Europe/International Spring Break trip with young kids
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Anonymous
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Before our first was born, we had grand plans of annual European adventures with our kids...fast forward 6 years and 2 kids and we have done one big trip and haven't gotten back on the horse since.
We want to take a big international trip over spring break (Holy Thursday through the week after Easter) but we cannot decide where to go so I am looking to crowdsource recommendations. About us: -Two kids, age 6 and 3 -traveling in April -many airline miles and hotel points to burn -we like all kinds of travel: hiking, beaches, cities, history, countryside, food (except skiing....not for us). -DH and I have visited many of the popular European countries: England, France, Austria, Italy, Greece (Austria and Montenegro with DS1 when he was a toddler). We have also been to Costa Rica. Open to a repeat destination but I think we'd prefer something new. -preference for Europe, but open to other recommendations. We just want to keep the air travel time reasonable (so staying in this hemisphere!) -We usually travel in the summer so spring travel is a first for us. DH (probably correctly) views these trips as a waste to include kids on and wants to toss in the towel and do the easy Caribbean beach resort....and he hates the beach. I'd like to avoid this option. Recommendations? Tips? |
Anonymous
| So the oldest is 6? I am with your husband on this. Beach resort with a kids club in the Caribbean. Wait on the European get away for when they are older. |
Anonymous
| I’d split the difference and do somewhere in Europe where you can mix a beach resort stay (preferably with a kids club) with a few days of sightseeing. Italy, Greece, Portugal, Malta all could be good options. |
Anonymous
Not for spring break. You can't swim anywhere in Europe until summer. |
Anonymous
| What about a cruise as a compromise of sorts between European tour and a resort? We took a Mediterranean cruise when I was a kid and the whole family had a great time. You get to see lots of cities, don't have to carry your luggage around, cruise ships have tons of amenities and activities for small kids. If you're feeling lazy one day you can just stay on the boat. My little brother was only 5 when we did that and he also still has great memories of the trip. He loves to talk about all the cats we saw in Rhodes, LOL. |
Anonymous
| Your husband is right. We started doing big international trips when our youngest turned 6 or 7. Not worth it before then. Go to the beach or stay with family. Or have grandparents look after kids and go to NYC for the weekend. International flights, jetlag etc are no fun with kids 5 and under. |
Anonymous
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Yeah, no. Europe with 2 kids under 6 will be time change melt downs and food refusal and spending time at playgrounds there vs. playgrounds at home.
The best vacations with little little kids are cruises. Kids club will entertain the little guys while you do whatever relaxes you. Pick an itinerary that is port intensive and run ragged during port days, let everyone recover on sea days. |
Anonymous
| Agree on not Europe. Plus, you are looking at the most expensive and busy week in April to go! Why that week? With kids that young, pull out of school and pick a different week. Early May is great for traveling with kids. |
Anonymous
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Hi! My kids are close in age to yours - 4 & 7. We did something similar: Big Europe trip when my oldest was a baby and then nothing abroad until this past summer. We've done 2 and have more planned! We love it!!
