Europe with a 10 year old
Jan 10th, 2008, 02:09 PM
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Europe with a 10 year old
Hello,
I need help with planning a trip to Europe with a 10 year old girl. I've not decided which country/ies I want to visit, but am thinking Spain, Italy, and France. The trip would be in late summer or early fall and I'd like to be there 3-4 weeks. Having never traveled to Europe and this being my first time visiting this site, I'm at a complete loss as to where to begin. Where do I start to do research for airfare, accomodations, sights to see, etc? Pls help! I really want this trip to be memorable for the both of us. Thanks!
I need help with planning a trip to Europe with a 10 year old girl. I've not decided which country/ies I want to visit, but am thinking Spain, Italy, and France. The trip would be in late summer or early fall and I'd like to be there 3-4 weeks. Having never traveled to Europe and this being my first time visiting this site, I'm at a complete loss as to where to begin. Where do I start to do research for airfare, accomodations, sights to see, etc? Pls help! I really want this trip to be memorable for the both of us. Thanks!
Jan 10th, 2008, 02:30 PM
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You may be cramming too much travelling into that timeframe but as you go thru the many discussions on this board it'll work itself out.
You need to determine how much money you can spend, including airfare. We can help with budget numbers for airfare, food and accomodations but all that can change depending on your hotel preferences and time of year you travel etc..
I would suggest that you begin the discussion with the girl (your daughter?) and look at travel books, watch travel videos etc and talk about specific things you really want to see and do. Make a list, and be sure and include her items. This will help you begin to narrow down countries or even cities that should be on your list of places to visit.
You have to take the first step but try not to get too overwhelmed with everything. Good planning takes time.
You need to determine how much money you can spend, including airfare. We can help with budget numbers for airfare, food and accomodations but all that can change depending on your hotel preferences and time of year you travel etc..
I would suggest that you begin the discussion with the girl (your daughter?) and look at travel books, watch travel videos etc and talk about specific things you really want to see and do. Make a list, and be sure and include her items. This will help you begin to narrow down countries or even cities that should be on your list of places to visit.
You have to take the first step but try not to get too overwhelmed with everything. Good planning takes time.
Jan 10th, 2008, 02:50 PM
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First off: how good of a traveler is this 10 year old girl? You state that you have never been to Europe; a 3-week trip in Europe is no small feat for an adult, let alone for 10 yr/old. Is she excited about the trip? What are her expectations of this trip?
Where to start? Answer the above, plus: How much $$$ you have? When would you be able to go? What do you MUST see?
Honestly, I would take her for 8-9 days to France, arrive/depart Paris. I once read that a girl's first trip to Paris should be with somebody that will always love her unconditionally. Visit the Loire Valley; to see those amazing chateaus at her age should be such a thrill and certainly memorable.
Have a conversation; take some notes, add some numbers. This should get the wheels in motion. Have a fun time planning. You sound like a great Mom!!
Where to start? Answer the above, plus: How much $$$ you have? When would you be able to go? What do you MUST see?
Honestly, I would take her for 8-9 days to France, arrive/depart Paris. I once read that a girl's first trip to Paris should be with somebody that will always love her unconditionally. Visit the Loire Valley; to see those amazing chateaus at her age should be such a thrill and certainly memorable.
Have a conversation; take some notes, add some numbers. This should get the wheels in motion. Have a fun time planning. You sound like a great Mom!!
Jan 10th, 2008, 03:05 PM
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We're bringing our 11 year old grandson to Europe for spring break, plus a few extra days this year. We're starting out in Normandy France, for 3 days, Paris for 3 days, then flying on EasyJet to Rome with 7 nights in Italy.
Yes, it's a quick trip, but it's important for him to experience major sites each day. I doubt that he'll return for several years. We travel to Europe 3 or 4 times each year so know how to make the best use of our time.
A good plan is so important, and for cost cutting, we're staying in B&B's. Italy is so expensive, but I found a couple of good B&B's on the cross-pollinate web site. Cross reference your choices on TripAdvisor for good reviews.
We've watched all the Rick Steves DVD's for the locations we're visiting and it was helpful for him to see each location and tell us what interested him and what didn't.
Also I've given him books to read, to help him understand what he's going to see.
The other concern I have is the amount of walking we do while in Europe. We walk miles each day, and sadly children today don't walk that much. He's trying to work on this by walking his dog more
Have fun planning, and include your 10 year old on the planning!
