Relaxing European vacations? With kids? Why not?! Time and vacations are precious commodities, so why not make the most of your travel time and budget by traveling to Europe with the kids? Sure, it won’t be the same as a backpacking trip in your 20’s, and you probably won’t see nearly as many places and museums as you would without the kids… but what traveling with kids lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. Here are some tips that I follow to have a smooth vacation. . . jet lag and all!
1) Getting sleep on the plane: Ahh! The holy grail of parenthood: sleep! And in this case, sleep is equally important for the kids and adults! Here are a few tricks that have worked for us:
- Sleep masks keep out the light! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N11MG4R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
- Melatonin tricks your body that it is time to sleep
- New games or distractions help keep the kids occupied (hidden picture books, coloring, play doh, wiki stix, card games, magnetic games)
- ipads, books, or in flight entertainment help pass time quickly. Don’t forget the headphones!
- Make sure your seats are together, even if this means paying a little extra $$
- Pick an evening flight time to hopefully help kids get at least 5 hours of sleep
- Snacks! Pack a baggie of some of your kid’s favorite snacks in their pack…just in case the meals served aren’t to their liking
- Book kids’ meals with the airline, if available. These are much less likely to be viewed with suspicion.
2) Read books about where you’re going in the months leading up to the trip. Before our trips to Costa Rica, Italy, and France, we read books together about the history, culture, and wildlife in each place. My kids looooooved the colosseum and the statue of David. . . and I really think it’s because of all the reading we did beforehand.
3) Schedule in downtime every day – most days, we had leisurely mornings followed by a big sightseeing activity, lunch, and then some down time back at the air bnb before heading to enjoy the evening. This worked fabulously. The kids knew that their good behavior, focus, and patience would be rewarded with free time of their choosing and whether game, pool time, or running around a playground, they made the most of this time!
4) Before leaving home, ask the kids what they most want to do/see. Involve them in the planning. These are the places my kids remember and talk about after the trip. It is their vacation, too!
5) Find kid-oriented guides for big attractions. We hired guides that specialized in families for the Colosseum, Vatican, Pompeii. Our favorite guide by far was Donato, for the Colosseum. He had a fun competition for the kids and got down on their level. He was fantastic. We highly recommend Rome Tours with Kids: https://rometourswithkids.com/
6) Bring coloring and/or activity books about the country to help extend meal times… so that everyone can relax. Electronics at the table are not as welcome in Europe as in the US. . . be respectful of this as well.
7) Research some of the foods that may be common in the country. Talk about how they are similar/different to foods you eat at home before you go. Maybe even make a few meals so everyone will know what to expect.
8) Pick hotel/Air bnb locations central to your main attractions to maximize sightseeing/minimize travel time. Being more of a suburban family, I was surprised at how much my children enjoyed staying in the middle of the hustle and bustle. I picked these spots to minimize walking on tired legs, but they also enjoyed the energy that the central locations offered.
9) Utilize trains, busses, metros, taxis, ferries, uber to save tired legs and to hold everyone’s interest. My youngest has always been obsessed with any vehicle, so I sprinkled different forms of transportation throughout our trip to keep his interest.
10) Ways to keep cool: carry own refillable water bottle in holder, ac in hotel/air bnb, churches/caves/ocean/pool on hot afternoons, cooling towels, handheld fans… all of these came in handy on our trip!
LOVED these water bottle holders for the boys (nothing is heavier than 4 water bottles in one parent’s pack all day long). https://www.etsy.com/listing/263257522/water-bottle-holder-ready-to-ship-water?ref=yr_purchases And I loved this one that clipped to my purse: https://www.etsy.com/listing/263152353/travel-water-bottle-holder-ready-to-ship?ref=yr_purchases
These cooling towels kept us cool and comfortable even while viewing shadeless ruins: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072VDT1R2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
11) Teach kids basic phrases before traveling… this will open many doors for the kids and may elicit special treatment.
12) The first day, keep unscheduled but keep moving… whether walking around the city, playing at parks, taking a hike, or hitting the beach, stay outside in the sun as long as possible. Have an early dinner, then an early bedtime.
13) Air bnbs are great – more room to spread out, quad hotel rooms are few and far between, plus you have a kitchen for quick breakfasts and keeping market treasures fresh. Book these as soon as you know the date you will be traveling.
14) Find and try new foods, fruits, and vegetables at open air markets.
15) Research car and booster seat laws – Here are the EU carseat laws….. However, it is my understanding that the French laws trump the EU car seat regulations, so make sure you look up whatever country you are visiting: https://kindertravelguide.com/eu-car-seat-laws/.
16) Book museum, train, and other must-do sightseeing well ahead of time. This avoids standing in long lines and helps maximize your family’s time and enjoyment.
We love traveling with our kids. For me, it helps me slow down and connect with local people and culture and gave me time to process and appreciate what we were seeing. I am so happy we have decided to travel with the kids and hope that these tips will help you, too!
Hop, Skip & Voyage Away 