delaware22

I need your help.
I am taking my granddaughter to europe June19 for 2 weeks. Never been. She has ADD HAD, I need to find things to keep her busy. I have rented a time share in Austria, Warmbeder Allee 53. I have been searching all day for things she would have fun at. I found the Grand Dune de pyla, france, and the sound of music tour, I am really having trouble, museums are really not a option, it has to be hands on things, doing things, learning by doing, mountain climbing, adventureous type things.
she said she wanted to go to Italy, so I was thinking about boat ride.
I am from Delaware, USA, and really havent been many places. I have been to library, reading books and videos. I am just not finding much.
If any one has any suggestions please offer.
Thank you ,
Suzanne

Iowa_Redhead

How old is she? What interests does she have? Suggestions for an 8 year old girly firl are a lot different from those for a 19 year old tom boy.

How long do you have the time share in Austria? The whole two weeks?

delaware22

<y Shelby is 11 years old.

delaware22

Yes, my time share is for 7 days then I am taking her to brussels where my other daughter is station. We will be staying there the rest of the time.

adrienne

Contact the Austrian tourist office in either NYC or Washington for information on the area.

Ackislander

Yes. You can't go to France or really even Italy on a day trip.

The tourist office can point you in the direction of outdoor activities: hikes, boat rides, funiculars, etc.

One good thing is that people in Europe walk a great deal more than we do in America, so she may be tired by the end of the day!

Gretchen

Is she seeing a doctor for some control of this? Is this a diagnosed conditon for her?

Nonconformist

Where in Austria is it?

ira

Hi del,

Are you staying in Warmbad-Villach?

Your idea of a day in Salzburg is good.

Are you aware that you are almost on the border with Slovenia?

There are two large lakes and the mountains very nearby.
Have you spoken to the rental agent?
Have you written to the Austrian Tourist Board?

What does her doctor say?

ira

Also,

Are you aware that you will need her parents permission to take her out of the US and that you ought to have a limited power of attorney so that you can authorize medical care for accidents, should it be necessary?

StCirq

I don't understand how you got onto the notion of taking her to the Dune du Pylat. That's in a whole different country, very far away. You (and she) should be reading books about Austria, and Brussels I guess, not France and Italy. There's plenty of hiking and outdoor activities in Austria. Contact the tourist office nearest where you're staying in Austria and they will send you tons of information. And go online and research the area.

As ira says, make sure you have PA for her and a letter from her parents authorizing you to take her traveling.

nanabee

ADD/ADHD is a problem primarily for children in a school or academic setting, where there have to sit quietly for long periods of time and and focus and absorb large amounts of information. Traveling, running around, walking, talking, sightseeing etc. will not be a problem for her or you.

Welcome to Fodors, I see you are new to us. And congrat's for finding the Lounge so quickly! You may be aware of the big discussion her about ADD/ADHD earlier that may have prompted you to write.

nanabee

sorry I apologize you have posted on Europe. Good luck and check out the Lounge where discussion on ADD/etc are common and insightful.

padams421

Why did you pick your location in Austria? Is there a reason for going there?

It is beautiful countryside but not much to entertain an 11 year old girl.

I think it would be so much easier for you, since you have never been to Europe, to spend a week in an easy location such as London.

annhig

ADD/ADHD is a problem primarily for children in a school or academic setting, where there have to sit quietly for long periods of time and and focus and absorb large amounts of information. Traveling, running around, walking, talking, sightseeing etc. will not be a problem for her or you.>>

if I may say so, nanabee, you seem not to have had that much exposure to ADHD kids! My ADHD son could be an absolute nightmare in any unfamiliar situation, which by definition, includes virutally everything you do on a holiday.

if you are going to be in/near Salzburg, then there are plenty of outdoorsy things to be done - as you say the sound of music tour [has she seen the film?] a boat trip on the Wolfgangsee with a train ride up the mountain, the cable car at Hallstadt, but not very much of this is active. Have you looked into hiring bikes? seeing if there is a sailing or canoeing course she could do? the local tourist board shoudl be able to help you with all these things.

