Wendy

Ilisa,
Whatever the age of the child you are traveling with....and we have traveled quite a bitover the last 11 years with our now 11 and 6 year olds...just keep in mind that your trips will be most successful when they are planned with your child in mind. That means the pace and hours as wel as the itinerary are child based not adult based. For us it meant that until recently quiet, fancy restaurants were out. As they get older (pre-school on up) preparing the children for the trip makes a big difference. For example, we took our first family trip to Europe (London and Scotland) last summer. Reading a children's version of Macbeth, Paddington Bear stories, Mary Poppins,a children's book about the Rosetta Stone,fairy tales, etc. gave my kids things to look for and be excited about. We took playground breaks whenever possible (meeting and playing with kids at most stops) and we planned several days that were filled with just for the kids stuff like the penguin parade at Edinburgh Zoo. My older child keeps a journal on our trips which we add to with photos and scrap book stuff. My younger child dictates a journal and we add lots of pictures with him in them. No they don't always behave and have a great time. They probably will forget many details about our trips. But they have learned that the world is a very big place filled with amazing things to see . Having a child will change your entire life, travel included.Good luck and much happiness!

mwg

We took our son to Portugal when he was 3 and we had a fine time. The choice you have to make is whether you want to have a museum rich trip, which is not suitable for a 3 year old, or a more laid back trip, which can be. We decided to go to places that would be beautiful to be in, even if there were not museums every 5 steps. In this regard, Portugal had beaches and castles and was fine. Many countries likewise have fascinating small towns, castles and beaches and would be fine for children. Many European countries are very good for children. We just returned from Italy and waiters fawned over my 7 year old daughter and my 11 year old enjoyed the ancient ruins and castles. If you like to travel with your children in this country, there is no reason not to do so there. But you have to be careful about the type of trip you plan.

marilyn

Whew, it sure seems as though any mention of children brings out the claws and judgmental aspects from many people! Michele, how do you stand living in the US, where *most* of the parents refuse to set standards, instead of Europe, where all the children are well-behaved???? I'm sorry, but talk about America-bashing!!!

We took our well-behaved American children to England when they were 9 and 6. They loved it--especially castles, swans in Kensington park, the Queen's stables, riding ponies in the country, feeding lambs, and on and on. Yes, we did have to eat more pizza and other kid-friendly food than we would have had we been alone, but we find that mutual respect, ie, everybody respects everybody, is the key to good behavior.

We went again when they were 18 and 15, this time to Paris--the interval being due to lack of funds, not because we wouldn't have wanted to go sooner. We had a great time THIS time, too, with our still well-behaved children, because we continue to respect each other. We enjoy our children and their company, and we don't find their FRIENDS "dorky" EITHER!!

pam

OK, having made the first reply to this question, I now feel compelled to expound a bit. My son just turned 10, and we are taking him with us to Italy in late May/early June. His father and I traveled with him, then I traveled with him after we divorced (aside: reason for which, not least, was that I love to travel and he hates it), then my current husband and I traveled with him. Son's first trip was from Texas to California (flew out, drove back) at 4 months of age. He has flown to Florida, to Washington, DC (lots of hoofing it; good Europe practice), traveled with me by car to the Grand Canyon and with us to Minnesota; other smaller, in state, trips of course, too. This summer will be my first trip to Europe since 1985, husband's since early 70s, due mostly to finances. Had I been able to afford this trip earlier, I would have taken him...if he had been able to carry his own luggage, keep some sort of a journal, etc. The earliest trip he remembers is to Florida when he was 4. Would I have gone to Europe without him? That I doubt. So I guess my refined answer to the question is, if you are a frequent European traveler, and you travel with your children at home (wherever that may be), take them with you. On the other hand, if this is a once-in-a-decade (or lifetime) trip to Europe, and you don't travel much, I'd wait until they were 10-12. If you do travel frequently, but the trip to Europe is extraordinary, I'd probably just stick with my 'carry their own luggage' answer, which I guess equates to about age 8....? It's a very personal decision--as relates to the parent(s) and as relates to the child in question.. At any rate, I'm wholeheartedly in favor of traveling with your children--albeit mostly for their education, because it is certainly not always fun for the grownups--although I am living for the moment when I watch my son's face as he sees the Colloseum for the first time. Hope this helps....

claudia

Ilisa,
Let me give you my perspective as a child who was taken to Europe as a young child. My parents took 3 children to Europe for 3-4 weeks.
My brother was 13, I was between my 3rd and 4th birthdays and my sister was 2.
We went in June before high season. My parents bought a tent in Paris and we camped in some places, and stayed in pensions, farm houses and hotels in others.
My memories of the trip are being disappointed at having Almond Torte instead of chocolate birthday cake, a weird smell in Paris in conjunction with posters for a horror film, feeding pigeons in Saint-Sombody square in Italy, my little backpack that I used to carry my teddy bear and security blanket, wasser mit gas, and a lightening display that scared me at a technology museum in Germany.
This trip was not for me, it was for my parents. Mom says that in many places people were extra accomodating because of the kids. My folks got the thrill of seeing Europe AND exposing us to new things.
Hope that helps.

sheila

Topping- abashed.

annettetx

I think travelling with kids is one of the best experiences we can give our children, and should be done as soon as the parents are ready.
We first took out kids to London when they were 6 and 8, and the first trip lasted for 8 weeks. They were pretty homesick at first, but now that we've been in the States for a while, they are just as homesick for London!
Annette

mjs

My father worked overseas and therefore we traveled quite abit as children. We do not remember much if anything at all before age 5 or so. Most of our memories seem to begin in the age 5+ years so if you are bringing children for their benefit, it would seem that school age at least would be required.
As a parent we did not travel for the first several years of our children's life and could not imagine wanting to travel long distances with children in the age 2 to 3 era. Did local and Hawaii trips ages 4+. Started going to europe when my youngest was 8 which seemed to work out ok. Now considering our fifth overseas trip to either Switzerland, Australia or Argentina this summer.

