trip ideas for a family!
 

We are trying to go somewhere either late June or early August. Our children are older, 19, 18 and 14 yrs. We're trying to please everyone. The oldest is flexible, the middle loves shopping and cities and the youngest does not want to move around alot. He'd be happy with a pool and basketball court! We are thinking Europe, but are not totally sold on it. We have taken them to Germany and Austria already and have done many all-inclusive Caribbean vacations. So, we are not looking for that type of thing. My husband and I are not "city" people, but would make a stop in one or two.
Any ideas??

Hi trishready,

I think we can help you more if you can tell us what your & your family thought of Germany & Austria. Did you enjoy it? Are you looking for a similar experience, or are you hoping to find something totaly different?

s

Lots of villas in Italy have pools, bicycles, etc..so you have the calem setting outside of the city with a pool for your husband and son and it could be close enough to a shoppoing city like Florence to get to it and other cities easily by bus or train for the day.

How about Greece?

(Maybe I should elaborate to say that it wouldn't kill the kids to see some history and you could otherwise have a very relaxing swim holiday. The shopper wouldn't end up breaking the bank.)

I agree with the idea of renting a villa in Italy. If you rent one in Tuscany you could easily daytrip to Florence for some terrific shopping and more of a city vibe. Many villas have pools and are good for relaxation, and they would cut down on all the moving around since most allow only weekly rentals.

You could combine that with some nights in Rome for city life, lots of great history, and more shopping for your middle child.

Greece also sounds like a wonderful idea, although I haven't (yet!) been there.

Tracy

Thank you all. I think I posted a reply to the messages. I'm new at this so it may appear as a new question. Keep up the good ideas!!

If we did go to Rome for a few nights and then to a villa in Tuscany, where in Tuscany should we go that would be close to a village for cafe's, restaurants, small shops, etc...?

Trish,

You might find a bit more information on villa rental on the Slow Travel site. That is their thing, i.e., villa/ apartment rental.

http://www.slowtrav.com/

Have a great trip!

:-)

HELP...any more trip ideas??

I just posted my own thread about using Viareggio as a base. A couple years ago we spent a few weeks in Italy and it was hard trying to find something that would make everyone happy. My husband needed the beach, relaxation, and lots of sun. My daughter needed to explore lots of food, I needed shopping and cluture, and my son needed to be entertained. We did 3 day stays in Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris (lots of museums). But, what we liked most was our stay in Viareggio. It is not a spectacular town, but it is so close to everything - 1hr train to Florence, 2 hours to Rome, 4 hours to Venice, and just 15 minutes to Pisa. There are boats that go to Cinque Terra for daily excursions and there are a lot of towns that are within an easy drive. My son enjoyed the torture museums, my daughter loved sampling salamis, I loved the shops and everyone loved the beach.

Thank you all for your great suggestions. Is there a way to see Prague and Venice easily and then a few days in Northern Italy to relax? Would we fly from one to the other?Maybe fly into Prague and fly out of somewhere else? This may not be do-able, but have always wanted to see Prague and definetly Italy. IDK??!!

Where are you from?

Knowing what is.... and is not your "home" frame of reference... will help grasp what is... or what is not... a "vacation".

Best wishes,

Rex

We are from Rhode Island..at the ocean, so not really interested in a beach type vacation.
Thanks for asking!

We travel Europe frequently and find that a great place to go is Salo on Lake Garda. It is a quaint, wonderful village where you can relax and enjoy the Italian lifestyle while having the ability to go to Venice as a day trip, take the hydrofoils to other villages around the lake (they run constantly), eat great food in outdoor cafes along the water or drive/train into Switzerland, Germany, or wherever since Lake Garda's location is ideal for getting to other interesting places. Salo is a hot spot for vacationing Europeans so if you didn't find a spot there you could go to any of the other little villages around the lake and probably do the same thing. Sirmone is really a neat place as well, but is overrun with people during the season and we find it better to make it a visit by Hydrofoil than to stay there. A visit to Lake Garda (I've heard it called the Italian Riviera)would allow you to stay in one area with lots to do, day trip to Milan or Venice (both less than 2 hours by car or you can train which takes a little longer)and do a lot of water activities. We've always found this area safe and absolutely beautiful. I'll also throw in that it is incredibly romantic, but with the 3 kids that probably doesn't hit high on the criteria list. We recently returned from an extended trip to Europe and hated to come home. Have a great time where ever you end up!

