London- so much to do with a 12 year old
plus can get familiar cuisine as a first vacation out of country.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ireland or Germany would be perfect

Not the OP, but also thinking about doing Germany as our first international family trip with an 12
year old.

Wasn’t sure how fun it would be? Will take any suggestions as to why Germany would be a good option!

Food! Castles! Fascinating cities! History! I first went to Germany when I was 12 and I loved it. We were in Bavaria (we were tagging along to a talk my dad was giving in Munich) and visited like four different ones, all amazing.

On a more serious note, my parents also took us to Dachau which made a lot of things real in a way that my history classes never could and I’m glad we went.

OP here. I like the idea of Germany and will look in to it, Dublin and London are other likely options. For those asking, one parent has been to Canada and Mexico, the other has traveled more extensively but not recently.

Anonymous wrote:What’s a good first trip out of the country for a family of 3 with some limitations:
6-7 days max
Must travel on school schedule
Budget around $7,000 but decent number of hotel points available
We generally prefer city to hiking
Thank you!

Airfare will knock out much of your budget. Need to plan for $1k per person for slightly off season. That leaves you with 4k for the week. Doable if hotels mostly covered by points and by being realistic and firm on food/drink. Don't underestimate how all the little expenditures add up. I'd try for flights right after school ends in mid/late June.

London is very expensive. Paris is a bit more reasonable. Places like Italy and Spain are significantly cheaper but often involve more expensive flights to get there. I do like the idea of Quebec City/Montreal as a more affordable version of going to France. I wouldn't want to spend a trip worrying about money all the time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ireland or Germany would be perfect

Not the OP, but also thinking about doing Germany as our first international family trip with an 12
year old.

Wasn’t sure how fun it would be? Will take any suggestions as to why Germany would be a good option!

Food! Castles! Fascinating cities! History! I first went to Germany when I was 12 and I loved it. We were in Bavaria (we were tagging along to a talk my dad was giving in Munich) and visited like four different ones, all amazing.

On a more serious note, my parents also took us to Dachau which made a lot of things real in a way that my history classes never could and I’m glad we went.

Dublin and around Ireland

Not religious at all, but raised Lutheran and regularly went to Sunday school.

If you have any Judeo-Christian religious tradition I would recommend Israel. I found it to be the most amazing international travel experience, because it was a place I had always heard about brought to life.

The Sea of Galilee, the Western Wall, the garden of Gethsemane, the Sermon on the Mount -- these are real places where history happened. Yad Vashem broke my heart, and made the DC Holocaust Museum even more meaningful to me.

I know it's controversial, and potentially dangerous (but London and Paris are not immune to terrorism).

I just think if you want to waken your child to what travel is all about, it might help to start with a place that has a place in their minds already.

Anonymous wrote:Thailand. Very inexpensive, lots of cultural learning opportunities, tourist-friendly.

Long flight though.

Anonymous wrote:Ireland or Germany would be perfect

Not the OP, but also thinking about doing Germany as our first international family trip with an 12
year old.

Wasn’t sure how fun it would be? Will take any suggestions as to why Germany would be a good option!

Do you and your spouse like cities or does your kid like cities? My spouse and I like cities but our kids like adventure activities so our first international trip was to Costa Rica.

Thailand. Very inexpensive, lots of cultural learning opportunities, tourist-friendly.

Anonymous wrote:London
Bermuda
Portugal
Iceland
Luxembourg
Hong Kong

I just left Luxembourg last week... what do you think couple occupy people there for a week without outdoor activities?

Anonymous wrote:Most European capitals and big cities are a good bet. If you want some alternative choices I’d recommend combining cities that are reasonably close to each other such as Vienna and Bratislava, or Amsterdam and The Hague, (or maybe Brussels, Brugge, Ghent) etc.

Marrakesh, Morocco may also work.

Is this also the parents' first time abroad? If yes, then don't start in Morocco.

London
Bermuda
Portugal
Iceland
Luxembourg
Hong Kong

Anonymous wrote:Apply for your kid's passport NOW. It's like 10+ week wait

We are going to Canada this summer so we have that taken care of. Somehow we managed to avoid the chaos and got it in 7 weeks after applying in April

Apply for your kid's passport NOW. It's like 10+ week wait