Okay, so your planning your annual family vacation for a week at the local beach. You rent the perfect beach house and all that really matters is finding that perfect shell, watching the sunsets, taking that bike ride on the rented beach bikes, and maybe, just maybe, if you finally get re-energized enough - watching the sun rise from the deck of the beach rental house. Perfect vacation, right? You bet. But if you’ve been in search of the perfect shell for the 6th year in a row, you may have started to notice that the kids aren’t as enthralled as t hey used to be and neither are you.
Time for a change of pace? Why not consider Europe? Europe has become one of the hottest new family destinations with Disney even taking the plunge in early 2007 by introducing a new cruise ship that exclusively travels through Europe. There are so many great destinations that you could spend the next 6 summer vacations and still have more of the Europe to see. Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, London, Stonehenge, Madrid, Copenhagen and Germany. Remember, Europe vacation rentals make a great home base for short or long-term stays.
Where to begin? Let’s start by defining some important parameters.
Tip No. 1: Make sure the kids are old enough to enjoy a longer adventure. The recommended age range is 7-17 when the kids can endure the longer flight, don’t mind walking a lot and will remember the trip 10 years from now.
Tip No. 2: Limit the itinerary to one city every three or four days. More than that is not a relaxed enough pace for a family trip.
Tip No. 3: Choose tours that are excursion-oriented and include major landmarks that that kids already recognize: The Eiffel tower, Notre Dame, the Coliseum, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the crown jewels and so on.
Tip No 4: Make meals exciting. For example, compare how pizza in Italy it different than at home or make lunch at the Vatican extraordinary: share a loaf of fresh bread with some Italian cheeses under the shade of the pillars of the collanade at the Vatican for Lunch!
Tip No.5: Be spontaneous!! Save one entire day per city to just do as you wish. Do take the city tour first to get your bearings and discover the city. Then make decisions as a family, as to what is mot important to see and do.
Need more help. Take Your Kids to Europe, by Cynthia W Harriman, answers important questions such as “Why take your kids to Europe?” and then tells you how to do it.