Traveling through Italy with Kids: Part 3

 

So, hubby and I we had our little date and looked at all my "Italy" info as we sipped macchiatos.

He says, "Looks great." Love that guy - always so agreeable!

So, I've been busy trying to nail down lodging in Rome, Naples, Florence, and Lucca.


Rome has too many choices!

Naples, it seems is not very family-friendly, but I do want to see Pompeii so will stick with it. But, I have been told that  Herculaneum may be a better, less crowded option to see the ruins. The original vrbo.com I found on the coast finally emailed back and is not available, so on to somewhere else!

Flat in Florence is available - can't wait to meet my new leather coat and boots! I see that there is a great art museum there - Uffizi and a children's museum.

Lucca turns out to be a walled city - how cool! So we could stay in the city or go to a farmhouse just outside the walls - the owner has agreed to come to the city to pick us up and offers cooking lessons! I think after all these cities, a few days of r-and-r on a farm would suit everyone!

 

Here are a few awesome websites and blogs I came across yesterday while searching the web and cuddling my wee one!


kid-friendly-things-to-do-in-Rome

Gladiator show and dinner

International Families in Italy - what is available in different towns

Context Walking Tours for Families - I've heard a LOT of good feedback on this company. Their tours are very well done (they really engage the kids and make it fun) and are available in many European cities. Private tours are also available. This is a great way to "skip the lines" at popular sites. However, when asking them previously about tours in Paris, museums often limit the size of tour groups to 6, so it might not work for our family of 9. Also, the price is ... lets say, the tour better be fantastic!

Info about traveling in Italy - whyGoItaly - tour guide info

Rail Pass Info - steps you through the process of selecting the best rail pass

Tickets to buy in advance - major tourist attractions all over Italy

Florence for Kids, Tweens and Teens - lots of good ideas for museums, shopping, and eating!

Until next time ...
 

Italy Step by Step: Part 2

So far we have where we want to go:
 

Rome,








                           Amalfi Coast,








Florence, and

Lucca.
 

How are we going to get there?

Airplane to Rome (check airlines, dates, and flight schedule).
Train while in Rome.
To the hotels - hopefully walking just a few blocks!

When are we going?

Spring is our first choice. My travel book says that Italy is very busy at Easter, and the prices are lower before Easter. I look at a calendar and decide on the first 2 weeks in April.  It is just before Easter and the temperatures look ok. Not too hot, not too cold, not too expensive, not too crowded - Perfect!

Where will we stay?

I am looking on vrbo.com, airbnb.com, cross-pollinate, and agriturismo.com. I have highlighted certain places in each town (copied and pasted their URLs to an email to myself!) I have emailed several to see if they can accommodate us (family size and dates). Amalfi Coast is looking very expensive, so we may have to switch to Naples. Hubby and I have a date tonight to discuss ITALY!!

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Italy for Families: How to Plan a Trip Step by Step: Part 1

I've always said that, one day, I would eat my way through Italy! I love Italian food (and Mexican and Thai and BBQ - I digress!). My kids love pizza (don't yours?), so what better place to spend a few days/weeks? We are planning a trip to Italy, little by little! So I thought I would post our "decision-making-process" as we go!

1. Where to go?
Italy, of course, but it is a big country, and we don't have months of time. I bought some travel books on Italy and "thoroughly skimmed" through them - can you do that? I mean, I looked through them and skipped the hundreds of pages on art museums and churches because I don't need that info now. I need to know a little about each part of Italy - location, tourist info, activities and events, hotels, transportation, food, political stability (I do live in the Middle East!), etc. My "big idea" is not to have to rent a vehicle (one for 9 is expensive and often hard to come by). So the towns need to be close to each other and connected by transportation.

Idea 1: Rent a beautiful farmhouse and relax! To-Tuscany.com looks beautiful! However, after dreaming about the tranquil farm, and seeing that none of them had a train running nearby, I decided that my kids would be bored after a few days - minimal rental 1 week in most cases.

Idea 2: The train through Italy looks awesome - ItaliaRail.com - we could see all of Italy from the train and stop overnight in certain cities! Somehow I can't see my kids enjoying sitting on a train for days on end watching Italy go by.

Idea 3: Choose a few cities, connected by the train, and spend a few days in each. Rome is a given - plus the airplane flies into Rome. Tuscany has always intrigued us. Hubby keeps mentioning the Amalfi Coast.


 

Pompeii interests me, and it is near Naples, home of pizza.

Florence sells lots of nice leather products (I NEED new boots and a leather jacket, maybe a bag or 2!) I read on a blog somewhere that Lucca is family-friendly, and it is near Pisa. Sicily looks interesting, and Venice, but they are far from Rome. So is Genoa, home of Christopher Columbus. Milan is fashionable but maybe not the best for kids Ahhh ... so many choices!

This one wins: Rome, Amalfi Coast, Florence, and Lucca.

 

Have Kids Will Travel or Plan, plan, and plan!

Once you have decided WHERE you are going, the easy part is done! Next, think about .,..

