sandi

My parents never took me to Europe (they've still not been) but we went tent camping every summer for 2 weeks with 4 kids. We "roughed it" alot of the time, and had alot of fun. Those experiences really instilled the love for nature that rules my life today. We just got back from 2 weeks in Italy with our 12 yr old. (His first trip). We had a blast. I hope he participates in an exchange program in his high-school years. I want him to feel free to go wherever he wants, as often as possible. As we were leaving Venice (his favorite place) he said that he was ready to come back...by himself.

AC

Hi Katrina: <BR>Great question and I loved the replies! <BR>The furthest we got was Rochaway Beach in Queens, NY. A real far excursion when you live in Brooklyn! LOL! <BR> <BR>I did the next best thing, I introduced my Mom to European Travel. Now she in never home (good for her). Her question every time she returns is "Where to next". <BR>Have a great time and hopefully in 10-15 years your kids will be doing the opposite and taking you to Europe.

Ess

My single (and young) mom took me with her to Europe a couple of times. We didn't have tons of money but we had a LOAD of fun. She took me to Spain and Morocco over the Christmas holidays one year. Another year we went to the south of France for a whole summer, with stops in London and Dublin before and after. She had and still does have a great sense of adventure, and that coupled with a head screwed on reasonably straight (considering the era) made for some pretty exciting times. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything in the world.

M.E.

Katrina: Thanks for starting such a great thread. My two cents jibe with most of the other respondents. GO! When I was about 8 my mother was a young widow with two other children grown-up and gone. She was on a limited budget but somehow managed to take me on a "major" trip every summer until my teens. What a great education!! It opened my mind to other cultures, to art, to history and on and on. It was only after I divorced my go-nowhere first husband that I made the vow to renew the annual trip tradition. I eagerly look forward to the planning and the going -- especially the parts that involve getting outside of myself amd learning about the world outside our (US) borders. I will always be thankful to my mother for getting me started. She's still hopping around the world at age 68, and encourages my travel habit. Incidentally, the two "grown-up" sisters did not embrance the love of travel, of getting out of their comfort zones. Interesting...

SharonM

topping after reading the Hosted Forum about kids and traveling...I like this one!

Robin

I was one of those wide-eyed backpackers at 19, and I can't imagine a better introduction. However, had I had the opportunity to go at a younger age I would have jumped on that too! I have two comments, for whatever they're worth. I believe my backpacking trip gave me a clear sense of both the freedom of travel, which is itself a joy, and the confidence that I could get along just fine in a "strange" country. In later years I have traveled with friends who were more sheltered who lacked this pleasure. <BR> <BR>The other thought has to do with the risk of burning your kids out. As I'm not a parent, consult the many other threads that address this, but I think it is important to let your kids set their own pace to a degree. I know at least two adults who, after traveling and/or living in Europe as teenagers, swear they will never visit another church or museum! That's tragic, and it probably has something to do with their parents' desire to show them everything, to make the trip as enriching as possible. <BR> <BR>So by all means take your kids, but (if possible) try not to have the trip for them!

JimRose

Take your kids to Europe, if you have the means -- and today, it really needn't be any more pricey than many Disneyland or other traditional family vacations. I had never been to Europe and probably hadn't thought about it very much until our daughter (then 10) came home and announced she was "going to France." I started out skeptical, but we were soon learning more about the AFAC program that Rex mentions above. The family in France had a FAX machine. I learned French, word-by-word -- spending 45 minutes each day on it and graduating to a progressively larger and more complex set of instructional materials. We did the exchange. Our relationship with the family grew. We visited them. They visited us. It snowballed into a series of marvelous relationships and experiences that we may never have had if it were not for our daughter telling us she was going to France. We've never looked back and the confidence we gained traveling has opened the door to a richer life. And our daughter? Well, I can't imagine what it would have been like to have the insight she had already gained about this world we live in by the time she was 17. If you can give your children that gift and they are well-suited to receive it, then I say go for it. (It won't ruin their own experiences later; it will simply enhance them).

