Where would you choose for your first international trip?

[Rachel]

My first international trip was the Dublin area of Ireland, I would love to go back. I went with my SIL and MIL, they continued on to Scotland but I didn't have the time off to go. I would love to go back with my husband and kids one day.

 

My dad has travelled some internationally. He has been most impressed with Denmark and China (Bejing area). My SIL loved Germany and Austria, she only speaks English and did fine.

[trulycrabby]

Canada or Iceland!

[twoxcell]

The UK would be my first choice. I'm not sure 5-7 days would be enough time though. For a shorter trip I would go to Canada. I love Victoria BC and I would like to go to Vancouver. Other places I would like to visit not in any particular order:

Denmark

New Zealand

France

Auschwitz(Poland)

Egypt

Israel

Australia

Turkey

Italy

Austria

Greece

Or any other place really, so long as it was safe enough and I had the money which will probably never happen. :lol:

 

[Danestress]

I would just pick one awesome city that you can fly to directly from your most convenient airport.  There are a lot of logistics involved in getting six people anywhere, and I would want to minimize all the "work" of a trip so that we could enjoy it. For me, that would mean a direct flight to a major city with good public transportation, a hotel that is very near some of the things we want to do, and a whole week (or perhaps less for you) spent in that city, with day trips to the surrounding area for hiking/exploring.  The thought of going somewhere, staying a couple of days, packing up six people and going somewhere else is  ... exhausting,  But that's me. 

 

I probably would choose Europe, because we are on the East Coast and can get to major European in five or six hours, but I would also consider South American destinations. I would not necessarily pick an English speaking country, because I think experience and exposure is a good thing, but I do love Edinburgh.  I can't see how you could ever see what there is to see in one really great location - Paris, London, Rome, Prague, Vienna, in just one week, so I vote for just picking a great place and staying in that general area.

 

 

[Mrs Mungo]

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

I have heard this complaint before, but I often wonder about it. We lived in Europe for 5 years and spent quite a bit of time in France. A gang of kids tried to pickpocket my friend on a train. I got in an argument over standing in line with another tourist. But, I never had French people behave in a rude manner toward me. Now, I think some of this is probably perception on my part. We were living in Europe, so we had a good grasp of European manners (which are quite a bit different than American manners). We had also traveled to lots of big cities before that, and I do think cities are different than small towns or villages.

 

So, I'm just curious-how many times you have traveled to Europe? Have you been to a lot of big cities (NYC, London, Berlin, etc)? What happened that you thought was rude?

 

A fun place where you will do fine with English is Strasbourg France. I also really enjoyed Amsterdam Netherlands. It really depends on the sorts of things you like to look at though. I like cities especially with a short vacation.

Strasbourg is really lovely. Personally, I like The Netherlands a lot, but areas outside of Amsterdam are nicer than Amsterdam itself, I felt. I guess it is always like that though. Big, even big-ish cities are just dirtier, smellier, etc.

 

ETA:

 

I think there is a less of an issue with the language barrier in big tourist cities. But, we never found it to be *much* of a problem anywhere. The train system in most of Europe is relatively easy to figure out. The few times we have looked really lost, someone has always been willing to help us.

 

The biggest issue can be food. If you're only going to one place, then it shouldn't be too much of an issue to figure out some basic local foods you like and stick to them. I had a friend who accidentally ordered tongue when we were out to eat in Germany once. So, definitely get an idea about the food and don't get too adventurous unless you are prepared to be *really* adventurous. ;) France is really easy though, you can't go wrong with food in France. England has some pretty weird food things (like mush green peas on top of fish and chips).

[Alessandra]

The biggest issue can be food. If you're only going to one place, then it shouldn't be too much of an issue to figure out some basic local foods you like and stick to them. I had a friend who accidentally ordered tongue when we were out to eat in Germany once. So, definitely get an idea about the food and don't get too adventurous unless you are prepared to be *really* adventurous. ;) France is really easy though, you can't go wrong with food in France. England has some pretty weird food things (like mush green peas on top of fish and chips).