I'm not so sure that a villa rental in Tuscany would be the best idea for 19- and 18-year-old people (really, at that age they're basically adults). I haven't done a villa rental, but it seems that most are in the countryside - it might be near a big or small town, but not always within walking distance; that would make your entire group dependent on one car to get around. You can definitely rent apartments (in villas) in cities/towns, however; they're just not as common.

I'm thinking that somewhere that would allow your two oldest kids to move around on their own might be a good idea, without being in a big city (which you parents seem to be less interested in). Let's say, Siena, which is a little more difficult to get in and out of for day trips, but would have have enough going on in the evenings for your oldest two to be entertained (and has shopping, and all that). You might even find a hotel that has a pool.

Or how about Fiesole, right outside Florence. Whomever wanted to could take the bus into the city for entertainment and/or culture, and others could stay and be more relaxed.

I would also say to examine the kinds of vacations you've done in the past, and how you worked out your groups' varying interests.

Another possibility is Provence; you could stay in or on the edges of a city like Arles, which is big enough to have shopping (I would assume; I'm not a big shopper) and nightlife, but small enough to be kind of quiet.

I just read your latest post - Venice would be another place where your group could split up and follow different interests. I would not recommend staying outside Venice just to get a pool or a basketball court - part of the magic of Venice is being right there, especially at night. But there might be hotels in Venice with pools. And the shopping is definitely there! To visit Prague, Venice and northern Italy is expanding a lot on the "not moving around much" idea. It's definitely doable, depending on how much time you have, but it will be a busier trip.

Prague really is a neat city, with lots of interesting things to do (museums, castle, churches, the Astronomical Clock). It's breathtakingly beautiful, and compact enough to walk to most of the attractions, and there are day trips to the countryside. My children enjoyed it tremendously on the two trips they have taken there (they were age 17 and 20 this year, and 14 and 17 three years ago). They found some great shopping as well. This is the one place that they've been that they both talk about wanting to go back to.

With all due respect, I don't know how much I'd search for a pool for just one member of the family (assuming there would be some pool time at home at some other point during the summer) - how did the 14yo do on the previous trip to Germany/Austria and what did he enjoy most there?

I'd recommend:

Jackson, Wyoming or Aspen, Colorado

or

Reno or Lake Tahoe, Nevada

or

Victoria and more, British Columbia

Best wishes,

Rex

Having taken many family trips, I have found the best for families with children you ages is to step out of the confort zone.........it makes for a even playing field, the kids love it.

How about a biking trip in Europe or a sailing trip in Belize combined with a trip inland. Or sailing the Dalmation coast?????????

I am big on suggesting Spain to everyone because I know it best, however it seems that Prague and Venice are tops on your list. So. . .

You could always fly into Prague and spend a few days, then do as you said. . . continue on to Venice, then spend some time somewhere in Northern Italy.

It is really hard to get a family of 5 to be pleased with the arrangements, so perhaps you could get everyone actively involved and see what you come up with. My cousins had a system (before they all grew up):

5 choices (usually just 5 countries, but sometimes themes like "hiking" or "beach vacation") and they all had to make a suggestion that really appealed to them and that all would enjoy. Then they all got together and tried to decide. Sometimes the kids all got together and decided to outvote the parents (isn't there always some kind of mutiny in families?), but they always ended up with really awesome vacations. And all that before internet research was available! All of your children are old enough to be active in this.

