kismetchimera

Good idea Cameron..also they should have some moneys with them..

About internet cafe...When I travel in Europe I never use the internet..I am already spending too much time now..perhaps I am beginning to have an internet adiction..
Therefore, forget the internet, stay away from the PC, walk around the city...but stay out.. enjoy the sunshine, smell the roses in the park dont stay inside facing the pc..
Buon viaggio..

Patrick

Wonderful itinerary!!!

bobthenavigator

Good for you !
We did the reverse itinerary for 8 weeks in 1999 celebrating our 40th anniversary. A big plus is the car lease--plan your trip to be able to pick up and drop the car at the right places. We started in Madrid and ended in Munich and used Peuogot as the vendor---big savings ! We only had one fight in the 8 weeks--not too bad.
We call it the trip where we followed the spring flowers thru southern Europe

AnneO

What a great opportunity! I plan to do something similar if my company ever sells (at which point I lose my job)... take a few months off and travel (don't want to wait till retirement).

Your kids are a little young to just let them go off by themselves, but old enough (if they are mature enough) to go somewhere specific by themselves (kind of unclear...I wouldn't just leave them in Rome and say "see you tonight", but would let them be alone in a museum or some other attraction for a couple of hours.) Also, they are likely to want to sleep late in the mornings...they are certainly old enough to stay in the hotel or apt sleeping while you and your husband visit sites they might not be interested in. Also, you can split up... one parent takes both kids, the other has some alone time, or each of you take one, and do something different. They are going to need a break from each other too (if they are anything like my brothers and I were!).

I was fortunate enough to have a 2 month foreign assignment at work (to Australia) when I was 25, followed by a 1 month vacation (since I was already there!). No email or internet, and phone calls were astronomical, so in that time I got 2 letters from home and 1 phone call (when I hit a tough homesick day). It was strange being gone so long, but I had a great time, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Especially these days, staying in touch is so easy. Do be sure to allow your kids internet time to email their friends from home.

Enjoy your trip...I think you have a great itinerary.

Anne

Kavey

I understand where you are coming from - my husband and I are taking a 2 month trip to Africa soon. It's a dream trip and I'm incredibly excited... but it's certainly causing a few minor nerves as we've never taken such a long trip before...

hopscotch

I agree with adrienne on taking notes. Don't haul around a laptop. Buy a small notebook in a stationary store (not a travel diary with dates on every page) and record your trip in you own handwriting. Travel notebooks from my trips fill a gallon Ziloc sack and are so easy to refer back to, even decades after the trip.

Teenagers at 13 and 14 are still too young to walk about by themselves, even in Europe. At 18 I would turn mine loose on her own with a friend in just about city of Europe. She is still 16.

"No friends?" You are going to love it and they are going to love you. Just be yourself.

I've done it and for much more than your 10 weeks and came back alive. I venture to say that you will wish it would be for 20 weeks rather than 10 when it is over.

Your 'comfort zone' will extend itself with every day you are in Europe. It's not a jungle over there. Those people are just as civilized, more so in many ways, as Americans and you are going to have the time of your life.

Betsy also has a great idea. Make the children plan some days in the cities you are going to visit. This makes them do some research and they will be extremely pleased to have made the plans and actually gone to the places they mapped out. Responsibility breeds self confidence. There are amusement parks and water parks all over Europe. Your kids will love them, and so will you. Holland is probably the best kid country in Europe though is not on your ininerary, but maybe next time?

nytraveler

Well it depends on how mature the kids are. When I was 12 and 13 I used to go into Manhattan for the day with friends - but I was independent and used to the city. If the kids are naive and not used to cities this may be too much for them. In either case there's no reason they couldn't join some organized day trips on their own so the parents can have a little alone time.