For airfare, try Kayak.com.
Yes, it's a quick trip, but it's important for him to experience major sites each day. I doubt that he'll return for several years. We travel to Europe 3 or 4 times each year so know how to make the best use of our time.
A good plan is so important, and for cost cutting, we're staying in B&B's. Italy is so expensive, but I found a couple of good B&B's on the cross-pollinate web site. Cross reference your choices on TripAdvisor for good reviews.
We've watched all the Rick Steves DVD's for the locations we're visiting and it was helpful for him to see each location and tell us what interested him and what didn't.
Also I've given him books to read, to help him understand what he's going to see.
The other concern I have is the amount of walking we do while in Europe. We walk miles each day, and sadly children today don't walk that much. He's trying to work on this by walking his dog more
Have fun planning, and include your 10 year old on the planning!
For airfare, try Kayak.com.
Jan 10th, 2008, 03:27 PM
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I have done several long (4 week) trips to Europe with kids that age.
1) I strongly recommend renting apartments so you can some semblance of a comfortable home base. Kids don't do well eating out 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, and an apartment with separate rooms is much more comfortable than sharing a single hotel room. A great place to start for ideas is www.slowtrav.com
2) stay put in one place for min 5-7 days. slow down. Enjoy where you are instead of being in a hurry to go somewhere else.
3) plan on some days doing nothing. I really mean nothing. Hanging out, reading a book, maybe go for a stroll for an ice cream. Rent a place with a pool or close to the beach for part of your trip to have a vacation from your vacation. That's especially nice at the end of your trip when you will tire of seeing sights.
4) Get out of the cities and enjoy the countryside. Walks in the mountains, lakes, beaches.
1) I strongly recommend renting apartments so you can some semblance of a comfortable home base. Kids don't do well eating out 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, and an apartment with separate rooms is much more comfortable than sharing a single hotel room. A great place to start for ideas is www.slowtrav.com
2) stay put in one place for min 5-7 days. slow down. Enjoy where you are instead of being in a hurry to go somewhere else.
3) plan on some days doing nothing. I really mean nothing. Hanging out, reading a book, maybe go for a stroll for an ice cream. Rent a place with a pool or close to the beach for part of your trip to have a vacation from your vacation. That's especially nice at the end of your trip when you will tire of seeing sights.
4) Get out of the cities and enjoy the countryside. Walks in the mountains, lakes, beaches.
Jan 10th, 2008, 03:41 PM
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Our kids and grandkids were with us in Italy last summer and it was wonderful.
What worked:
Getting them involved from the start.
A POOL or other down time.
I Pods or gameboys for down time.
We do long lunches and the kids had a great time with the digital camera.
What worked:
Getting them involved from the start.
A POOL or other down time.
I Pods or gameboys for down time.
We do long lunches and the kids had a great time with the digital camera.
Jan 10th, 2008, 04:31 PM
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A couple of issues:
with a 10 year old you have to leave some time to be a kid - so not as packed as an adult trip can be
I would definitely put in some non-city time - perhaps in the Italian lakes or on the French riviera - for beach/pool time
Like the idea of staying in an apartment - making breakfasts and snacks easier - and have more room than the two of you packed in one small hotel room
Southern Spain (IMHO the most interesting part) is very hot that time of year - like 100 or above so you may want to focus more on Italy and France - still a lot to cover in only 3 weeks
To make sure she'll enjoy it I would get the 10 year old involved as soon as possible. Start with some tour brochures with lots of pictures - then move on with heavily illustrated guide books so she can get some ideas of what she wants to see/do
with a 10 year old you have to leave some time to be a kid - so not as packed as an adult trip can be
I would definitely put in some non-city time - perhaps in the Italian lakes or on the French riviera - for beach/pool time
Like the idea of staying in an apartment - making breakfasts and snacks easier - and have more room than the two of you packed in one small hotel room
Southern Spain (IMHO the most interesting part) is very hot that time of year - like 100 or above so you may want to focus more on Italy and France - still a lot to cover in only 3 weeks
To make sure she'll enjoy it I would get the 10 year old involved as soon as possible. Start with some tour brochures with lots of pictures - then move on with heavily illustrated guide books so she can get some ideas of what she wants to see/do
Jan 10th, 2008, 05:59 PM
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We took our son for his first European trip when he was 10 - he loved it, had a great time, and so did we.
