Travel Is _________.

This article originally appeared on Fox News Travel. Luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways Monday announced a partnership with Adventures by Disney, the tour arm of the mouse's family travel empire, for a series of five family-focused European river cruises.  Starting in July and December 2016, these seven-night sailings from Vilshofen, Germany, to Budapest will call in Passau in Germany; Linz, Melk, Krems, and Vienna in Austria; and Bratislava, Slovakia. But if you're picturing photo ops with Anna and Elsa in front of Austria's Dürnstein Castle, you have it all wrong. Instead, the partnership will result in destination immersive activities for the whole family. One day, the line will stage an all-ages Oktoberfest celebration at a Cistercian monastery, complete with folk dancing and traditional German foods. The next day, guests can gather at Hohenwerfen Castle for a falconry show. In Salzburg, families can re-create scenes from the movie The Sound of Music which—instead of the character breakfasts you might imagine—serves as the most recognizable photo op on the sailing. Children under four years of age are not invited, and the line suggests that—with the active and educational focus of the tours, in addition to their length—the cruise is best for children eight years and up. There is no onboard babysitting on offer, and the excursions are designed for families to explore the sites together and share the experience. The amount of time in port will be maximized, with the vessel sailing in each morning just after breakfast and leaving, in most cases, when everyone is fast asleep. As a result, there will be several choices of excursions in every destination, in addition to the option of exploring on bicycle or just taking a ball or a Frisbee to a local park. The food onboard will focus on local specialties, such as paprika tasting and goulash and strudel-making classes, which will help to introduce the youngest travelers to the flavors of the region. On the December sailing—in addition to German Christmas decorations and caroling—there is also the opportunity to make and decorate gingerbread houses. And while there are a few tweaks to the 170-passenger AmaViola, still under construction, in order to accommodate the families—doors are being added to form adjoining cabins and sofas are being turned into sleepers in some suites—the existing spaces are being repurposed on these sailings. At night, the line will host teen-only dinners in a room that's usually used for wine tastings; the lounge may one night morph into a karaoke bar and become a movie theater the next and a folkloric dancing classroom before that. The line predicts that getting to see four European countries in one week will feel like a value to multi-generational American families. But for those who want to see more on their trip, Adventures by Disney is offering a two-night extension to Prague, making the Czech Republic the fifth country in this modern take on the family-friendly European tour. More from Fox News Travel: Behind the changes in airline frequent flier programsFamily forced to sit in vomit on United flightThese are the world’s best olive oils

At elephant-conservation organization ElephantStay in Ayutthaya, Thailand, a Danish visitor had an extremely interactive encounter with an adorable baby elephant named Double Trouble who loved being hosed off and taking a dunk (or five) in his miniature bathtub. Getting in and out of the tub is the difficult part for Double Trouble, but judging by how much the six-month-old elephant likes the water, we're guessing he'll be an old pro in no time. Want to stay overnight and care for an elephant at ElephantStay too? Rates start at about $183 per person per night for a three-day, two-night package, meals included (elephantstay.com).

If you've got young daughters, granddaughters, or nieces in your life, it's a safe bet that you can sing at least one verse of "Let It Go," the super-catchy hit song written by Robert Lopez and Kristen Lopez-Anderson for the smash Walt Disney Pictures animated musical Frozen. "Let It Go" is sung by the film's troubled young queen, Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), who is wrestling with how to come to terms with her awesome, but frightening magical powers. The song has become something of an anthem for young girls (including my seven-year-old!) wrestling with their own awesome powers. Frozen is that rare blockbuster that is actually superbly crafted and strikes a legitimate, non-sappy chord with its audience. With zeitgeist like that, could a theme park attraction be far behind? Disney has announced that it will, indeed, build a Frozen attraction at Epcot's Norway Pavilion. As with other movie-based attractions at its parks, guests will be able to re-live scenes from the film, and even "meet" Princess Anna and Queen Elsa in a "royal greeting location." The ride is probably more than a year from completion, but, like Diagon Alley, inspired by the Harry Potter series, it will be preceded by months of fan buzz and the purchase of airline tickets, hotel rooms, and Walt Disney World tickets. We'd love to know: What's YOUR favorite movie-inspired theme park attraction?

Sarah Ricks is a travel junkie who writes in Philadelphia. More of her travel writing is at TravelingMom.com Your kids can be your favorite traveling companions. Really. Even when one of your party needs a nap, won't eat the weird food, or won't visit museums, you can still travel smoothly. Here are six ways to make your next trip with kids more fun for everyone: Bring friends. Sharing a vacation rental with another family means built-in buddies. Every night is a sleepover. Every day is a playdate. When kids have built-in playmates, a shared beach house sets the stage for an exciting game of hide & seek. A picnic in a park is transformed into a rollicking chasing game. Another benefit: Parents can swap babysitting nights and let the other couple go out for a grown-up dinner or a live performance that does not involve puppets or talking animals. Let them sleep. A sleepy kid is a cranky kid and crankiness and travel are an unhappy mix. For little kids, bring a stroller so naps can be "on the go" while others enjoy the street scenery or explore a museum. Or schedule a midday car, train, or bus ride for needed downtime. For teenagers, consider letting them sleep late or text with friends while you go out for early morning exploring. Meet up for a late breakfast after you've had coffee and a lovely stroll. One beauty of traveling in Spain is the expectation that everyone benefits from mid-afternoon downtime. A rejuvenating siesta creates the possibility of a late night, almost a second day in one. Adjust expectations of what they'll eat. If you're visiting a foreign country, consider bringing peanut butter or a favorite cereal to alleviate worries that there will be nothing kids will eat. But likely your kids will surprise you—and themselves—at how much they enjoy trying new foods, or just exotic types of pizza or toppings for pasta. We traveled to rural Italy with a trusty box of Life cereal as a back-up for our picky eater—but our daughter thankfully enjoyed eating at Italian cafes. Build anticipation before you go. My kids and I both get more out of trips by reading about the place before we leave. Picture books, youth fiction, detective novels set in the area, biographies—all give insight into culture and history and help build anticipation for the trip. Before visiting the Grand Canyon, my kids learned geology from picture books and enthusiastically devoured horrific stories about unprepared hikers and their tragic fates. The irreverent Horrible Histories—such as The Vicious Vikings or The Terrible Tudors—are accurate but play to kids by emphasizing gory facts and scatological humor. Horrible Histories began as a book series and expanded into DVDs, games, and costumes. Watching movies set in the place can help build anticipation. Visiting Anne Boleyn's palace felt more dramatic because we had just watched our scheming heroine in Anne of 1000 Days. While the audio tour of the Colosseum in Rome was a bore, my kids already had a sense of the gruesome (and exciting) former uses of the ancient building from the movie Gladiator. Your kids may enjoy helping to plan visits to a place they learned about before leaving. Create memories during the trip. Give each kid a blank book to draw or write in during downtime, or to glue in postcards, tickets, and other scraps. Try interviewing your kids and jotting down their answers in the blank books. I've asked questions like: what's the biggest surprise about the place we're visiting, worst new food you tried, favorite joke of the vacation, favorite song right now, who you look forward to seeing when we get home. Doing a short interview with your kid can make waiting in line or in a restaurant speed by. (Years later, those interviews are vivid and cherished reminders of my children's personalities as little tykes.) Create memories after the trip. After you return home, you can create a photo book or use iPhoto or other programs to publish a book and include captions by your kids. Canvas on Demand can turn photos into pictures you hang on the wall as daily reminders of places you've explored together—and build excitement for your family's next adventure.