5 Weeks in Europe: What I Learned on my Family Vacation
This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe with my family. We spent five weeks visiting some of the most beautiful countries in the world and it was an amazing experience. While we learned a lot about the places we visited, I would argue we learned more about what a long vacation experience is like--and it's not always pretty. In this blog post, I want to share some of the things I learned on our trip. If you're thinking about taking an extended vacation with your family, you'll need to know what you're getting yourself into!
The basics of our trip:
My husband and I took our kids (ages 11 & 14) to Italy for 18 days, and during that time we visited the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Rome, Tuscany, Venice & Milan. From there we flew to Croatia, where we spent one night in Split before boarding a skippered catamaran to take us island hopping through the Adriatic for a week. We spent one night in Dubrovnik before flying to Athens, where again we spent one night before taking a ferry to the island of Paros. After three nights on Paros, we ended our trip with four days in Santorini before embarking on our long journey home.
We decided to do our trip this way for a couple of reasons--first, my husband had a lot of vacation time saved up after not using much for the two years we were pretty much stuck at home. Second, these three trips had been on my list for a LONG time; I figured that the opportunity to check them all off my travel wishlist in one shot wouldn't present itself again. My husband and I have been taking our kids all over the world since they were babies. Surely everyone will be as excited about this epic adventure as I am, right? RIGHT?
Here are our takeaways:
We are not likely to take a family trip this long again. While it was amazing to travel to all of these different places, it was also exhausting. By the end, we definitely weren't making the most of our time--we were worn out! By the time we got to Greece, we were all ready to go home. We missed our beds and our dogs most of all. If you're thinking about taking a long, multi-destination vacation with your family, my best advice is to limit the number of places you plan on visiting, and think about shaving a little time off of what you think you're up for.
I also recommend traveling to places that are kid-friendly. Europe is full of beautiful cities and historical sites, but not all of them are great for kids. When we were in Paros, for example, our kids got bored pretty quickly--they had just spent a week swimming off the side of our boat in Croatia, so the pool and beach at the next spot weren't new & exciting for them. They were kind of over it. Honestly, after a month of sightseeing they were asking for some pretty run-of-the-mill kid stuff: go-karts, mini golf, amusement parks, arcades. You know, things that are easy to find at home, but not so much in Croatia or the Greek Islands. If you're planning a trip like this, make sure to research the places you'll be visiting to see if they have activities that will make your kids' day, even if it's something you could just as easily do at home.
It's also important to remember that travel can be stressful, even if you're just going on a short weekend trip. If you're planning a longer vacation, make sure to factor in some down time so everyone can recharge. We made the mistake of not doing this enough on our trip, and we all ended up getting pretty cranky with each other--and my kids treated each other especially bad during these times (which then made me crabby...it's all related).
Split up every once in a while. A few times on our trip, my husband and did dinner at our hotel or resort separately from our kids so we could eat the things we wanted and they got room service (which was a treat for them). This worked out really well for us, and gave us all a chance to recharge a bit. We also found that our kids did better when we weren't constantly together--my daughter and I split off from my husband and son when we were in Athens, and it was great. I'm all for some whole-family quality time, but with a long trip like this there is such a thing as too much togetherness.
Consider taking a few shorter trips during various times of the year. Summer in Europe is crowded and hot, and five weeks is a long time to spend with that combination of factors. But I get it--when else are you supposed to travel with your kids? The holiday season is also busy (and extra expensive), and many people prefer to spend that time closer to home and with extended family. Looking at alternative travel times and destinations becomes extra important if you're looking to get the most enjoyment out of your time together. Spring break is a good time for a shorter trip to Europe, and then you can head someplace else during the summer break--perhaps Costa Rica or French Polynesia. And of course, there are SO MANY fun and beautiful places to visit in the US & Canada. In fact, that's our plan for next summer--we'll be sticking closer to home, but we'll still be having adventures!
All in all, we had a great trip. We made some amazing memories and got to see some beautiful places. I'm glad we did it, but I don't think we'll be doing anything quite like it again anytime soon (at least until I decide that we need to scratch a few destinations off of the wishlist in one shot again).
Whether you're planning a long, multi-country adventure or a fun weekend away, I'm here to help take the stress off of your shoulders. Click here to start checking destinations off of your wishlist and let's begin planning your next adventure!
