Why are we here?

Recently, someone in a social media group asked about websites or resources for kids’ travel. Many well-meaning people offered up helpful suggestions for “kid-centered travel.” What the original poster wanted, however, were ideas provided for kids, by kids. I realized that this does not exist, or if it does, I have not been able to find it when I went hunting myself. The social media accounts and even books that tout kid-friendly travel are all from parents' or adults’ perspectives. I’ve read these – they have been helpful! In fact, you will get some of that here. But we want more. Our kids want more.

In the past, in an effort to get my kids engaged in the travel planning process and to hopefully enjoy it more, I bought them their own travel guides but they never seemed to get into them as much as I would like. These guides are written by adults for kids. We also look at all sorts of photos when we get ready to travel, we read books about artists with limited success.  Nothing exists for kids to read about or for parents to see suggestions from other kids. What did THEY like? What was their favorite restaurant?

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were trying to figure out where to go that summer. I know, I know, real tough duty and ridiculously lucky. We thought maybe Spain, but were not sure about how the kids would fare so we asked them. In response to our question of where we should go, they both emphatically said: “Greece!” At that moment, I realized we had been doing it wrong. We were traveling all over with our kids, but we were not truly including them. We needed their input on the destination and what we did from the beginning. Sidenote: Greece came about from an obsession with Greek mythology and Percy Jackson. And I was there for it.

Hanging out at ancient Mycenae

Important note: we did this in 2022 when our kids were 8 and 5. They were old enough to give input. We did not ask them in 2018 where we should go, when they were 4 and 1. That would not have been helpful. But probably humorous.

So this is why we are here – to help other families with kid-tested suggestions. I asked my kids if they would like to help with this little project and the 11-year-old is all in – especially if she gets to tell people what to do, write scripts, and make videos. The 8-year-old would just like to sit at my desk and talk with me about things.

That is what we will give you – a recap of what we did in specific places, and if they enjoyed it or not, and what they liked and didn’t like, where we ate, and where we stayed. We (parents) will also fill in details about specific sites, etc. We hope it helps you find your own special places and experiences.

Our travel bonafides and philosophy:

First, I do not pretend to know everything about traveling with kids—not even close. I still seek out help and suggestions from others. I look at reviews online. When I do look for kid-related assistance, I like to know the type of traveler I’m reading so here is a bit about us. We have traveled internationally with both of our kids since they were each 7 months old, and we have taken them to 10 countries. My husband and I have traveled to 38 countries together, with 30 in Europe. He has been to several more in Asia, but we are primarily a Euro-centric traveling family. Before marriage, we left our jobs on the East Coast and spent 5 months traveling in Europe, with the first two months living in Florence.

Our philosophy has always been one of slow travel and immersion travel, not vacationing. Do not get me wrong – I love a relaxing beach or mountain vacation, but when we visit Europe, we prefer traveling. This resulted in a significant number of short-term apartment rentals when our kids were little. More on accommodations later, but now that our kids are older, we find we do equal numbers of apartments and hotels. We are not cruise people, but we have absolutely no problem with them and hope that if you are, you can find some family-friendly, but off the beaten path things to enjoy here. The reason we are not is based on our philosophy – it is hard for immersive travel if you’re on a cruise ship. I would miss the quiet streets at night, after dinner, after the cruisers go back to their ship, when magic happens.

I hope to fill in lots of blanks, but if you have requests for certain topics or locations, let me know! For now, we have traveled with kids to: Italy (numerous times, including Sardinia), Portugal, Bulgaria, Greece (Thrace, Peloponnese, Athens, Crete, Rhodes), England, France (mostly in the south), Austria, Germany (mostly Bavaria), and Spain (Barcelona and Costa Brava).

Yes, we are lucky. Yes, we make sacrifices in other places to be able to do this. Yes, it can be expensive, but we find ways to keep the costs down and we hope to share those with you. In the meantime, thanks for reading and coming along for the ride.