{"id":16530,"date":"2017-02-01T21:21:18","date_gmt":"2017-02-01T21:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/?p=16530"},"modified":"2017-02-06T21:55:36","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T21:55:36","slug":"family-travel-tips-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/family-travel-tips-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Travel: Tips for Traveling to Europe for the First Time with Your Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eric Stoen of Travel Babbo<\/a> has traveled to Europe 15 times with his three kids (6, 9 and 11). We asked him for his advice to first-timers.<\/em><\/p>\n

For a lot of Americans, Europe is the first major international trip they take with their kids. That makes sense – Europe is extremely kid-friendly, it\u2019s easy to navigate, and there are flight options<\/a> from most US and Canadian cities. I receive a lot of questions from people heading across the pond with their kids for the first time. Here are my best Europe travel tips for families.<\/p>\n

Plan in Advance<\/h2>\n

You can\u2019t just add kids to an adult-oriented vacation and think that they will have fun \u2013 long lines and five-hour museum visits aren\u2019t kid-friendly. You\u2019ll have a better trip if you arrange kid-friendly walking tours, museum visits, cooking classes, art classes and other activities in advance. In short, make the trip about the kids. And if your kids are old enough, involve them in the planning process \u2013 it will make them excited about your destination.<\/p>\n

\"Tips

On a kid-oriented walking tour through Le Marais in Paris with Paris Muse<\/p><\/div>\n

Learn a Little of the Language<\/h2>\n

A month before you\u2019re departing, start teaching your kids a few words and phrases from the country that you\u2019re traveling to. Hello, good morning, goodbye, please, thank you, good night and 1-10 are good places to start. Some language skills will help your kids connect with the destination and culture a little more, and locals appreciate when kids make an effort. My daughter\u2019s third word ever was \u201cciao\u201d, learned when we were living in Italy for a summer.<\/p>\n

\"Tips

I Love You written in 250 languages in Paris<\/p><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t Worry About the Flights<\/h2>\n

Non-stop flights<\/a> to Europe are anywhere between 6 hours and 12 hours depending on where you\u2019re traveling from, and in virtually all cases the flights are overnight. That makes it easy \u2013 you and your kids can get some sleep, and when you arrive in the morning you\u2019ll be ready to head out for sightseeing\u2026even if you\u2019re a little tired. Flights with kids under two are rarely perfect, but all flying is cumulative \u2013 you may have some difficult flights early on, with some crying or some time spent in the galley rocking the kids to sleep, but as a result your kids will be amazing travelers by the time they\u2019re five. And remember \u2013 no matter what happens, you\u2019ll never see the people on the plane again!<\/p>\n

\"Europe

Flying into Venice<\/p><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t Worry About the Food Either<\/h2>\n

If your kids only eat pizza and pasta, there\u2019s no better place to take them! Europe does pizza and pasta extremely well, and most restaurants have kid menus. Of course travel is a great opportunity to broaden your kids\u2019 culinary horizons, but if you need to fall back on the basics, they\u2019re there for you.<\/p>\n

\"Europe

This cafe in Budapest has a wide-range of Hungarian dishes. And pizza.<\/p><\/div>\n

You Can Buy Practically Anything Once You Get There<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve never traveled to Europe with a stroller or car seat. If we need a stroller, we\u2019ll buy a cheap one when we get there, abuse it on the cobblestone streets, and then leave it behind. For a car seat, it\u2019s always possible to include one with your rental car<\/a>, but we\u2019ve also found that at some rental locations people have left their seats behind and we\u2019ve been able to borrow one or two for a couple weeks before putting them back for the next travelers.<\/p>\n

\"Europe

Our inexpensive umbrella stroller that we purchased and then left behind in Italy one summer<\/p><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t Fight the Time Change<\/h2>\n

Europe is anywhere between 5 and 9 hours ahead of North America, but you don\u2019t have to shift your body clocks that much. Europe has far more of a late-night culture than the US. Some restaurants don’t even open until 8pm. So if your kids\u2019 bedtime is 8pm at home, think about changing it to 11pm in Europe, and then let the kids sleep in in the mornings. That will let you adjust faster to European time zones, and make it far easier to re-acclimate when you return home.<\/p>\n

\"Europe

Europe can be fun late at night, so it’s ok for your kids to turn into night owls<\/p><\/div>\n

Pharmacies Are a Great Resource<\/h2>\n

If you have a health concern, head to a pharmacy – there are usually employees who speak English and they have access to different over-the-counter medicines than in the US. And when there\u2019s something that can’t be taken care of easily, we\u2019ve found that pharmacists are willing to look up English-speaking doctors and even make appointments. That\u2019s happened to us twice now, both times in France.<\/p>\n

\"Europe

Pharmacies are everywhere in Europe, including this one near Piazza della Repubblica in Florence<\/p><\/div>\n

Have Fun!<\/h2>\n

Finally, don\u2019t be afraid to have a relaxed vacation. Paris will always be there \u2013 you don\u2019t have to see everything in one trip. Spend time at playgrounds and in parks. Have two-hour picnic dinners while the kids run around and play. If the kids have fun, you\u2019ll have fun.<\/p>\n

\"Europe

In Bergen, Norway. Let your kids run and have fun!<\/p><\/div>\n

What did I leave out? What advice would you give to people taking their kids to Europe for the first time?<\/p>\n

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<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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More by this author<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eric Stoen of Travel Babbo has traveled to Europe 15 times with his three kids (6, 9 and 11). We asked him for his advice to first-timers. For a lot of Americans, Europe is the first major international trip they take with their kids. That makes sense – Europe is extremely kid-friendly, it\u2019s easy to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":16577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[161],"tags":[221,292],"class_list":["post-16530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","tag-europe","tag-travel-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFamily Travel: Tips for Traveling to Europe for the First Time with Your Kids - Inspire | Travelocity.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eric Stoen from Travel Babbo has traveled to Europe 15 times with his three kids. 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