Mandylubug Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 We are getting passports for our family this year and want to plan an international trip. It will be a short trip, probably only 5-7 days, we will have our 4 kids and we only speak English. Where would be a good first trip? We are planning on multiple trips for our kids so no need to cram a ton into one trip. I was thinking Scotland or Ireland. DH says New Zealand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 does the 5-7 days include travel to the country time? just asking because it takes over a day to get from America to New Zealand. if the 5-7 days included travel then you would only be actually in New Zealand for 3 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 When I thought I'd have biological kids, I thought I'd first go to the countries from which my ancestors immigrated to the US, to help my kids understand their heritage better. My kids' first "sort of" international trip was a Caribbean cruise. Next was a trip to their birth country. Next India, and then another cruise taking us to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. Our next trip will probably be to UK. (Funny thing, they haven't been to Canada yet. ;) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I always thought I'd go to the UK first. We'll spend two weeks in China this summer :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 does the 5-7 days include travel to the country time? just asking because it takes over a day to get from America to New Zealand. if the 5-7 days included travel then you would only be actually in New Zealand for 3 days. Yes it would include travel time but we may be able to increase dates to 9ish days to help with travel times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 We are getting passports for our family this year and want to plan an international trip. It will be a short trip, probably only 5-7 days, we will have our 4 kids and we only speak English. Where would be a good first trip? We are planning on multiple trips for our kids so no need to cram a ton into one trip. I was thinking Scotland or Ireland. DH says New Zealand. Ireland is good. I would be happy to go there. I would like to go to NZ, too, but I agree with the PP who said it takes so long to get there (from the US), I wouldn't do that unless I had at least 2 weeks and I knew my kids could handle a very long traveling time. Personally the top of my own personal list is France, England and Italy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Mexico could be a good choice. No pesky jet lag and a short plane ride, good food, a huge range of climates to choose from, it's fairly easy to get by without English, lots of history and culture, and there are plenty of safe places to visit. Between jet lag and travel time, I wouldn't choose NZ, especially with children, for a seven-day trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm not counting Mexico. So, Paris. Eta: now that I've read the post, :) Bahamas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 How about Belize or Costa Rica? Or Mexico? I think Europe or the South Pacific might be too far for a 7 day trip. Happy trails to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 When I thought I'd have biological kids, I thought I'd first go to the countries from which my ancestors immigrated to the US, to help my kids understand their heritage better. My kids' first "sort of" international trip was a Caribbean cruise. Next was a trip to their birth country. Next India, and then another cruise taking us to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. Our next trip will probably be to UK. (Funny thing, they haven't been to Canada yet. ;) ) We went to Puerto Rico last year, just DH and I. I have never laughed so hard trying to figure out road signs, ordering food, etc. We have NO spanish at all. It was fun, though. We took pictures of things and then tried to translate. We laughed even harder once we got home and translated some of them. Fun times. We are taking the kids to Puerto Rico next month. I look forward to that trip as well. Ancestry wise I suppose I would want to go to North Ireland then and claim my royalty as descendent of the dark one! Ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 IRELAND!!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 England, France or Italy If you have more time Hong Kong is amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Well the US was my first out of country trip. Next will be Norway, and then Israel to show the kids a little of our ancestry. After that probably Ireland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 United Kingdom--England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 My favorite trips ever were 1. India and 2. China, but each of these would take at least a couple of weeks to do well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 The more I think about it, the more I'd lean toward something in the Western Hemisphere for such a short trip. Jet lag can take days for young children to get over, and if your kids are waking you up in the middle of the night, you're not going to have much fun. Our kids have always done surprisingly well with jet lag, but I don't plan on them being ready to deal with life until at least 36 hours after we land, and sometimes they need more time. You can always push through jet lag, but I'd be nervous dealing with it in four children who've never experienced it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 We did a cruise and it was a wonderful way to travel with a family. Ours was Cayman Islands, Mexico and Bahamas but the possibilities are endless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Would we have issues in any of these countries getting rental vehicles large enough to travel with our family of 6? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Italia, cara mia. You must see the island of Capri and Rome. :) Edited: They do very well with non-Italian speakers and English won't be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Would we have issues in any of these countries getting rental vehicles large enough to travel with our family of 6? We usually hire an English-speaking guide with a vehicle to drive us around. These can be booked via a reputable travel agency, or you could take group tours from your hotel. This takes care of the language issue as well as knowing the rules of the road (which vary considerably from place to place). And it's a lot more fun to look out the window at the scenery than to try to figure out where the heck you are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Ireland would be my choice as that is where I would like to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 What time zone are you in now? We've done Europe with kids for as short as 10 days, and it worked for us, but we're starting from New England and we're early risers. And our 10-day trip was not our first international trip. I wouldn't even think about New Zealand for anything less than two weeks. (Or Thailand or India, or anywhere with a time shift that significant.) Costa Rica is super easy to travel in, and the wildlife is amazing, but I personally prefer destinations with more historical and cultural sites. Mexico is great (although for some strange reason we've never done it with the kids). Both of these are essentially jet lag free. In Europe, France is great with kids. There are a ton of sites to see, the food is fantastic, and it's very easy (and relatively cheap) to find a rental house. We have had issues every single time we've rented a car in France with the initial car not seating as many people as the online reservation said it would, but we have always ended up with a six-seater in the end. England is also great with kids. We are trying Ireland this summer. With both of those, you'll need to be comfortable driving on the left side of the road. I am not a great driver, and I can't drive a stick shift, so DH does this. He's great at it now, but our first trip to England had some scary moments the first couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 What time zone are you in now? We've done Europe with kids for as short as 10 days, and it worked for us, but we're starting from New England and we're early risers. And our 10-day trip was not our first international trip. I wouldn't even think about New Zealand for anything less than two weeks. (Or Thailand or India, or anywhere with a time shift that significant.) Costa Rica is super easy to travel in, and the wildlife is amazing, but I personally prefer destinations with more historical and cultural sites. Mexico is great (although for some strange reason we've never done it with the kids). Both of these are essentially jet lag free. In Europe, France is great with kids. There are a ton of sites to see, the food is fantastic, and it's very easy (and relatively cheap) to find a rental house. We have had issues every single time we've rented a car in France with the initial car not seating as many people as the online reservation said it would, but we have always ended up with a six-seater in the end. England is also great with kids. We are trying Ireland this summer. With both of those, you'll need to be comfortable driving on the left side of the road. I am not a great driver, and I can't drive a stick shift, so DH does this. He's great at it now, but our first trip to England had some scary moments the first couple of days. Thanks for the tips! DH says that NZ is off the list for now but now he's added in his first slot going to see the Mayan Ruins first. We are in GA, east coast. I'm still pulling for Ireland first lol we will see. We have to set our budget and plan for it soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 UK or Canada. No language barrier and not too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I've been out of the country a few times, DH on a business trip to Germany once, but our ds's have never been anywhere out of country except Ontario, Canada. We are taking our middle boy to Iceland - he saved up a lot of money to go on and always wanted to see the land of "fire and ice". Our second trip which will include his brothers will probably be Rome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Israel or Greece (the Peloponnese is a good are to start) . Both have fascinating history, ancient and modern, interesting religion / culture to explore, fabulous food, lovely natural landscapes and the interest factor of being non-English-speaking. Those are first choice out of places I've been, or perhaps an island in Thailand - that's good for a short trip (culture, food, nature). Unless you're only going to one city, I don't think 5-7 days in enough, though. You can easily fill 4-5 days in a big city, and if you're travelling with kids you need to factor in downtime or it soon stops being fun. 2-3 weeks would be more realistic. We spent 6 days on Koh Samui, Thailand, and that was a good length of time, but too short for most other places we've visited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 London! There is so much to see and do, and we almost speak the same language. ;) Plus, you might run into Benedict Cumberbatch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Is there a particular time of year you plan to travel? Are you more interested in history, museums, culture, outdoor activities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I would say London too. There are loads of direct flights, and there is so much to see in London that you could stay in one hotel and not have to pack/unpack as you moved around the country. Plus it is easy to get away from London for a day (not that you would run out of things to do in London) -- Oxford or Cambridge could be day trips, for example. London has history, arts, theater, shopping, parks, museums, and just plain ambiance. There are loads of walking tours that you can sign up for at the last minute, so you can control your own time, but still get guided tours -- best of both worlds, imo. So my vote would be to stay in one place and keep it simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I live in Puerto Vallarta, and think it's lovely in the winter (summer is awful), but I'm going to recommend Quebec since you have limited time. You get the European feel without having to cross the Pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 