 

Oh, boy, my parents served tongue regularly. It was always in round slices, so I thought that tongue was just a weird name for a cold cut, like head cheese. Then one day, they had a whole tongue on a platter. OMG!!!! Did not eat it then and never have touched it since. Yuck!

[Farrar]

I put in another vote for Costa Rica.  Stunningly beautiful, great eco-tourism type stuff, great beaches, awesome volcano, such friendly people who love kids, surprisingly great food, not crazy expensive.  We've traveled a good bit with our kids and Costa Rica was a great trip for us when the kids were just 2.  The best part was how no one ever questioned that we had brought twin toddlers with us and made them hike.  The tourist industry is so big that while Spanish might help, it's not a must.

 

The other awesome, awesome trip we had with kids was Namibia.  But that might be a little hardcore for your first outing (though I psyched myself up about it ahead of time and it did not turn out to be difficult to travel there at all).

 

I've done Ireland and London, though pre-kids.  They're both great trips.  But I wouldn't personally pick them as my top choices.  If I was going to recommend a Europe trip, I'd say Paris was great for kids.  Rome was also terrific.  While one does feel a bit like an ugly American not knowing the language (I could understand everyone in Paris with my high school French, but I quickly learned that everyone's ears were happier if I didn't embarrass us all by actually trying to speak) you just barrel through and enjoy yourself.

[SKL]

If you like climbing, you might like Macchu Picchu Peru.  I am a little iffy about taking kids there myself (because I like to do the treacherous rock-jumping nonsense), but it might work if you plan well.

 

Going to Mayan ruins in a jungle is a great idea.  The one we went to was Tikal, but that is a bit far off the beaten path for a quick trip.  I'm sure there are more accessible ones in Mexico.

[LibraryLover]

I've said this before, but we had the roughest time in Greece. It was lovely, but the toughest country for us. France, otoh, every where we went was pure joy.

[elfgivas]

for puerto rico, one of our favourite things was the bioluminescent bay we visited (kayaked at night).  there are three bays that do in puerto rice; the one we visited has stopped glowing for some reason.

 

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/eco-tourism/stories/puerto-ricos-famous-bioluminescent-lagoon-stops-glowing

 

the others are at Vieques and Lajas, and there are no reports i could find that they have stopped glowing, too.

but i loved The Bioluminescent Bay in Laguna Grande in Fajardo :(

[AnnaM]

Australia. Though I would also consider Rome.

My husband is British so we have had a chance to do some traveling. We loved France and England/Scotland/Wales is beautiful though not my favorite. By far if I could go anywhere it would be back to Australia, but not touristy areas. I would go back where I was sort of near some of the big attractions (the Reef) but off the beaten path.

[ErinE]

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!

Italy would be my first choice as well. Great food, friendly people, beautiful scenery, and a wide range of historical trips. Pisa, Florence, Sienna, Rome, Naples. There's so much to keep you busy.

 

The UK would be my second choice.

[leeannpal]

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.

 

I agree! Costa Rica or even Canada would make a nice, doable international trip for such a short travel window.

 

[Mandylubug]

Wouldn't Costa Rica be very similar to Puerto Rico?

[Luanne]

I would go to France if I could go anywhere internationally, but that is because my best friend lives there.

[madteaparty]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I'd like to put in a vote for Vienna. Such a lovely city, yet quiet and small so not at all overwhelming. I did a solo trip there with my DS when he was around 3 or 4 I believe. There is a zoo at one of the palaces, as well as a children's museum as well as things like strudel workshops. We did a puppet presentation of the Magic Flute that was 2 hours long and yet my DS was mesmerized. We visited with the (huge!) puppets afterwards. And there are amazing gardens, etc. The next day, I would stick him in the stroller and do a museum, etc. so it was a balanced trip. And I loved the cafes, etc.

[SadieMarie]

I vote for Spain or Portugal. I especially love Barcelona.

