Are You Planning a Vacation With Your Kids? Here Are a Few Ideas

How many times have you said that you would like to visit some foreign countries when the kids grow up?

You lost count, most likely, like so many other parents. However, it does not have to be this way.

The faster parents understand that children like traveling too, the better. Yes, we all know that they can throw temper tantrums for the silliest reasons, but children also like getting out of their routine.

Besides, they get to spend some quality time with the people they love most. Their parents. So here are some ideas for some kid-friendly foreign locations you can enjoy.

Rome, Italy

To you, it is a romantic place with a rich culture and history. To children, Rome is gladiators, cool swords, battles, Maximus, and the Colosseum. It may be a good idea to teach your kids a few things about Rome before you leave. That will create expectations and excitement. Although I would recommend some age-appropriate books. Surely, you can find some online.

To make things a bit easier for you, know that there are hotels in Rome that have special activities for children such as heroes’ tours and treasure hunts. Your children are in great hands, and if you want, you can escape for a little while to enjoy the adult part of Rome with your partner.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is a great city to walk in. The sights are picturesque, and it is generally very kid friendly. You will see kids even in bars. Of course, they have spaces specially designed for them with toys and a space to play in. In fact, many restaurants have that too. However, there are a few attractions your children will love. For instance, you can take them to the NEMO Science Museum or the National Maritime Museum. They are both incredible places where kids can see cool ships and learn about their history.

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

As a grown-up, you will absolutely love this place. It has this hippie vibe and tons of traditions. You can enjoy lots of experiences. However, if you decide to go to the Ritz-Carlton Reserve and stay at the Mandapa, your kids are going to have a blast. They have a Kids’ Hut, which is basically a farm where your kids can learn about the animal. They have chickens, cows, ducks, and rabbits. They can play all day long and eat fresh vegetables, plant rice and much more. Besides, you will find it relaxing.

Copenhagen, Denmark

There are two locations in Copenhagen that provide fun for both the parents and the kids. One of them is the Blue Planet Aquarium. There are several exhibits with fish and other animals from all around the world. You can visit the rainforest exhibit, where your kids can touch a snake if they feel up to it. All displays have touchscreens that your kids can use to learn about the several types of animals in front of them.

The second is Tivoli Gardens. There are rides and fantastic street food, cartoon characters, and so on. It depends on the time of the year you visit, but Tivoli Gardens is amazing no matter the decorations they put up.

Unquestionably, one of the ideas above sound fantastic for your next vacation with the kids. One more useful tip I can give you for your next vacation is that for some countries, you can get electronic visas for the entire family. If you want to go to India, for instance, you can get eVisas.They are available online, you do not have to carry all your kids to an embassy or a visa center, and you do not have to concern yourself with a tedious visa application process. As long as you have valid passports for the entire family, you are golden. The rest is a piece of cake.

If you want to find more tips by blogger parents, have a look at www.familyexperiencesblog.com, run by an expat mother of two in Athens Greece, writing about travel and sharing travel tips.

5 Best Vacation Activities for the Whole Family 

Going on a vacation with your family is one of the best things in the world! It’s a chance for you all to take a break from your busy schedules and enjoy your free time. However, wherever you go and whatever you like to do, you’re going to find a number of different activities that could turn your holiday from ordinary to amazing. It’s all about finding the right activities and making sure every member of your family enjoys them. Therefore, here are five family-oriented activities you should explore next time you’re on vacation.

Camping

If your kids are outgoing, outdoorsy and adventurous, this is the right activity for you and them. Although camping is one of the most enjoyable things you can do in nature, it actually isn’t as easy to do it while you’re at home, so going on holiday might be the perfect opportunity to go camping. This activity will make your kids understand why nature is so important and amazing, and they’ll surely start appreciating it more than ever after spending some time in the forest.

Of course, before you go camping, you need to get prepared. Learning a few basic things could go a long way, so spend some time doing that first. Find the right spot, improve your safety, make some cool food, and find a few games you could play while camping. This is something your kids will remember for the rest of their lives, so it’s definitely an idea to consider.

Rafting

This might not be the perfect activity if your kids are still young and can’t swim, but if they’re older and aren’t afraid of spending time in a tiny raft, this is the thing for your family. Rafting is another amazing way for your kids to be in the open and learn more about nature around them. Moreover, this activity is particularly interesting if your kids have never done anything as adventurous – this will turn into the most exciting day of your holiday, and your kids are going to love you for giving them a chance to go rafting.

However, you need to be extra careful when rafting with your loved ones. Make sure you follow instructions and don’t do anything even remotely dangerous. It goes without saying that you should make sure your kids are comfortable with this idea before you start planning it.

Scuba diving

If you notice that rafting is something your kids have enjoyed, you could take things to a new level and explore the idea of scuba diving with them. This will help them perfect their swimming and diving skills, and introduce them to an underwater world they can’t see anywhere else. After all, all of these things are vital for their general knowledge and understanding of the world, so it’s an activity that’s great on so many levels.

Again, you should check this idea with your kids and teach them a few things about scuba diving first. Also, make sure you all have some professional scuba diving equipment that’s going to turn this activity into an experience to remember. You could even consider getting this gear for your entire family and stop renting it every time you all want to dive together. This activity will bring you closer together and your kids will learn how to rely on you more than before, and that’s something all kids need to feel.

Road tripping

This is another way to help your kids learn more about the world they live in, but also a bit about the unknown regions in that world. Taking them on a road trip while you’re on a vacation is like a mini-holiday inside your regular holiday, so it’s much more fun than you could imagine. All you need is a car you can rent wherever you are, or Amarillo bus ride, a list of places you’d like the see, and some free time.

One of the ideas to explore is taking your kids on a history tour where they can visit all those important sites and places they learn about in school. This won’t be just an amazing learning experience for them, but an opportunity to see things they’ve probably never seen before. Ultimately, this might pique their interest in these things and show them how exciting historical items and places can be.

Volunteering

To be honest, this is an idea your kids are probably not going to love as much as they might love all the other suggestions. Volunteering is something not all people do when they’re at home, and it’s something even a few of them do when they’re on vacation, so why should you do it? Well, there’s one simple reason – because it’s the right thing to do.

It doesn’t matter where you’re vacationing, how much time you have and what sort of volunteering you opt for – as long as you’re doing something good for the people in need, you’ll be helping them quite a lot. Again, this is an activity you have to plan ahead, especially when you’re going on a vacation with your children, but it’s still an idea you can put into practice quite easily. Not only will you be doing something amazing for someone else, but you’ll also teach your kids a few things about being a compassionate and caring person, and that’s a life lesson you can’t put a price on.

Spending your family vacation on the beach is always a great thing to do, but being active and adventurous is even better. So, find an activity your entire family will love and turn your next vacation into the best vacation ever!

Peter is a parenting and health writer for Joyful Source magazine. Follow Peter on Twitter for more tips.