial; Furnace Creek Resort in Death Valley National Park and five Ohio State Park Lodges as well as the Geneva Marina at Ohio’s Geneva State Park. Xanterra Parks & Resorts also operates Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Va., Windstar Cruises, VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations and Austin Adventures.

Contact Widness & Wiggins PR for photos, interviews and more information:

Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / sara@widnesspr.com

Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / dave@travelnewssource.com