breathe

I honestly feel so much better after having read your responses. You gave me some excellent ideas. Rex, Bob, and Patrick, I'm thrilled that you approve of my itinerary, (especially since I have read your posts often) but I shouldn't be surprised, as I ingested all of your advice in my decision making. (Rex, I will show my husband this thread, and Bob, I'd like to know what the one "fight" was about!) To everyone else, I plan on implementing your suggestions on taking time away from each other, getting a cell phone, and journaling, whether I do it by hand or laptop. I had already assigned my kids a country to research, and to plan an itinerary. Thank you again for taking the time to tell me of your experiences. What made me feel the absolute best were two things that Hopscotch said, 1) That I could make new friends. I would love them and they would love me. And 2) My comfort zone will extend itself with every day I am there. Those were powerful words, and I am grateful. Breathe

SalB

We've done it and when our kids were kids and at home, we did it with them. We also managed to stay together 24/7, often in a tent, and finished the trip all friends. Yes, there were a few problems, but a pleasant family discussion took care of it. Just remember to present solutions when you present problems and it will work out.

The first few days in a foreign country are the most scary. When you discover you can eat, get directions, use the bank, find bathrooms, etc. there will come the "Oh my gosh. We can do this." experience and the rest of the trip will be great.

Just expect that you will have the occasional upset just like you would if you stayed at home . . . but the scenery is better!

OaktownTraveler

breathe:

I absolutely love your itinery as you have it...BRILLIANT!
Do not change a thing unless YOU want to.

I am a writer and have never travelled with a laptop. Journals, legal pads and whatever else I could get my hands on but, no computer.

Not your therapist but, let me take some new paths to your anxiety...or guilt.

Go, turn on some music and do a "travel dance". REALLY celebrate your good foutune and the gift that God has given to you and your family.

Write a letter telling your family the great things that can happen over the ten weeks.

Ask everyone who is going to do the same. Trade these letters.

Keep celebrating everyday...no matter what. This is a sure way to chase away worry, guilt and any negative lurkers posing as positive supporters...

Make sure that your "at home" is secured in that the mail, newspapers, deliveries, lights, water, animals and all of that are taken care of.

If possible set your e-mails so that your messages do not pile up.

If you have a home alarm system by all means clue them in.
Make sure you and hubby argee on the circumstances under which you are to be contacted by them...if necessary.

Sounds dumb but, empty your fridge and if you feel comfortable turn this enegry sucker off.

Unplug all tv's, laundry stuff and other electrical appliances. These things also drain energy.

Turn your telephones completely off, no ringer. This is an excellent safety step.

Leave your cars parked as usual. Have someone you trust to come around once a week to take the cars for a short spin.

If you do not want to do that then remove the car batteries...

Make peace with any "messages" or "concerns" passed on to you from other family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors about how LUCKY you are blah, blah, blah...

You have worked hard and have earned this wonderful time with your family who are absolutely your friends too!

Pack a ton of stuff! Take what you want and take what you need. Do your thing!

Remember to say your prayers and to give God the thanks for this wonderful journey.

Take care of each other and embrace with great excitement every culture and the beauty of every word spoken that you do not know!

Throw your own Bon Voyage Party and invite your friends and family to bring a small token from one of the countries that you will visit...to discuss and share.

Create as many small food and drink stations(5/6) and have your guest try and identify which country that food or drink is from.

"Blind" taste the wines from the countries for even more fun. You put paper bags on all wine bottles and your guest have to guess which country the wine is from. You give prizes etc...

Once, we did a scrabble game in the languages for the countries that we would be visiting.

Ask your guest to try and come in the dress of the country that they wish.

You and your family will be fine as you learn all about these countries at your party and WHILE you travel.

Oh, the longest that I was away from home was 6 months on three different journeys.


My Best,
Oaktown Traveler

breathe

Oaktown traveler, You Rock! I am all over it! Breathe

Carmen

We traveled with our two kids for six weeks a few years ago, and it was truly a peak experience for all of us. Not a week goes by that we don't share a laugh or fond memory. (Remember when Dad put the wrong fuel in the car and we got to ride on the back of a tow truck in France?!)

