Dear ILites, I like to travel but haven't been able to travel till now. We went to India to see parents and that's about it. I saw a very detailed post here on this forum, I was like...wow all the work is done, I just have to pack and copy this itinerary. Since, most of us will have the similar worries and similar ambitions in traveling with children, I thought, how about we share our detailed itinerary. I have a TripAdvisor account but always there so much of information. If we are kind enough to share our itinerary (with tips for that particular travel) and details, it will be a curated list of destination that one can go to. Eg, I love the picture of Istanbul mosque in background with the boats in front. I have seen documentaries about Istanbul. I have seen the documentary about making of the underground tunnel. I have seen the bazar...on TV. I always, think I will go to UK and then take train to Istanbul. Then I think, oh may be I can go downwards to France etc...further down Spain? Then I am so exhausted, with my 'day dreams' (khayali pulao) that I stop. But if I were to copy someone who has travelled with children from US, during school break, then I can just copy the same. Ladies, please share your travel destination with details here. What worked out and what did not. The origin city. And other details, train, flight, cruise, BnB or not etc. Please name the Trip in bold. So one refer to that.
Dwarka I will post first reply. It is a potential itinerary, so doesn't have any details. I plan to take flight to Ahmedabad from US. Stay in hotel. Look around in Ahmedabad, there is Gandhi Dham. Take a SUV rental to go to Dwarka early morning. Night stay in hotel in Dwarka. Next day, look at panch kuan (well by Pandav) and Rukmini's temple. Come back to Ahmedabad, same hotel and stay over night and take flight next day.
Caribbean One of my friends kept going to Caribbean Islands- off season, in June. She likes it. Different Islands and in serviced apts. They like it. I was planning to go to Caribbean but I want to go to resort with food etc. Because, cooking is hassle. Caribbean islands have hurricane season September onwards. And winter will be too expensive there.
How old are your kids and what are their interests? Ages will help suggest itineraries. Are you keen on EU and Caribbean islands alone? Do you do cruises? Any travel sickness etc? Do you do packed itineraries or slow paced things - all locations in a country vs few chosen ones?
Hi OP, I just went for a weeks vacation to south of France and it was beautiful. We landed in Nice, stayed in a scenic village suburb called Villefranche-sur-Mer for 2 nights. After that rented a car and drove to Avignon. Stayed there for 2 nights with day trips every day to small French villages. Avignon is also a pretty town with beautiful historic building all around. Most beautiful village I saw was Les Baux de Provence. Stunning mountainside and fall colors. Another pretty village was Lauris. That had a castle overlooking a valley. Another beauty was Rousillon- the mountains near there were ochre colored. After Avignon we drove to Aix de Provence and stayed there for 2 nights. For a day trip we drove to a nearby gorge that had a village called Maustiers Saint Marie. Stunning vistas through lavender fields and fall colored yellow trees. For our last night we came back to Nice and spend the night at a hotel near the airport. here was our takeaway- spend dinner time and night in a big city so you have a choice of where to eat and there is some night life. But for day trips nothing beats pretty little French villages. I had never seen such amazing scenery in my life before. Here are some pictures ...
I did my flight tickets via orbitz (I looked for a place in Europe that was not too cold and not too expensive) and stay via AirBnB. Did not follow any set path- just researched online on most scenic villages and routes to take and just picked something
I was thinking of using this thread as brain dump from seasoned travelers. One can browse and pick if anything particular one suits them.
Caribbean Cruise Last year, we did a cruise with children. It was fun since I did not have to cook. Pros: No cooking Clubs for children, of most ages Well priced for family when you look at food, entertainment and boarding Lots of options to choose for eating- some healthy, some buffet, some grown-up on dining All dietary needs were taken care of Ship went to port cities Cons: Make sure you get the right room- pay attention to view, safety, walk to entertainment loaded decks Make reservation way in advance You have to fly to a Port City first, that adds up the cost Small rooms may cause cabin fever People with motion sickness may have some problem, but you get medicine for that Just saw Hasam Minaj show about cruise ships. Don't know if I will go again..
The pictures are awesome! Perfect for new year 2020 calendar, if ones wants to print. One coworker used to vacation in France. That's all I know about France. I will look at the names of places you wrote. Looks like you did about a week. Instead of my grand plan to cover large area (which never materializes) I should start traveling one week here and there. Did you rent a car? Were people okay with desis, in small villages you mentioned?