Thank you all again. Such great suggestions!!
I don't consider a pool a necessity, I was just trying to describe my son.
Lake Garda sounds great. If we did go to Prague and then to Venice, is there an airport in Venice.
I suppose we could just go to Prague and then take sidetrips, but I'm not sure what areas we should go to.
Or, we could skip Prague and go to venice and Lake Garda, for example.
Now, out in left field, to Rex...I have never been out west ,like Jackson..that may be a consideration if not for this trip, than for another. Yes, I am blonde, but I'm really not as ditzy as I sound! Ha!
Thanks!

Having just made the trip between Venice and Prague you will find that it is a very easy flight. We took a water taxi to the Venice airport and departed around 6:30pm. We flew Italia Airlines and made a stop in Milan and then arrived in Prague around 9:30pm. The airport was a ways from Old Prague so the drive was about 25 minutes-but we arranged with our hotel to have a driver waiting for us (with a sign) and they took us right to the doorstep of our hotel for $25.00. Prague is a wonderful place to visit. Prices are much lower than Italy, France or Spain in the same stores, you can easily walk the various areas and there is a metro system that is great. I would recommend getting Jay (can't remember his last name but could get it for you if you wanted to email me) to give you a walking tour. He's a young guy who can make the city come alive for you and once you take the tour you know exactly what you want to do after that. I had a hard time selecting a hotel in Prague but found a fabulous one with a rooftop restaurant in the middle of everything. If you did go to Lake Garda, I'd recommend then train into Venice (the only way to enter Venice to get the WOW that happens when you go up the steps and first see the city) stay there if you can because Venice is incredible and then end your trip in Prague. If you can get a flight on Ryan Air at any of your points don't hesitate to book them. Very inexpensive and the most efficient airlines we've ever been on. If you chose to drive to Prague it is not that far and could be a nice road trip for your family--I'd consider it since it is not a bad drive.

Thank you ao much for your response Samber. It was so helpful. I will probably ask you some more questions soon. Is Ryan Air a European airlines? Are they small charter flights or a major airlines? I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with them. Is that what you took from Venice to Prague?
Thanks again!

I just booked some flights on RYAN aire and I am very impressed with their connections from Ireland to France and their low prices...note that the taxes are more than the flights, so beware, but the costs were only about $80 round trip for each of us.

We are going to be in DUBLIN and PROVENCE for a week each with the kids and with friends--if anyone has a great idea what to do in either place with kids, please give us a link. Money is no object, since this is a first trip and we want to enjoy ourselves.

Architectlink, I'd advise that you start a new thread (or even two separate ones) with Dublin and Provence in the titles, and you'll get specific info on those. Also, there is a ton of previous info on these areas. The search function is a bit odd, but there should be some that you can find.

You've gotten good suggestions - all over the map, of course... par for Fodors ;)

Late <i>June</i> or early <i>August</i>? Big difference - August in Italy will be hot and quite crowded; June probably preferable. Also not sure of your budget, but you probably know that Europe is very pricey; this year airfare is maybe 20% higher than last. Ryanair and other low cost carriers are fine, but often operate out of secondary airports (especially Ryanair) so schlepping between airports can add to the cost and time.

If it were me, I'd save Italy for another time, and do a two-city itinerary, Prague and... Edinburgh.

Both are marvelous cities, plenty of diversity and things to do for all ages; places to go for daytrips... plus Czech Airlines has relatively inexpensive nonstop flights between the two capitals. You can get a car in Scotland and take off into the Highlands, or down the coast into Northumberland (very interesting, historic area); the kids can take off on their own in Edin. with no major language or safety issues, wide range of accommodations...

I think you'd find it less crowded and hectic than Italy, nice as it is. Venice in August is pretty awful IMO.

Plan B would echo Rex to a degree. Vancouver and Seattle. How about a week in Vancouver then the Alaska ferry up to Juneau/Glacier Bay, then fly back to Seattle? Pretty grand trip.

There are surely a large number of destinations which would meet your criteria in the American (and Canadian) west (specifically northwest, or higher elevations in any of the western regions since you want to go in some of the hottest months of th summer).