How much $ can you spend?
Do a quick estimate of the cost of transportation (gas, airline tickets, train passes), lodging, food, entertainment, activities for the whole family. Is it way too much already? Then choose a different location, time frame, lodging, etc. Remember to add in extra costs for everything - nothing is free or cheaper than planned! Vacations with kids are doable with some planning!

When are you going?   As in, actual dates!
1. Can Dad/Mom/Kids get those days off?
     from work/school/commitments
2. Does the airlines fly there on those days? How long will it take to drive there?
     Where we live there are often only one flight a day/week to most places. Travel time needs to be considered generously!
3. When are you coming home?
     Do we hafta?!

Snorkeling in Thailand

4. Should you allow extra time for travel, weather, jet lag?

Switzerland in February

5. Is there a holiday/festival then that you want to attend or avoid?
     Visiting Dubai in July and/or Ramadan would not be recommended unless you like extreme heat or want to fast. Arriving a week after Grandma's birthday means you miss the party.

6. Is it the best time of year to visit that place?
     Consider the number of other tourists there, weather, holidays. Many places are closed on Christmas and New Years.

Christmas lunch at Edinburg Castle

7. Will what you want to do be available/open?
     Make sure tickets to the show, amusement park, concert, tourist attraction (Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower) are available. It wouldn't be much fun to get to your destination and find they are sold out! Lots of disappointed people!

How will you get there?
1. Can you drive there?
     Some places are way off the beaten path and require directions.

Van with tour guide driver in Bangkok

2. If you fly, do you need to rent a car? Do you need to bring your own car seats?
     Some destinations have an airport shuttle or hotel van. Some car rental agencies offer car seats, but I always bring my own. Most airlines will check them for free and you know their history (accidents, spilled milk).

3. Can you take a train, metro, subway? What is the schedule?


kids playing games on the Brit Rail

train station in the UK

     Some countries have extensive rail systems, but you need to know when the train leaves, how long it takes to get from point a to point b, if there is food/toilets available, if it runs 24/7, how far from the station will you have to walk toting luggage and tired children?


Tuk-tuk

4. How far is the hotel/lodging from the destination/airport?
     You need to plan for transportation and allow for time.

Where will you stay?
It is best not to wing it! Most reservations can be canceled a few days before.

1. Hotel


tree house in Thailand

     I like to scope out booking.com or hotel.com. If I see something I like, I check out the hotel's own website - they often have other rooms (family-size, suites, wheelchair access) available or, occasionally, better pricing. You can always call the hotel to ask specific questions.

2. Friends or Family



Add caption

     They can make the trip more economical and make visiting easier. However, alone time may be hard to come by. It's nice to bring the hostess a small gift!




3. Bed and Breakfast - probably not! Most do not allow children and have rooms for 2 guests only. Save it for another trip!



rented home in Puket

4. Rented house
     We have started renting a house on vacation because of the size of our family (7 children). We are not comfortable, in most cases, of having children in a hotel room without an adult. Joining rooms makes a hotel possible, but those rooms are non-existent in a lot of countries. A home has a kitchen, washer/dryer, room to run around, no neighbors on the other side of the wall, and a place to park the car. Many homes can be rented for a few days, some require a minimum of a week. And several families can rent a home together. Consider the cost of hotel rooms, meals, laundry services, parking, etc for a week and do the math. Websites include vrbo.com and airbnb.com.
5. Camp

     This is not an option we do often - just once a year. But many memories can be made putting up the tent, roasting hot dogs and s'mores, falling asleep under the stars ... Usually a very economic choice! 
 
 6. Serviced apartment/flat

Serviced Apartment in London

     In Europe it is common for families to rent a furnished apartment, referred to as a "serviced apartment", for holidays. But beware, European accommodations are tiny! And there probably is no elevator! 
 
 
 

 

 

Where to Start

Ok - it's been a while - a long while - since I started this blog! We are just back from a trip home and are already planning a trip next year, so I thought I'd add my thoughts here on how to plan a trip with children in tow! Not sure how to plan one WITHOUT children!

1. Where do you want to go?
It may seem like an obvious question, but there are probably several "opinions" on where you should go! Kids vote for Disney, Mom votes for London/Rome/New York City, and Dad wants to go fishing/hunting/stay home - you see what I mean! In a family there are usually several "options"! What we usually do is have everyone say where they would like to go, within reason/budget.
Why do they want to go there?
What is there to do there?
What will it cost?
How long will it take to get there?
Then, as a family, you can decide on the best vacation location. Some people (parents, birthday child) may get more say!

Things to consider:
Time of year
Weather
Transportation
Food and lodging availability
Languages spoken
Time differences
Health care considerations - family aliments, medical care availability

Example:
Last year we had some vacation days to use up at the end of the year.  We knew we wanted to go somewhere warm, so that limited us to the southern hemisphere. I chose South Africa; my hubby chose Indonesia. We had air miles to use, so transportation was covered to both places. My husband wowed us with beautiful pictures of homes in Bali, Asian food, and beautiful beaches. I presented Kruger National Park, wild animals, safaris, homeland of some of our closest friends, etc. I won (smile!) because we had lodging covered with friends and a time share in South Africa, and because we have never traveled to the continent of Africa. Our last trip had been to Thailand, and I felt like Indonesia would be similar in culture and food - we always look for new and different adventures.