Is there a particular time of year you plan to travel? Are you more interested in history, museums, culture, outdoor activities? We haven't decided what time of year quite yet. We wanted to narrow down where and then pick when. We like to hike and sight see. To give you an idea, next month while in Puerto Rico we will go caving, hiking in the El Yunque Rainforest, explore the beaches. We are open to museums but we like to explore nature mostly. We may take the kids to tour the castillos. We enjoyed them last year. We aren't big entertainment, indoors or shopping people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Would we have issues in any of these countries getting rental vehicles large enough to travel with our family of 6? I would have to second Italy - very family friendly, history, beauty, food, culture, etc. We rented a large van for our Italy trip. We were a group of 6 and it was easy to rent a larger vehicle. We rented it in Rome, drove up to Florence over to Vinci, down to Sorrento, Pompeii and back to Rome. It was a FANTASTIC trip!! And the Italians LOVE children - they were treated so well everywhere we went. Not so much in France! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Costa Rica, the nature is just beautiful. Very tourist friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivey Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I would go to Ireland (Dublin, Waterford & Cork, by train), with a 2-3 day stop in London on the way back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 If you love hiking and the outdoors, Western Canada would be a good choice. Banff comes to mind first, or Vancouver Island. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I think Britain/ London. (Since you can always pop over to France,) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 While perhaps not as "sexy" as overseas, if you love hiking and outdoors, I'd second or third the recommendation to try Western Canada -- Jasper, Banff, Lake Louise, Glacier Park... gorgeous. I love the camping in that region! Another great option is Chile. Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego are beyond amazing hiking and adventuring. Download Duolingo on every computing device and phone you have and you'll be ready to go in no time. :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 London! There is so much to see and do, and we almost speak the same language. ;) Plus, you might run into Benedict Cumberbatch. :) You caught a bad case of it, girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I wouldn't do New Zealand - it's a stunning place but it's a very, very long trip. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Would we have issues in any of these countries getting rental vehicles large enough to travel with our family of 6? A full-sized people carrier in the UK would take seven. Honestly, for a short trip, I'd just go to London and use public transport. Maybe with a side trip by train. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 In order of preference, my top six would be: 1. Rome 2. Paris 3. Florence 4. London 5. The Romantic Road in Germany 6. The Loire Valley in France Eta: The top four would be easy to do without renting a car. We didn't move our car after arriving in the city (and have only taken the train to the UK; we didn't drive there at all). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camelfeet Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I would ask yourself what you are interested in and base a trip on that. If there is a castle, ancient site, specific animal, special food, that you've always wanted to do/see/eat then go to a place to experience it. Have you considered Sri Lanka? The flight would be long, but you can get an English speaking driver with an AC'd van that fits a family and then some for pretty cheap. We went to Sri Lanka for a week last feb, and we stayed at an eco lodge in the knuckles mountain range. It was amazing if you like hiking and outdoorsy stuff and want to experience a really different culture. We also saw some cultural and historic sites - Sigiriya, Dambulla caves, temple of the tooth. Took an elephant safari (NOT riding the elephants, but getting in a jeep and watching them), visited a rural village where they made fabric without electricity, ate new foods, saw elephants and exotic animals everywhere, hiked through jungle.... Our first room was in a tree house open to the jungle - bats and monkeys and critters came in at night and you could hear them running around the room. In the second ecolodge, we woke up to monkeys on the porch. It was so much amazingness packed into one week. We intend on going again soon because there was so much we missed doing. Its a family friendly location as well. Not including North American, the first international vacation we took as a family was to Greece. It was easy. We went to Athens, Delphi and then Meteora. These places are built around tourism so there are enough english signs and english speaking people that you won't get lost. It you like the ancient world that would be a good place to explore. I personally wished we had waited until the kids were older to go to Greece, as the kids didn't share the same enthusiasm for museums and hours of walking that I did. Yours are older though and so they might enjoy it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I've been to Ireland and it was beautiful. The people are lovely! From there we went to Paris. While I enjoyed touring Paris immensely, the people are incredibly rude. We didn't know French, other than to say please and thank you, but we got around just fine. I would absolutely LOVE to go to New Zealand, but like others have said, it's a long trip just to get there. Have fun wherever you decide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I vote for Germany. We once spent one week in Germany (left on Christmas Day and returned on New Year's Day!). We felt like we saw a lot, and Germany is comfortable, efficient, but very historical and European. There are often great flights to Frankfurt. We flew into Frankfurt, and stayed there for 3 nights. Then, we took a train to Heidelberg and stayed there for 