In addition to the other advice, consider visiting only two countries due to the time/planning and language factor. I'm a bit on the overplanning side in terms of learning some of a language before a trip, but you should try to learn some basic phrases, as least. The fewer different languages you have to learn, the easier it will be.
In addition to not planning too much, to accomodate kid interests, also factor in that you may spend LESS time in certain locations. For example, our son had no interest in the British Museum. But I felt it was important for him to see the Rosetta Stone, and also the Elgin Marbles. So went to the museum, viewed only those things, then left. It worked for us! One thing we've done in the past for larger museums is to look at them online, and decide on a few pictures, sculptures or other pieces that we want to see (we did this even when our kids were very young). If everyone is still interested after that, then we'll stay longer. Otherwise, it's time to go!
On our son's first visit, we had about 12 days, and we took him to London, then the Loire Valley, then Paris. We felt that starting out in an English-speaking country would make it easier for him. As it turned out, it didn't matter to him at all! We chose those locations because he loves big cities, and he loved spies and movies like James Bond. On the France side, he had always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower.
See what your daughter's interests are, and what she's interested in. We've found that, with our son (we've taken another European trip with him since then, and are planning a third, plus umpteen U.S. trips through the years), it works better if we make the big decisions, like which countries to visit, and regions within the countries, then involve him more in the activities or specific locations. In deciding last year between Provence and the Dordogne regions of France (us grownups had been to both, so we didn't have a preference), I listed the major features of each location, to see which appealed to him the most (FYI, all the castles in the Dordogne won out).
In terms of starting your planning, as others have said, begin by looking through travel books and videos (you can get a lot of this through your local library). See what catches your eyes, your heart and your imagination.
Also, consider what you've enjoyed on previous trips. For our son, we chose big cities because we knew he liked them, based on trips to NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. And that he was ok with longer European meals, and liked some museums. Also, buildings and castles that are restores and/or furnished the way they used to be are always a hit.
Once you've chosen some locations, start looking into airfares. You can use Orbitz and those types of sites, but I've always ended up going directly with the airlines. Try to make your journey an open-jaws trip - flying into one location, and out of another. That will save you time backtracking to your original city.
Have fun!
In addition to the other advice, consider visiting only two countries due to the time/planning and language factor. I'm a bit on the overplanning side in terms of learning some of a language before a trip, but you should try to learn some basic phrases, as least. The fewer different languages you have to learn, the easier it will be.
In addition to not planning too much, to accomodate kid interests, also factor in that you may spend LESS time in certain locations. For example, our son had no interest in the British Museum. But I felt it was important for him to see the Rosetta Stone, and also the Elgin Marbles. So went to the museum, viewed only those things, then left. It worked for us! One thing we've done in the past for larger museums is to look at them online, and decide on a few pictures, sculptures or other pieces that we want to see (we did this even when our kids were very young). If everyone is still interested after that, then we'll stay longer. Otherwise, it's time to go!
On our son's first visit, we had about 12 days, and we took him to London, then the Loire Valley, then Paris. We felt that starting out in an English-speaking country would make it easier for him. As it turned out, it didn't matter to him at all! We chose those locations because he loves big cities, and he loved spies and movies like James Bond. On the France side, he had always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower.
See what your daughter's interests are, and what she's interested in. We've found that, with our son (we've taken another European trip with him since then, and are planning a third, plus umpteen U.S. trips through the years), it works better if we make the big decisions, like which countries to visit, and regions within the countries, then involve him more in the activities or specific locations. In deciding last year between Provence and the Dordogne regions of France (us grownups had been to both, so we didn't have a preference), I listed the major features of each location, to see which appealed to him the most (FYI, all the castles in the Dordogne won out).
In terms of starting your planning, as others have said, begin by looking through travel books and videos (you can get a lot of this through your local library). See what catches your eyes, your heart and your imagination.
Also, consider what you've enjoyed on previous trips. For our son, we chose big cities because we knew he liked them, based on trips to NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. And that he was ok with longer European meals, and liked some museums. Also, buildings and castles that are restores and/or furnished the way they used to be are always a hit.
Once you've chosen some locations, start looking into airfares. You can use Orbitz and those types of sites, but I've always ended up going directly with the airlines. Try to make your journey an open-jaws trip - flying into one location, and out of another. That will save you time backtracking to your original city.
Have fun!
