So, you want to travel internationally with your kids??!!
So, you want to travel internationally with your kids??!! Some may think you are crazy – I say just dream, plan and go!! After many years of vacations in DisneyWorld, Scottsdale and Hawaii we decided it was time to start seeing the world. Our first international trip was when our daughter was twelve and our son was nine. A lot of questions went through my mind – Would the kids be able to make the transition from sleeping in and boogie boarding all day to getting up early, lots of walking and seeing the sites? Would we regret not resting on the beach?? Would they eat the food? Would they enjoy the museums? Could they handle the long plane ride? We decided to just give it a go and see what happened – it worked for us and we have been traveling ever since!
A few important things to do for a kid/teen friendly trip:
- Limit the number of museums you see in each city. We did not see the Borghese on our first trip to Rome, saved it for the next trip.
- Always plan stops for a treat – gelato in Rome, crepes in Paris.
- Many European cities have fabulous parks – plan an afternoon there.
- Be flexible – I always had an itinerary of what we would see each day, but was also flexible if we needed to divert from the plan.
- Often tried to do one “adventurous” excursion on each trip – riding camels in Sahara, riding elephants in Thailand, trekking ice glaciers in Patagonia
- Prepare them for the trip by having them read books or watch movies about where you are going (this works for adults too)
- Let them be part of choosing your destination
- Let them pick one thing they want to see in each city, or depending on their age, let them plan out an entire day
- Consider a city trip to a North American city such as New York, Washington DC or San Francisco before you tackle overseas. See how they do there with restaurants, museums, walking, etc.
Most importantly, you know your kids best. If you think they might be ready to handle it, well they probably are. They may just surprise you as to what they will find on your travels that they love!! And they will be anxious to throw those coins in the Trevi Fountain so they can be sure and return.
Welcome to From Home to Roam! My name is Judy Gambee. After many years of family trips to Walt Disney World, Arizona and Hawaii I decided it was time for us to see the world! Seven years, five continents and fourteen countries later here I am writing a blog about our adventures along with all kinds of tips and advice on how to dream, plan and go – all on your own! (
I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your blog. I first happened upon it reading your posts on Vietnam (I’m traveling there next month), but it’s so interesting that I’ve gone back and read through your archives.
Melanie – Thank you so much for your kind words. Have a fabulous trip in Vietnam!!
Judy, we were in a similar situation to you about one month before our planned and booked trip to New Zealand in 2010. The first Christchurch earthquake happened, and I was left trying to understand what that meant for our trip. I subsequently decided to shift our accommodation bookings out of the center of Christchurch. We also changed our planned itinerary which resulted in rebooking some other parts of our trip.
We did subsequently have one day exploring Christchurch which was interesting, and I am still left with a feeling of having had a near miss when the news of the second earthquake came in several months later as we had visited many of the places which were subsequently turned into rubble and where many people died.
As you have stated, you just have to be prepared to change your plans and make sure you have travel insurance.
Glad you were able to still do much of your trip and even fit in sometime at Christchurch. Always best to stay flexible when it comes to travel.