What are you planning to do in Brussels? IMHO that is even more limited when it comes to activities suitable for your DGD. but they too will have a tourist board you can ask for advice.

freberta

annhig: Do we have the same son? I laughed when I read nanabee's description of ADHD. Obviously nanabee doesn't live with a child with ADHD.

The worst part of traveling with my son is eating. That's because his medication suppresses his appetite and food isn't important to him. Even though he may not be hungry he still needs to eat, and that is the problem. That's why whenever we travel, we have to find the closest fast food joints to keep him happy. As long as he's happy, we're happy.

annhig

hi freberta,

from what you write, I infer that my DS is a little older than yours - no medication now since he left secondary school at age 16; since then he's been what we call 6th form college [years 12 & 13] and after a gap year, in October he's off to university. so that light at the end of the tunnel WAS the sun, and not, as I sometimes thought, the light of the train coming to run me down!

but those early years are still etched on my soul. until he was about 11, we always went to the same place on holiday, which got a bit boring, but was preferable to the alternative. then we struck out a little, and went to France, and then Italy, which was the breakthrough for him [and us] so far as eating was concerned. He went away with a very restricted diet, and 7 days later, came home eating twice as many foods as he had before.

excuse my asking, but does your DS have to have the medication when he's not at school? we gradually cut it out during holidays [with the approval of his doctor] and because it's so quick-acting, that seemed to work well. I know that it can be a help in new situations [which crop up a lot in holidays!] but it might help with the eating. just a thought!

sorry delaware to have gone a bit off track, what were you asking???

delaware22

Thank you for all your comments and questions. Yes my granddaughter Shelby see's a doctor for this problem. Yes she is on medication for this, it helps but does not fix the problem. I have the same problem, I have been on adderal for about 10 years, still cant read a book. My daughter also has this. It runs in families, although my other two children do not have it. Thanks for all advice. I am a registered nurse and it took me 6 years to get it, after flunking out twice. The reason I pick austria is because I traded my time share in, and it was the only one advailble that was all inclusive. I picked up cd's at the library and have been searching the net, and that is where I got the idea of Dune du Plat, it said it was a fun place to take kids.Its in france and really not that far by train. Hope I answered everyones questions. thankyou

freberta

Annhig -- my son is 13 years old and has been on some form of Ritalin since he was 8. We've tried to withhold his medication on weekends and school vacations, but not with a lot of success. In fact, our pediatrician encourages us to stop it when he is not in school so that his appetite might improve, but the difference in his behavior when he's on and when he's off is dramatic. It is encouraging to hear about your son's progress and success. We hope that one day our son will no longer be dependent on medication in order to get through the day.

We have never allowed the ADHD to get in the way of our vacations. We have taken him to Europe 3 times already and will be going to England in August. We find the biggest problem with him is the eating issue, and sometimes just acting silly. He did quite well in Italy, though -- as long as he found pizza that was like the kind we have at home. And pasta with plain red sauce or an alfredo sauce. He doesn't really have a difficult time adjusting to new situations, on or off the medication.

Delaware -- is your granddaughter on medication? If she is, and the dose is the proper one, then you shouldn't have a problem traveling with her, if her only problem is ADD or ADHD. It's possible to have a wonderful time with a child who sometimes may march to a different drummer.

Annhig -- again, I am happy to hear that your son has outgrown the ADHD. I have a few long years still ahead of me!

padams421

Delaware, you need to spend some time on mapquest.com or one of the other online map sites to understand the distances in Europe. Dune du Plat is almost 1,000 miles from where you are staying. It would be about the same as deciding to take a train from Wilmington, Delaware to Orlando, Florida. "Really not that far by train"- NO, it would be more than 12 hours each way.

As suggested above, you need to contact the local tourist office in Austria to learn what you can do in the area where you are staying.