maggi

My husband and I were both born in Europe (he in Germany, me in Austria) and our families came to the States when we were five years old, so we have lots of relatives in those countries. When our sons were babies my husband's grandfather in Germany was ailing. We drove my husband's parents to the airport to fly over and visit him. Unbeknownst to them, we had booked a flight too, a few hours later. They got the surprise of their life when they arrived at the grandparents home and we greeted them at the door (they had flight delays)! We had a wonderful family reunion that everyone still talks about to this day. When our boys were teens we allowed them to fly on their own to stay with the cousins in Germany for three weeks. Of course I was nervous about sending them alone. Everything went well on the way over and they had a great time. On the way back, while taking off after a refueling stop in Iceland, one of the engines caught on fire and the passengers had to use the emergency chutes. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured, but it was a very emotional time for me. The guys just took it, as kids do, as an adventure. We took them again in their late teens on a six week camping tour of Europe. We traveled 5000 miles and went to five countries. It cost us $10,000 which took us five years to pay off but the experience was, as the commercial says, "priceless". Traveling truly expands the mind and one's perception of the world. You will be giving your children a great gift, which will stick with them for a lifetime.

Al

My parents could barely make ends meet during the Great Depression. Today, at 74, I look forward to taking our granddaughter to Europe some day just as we took our daughters there when they were kids. My first "taste" of Europe came when I was in the service, and it was NOT "The Grand Tour." No fancy hotels, no sidewalk cafes, no museums. Just blood and mud.

bev

Great discussion. Will be taking my 9 and 11 year olds to London for Spring Break. We enjoy travelling and have been to many islands in the Caribbean, but this is their first trip to Europe. I'm just as excited as they are. It will be great sharing this experience with them.

Jeanette

My parents did take me to Europe the first time. I was almost exactly 40 years old. That was the only trip we ever made together. Boy, do I hear you Al. My young life sure had different "choices" than those here. It makes me feel like I've lived in another universe when I read statements from the 20 to 45 year old group about where you "choose" to live or "choose" to go to school- adding especially the personal offense taken over any slight or inconvenience at all. My first husband got his own free trip to a Southeast Asian country which would be his last trip anywhere. My present partner has the sweetest manners and greatest tolerance for others, and his only trip over the oceans has been to Korea. His trip invite came "Greetings" too. I'm taking him to Italy soon. I have plans to take my grandchildren (6,4,2 and 1 right now) about 10 years from now. My son is balking on this, but I'll convince him by then. My youngest child is going to Sicily with me in about 2 years. My other children have no desire to travel to Europe, and are super happy living out in God's country with lots of space and nature. It would have been wonderful to take them but I was too busy single handedly feeding and educating them. My big trip fund went to pay for sewer tiles and water. <BR> <BR>Al, I want to thank you for reminding me of Jim. Jim, Chuck, and all of my men friends who never came home: I think about you all sitting around the card table at school in the Union now, as if it was yesterday. You are not forgotten. <BR>

Jane

I think taking your kids to Europe now is great, and I admire the fact that you're thoughtful enough to wonder if you're "spoiling" it for them. <BR> <BR>What used to annoy me, back in my poor college student days, were the parents who would send their kids to Europe. My friends all went to Europe for a summer or year on their parents dime, while I was working my butt off. However, now that I have the money to travel, I know I get alot more out of it than they ever did, as I've worked extremely hard for it.

Laurina

My parents took my brother and I to Europe when we were 16 and 15 years old. We had a lot of fun and we were glad to experience a different culture. I was in awe of seeing all these beautiful and magnificent places that I've only read about in a history class in school. <BR> I'm glad I got to see Europe this way so early in my lifetime. When we were in college and graduate school, we did not have the money to see Europe. In addition, our parents put all their savings into our education. <BR> I hope you have a great trip! I'm sure the kids will enjoy it and will appreciate it too!