3 nights. We took a late train back to Frankfurt on our last night and stayed there before our morning flight the next day. My second vote would be Austria. We took a train there from somewhere else but stayed in Vienna for about a week. There is so much to do and see there. We loved learning more about the history of that area, and took several side/day trips. I can recommend accommodations at all of those locations if you are interested. We looked for inexpensive (comparably) pensions that could accommodate families, and in convenient areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I've been to Ireland and it was beautiful. The people are lovely! From there we went to Paris. While I enjoyed touring Paris immensely, the people are incredibly rude. We didn't know French, other than to say please and thank you, but we got around just fine. I would absolutely LOVE to go to New Zealand, but like others have said, it's a long trip just to get there. Have fun wherever you decide! We did not find the bold to be true at all. (Not doubting your experience, just saying it's not a universal experience.) In fact, during our last trip, the metro line we needed to take to get back to the airport was closed due to a suicide on the tracks. While we were standing around the metro map, trying to figure out how to get to the airport another way, a woman stopped (and this was during the morning rush hour, and she appeared to be on her way to work) and spent 5-10 minutes helping us figure out where we needed to walk to and what line we needed to take. I can't think of a single encounter we had with a rude Parisian on either of our trips to Paris. So, OP, if Paris is high on your list, I'd go for it. You might encounter rudeness, but you might not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 we have travelled a lot with our kids, and with our parents as kids. my suggestions would be different if it were a "one and only" trip, but if it is the first, then i would use it to set the tone/pattern and give people excitement and confidence. are you hoping to camp on this trip or ?? so from georgia, for the first one, i would do quebec/eastern canada. there are lots of hiking possibilites, and history possibilities, and natural wonders possibilities. eg. you could just do Quebec or, you could do three days in new brunswick at the flower pots, tidal bore, and dipping in to nova scotia to the fossil cliffs, and then over to Prince Edward Island for island culture, lobster supper, visiting Anne of Green Gables home, ceilidh, lots of beach walking and swimming. you could either camp or do cabins or hotels. we hike/camp a ton, and loved costa rica.... but with the poisonous snakes, true hiking isn't quite as fun as a mom, and the crew we were with put the girls in rubber boots to hike, which is what they do with their own kids when they are in the forest. if you are hiking on trails at tourist sites, then its not the same worry... if you decide to do that, we have some great suggestions :) hth, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 but I'm going to recommend Quebec since you have limited time. You get the European feel without having to cross the Pond. The province of Quebec is a great option for a short trip. We LOVE Montreal. We've been a few times, when dh has had work trips there. I could spend 4-5 days there, and not get bored at all.......... Great food, so much to see, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFG Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Not only is NZ a very long trip, you actually lose a day in the flight. We left LA late Friday night, flew 12+ hours, and landed in Auckland very early Sunday morning. Saturday was lost somewhere over the Pacific. Of course, we gained it on the trip home. We arrived home just about an hour, day and time, after we left NZ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 True, but a little challenge can be fun, and we found that most people 30 and under spoke at least some English. I find Germany somewhat challenging if you don't speak German though. I know a lot of people speak English or at least understand it, but stuff like figuring out how to get around on the trains is challenging if you aren't used to that sort of thing and don't speak German. Heck, I could not even figure out how to use a pay phone. I was in many situations where I could not order food in English. I know enough German to barely get by if push comes to shove, but yeah I don't venture out on my own when I go because it's challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 We haven't decided what time of year quite yet. We wanted to narrow down where and then pick when. We like to hike and sight see. To give you an idea, next month while in Puerto Rico we will go caving, hiking in the El Yunque Rainforest, explore the beaches. We are open to museums but we like to explore nature mostly. We may take the kids to tour the castillos. We enjoyed them last year. We aren't big entertainment, indoors or shopping people.In that case, southwest England could be beautiful in the spring, before summer tourists arrive. Cornwall is magical. The south coast has tiny harbors and gardens full of tender, tropical looking Himalayan rhododendrons. The fishing village of Mousehole has a little round harbor and steep streets. The north coast, home of King Arthur (Tintagel) is more rugged and majestic. In between is sweeping moorland (Bodmin moor) and delightful small farms. Everything is on a small scale, so walking would be delightful, with different views and experiences around each turn. There is plenty of history, with circles of standing stones -- think mini Stonehenge. St Michael's Mount is similar to Mont St Michel. Spring in Cornwall is delightful. Lots of little hotels and b&bs, cream teas. There is a vast selection of gardens, large and small, open to view. England has public footpaths in a way you do not see in the U.S. They go through farms and villages, so you can walk all over, not just on public lands or roads. You can get detailed Ordinance Survey maps that show every barn and path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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