Enjoying your enthusiastic report! When I took a couple of my friends to see the statue of David for their first time, the wife of the duo burst into tears. Made me teary to see her teary (I'm an art nut, but she is not, so that made it even more moving).

Have to disagree on two things you said. One is that I really liked using the audio tours on my last trip to Italy. I'd been to the Roman Forum a few times before, but using the audio guide at my own pace made me really get it.

Also used the audio tour in Pompeii, and loved having it there. So, to each his own, I suppose!

Second thing is I respectfully disagree about traveling with children. In my case I started fairly early (moved to my first foreign country, Japan, at age 9 and have been traveling as much as possible ever since) and although my brothers and I had our less than charming moments, those family trips in strange new places bonded us like nothing else, and truly gave us a world view. I think the younger you start the kids, the better! It's the teen years that can be...challenging.

My parents let my brothers and I go off and do our own thing a lot on trips when we were teens, and that independence was what made the difference for us. Input is important at any age!