ON A BEAUTIFUL NEW YORK CITY EVENING, the team at FXExpress Publications, Inc., encompassing Global Traveler, trazeetravel.com and whereverfamily.com, took in the sweeping views on offer at City Vineyard at Pier 26 to celebrate the Wherever Awards, the awards for the best in family travel as deemed by the readers of whereverfamily.com.
To the beautiful sounds of steel drums, we presented the winners of the 2019 Wherever Awards; sipped on the delicious wines of City Vineyard; and chatted with colleagues, co-workers, clients and friends. The Wherever Awards ballot ran on whereverfamily.com from September 2018 to March 2019, with the winners announced in September 2019.
Here we recap the winners as they proudly display their new awards.
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER P. OTTAUNICK
This year, for the first time, WhereverFamily awarded the WhereverFamily Family Traveler of the Year to Rainer Jenss, president and founder of the Family Travel Association. Jenss left a position at National Geographic to take a year to travel around the world with his wife and two sons. They traveled from continent to continent, and the boys kept up with their schooling on the road, not missing a beat when they returned a year later. Upon their return, Jenss launched Family Travel Association to encourage other families to travel the world to build relationships and global perspective.
Join whereverfamily.com in February 2020 for an exciting online travel auction to benefit KAI Foundation. KAI Foundation was created in 2015 to play a role in assisting those in need in order to give future generations greater opportunities. The journey out of poverty can only commence when those in need have access to quality health care and education. In developing countries these basic services are simply not available. The first initiative was in Mugarameno, Zambia, a small village approximately 15 miles from Royal Zambezi Lodge, a local partner for the hospital. Any initiative undertaken anywhere in the world must have a local partner that can co-manage the project to ensure 100 percent of the resources and funding is applied appropriately. The maternity ward built in December of 2016 in Mugarameno serves a community of more than 20,000 people. To date, the facility has delivered almost 200 children, and the numbers grow considerably as the community learns the benefits of employing the facility. The Zambian government carefully watched the success of the project and is now sending a doctor to be based in the village to support the on-site nurse, made possible as a result of the KAI Foundation building a home for a doctor and another assistant.
The next project will commence in early 2020 to support a school on the outskirts of Siem Reap, Cambodia. The existing school, too small for the 200 students currently enrolled, lacks basic supplies. The Cambodia project will be co-managed by Destination Asia.
Congratulations to the 2019 Wherever Award winners! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the world of family travel through March on whereverfamily.com.
WINNERS’ CIRCLE
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY DOMESTIC AIRLINE
1. American Airlines
2. Delta Air Lines
3. Hawaiian Airlines
4. United Airlines
5. Alaska Airlines
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY AIRLINE IN NORTH AMERICA
1. Air Canada
2. American Airlines
3. Delta Air Lines
4. United Airlines
5. Alaska Airlines
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE
1. TAP Air Portugal
2. Delta Air Lines
3. Alaska Airlines
4. Air New Zealand
5. American Airlines
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY FREQUENT-FLYER PROGRAM
1. Air Canada Aeroplan
2. United MileagePlus
3. American Airlines AAdvantage
4. Delta SkyMiles
5. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOTEL CHAIN
1. The Ritz-Carlton
2. Holiday Inn Club Vacations
3. Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
4. Westin Hotels & Resorts
5. Sheraton
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY RESORT CHAIN
1. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
2. Hyatt Hotels and Resorts
3. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
4. Crowne Plaza
5. Westin Hotels & Resorts
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY INDIVIDUAL HOTEL
1. Atlantis Paradise Island Resort,Bahamas
2. Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World
3. Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
4. LEGOLAND Feriendorf, Gunzburg, Germany
5. Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Jamaica
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY FREQUENT-STAY PROGRAM
1. Marriott Bonvoy
2. IHG Rewards Club
3. Wyndham Rewards
4. Loews First
5. Hilton Honors
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY ALL-INCLUSIVE HOTEL
1. Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa
2. Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
3. Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Esmeralda, Mexico
4. Club Med Pragelato Vialattea, Italy
5. Tortuga Lodge & Gardens, Costa Rica
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY PET HOTEL
1. Fairmont Hotels
2. The Peninsula Hotels
3. Westin Hotels & Resorts
4. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
5. Sheraton
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOTEL KIDS CLUB
1. Atlantis Paradise Island Resort, Bahamas