Deepa

In my opinion the holdiay needs to be planned age appropriately for the kid/s. We love travel and took our one year old for a holiday to Itlay where she fell sick. But then we went again when she was two (and to a few short distance holdiays in between)and are again leaving soon -she is almost three. The think, in hind sight, the mistake we made in Italy was that in the first week, we did several cities and she was eating with us whereever we ate and did stuff like walking around in Rome all day, picking up bits of garbage from between the cobblestones etc. Her falling sick was a real learning experience for us. Now, when we go on holiday, we make sure that if we are going out for the day - we cook her food at the hotel and carry it with us. We make sure we have a kitchenette in the room or we take along our mini rice cooker to cook her food. We stay only at hotels that preferably have gardens or outdoor play areas and good restaurants where we have dinner every evening and order a special for her. We avoid big cities altogether and concentrate on picnincs and nature outings and overall,less hectic plans. We always hire a car and avoid public transportation. Hope this helps.

Scarlett

Warning:
We took our children everywhere at very early ages. We never left them at home, and we didn't want to wait until they were grown to go places, so we all went together.
Here is the warning part~you will instill in them the love of travel, the curiosity to see how other people live, eat and get along. They will want to go off on their own at early ages and if they are anything like mine, you will be the one asking them to stay home for a while so you don't miss them so much
One of mine travels as much as possible, taking trips to Europe alone once a year. The other has traveled all over Europe and the US and now lives in Japan! So beware of what you start!

mendota98

The children open up another way to communicate with people. My children at 9 and 11 interacted with French waiters and brought a smile to their faces. When they returned to the same place a year later, it was like watching old friends get together. Many times people went out of their way because the children were with us. It's universal to look at small children with their parents and relate to the situation.
My children love Covent Garden and the shops on the Left Bank across from Notre Dame or the guys selling watches on the streets in New York.
Now at 13 and 11 they come home from school and talk about places they have visited in Europe or the U.S. They are at the age where they have seen a pattern and are anticipating the next trip (Rome).
I empathize with the original question about what age to take a child to Europe as I agonized over the problem for a long time. At the present time we have traveled to Europe the last two years and it's been perfect. I will be curious to observe my teenager's reaction to traveling as he grows older.

gand

I'm certaily no expert on children, but I think a good time to go is when the child expresses an interest to vacation in Europe. Consider smaller vacations first. Less money and time and see how they do first.

An eager well-behaved 11 year old may do better than a 13 year old who wants to stay at home...

icithecat

At nine we moved from the west coast of Canada to South America, where somebody called me 'whitey' for the first time.

At ten we went to Europe (London, Paris, Zurich and skiing Zermat). I remember every museum and every discovery. It has driven me since.

I was already carrying more than my share of the luggage.

I think I would have been ready for it sooner, but not all minds are the same.

icithecat

Oh sorry, was this Sheila's first post?

Ben

You may wish to look at the "Kids to Go" section of the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree (www.lonelyplanet.com). We started traveling to Europe, Asia and South America when our children were 5 and 7. Five years later, they have the "travel bug" as much as we do. They love the sights, meeting new friends, trying new food, etc.

Brutforce

We just returned from a week in Paris w/our 9 month old & we all had a great time. She probably opened doors for us that may have otherwise remained shut as far as talking to the native Parisians. They all seemed to get a kick out of her gnawing on her baguette in her stroller. The better question is probably when will you be ready ? Our daughter has already flown 4X & has no problem w/it. We travel a lot so she will as well. Children are very adaptable, it really depends on you...

julie_Colorado

We have travelled since my daughter was an infant. She is 11 - has been to all 50 US states and 12 times to Europe (I don't make a fortune - we just travel a lot - and very cheaply!). I have 2 other children that were a bit older when we started. As a consequence - my kids are great travelers. And they love to travel. But we travel with different expectations and styles than we might without children. I can't relate to the "hit and run" Ireland and "hit and run" France trips that people describe on this forum.

julie_Colorado

I read the post about time with the grandparents... and I do agree children need to spend this time. But my mother in law (my parents died at a young age) has taken every trip to Europe with us. She loves it and we love it. And I have never asked her to babysit (though she gladly would) while we are on vacation! We don't live near each other.... I fly my Mother in law to our home... then we all fly to Europe. When I come home and announce our next trip, my daughters first reaction is "can I call Grandma!"...

Brutforce

Julie is exactly right. You have to tailor your trip to include the child. For example, no more B & B's for us, it is now cottages & apartments. (Which we have found to be mostly in the same price range). We now go to the Zoo instead of the Louvre. Anything outside is good. Anyway, you get the idea.

Brutforce

Julie is exactly right. You have to tailor your trip to include the child. For example, no more B & B's for us, it is now cottages & apartments. (Which we have found to be mostly in the same price range). We now go to the Zoo instead of the Louvre. Anything outside is good. Anyway, you get the idea.