Jan 10th, 2008, 08:49 PM
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mtorres,
I took two 9 year old girls to Italy for three weeks. My trip report may give you some ideas. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35046872
Henry
I took two 9 year old girls to Italy for three weeks. My trip report may give you some ideas. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35046872
Henry
Jan 11th, 2008, 09:38 AM
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With a choice between late summer or early fall, I would make it early fall as everyone in Europe seems to be on vacation in August & it tends to be hot , muggy and crowded.
We have spent the last 16 months traveling all over Europe with our 7 year old daughter with extended stays in all the places that you mentioned. Perhaps looking on our website in our blog archives for places that you are interested in might be helpful.
www.soultravelers3.com
We try to post all the things that have worked for us when traveling with a child and the things and related books that she has liked.
I highly recommend having your daughter involved with the planning & do look at story book travels which has wonderful kids itineraries based on great children's literature. Books help it come alive from them.
Go to the library and get some guide books, videos etc and try to find some that are for traveling with kids to Europe. Get out the maps and learn as you go.
Here is a good site or two:
http://www.travelforkids.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Take-Your-Kids.../dp/0762710306
http://jimbojim2.vwh.net/traveler/ho...;region=Europe
I would skip disney land Paris, but we loved our two weeks in Paris. I would study the metro well before going as it will make it more enjoyable.
I would agree to go slow, staying in one place helps a lot with a child. If you speak at least one foreign language that will help, but not essential. Do learn key phrases and have a small book for necessities.
The small towns and countryside will be easier on both of you. Rome & Paris are madhouses for first timers often. Less is more. Florence & Seville are easier cities and smaller, Tuscany or Chiati as a base is much more relaxing ( make sure you have a pool for days when you are not touring). We often do short stays in a big city for essentials, then head to the countryside or stay near the beach in places like Barcelona and take a bus in to tour. Kids enjoy the beach, bus & cities.
Some of the thrill of travel is just doing ordinary things in extraordinary places. Less is more. ...yep repeating that on purpose. If you do more one day, take the next one to rest and play more.
Yes, good planning takes time...take your time...it is part of the fun!
Traveling as a family is really a tremendous experience and I am sure you will have a trip that you both will always remember and cherish!
We have spent the last 16 months traveling all over Europe with our 7 year old daughter with extended stays in all the places that you mentioned. Perhaps looking on our website in our blog archives for places that you are interested in might be helpful.
www.soultravelers3.com
We try to post all the things that have worked for us when traveling with a child and the things and related books that she has liked.
I highly recommend having your daughter involved with the planning & do look at story book travels which has wonderful kids itineraries based on great children's literature. Books help it come alive from them.
Go to the library and get some guide books, videos etc and try to find some that are for traveling with kids to Europe. Get out the maps and learn as you go.
Here is a good site or two:
http://www.travelforkids.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Take-Your-Kids.../dp/0762710306
http://jimbojim2.vwh.net/traveler/ho...;region=Europe
I would skip disney land Paris, but we loved our two weeks in Paris. I would study the metro well before going as it will make it more enjoyable.
I would agree to go slow, staying in one place helps a lot with a child. If you speak at least one foreign language that will help, but not essential. Do learn key phrases and have a small book for necessities.
The small towns and countryside will be easier on both of you. Rome & Paris are madhouses for first timers often. Less is more. Florence & Seville are easier cities and smaller, Tuscany or Chiati as a base is much more relaxing ( make sure you have a pool for days when you are not touring). We often do short stays in a big city for essentials, then head to the countryside or stay near the beach in places like Barcelona and take a bus in to tour. Kids enjoy the beach, bus & cities.
Some of the thrill of travel is just doing ordinary things in extraordinary places. Less is more. ...yep repeating that on purpose. If you do more one day, take the next one to rest and play more.
Yes, good planning takes time...take your time...it is part of the fun!
Traveling as a family is really a tremendous experience and I am sure you will have a trip that you both will always remember and cherish!
Jan 26th, 2008, 04:59 PM
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We took our 14 and 10 year old to Europe last summer for about 16 or 17 days.
I definately echo the thoughts of DOWNTIME.
Do not try to cram too much into the time there.
One of our favorite memories was the Eurostar train rides from Paris to Switzerland - and Switzerland to Italy. It was very relaxing and we played cards et. How funny that was one of the best memories??
I would do less touring. I think I overwhelmed my family in general with too many tours. I did not want to miss a thing - at almost 40 I had waited a long time to get to Europe - but they were so DONE with touring.
I agree with getting a pool or something of the like to just relax. I felt slightly like I needed a vacation from my vacation when we got home...so much running around.
