Vanessa Nolan

<BR>2 adults and 3 children (aged 10,9 & 7) travelling to UK/Europe next year. Need to know best transport option and also activities etc to keep children interested - i.e. theme parks etc. We think self-catering is definitely the way to go, but we're not sure which is best and we are not sure about transport - train, car etc...Please help if you can - am feeling a bit daunted. Any families out there who have experienced this kind of travel. We are going to be travelling for about 3 months, during the summer.

anna

Took three kids ages 9,11, and 14 to England (London) and Denmark last summer. Some quick tips: No more luggage than one wheeled 21-inch bag and a school-sized backpack per person. Absolutely no more than that or you WILL regret it. Spend at least a week everywhere you go and definitely rent self-catering accommodations. Search the web for "self-catering" and get brochures from the tourist authorities of each country you plan to visit. Rent a car outside of cities but don't plan on driving in European large cities. The highlight of our trip, I think, was the overnight ferry from England to Denmark. You must throw in some parks, beaches, water parks, and amusement parks between the museums and churches or you will have a riot on your hands. Decide which countries you want to visit and start reading NOW. Get guidebooks from the library until you are sure of which countries you want to visit and which guidebooks you want to use and then buy your own copies. Buy or borrow the book Take Your Kids to Europe and read it cover to cover. When you have an idea of where you want to go and what your kids are interested in, get back on this forum and ask specific questions and you will get great answers. You are not starting too early. Good luck.

Vanessa

<BR>Thanks Anna - actually, have been planning this for quite some time. We live inAustralia, so it is quite a distance we are intending on travelling. As yet, we are really unsure of our itinerary and how long we should stay in each place, but thanks for your advice, and i'll certainly get a hold of that book. I have heard of it, but i live in a small country town, and these things sometimes take a lot of time. <BR>Thanks for your reply.

Kerry

Vanessa we took our kids to Europe for 4 months when they were the same age as yours and I think you are going with them at the right age. It was a wonderful holiday for all. <BR> <BR>Self catering is definately the way to go. We rented houses in France from a Company called Vacances en Campagne - they have an agent in Victoria called Cottages & Castles, 11 Laver St, Kew, Victoria. 3101. I only have the old telephone No. (before the recent addition of an extra digit). If it helps it was (03) 862 1142. This company has brochures for many countries in Europe and we have used them twice without any trouble. As a repeat customer we get their books for free but I think they will charge about $10 each country for new customers. I highly recommend the investment. <BR> <BR>In England we booked through Blakes Country Cottages. I don't remember where I got their book but on the back it has an Australian agent, Hemisphere Travel 747 Glenhuntly Rd, Caulfield South 3162 Vic. Tel. (again old No.) (03) 528 3155. <BR> <BR>As a non EEC resident you can lease a car in France from Citroen, Peugeot or Renault. This is an excellent option for long stays. Your travel agent will know all the details. We have tried Citroen and Renault and found the staff at Renault France much friendlier than Citroen but that could have just been the luck of the draw on that day. How it works is that you buy the car (on paper only) and it is registered and insured in your name. You only pay rental but it works out much cheaper than ordinary rental cars. The deal is that because the car is being sold to a non EEC resident there is no sales tax payable, a considerable saving, and when the car is returned they onsell it. It results in a cheaper car for you and a good second-hand car only a few months old that the company can sell without sales tax. I'd go for a car over the train because most of the houses will be in country areas where you are stuck without a car and I just found it easier than packing kids on and off trains etc. <BR> <BR>Some other advice is that because you have so much time - go slowly. Don't rush the kids. Stay a week at a time in each place. It's the simple things the kids loved doing. Buying a loaf of bread and feeding the ducks by the river. Packing a picnic lunch and finding some wonderful spot to eat it outside a chateau or castle. You can have quite civilised picnics as remember you will have all the knives, forks, plates, glasses, bottle openers etc in your house and even tablecloths. We bought a cheap soccer ball at a local supermarket and had Mum & Dad -v- the kids every afternoon when we returned to our house. A great way to let them yell scream run around and burn off any car boredom before dinner. Try and keep the castles, museums etc to a minimum otherwise the kids will complain you are on the ABC tour - Another Boring Church - Another Boring Castle. <BR> <BR>Pack light. If you are staying in a house you will most probably have a washing machine or if not you can rinse things each night in the bath. After the first few weeks I realised we had too much of everything and shipped one suitcase home. <BR> <BR>Encourage the kids to keep a diary and collect ticket stubs etc. Something for them to do at night - remember no English speaking TV in the houses and a great thing for show and tell when they get back to school. <BR> <BR>If you have any friends or relatives in the UK see if they can arrange for your children to visit the local school for a day or two. This was a highlight for our kids. Also our daughter met her German penfriend and this was something she really enjoyed. <BR> <BR>Visit your childrens' teachers and get the syllabus for their maths and English lessons. As long as you keep them up to date with maths and English atthis age they should have no trouble about missing 3 months of school. The history and geography lessons take care of themselves on route if you incorporate these into your daily sightseeing activities. <BR> <BR>Overall we had a wonderful family experience, something we all look back on with fond memories. I'd look to turn back the clock and do it all again. <BR> <BR>I hope you have as memorable time as we did. Good luck with your plans. Email me direct if I can help with any other questions. <BR> <BR>

anna

I believe she said they would be travelling in the summer. The school year is much longer in many countries in Europe, though. Kids were still in school in London when we were there in late June, so visiting a school might be feasable. I HIGHLY recommend that Mom or Dad keep a journal, too. Stuff gets to be a blur after awhile and there was so much I had already forgotten even after only 3 weeks.

John

Hi, Vanessa, <BR>You might consider a house exchange - friends of ours have done this several times and have found it a good way to arrange long trips with children(cheaply!). Check out http://www.homelink.org/, one of the larger agencies who serve as clearinghouses for exchanges. <BR> <BR>

marilyn

Your trip sounds so wonderful, I wish we had ever had the opportunity! All our trips as our children have been growing up have been short, but one of our finest family memories was a 9-day trip to England (London and Somerset) when the girls were 9 and 6. I endorse several previously posted ideas: emphasize the simple things, like feeding the swans in Kensington Park; go at a slow pace; picnic as you go. Our girls for the most part LOVED castles--they were in a "princess" phase themselves, and spent lots of time dreaming of living in each one we saw. Even TINY things can be so fun in foreign surroundings: we spent a whole rainy morning playing penny drop games in a tawdry arcade at a seacoast town in Devon. <BR> <BR>I have not personally done a house exchange, but friends who have really raved about how affordable it made their trips, often exchanging cars as well.

Eric Bredesen

Visit http://www.ideamerge.com/motoeuropa to learn about the low-cost alternative to renting a car: a Renault Eurodrive tax-free, short-term car lease. These deals may seem too good to be true, but they are true! Anyone wanting to drive in Europe from 17 days to 170 days should check this out. You can even order online. <BR> <BR>This site is also a full and free guide to European motor travel. <BR> <BR> <BR>