The kids were 9 and 12 at the time, and even though they bicker a lot at home, they had only each other as friends on the trip, so they got along brilliantly, made up people-watching games, etc... Both are different, deeper young individuals than they were before. I believe they truly think of themselves as citizens of the world now, and fully expect to travel abroad throughout their lives. (We should all be so fortunate to have experiences like this while we are young !) While we were in England, we met a family that was in the middle of a 10-week trip, and they seemed to be having a great time as well. It was fun to compare experiences.

You'll have a great time, I'm sure!! You've gotten lots of good advice here.
We're looking forward to another, albeit shorter family trip to Italy next year, and I'm already planning and looking forward Bon voyage...

twoflower

Hi breathe
Our longest trip to Europe was 12 wks, our shortest 10 weeks, and I'm not long back from a 7-week one on my own. I go along with the advice already given above:
1. Read up on the countries you're visiting so that some of the things you encounter won't be a surprise;
2. Learn "hello", "please", "thank you" and "do you speak English?" in the various languages you'll be coming across;
3. Take time out on your own now and then, and also take time away from the crowded tourist spots to relax with locals in a peaceful village somewhere;
4. Plan your itinerary to minimise stress. Is there an English-speaking country on your list? Rick Steves says do that first, to build up confidence for the other countries later. That's perfectly valid, but personally I do it the other way round. If I've coped for 8 weeks in non-English speaking ones, first, a last (English) country becomes a breeze - almost like a holiday to end the holiday!
All the best. It might encourage you to know that even after our lengthy trips, neither my wife nor I have felt ready to come home at the end of them!

harzer

Lots of good advice kere from Ita, Gardyloo, 2flower and others.

At least a week in each of eight or ten smallish places where you can bed down, adjust to the local rhythm of life, become familiar enough with your chosen locale that you can let the kids go off for an afternoon, knowing they'll find their way back and so on. That's the way to go. So what, if you went to France and didn't see the Eiffel Tower?

Tossing out your guidebook is not a bad idea once you are settled. Guess who knows most about the locality you are in? Right, the locals. And they get a great kick out of putting you on the right track and seeing you come back elated by their recommended activity/restaurant etc.

Harzer

klondike

My sister and I made 2 memorable trips through Europe (6 wks and 8 wks) with our parents who had never vacationed abroad before. We were 17 & 19. Three of the 4 kept daily diaries. They are, 30 years down the road, a great source of joy, especially the "bad behaviour" moments that we now laugh about. We survived permanently lost luggage, smashed feet, broken-down car rentals, lost passports and travelers checks AND each other. Not only do we still speak, the experience established a special bond which the other 6 children missed out on (though they have had their own "special" trips together later as adults).

1) take comfort in knowing that when you were born, EVERY WORD was foreign and you didn't have a cultural clue. And look how well you've done! You've done this before; you can do it again..sometimes it's just more gracefully accomplished than other times.

2) Look on the bright side, the monetary unit is simpler now than it used to be. Now days you (mostly) only have one currency change to deal with...you can't believe how the mental gymnastics every few days/week when we crossed borders and changed currency caused my parents to freak out and stress. Which brings us to

3) Accept the fact that your kids will probably adjust faster/better than you..kids do tend to be more flexible. Follow their lead. We parents self-impose this false idea that WE must always have ALL the answers, know what to do in EVERY situation. Lighten up and breathe as others have suggested, or at least count to ten before you react. It is healthy for older children to see us as less than perfect and able to laugh at ourselves and learn from mistakes/new experiences. Which leads us to

4) We intuitively "paired up" a variety of adult-child combos when performing many of our daily functions...from shopping for meals, to choosing a hotel, to getting away from the other half for some peace of mind. Amazingly the age difference complemented each other in dealing with stressful situations. At times flexible youth was able to compensate for maturity's inability to think "outside the box"; other times wisdom of age saved (sometimes literally) us from little disasters that impetuous youth was ready to jump into without hesitation. Pairng up adult-adult many times was a failure...but then again, maybe that was a learning experience my parents needed...certainly provided for occasional fireworks-Ha-Ha-Ha.