Jeanette

Jane, you are young, yet wise. When I see some of my students working their butts off all summer and others going to Paris and then coming home and getting $40 nail jobs each week during the school year- I have the same thoughts concerning my grandchildren. They will get one good trip and then the "travel" ball will be in their court. What is given is not often appreciated in the same light as what is earned. Just remember that and keep plugging because you will be the most marvelous and awed traveler when the time comes.

lisa

My parents never took me. My mom always wanted to go, but my dad never wanted to (he had been to Germany when he served in the Army and had taken one extensive trip later on business to England, France, Germany, & Scandinavia). I always wanted to do a foreign study program in high school or college, but my parents thought it was too expensive. After putting myself through my first year of law school, I decided to work for eight weeks of the summer and spend the remaining six weeks of the summer doing a foreign study program in Cambridge England for credit, and then travelling for a bit in France and Italy. I decided to invite my mom to join me for two of the weeks. She came, over my father's objections, and my dad stayed at home. My mom and I went to Paris, Nice, and Florence, and had a great time despite staying in mostly 1-star places due to our budget constraints. She flew home and I spent a little more time in Germany, France and England before heading back to school in the fall. It was terrific and only whetted my appetite for more. I went back again for six weeks after completing law school & taking the bar exam, before starting "real life," and went to London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Athens, the island of Poros in Greece, Venice, Lugano, toured the Rhine and Mosel river areas of Germany, and Brussels. <BR>Obviously I would have loved to have visited Europe when I was younger, with my parents, but since it wasn't in the cards I just made it a priority for myself when I was able, and I really enjoyed sharing my first taste of it with my mom, and then doing more of the backpacking thing on my own. <BR> <BR>I'm planning my 3d & 4th trips to Europe for this year (Paris & Bruges in May-June, Italy in Aug.-Sept.). Now I can finally afford to stay in 2-3-4 star places; the bigger constraint now is not my budget but vacation time. <BR> <BR>If I had kids, I'm sure I would want to take them to Europe, because I would want to share with them my love of travel. I think it's good for kids to be exposed to other cultures and realize that the whole world is not like their own backyard. They can always do the backpacking thing on their own later too.

jhm

I think another benefit of taking kids to Europe (of which I am a *strong* proponent) is the quality family time you can have together, enjoying a new place and discovering another culture as a family. My siblings are scattered all over the country, but we'll always have Paris...

Mags

Took my daughter at age 20 to Europe for a month. She is an only child and family is important. We had a wonderful time as a family and of course it was a free vacation for her. She had such a good time that she got a part-time job on campus at her university and on her own went to Spain a yer later to do a Spanish language course at a university for credits. This was on her own pocket money so there were no luxuries. She made all her plans and saw the whole of Spain backpacking and staying in hostels on weekends etc. Plus the friends she made were from world over and some have even been to visit us. The experience for her was one not soon to be forgotten. Go ahean and take your children all travel is education!!!!!

topper

any more stories?

Mariarosa

Great stories - I particularly enjoyed Steph's (from Australia) strange story. <BR> <BR>My mom took me to Europe many times as a child. I spent 1 month each year traveling through Europe when I was 11, 12, 14, and 15. On some of those trips we traveled with my grandparents too. It was a great family-bonding experience, and it certainly developed in me my love for other cultures. I even got a chance to meet cousins in Spain one of those years. <BR> <BR>Then, when I was 16 my mom didn't have the money or the time to spend our usual month in Europe. So she asked me if I wanted to go to summer camp. I said, "Great idea, I want to go to summer camp...in Europe!" So I spent 1 month in Summer Language school in France (TASIS). It was great! The school was located in a pretty chateau in the middle of nowhere. There were kids from all over the world. My roomates were from Japan, Korea, USA, Italy, and Brazil. <BR> <BR>I can't think of an experience that my mom gave me growing up that is more valuable than going to Europe. If you can afford to take your children with you, do it!

andi

My parents didn't take me to Europe - I paid for my first trip myself at 20, for a January (one month) homestay with a family in Switzerland. I went again the next summer (also paid for myself), 8 weeks of backpacking with two friends all over. This cost a grand total of $500 and I think I had some money left over at the end (1972). I'm taking my 13-year-old daughter to Paris as a bat mitzvah present in April. We are staying at a very modest, tiny-roomed hotel near the Place des Vosges where I've stayed before. Even if I could afford it, I don't think I'd stay at a fancier hotel. I don't want the trip to be about the hotel which I suspect it would if stayed someplace very upscale. It's supposed to be about Paris and everything it (she?) has to offer. Also, this way she can see that, as she gets older, she can afford to travel on her own, even if modestly.