I believe strongly that it's well worth it! If we go with the idea that they just won't remember any of these places, why do anything special at all?? The caribbean is likely to be much more expensive. For me, my trips to europe look a lot different than pre-kids. I'd focus on doing a mix of outdoors/nature play and cultural/historical stuff. Young kids can and will appreciate the cultural pieces too - in small chunks!! My kids love visiting REALLY beautiful churches, seeing really cool buildings, cobblestoned streets (some with designs that are fun to hop around on!), seeing street art and a little art in museums, older kiddo loves hearing some historical stories and they both loved climbing and exploring CASTLES. I can't emphasize the castles enough lol. They were thrilled!! Also, playgrounds. The european playgrounds are different. Most that I've seen are enclosed and often have a cafe attached so mom and dad can sit on the outside at a table with a cup of coffee (or something stronger) and watch the kids play! Foods: My kids love trying new, local foods. I don't mean that they will try the most elaborate dishes but they always find something they love and we have a really fun time seeking out local bakeries and getting different ones to all split and try. Local cheeses, fruit, some meats....all wins!! I find people to be very accommodating with young children - you get priority in a lot of spaces! There's lots of great discounts too with kids and lodging is often cheaper than when traveling in the US AND is within walking distance of parks/restaurants/shops or is an easy metro stop away. I would recommend Copenhagen (Tivoli gardens isn't open yet but it's SO child friendly that it's truly a joy being there) . You could rent bikes and I think they have REALLY cool attachments for little kids and they have the best playgrounds. We adored Copenhagen and it's easy to navigate. Another place that's been recommended to me (I'm trying it myself this spring break so can't fully speak to it!) is London. Apparently, it's one of the most child-friendly cities. There's TONS to do, focused specifically around kids for a week. My youngest loves transportation so we will go to the transportation museum. My oldest loves history and is into egyptian antiquities so we will go to the british museum to check that out. This sounds super cheesy but we are going to go on a double-decker afternoon tea bus tour that is PEPPA PIG THEMED. It looks adorable. There's also children's theater that is engaging on the west end like Matilda. (not sure if we are doing that) but there's SO much do. Another recommendation-Portugal. It won't be super warm but it should moderately warm and pleasant. You might get a nice afternoon to sit on the beach and do some sand play and dip the toes in the water (it will be VERY cold). Lots of fun stuff to do/see and awesome playgrounds. Lots of castles, great food, cheap. There's not much not to love! You could go to Italy and fly into Florence and spend a week in Tuscany. It might be crazy in Florence itself so I wouldn't spend too long there but I'd head to Lucca and stay there and go biking- it's such a wonderful spot with kids! I'm sure there's other spots that are great as well. I'm not sure if I remember great playgrounds though. I've also heard really things about Sweden and Stockholm in particular....it's supposed to be incredibly child friendly. I saw this in Copenhagen but I sense it's the same thing....in the colder months, the kids are just bundled up in full rain suits/snow suits and boots, ect. and continue on playing outside for hours. TONS and TONS of playgrounds. ANOTHER idea is to visit Alsace, France. It should be really pretty in April with lots of flowers. It looks like a fairytale with gorgeous buildings, beautiful countryside, and tasty food (all the pretzels you can imagine with cheese and bacon and of course baguettes and sandwiches and pastries). It's more low-key than Paris, Strasbourg is beautiful, lots to see and explore, and you can also visit nearby villages and towns that are fun. You can rent bikes and stop off at a restaurant for lunch or visit a winery on the way (they often give a little juice box to your kid or you could pack one). There's a castle to explore, Europapark isn't terribly far away and germany is right there so you could day-trip. There's probably other areas that would be fun to visit in France; south of France would be warmer and there's cool stuff and yummy food. You could go to the caribbean but if you don't really like the beach...why go? Happy parents = happier kids! Those are my many ideas! lol. |
Anonymous
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Sounds like you are planning/hoping to use miles? Is that for this spring? If so you might at least check to see what availability is like. I am inclined to think it is late to be looking for 4 award tickets during a high travel time (given the holidays/spring break). That alone might limit your choices.
While it is true at those young ages your kids might not remember much, that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. We did Rome with kids that age. The older remembers the colosseum, Mt Vesuvius, et al. They both enjoyed the zoo, the pizza, the pasta, and the gelato. We also did London; similar idea with Big Ben, castles, fish and chips, sausages, and cadbury. |
Anonymous
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We travel with our kids but it's because I want to - I don't know if they'll remember it - that's not really part of my consideration.
When you wait until they'll remember - they are too cool for school. I went to Yellowstone the summer before freshman year of high school. I thought some things were cool but I was really hard to impress at that age. |
Anonymous
| Why on earth would you travel to Europe with children of that age? |
Anonymous
| The jet lag is too intense for youngest. Set yourselves up for success and stay within an hour or two of your home time zone until they are both six or older. |
Anonymous
| I think it's a great idea if you do a different trip than the one that you're used to. There are kids in Europe; there are kid things to do in Europe. It may not be the cafe & museum trip that you used to do, but renting a place in one spot where kids can experience a new language, new foods, a new environment is just fantastic. When my kid was a little one, we went to France. Shopped for dinner at Monoprix & bought "different" foods. We went to the zoo. We went to the playground. Could he have just done those things in DC? Sure. But the trip was awesome & taught him about different perspectives. We are privileged to be able to do it. |
Anonymous
Yeah good luck using miles for this spring break- do something easy this year and plan earlier for next year. The extra year for your youngest should make a big difference too. |