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.

 

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23 responses to “Keeping a Travel Journal: How to remember what, when, where”

  1. I love this post! It reminds me so much of when I used to travel in the pre internet days (yes, sorry to say I am that old!). I used to travel with a blank book and write in it as I travelled and stick in all the entry tickets, leaflets and general stuff I collected along the way. It was brilliant to go back on and look at as it had a real feel for the travels. The danger with being all digital these days is we lack some of the physical touch and flavour. Plus we will never put online every little detail.

    Today I always have a note book with me and I write notes, but more point form and shove in leaflets etc to refer to when I finally write my posts. But it is not a journal. I think I need to go back to having a journal and then extracting bits for my posts.

    Thanks for reminding me of how fun and great journals can be!

  2. Cynthia says:

    Thanks for the tip, I do something similar with my photographs, at the end of every day, I quickly go through the pics I took that day and write down where each photo was taken and what the church or whatever was called together with the corresponding photo number. This helps me tremendously when sorting photos when I get back from a trip.

    • Judy Gambee says:

      Cynthia – That’s a great tip! So often we forget what that picture was of. Usually I can go back to the journal and see what we did that day. But listing them that night is a great idea!

  3. This is great advice. I’m going to try and get into this habit.

  4. Margaret says:

    I wish I was better about keeping up my travel journals! I always start off with good intentions, but then just end up with a bunch of ticket stubs, etc. I never quite organize. It’s fun to look at them, but then I don’t always remember the story that goes along with them. Your way is much better!

  5. Arianna says:

    Hi Judy,

    It is great to keep journals and go back to them from time to time. Although I must admit I should improve on that! 🙂 Just yesterday, hubby an I were reliving our time in Vietnam! It was sucha great trip and we can’t wait to go back. Now we are in full preparation mode to our next trip and the journal is already waiting for our notes!
    Your blog is so inspiring!!

    Love it!!

    Arianna

    • Judy Gambee says:

      I love having my empty journal waiting for the next trip! You were definitely an inspiration for our trip to Vietnam. Have a fabulous time on your next adventure!

  6. Anita says:

    I love that pouch! I envy you being able to write consistently in your travel journals, I always start out the trip with enthusiasm for writing in the travel journal but usually end up not writing in it consistently due to being too tired by the end of the trip. I’m experimenting with writing on the go instead of at night and that seems to help but my travel journals are nowhere near as full as I want. I’ll keep experimenting though and hopefully will find the way that works the best for me :).

  7. I always keep every little piece of paper, every receipt, ticket, etc. but I never take a journal with me (and I end up regretting it after coming home). But I promised myself I will take one on my next trip, which will be a big 3-week road trip along Europe this summer. I’ll be sure needing it!

  8. I love this post! My travel journals are some of my most treasured posessions, but now that I’m a travel writer and blogger it means I have lots of work style notepads full of things to share and digital records, so at the end of the day my old school journals don’t get as much of a look in.

    But I still carry one on every journey and love to write in them on planes and record the sort of private moments and thoughts that are just for me. Now it takes a lot of journeys to fill one up, but oh how I love looking back at them. The first thing I’d grab in a house fire! (after the cat that is).

    • Judy Gambee says:

      Amanda – Glad you enjoyed the post! I too treasure my travel journals. Such great memories – each small piece of paper I saved reminds me of something special on the trip.

  9. Linda Brashears says:

    I love this idea. I’m taking a 2 week vacation to London, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in June. I was thinking about a notebook to record my pictures so I would remember what they were but I love the journal idea. Now to find a good journing book. This will also help my sister who is making a picture album for me for Christmas. She can put my tickets,etc in the album. Thanks for the tip!

    • Judy Gambee says:

      Linda – Glad you liked this idea!! I always try to find a journal that has a cover with something to do about travel, such as a map or ticket stubs, etc. or one where the cover is reminiscent of the place I’m going to. Also recommend you get one with lines – makes writing so much easier when I’m tired!! Have a fabulous trip!!

  10. Andi says:

    My father traveled internationally for work when I was young and was able to take my mom and I along on many of his trips. Since I would miss so much school at one time, in addition to keeping up with my school work, I was also asked to write a journal of each trip. I have full size notebooks with my writings, photos, postcards etc. from each trip. My next project is to scan them and make them into coffee table books. I plan on taking notes and keeping mementos during my road trip honeymoon this summer as well!

  11. […] From Home to Roam recommends carrying your journal with you everywhere, but personally, I believe I could use the extra space for more important things (i.e. the clunky instax mini polaroid camera my older sister let me borrow). Instead, I plan on writing on the notes app in my cellphone during downtimes in between my weekend trips or free school nights. I will /try/ to journal every night. Emphasis on the TRY, as I am not a perfect human being and I’d rather be binge watching Netflix. She also recommends carrying a Zipblock bag to keep tickets, receipts, pamphlets, or anything that indicates your location and time. This should be easy for me as I’ve inherited the crazy receipt hoarding trait that runs in my family. […]

  12. Before taking photos i take a photo of the place name, either on the street or town sign, or even of the place name on a map or brochure, so I know where they are taken. Most places you visit have a big sign at the entrance, I always photograph that. No need to write anything down then! Restaurant names, and even menus. Thanks to digital photography, you can delete them once you have entered it in your journal and/or blog!

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