5) Lastly, interpersonal communication is everything. Talking in advance that tempers may flare, things may go wrong.. whatever, and problem solving in advance goes a long way to head off problems. (You might want to look up some of the threads here on Fodors regarding disasters of traveling with a travel partner you thought you knew but didn't-pretty much the same problems with family members too) We had a "majority rules" vote system and "time-out" period for cooling off before talking about a sore point/losing your cool moment. The most important words you will say are "I'm sorry I..." and the quickest way to save a moment/day is to ask "Can we start over from this point, please?". If you mean it and do it, the rewards will be immense.

Oh, itinerary sounds great! Wish it were me doing it all over again!

erinb

hi,

I have to say you are simply forgetting one thing. by god, its 2004, no one has to be disconnected from anything for more that a minute.

1)buy phone cards in the country you are in for calls back to the states. best one? Pennies for minutes. 2 minutes later you are dialing your best buds at home and sharing all the wonderful things you are seeing and doing. works everytime for me.

2)you are having a last minute panic attack of mega proportions and it's okay. ride thru it. a lot of people here have given you some great advice, but probably the most important one is that knowledge is power over this feeling you are having. spend this time learning about the places you will be traveling to.

3)a lot of people just do not realize that it is the familiar things around us that give us stability, even if they are just things. take your favorite lap pillow, your favorite coffee mug or tea cup. little things that you normally use everyday.

my first trip out, I met a couple who had retired about 4 months before. they had worked hard all their lives and had also just finished putting their last child thru college. they had never been anywhere outside their own country. they each packed a small 21 inch suitcase of "necessary" things and headed out the door. their lifelong dream was to travel for a year. As far as I could tell, they were hooking up with country excursion to country excursion. and having a blast!

I envied them, but at the same time, felt that it was sad they had not taken the time to do this before in their lives.

4)think about it, you will be giving your children some of the best education they could ever have. enjoyment, respect and tolerance of other people and their cultures. it's a real eye opener and add a whole other level of maturity to their growth.

I hope this helps! Finally, just enjoy!

5)You and hubby allow each other some private time every couple of days. Go off and tour something on your own. spend time everyday keeping a journal and sending postcards home. just these two small things help you stay grounded and connected.

6)set up a travel email account at yahoo or hotmail and give it out to all your friends and family. check in at a internet cafe (they are all over europe) and let them know how and what you are doing.

I would give anything to be able to travel for 10 weeks. it is a dream I will have to wait on until I retire. So grab it with both hands!

erinb

cailin

the longest I've travelled for in one go was about 14 months and it was the best experience of my life. Yes - I missed friends and family - but we wrote, e-mailed and talked on the phone. The benefits far outweigh the down sides.

Just go and enjoy it!!

bobthenavigator

Oh yes--the fight !
It was about map reading--she is wonderfuland multi-talented, but does not share some of my gifts--she is a bit cartigraphically challenged. It was in Bassano del Grappa.

OaktownTraveler

Breathe:

Thanks, glad that I could help!

Oh, take time EVERY day for you and hubby...no matter what.

While your kids may thank you when they turn 30 years old...they will not remember that you and hubby skipped a good restaurant, a museum, a monument, a cup of tea, etc. to accomodate their desire to not...

You and hubby WILL remember all of the things that you did or did not do on a daily basis because of the kids...

Have some special days for them but like during the "at-home" week make it no more than 1 to 2 days in 7!

The other days you and hubby are the vacation and travel leaders.

Trust me, your kids will STILL select the best rest home for you in 50 or so years...giggle.

Pssst...
{Do not tell anyone that I said this but, DO NOT pick up that Rick Steve's book...it's travel poison...Shhh(smile)}

Go get them party invites instead!

Happy DAILY Celebrating,
Oaktown Traveler