My proposals were based on a plan that could accommodate a family that does not want &quot;to move around alot&quot;, and yet, will provide plenty to keep everyone entertained for 7-14 days.

Interesting responses...and I'm remembering travel years ago with our teens. I can think of Prague, Dublin,
Venice, etc, as possible choices even though you may not be city people. There would be plenty to do for everyone, including day trips venturing out into nearby areas, e.g., Zakopane out of Krakow, Baden out of Vienna, Bath out of London, Glendalough out of Dublin, Delphi out of Athens. Yes, maybe a country villa also but that might be boring.

I would note that ages 18 &amp; 19 really puts your &quot;children&quot; into the category of traveling with adults. That means a schedule with time for them to explore things on their own, maybe with the 14 year old tagging along. In other words, don't expect to please everyone nor do a lot of things together. Maybe and maybe not. Which means I suppose not pushing your agenda but letting them make decisions about where to travel. So can all of your family members can actually take time out for several weeks at the same time? I'm surprised they can be torn away from work and activities and friends that long!

ozarksbill

Thank you &quot;ozarksbill&quot;. You are right, it is very hard to get everyone away at the same time. As it is, they are missing many things. But hopefully well worth it! I'm always glad to hear from everyone, especially those of you who have experienced traveling with children this age (you are right , I hesitate to call them children: young adults). I also loved your suggestions. When we finally decide our destination, I may ask where you took your family in more detail (if you remember). Thanks!

We phoned our grandson on his 20th birthday last night. Though home for spring break, I kidded him by asking him (on his cell phone) if he was home. And it seems he was indeed about to sit down with parents for dinner! And with his girl friend!

Point being how little he is with family these days. We did a good deal of travel with our own younger kids and a few trips with just grandkids. I can see you might have a neat family adventure abroad with &quot;the three guys&quot; so long as everyone is relaxed about schedule. Your &quot;kids&quot; will likely want to explore on their own. But those days trips I mentioned venturing forth to some destination might be fun for all. And maybe some exploring together around where you stay, such as a castle tour.

Glad to share ideas, though not sure how valuable, about travel as a family in the U. S. Much of this over the years was in camping/sightseeing trips. We have not gone overseas with offspring. And for you as a Mom there will be those knotty questions about packing, travel, lodging, dining, laundry, currency, etc. Already my head is aching just a little!

ozarksbill

Thanks &quot;ozarksbill&quot;. I feel like you understand what I'm saying about family time. I know the Mom jobs of getting ready ar a real hassle, but it is worth it! Just to get the kids away from the computer and cell phones for a while is priceless!!
You have given very valuable suggestions. I feel like we're getting close to a final destination. Just looking for decent airfare.
Thanks!

trishready, I cherish those family trips we have had with our children when they were preteen and teens - even the organizing work! Part of the fun is seeing the trip through the eyes of each child.

This month we went to London with our 17 yr old (our 20 yr old is in college and her spring break didn't match up. She went to London with friends the following week). I missed having her there, although we had a blast in London. And when my older daughter got back, she told me that she had a great time, but she would also have liked seeing it in our family's way. I guess they see it through our eyes also!

Enjoy your trip, and please let us all know what destination you have picked.

&quot;noe847&quot; Thanks. I will tell you all for sure!

trishready...interesting thought. What is it that we need to get away from? Not only cell phones and computers but also fixing breakfast and driving to work and answering the phone and all the rest. Plus when you take such a trip as you plan you are actually doing something TOGETHER as a family which doesn't happen so easily.

I do like the idea of each person deciding on something for the family so each gets his turn. Yes, all members must have ownership (not just the dominant parent who love to plan)!
And i would repeat the idea of locating in a place like Prague or London and then taking day trips.

One advantage of traveling in Europe or elsewhere is just experiencing something different. I think it give you an appreciation for other people and values and also for your own country/home. And the shared experience if great...isn't it wonderful to have people who really do want to discuss where you've been, including the funny incidents? We've had that with our own three camping all over the U. S.

ozarksbill