2. The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado
3. Club Med, Sandpiper Bay, Florida
4. Sea Island, Georgia
5. Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY VACATION COMPANY
1. American Airlines Vacations
2. United Vacations
3. SAA Vacations
4. Delta Vacations
5. Holiday Inn Vacation Club
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY DOMESTIC TOUR COMPANY
1. Adventures by Disney
2. National Geographic Vacations
3. REI Adventures
4. Trafalger
5. Intrepid Travel
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL TOUR COMPANY
1. National Geographic Vacations
2. Lindblad Expeditions
3. Classic Journeys
4. Thomson Family Adventures
5. Austin Adventures
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY CRUISE LINE
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Holland America Line
3. Viking Ocean Cruises
4. Princess Cruises
5. Celebrity Cruises
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY MULTIGEN CRUISE LINE
1. Silversea Cruises
2. Celebrity Cruises
3. Viking Ocean Cruises
4. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
5. Royal Caribbean
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY CRUISE LINE KIDS CLUB
1. Royal Caribbean Adventure Ocean
2. Norwegian Cruise Line Splash Academy
3. Disney Cruise Line Oceaneer Club
4. Carnival Cruise Line Camp Ocean
5. Princess Cruises Camp Discovery
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY CREDIT CARD
1. United Explorer Card from Chase
2. Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express
3. Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card
4. Chase Sapphire Preferred
5. Citi AAdvantage MasterCard
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY CREDIT CARD REWARDS PROGRAM
1. Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Visa
2. Royal Caribbean Bank of America Visa
3. Delta SkyMiles American Express
4. Princess Cruises Visa Signature Card
5. Disney Premier Visa
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION
1. Italy
2. Africa
3. Fiji
4. London
5. Costa Rica
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY DOMESTIC DESTINATION
1. Philadelphia
2. Orlando
3. California
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Texas
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY CARIBBEAN ISLAND
1. Bahamas
2. Grand Cayman
3. Curaçao
4. Aruba
5. St. Lucia
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY MULTIGEN DESTINATION OF THE YEAR
1. Italy
2. South Africa
3. Ireland
4. Patagonia
5. Mexico
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY AMUSEMENT PARK
1. Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
2. Magic Kingdom, Disney World, Orlando
3. Universal Studios Hollywood
4. Sesame Place, Langhorne, Pennsylvania
5. Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY WATERPARK
1. Great Wolf Lodge
2. Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
3. Aquatica by SeaWorld
4. Zoombezi Bay, Columbus, Ohio
5. Disney’s Blizzard Beach, Orlando
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY RENTAL CAR COMPANY
1. Avis
2. Hertz
3. Sixt
4. National Car Rental
5. Budget
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY TRAVEL PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
1. Lindblad Expeditions
2. National Geographic Vacations
3. REI Adventures 4. Thomson Family Adventures
5. Ecoventure Family Cruises
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY DOMESTIC AIRPORT
1. Pittsburgh International Airport
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
3. San Francisco International Airport
4. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
5. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
1. Singapore Changi Airport
2. Munich Airport
3. Hamad International Airport, Doha
4. Incheon Airport
5. Frankfurt am Main Airport
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY AIRPORT DINING
1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
2. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
3. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
4. George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston
5. Dubai International Airport
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY AIRPORT SHOPPING
1. Dubai International Airport
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
3. Hamad International Airport, Doha
4. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
5. Singapore Changi Airport
Winner’s Circle
-
- Martin Schneider, senior regional sales director, American Airlines
-
- Meg Daly, sales director, Silversea Cruises
-
- Heng Gan, general manager, airport operations, Singapore Changi Airport
-
- Lisa Falango, business development manager, Royal Caribbean
-
- Gregory Stranz, senior marketing manager, Chase Bank Credit Cards
-
- Rainer Jenss, president and founder, Family Travel Association
-
- Bridget Blake, marketing manager, Chase Bank Credit Cards
-
- Susan Granger, Northeast regional director, Beaches
-
- Marzia Bortolin, marketing and promotion director, Italian Government Tourist Board
-
- Fern Ottavio, sales and marketing manager, TAP Air Portugal
-
- Mikala Moss, area manager, sales and marketing, Bahamas
-
- Mats Winter, director, product design, Air Canada
-
- Brian Honan, director of sales and marketing, The Plaza Hotel
-
- Darrel Schoeling, director of expedition development, Lindblad Expeditions
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