I definately echo the thoughts of DOWNTIME.
Do not try to cram too much into the time there.
One of our favorite memories was the Eurostar train rides from Paris to Switzerland - and Switzerland to Italy. It was very relaxing and we played cards et. How funny that was one of the best memories??
I would do less touring. I think I overwhelmed my family in general with too many tours. I did not want to miss a thing - at almost 40 I had waited a long time to get to Europe - but they were so DONE with touring.
I agree with getting a pool or something of the like to just relax. I felt slightly like I needed a vacation from my vacation when we got home...so much running around.
Jan 26th, 2008, 05:46 PM
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I would rent an apartment/cottage in each country for 1 week and keep moving around to the minimum. A child of that age will enjoy the trip more if he or she has other children to play with for some of the time. I would choose, if possible, an apartment complex with a pool etc. so that she will have somewhere to relax after exploring with you.
My children enjoyed staying in Spain around that age. Cambrils (near Barcelona) was a favourite of theirs. We stayed in that area for 2 weeks and visited a water park, Tarragona, Salou (very good for children), Sitges, Peniscola, Port Aventura (amusement park). We did a mixture of child oriented act6ivities and sight seeing.
Another place they liked is Tolo in Greece. We stayed in a lovely apartment there with a pool and took day trips from there. We visited a lot of historical sights and explored the countryside. The children loved it because as well as exploring they met other children at the pool including three with whom they stayed in touch for several years.
My children enjoyed staying in Spain around that age. Cambrils (near Barcelona) was a favourite of theirs. We stayed in that area for 2 weeks and visited a water park, Tarragona, Salou (very good for children), Sitges, Peniscola, Port Aventura (amusement park). We did a mixture of child oriented act6ivities and sight seeing.
Another place they liked is Tolo in Greece. We stayed in a lovely apartment there with a pool and took day trips from there. We visited a lot of historical sights and explored the countryside. The children loved it because as well as exploring they met other children at the pool including three with whom they stayed in touch for several years.
Jan 26th, 2008, 07:29 PM
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Here's the most important thing I learned two years ago when I took my 11-year-old son to Italy: make sure your room has a tv! And not for the obvious reasons. We had no similar problems in the other places we visited but for the four nights we stayed in Cinque Terre, pretty much a new couple stayed in the room next to us every night. And the walls were very thin. And the CT is very romantic. As was our apartment building, apparently. If I had not had that tv I don't know what I would have done! (Although it would have definitely qualified as "memorable." Fortunately, thanks to the tv, it's only a memory "per me"!
Another thing I learned is to not lie down for a quick nap after the long plane ride over without explicit instructions to the youngster on what can and cannot be plugged in without an adapter, etc. My son ended up frying his Game Boy before we were in Rome for one hour.
Other than that I will second WTnow's "less is more" advice. The best memories I have of that trip with my son (and I think his too) are definitely the "down" times where we were just relaxing and hanging out (such as at our cool apartment in Venice watching the gondole go by, or the little cafe in Bologna where all of the old men - who spoke no English at all but understood when I told them "Woody Allen" - couldn't help but laugh along with my son as he chuckled out loud while reading the new Woody Allen book I had just bought for him. No doubt laughter is an international language!
Anyway good luck with your planning. Have you chosen a destination yet?
Also just realized I haven't followed my own advice, as my son and I are returning to Europe this March (France and Germany) and our hotel in Paris does not have a tv! Hmmm. Better bring speakers for my music player...
Another thing I learned is to not lie down for a quick nap after the long plane ride over without explicit instructions to the youngster on what can and cannot be plugged in without an adapter, etc. My son ended up frying his Game Boy before we were in Rome for one hour.
Other than that I will second WTnow's "less is more" advice. The best memories I have of that trip with my son (and I think his too) are definitely the "down" times where we were just relaxing and hanging out (such as at our cool apartment in Venice watching the gondole go by, or the little cafe in Bologna where all of the old men - who spoke no English at all but understood when I told them "Woody Allen" - couldn't help but laugh along with my son as he chuckled out loud while reading the new Woody Allen book I had just bought for him. No doubt laughter is an international language!
Anyway good luck with your planning. Have you chosen a destination yet?
Also just realized I haven't followed my own advice, as my son and I are returning to Europe this March (France and Germany) and our hotel in Paris does not have a tv! Hmmm. Better bring speakers for my music player...
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