[Liberty]

I would vote for England.  Ireland might not be as interesting to young children.  England, however, has Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Roman bath houses in Bath, the wild ponies on the moors in Cornwall/Devon, not to mention Big Ben, the Tower of London, and all the great museums.

[history_junkie]

I haven't read the whole thread, but I'd like to put in a vote for Vienna. Such a lovely city, yet quiet and small so not at all overwhelming. I did a solo trip there with my DS when he was around 3 or 4 I believe. There is a zoo at one of the palaces, as well as a children's museum as well as things like strudel workshops. We did a puppet presentation of the Magic Flute that was 2 hours long and yet my DS was mesmerized. We visited with the (huge!) puppets afterwards. And there are amazing gardens, etc. The next day, I would stick him in the stroller and do a museum, etc. so it was a balanced trip. And I loved the cafes, etc.

 

 

This is the first place I wanted to go for as long as I can remember, and it's the first place I got to go as a freshmen in college  :)

[Jackie]

With kids in tow, I would do Mexico or Costa Rica.

 

In Mexico, you could combine beach time with some hiking and seeing Chichen Itza (or one of the smaller ruins). If you stick to touristy areas, you can get by with only English, though of course learning some Spanish beforehand would come in handy.

 

Costa Rica has a lot of possibilities: rainforest, zip lining, hiking, the volcano, beaches, lots of wildlife. It's an easy country to visit. For about the same price as renting a car, you can hire an English-speaking private driver to take your family everywhere you are going and they will stop and show you awesome places you'd never find yourself. Highly recommended as all the drivers and road conditions were a bit insane and I was much happier on the trips I hired a driver than when I rented a car. You can do only English, though I found my minimal Spanish much more useful here than in Mexico. I was also in a few less touristy areas, though, so may not be an issue.

 

Flight times and costs to either are quite reasonable.

[elfgivas]

Wouldn't Costa Rica be very similar to Puerto Rico?

 

well, for us they were completely different.  costa rica is central america and tropical.  puerto rico is more americanized.  the cultures are different, the flora and fauna are different..... we loved both, but if i could only do one, i would do costa rica.  if i could do one and then the other, i would go to puerto rico first.  it will give the kids a chance to develop some travel skills, and that will make more unusual destinations more fun.

 

i'm not sure i said that well; i'll try again in the morning...

ann

[lamolina]

If you like climbing, you might like Macchu Picchu Peru.  I am a little iffy about taking kids there myself (because I like to do the treacherous rock-jumping nonsense), but it might work if you plan well.

 

Going to Mayan ruins in a jungle is a great idea.  The one we went to was Tikal, but that is a bit far off the beaten path for a quick trip.  I'm sure there are more accessible ones in Mexico.

You can easily take kids to Machu Picchu! It is an amazing site, lots of exploring and hiking. As long as you get it all set up with a reputable travel agency you really will not need Spanish to get by. They can get you English speaking guides, hotels, etc.

 

You would have to fly in to Lima and then take a one hour flight to Cusco, Peru which is a beautiful city with lots of other ruins and sites to see.

[Heather in Neverland]

Between jet lag and travel time, I wouldn't choose NZ, especially with children, for a seven-day trip.

I agree. Every time we travel from this side of the world back to the states it takes us 3 days to get over jet lag. I would never recommend going that far without at least two weeks or more to do it. You'll need more time when you get back to recover again from jet lag. It is brutal.

[IsabelC]

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.

 

I would not go too far for a 5-7 day trip. If you do Scotland or Ireland, it will take the best part of a day to get there, another day to get over the long flight with kids, and then your holiday is almost half over.

If I lived in the US, I'd prioritize seeing other states, just because there is so much to see (I am pining to go to the US lately, never wanted to before because of the stereotype of crazies with guns everywhere, but then I saw some stuff about the incredible natural attractions and fell in love - but that's a whole other thread!). If you have already traveled extensively at home and/or you really especially want to go somewhere international, I'd go for central or south America.

 

When you have a bit longer, then of course you should come to Tasmania, which contrary to popular opinion, really needs a month to see properly  :laugh: