Europe ABD with 6 year old

[Candycane83]

Looking for the right fit. My son will turn 6 next year and we’re looking into ABD in the summertime, most likely around July. Looking at Italy and Amalfi Coast or London/ Paris. Any insight / experience you guys can share would be great. Thanks!

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

We did Italy/Switzerland as our first ABD when our boys were 6/7. The itinerary has changed slightly but we loved the cities we visited. All the views are very scenic and the food/activities were all doable for our kids (except one bike ride we skipped).

 

[Candycane83]

We did Italy/Switzerland as our first ABD when our boys were 6/7. The itinerary has changed slightly but we loved the cities we visited. All the views are very scenic and the food/activities were all doable for our kids (except one bike ride we skipped).

Sounds nice! Thanks for the input!

 

[laceltris3]

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[Candycane83]

We did Ireland (though Tauck Bridges) last summer with a 6 year old and it was perfect. A great balance of activity and history, without too many museums and such that would bore him.

I was thinking that France/ England might bore him and leaning towards the Italy/ Amalfi Coast tour... is Tauck Bridges another tour company? I went to their site and saw they offer something similar?

 

[mapsd]

We waited until our youngest was 9 to take our ABD Italy trip & glad we waited.
Everyone knows their own kids best, but we waited for multiple reasons:

• If you go when your child is at the youngest of age limit, there's a good chance they will be the ONLY child that age (it was for our trip, which had 1 six year old & a large group in the 9-14 range, so the young one stuck with her mom the whole trip while the other kids became fast friends).
• There is LOTS of walking on most trips and keeping up and not wearing out is less of an issue for the bigger kids (no need to skip activities or retire early).
• We wanted our kids to be old enough to appreciate the cultural aspect & have the opportunity to learn about some of the things they'd be seeing in school before we left, & be old enough to remember it.
• Waiting until the kids were a little older just made everything easier: more self-sufficient at meals, getting dressed, socializing with the group. It made the trip better for mom and dad too!
• When younger, our kids' dream trip was a beach or the Magic Kingdom, not a 10 hour flight with lots of museums.
• We realized that WE are the ones who really wanted to see Europe, so we delayed our gratification to ensure that it would be the trip of a lifetime for our WHOLE family, not just us.

 

[laceltris3]

I was thinking that France/ England might bore him and leaning towards the Italy/ Amalfi Coast tour... is Tauck Bridges another tour company? I went to their site and saw they offer something similar?

You can read about Tauck Bridges in the Other Options thread. They were doing family travel like ABD before ABD started, and have been doing high end travel for like 80 years. They operate much like ABD, but you only have one guide instead of two, you usually have more included meals (and more ordering off the menu/fewer buffets), and guide gratuities are included. We have traveled with them several times. They do not have dynamic pricing, and once you have traveled with them once you get a free pre or post night at the tour hotel (which saved us about $1K in Dublin last year for our family of 5). Our guide in Ireland developed their Rome and Sorrento trip, and said that the kids LOVE the gladiator school that they do, so it is on our short list for the future.

 

[Candycane83]

You can read about Tauck Bridges in the Other Options thread. They were doing family travel like ABD before ABD started, and have been doing high end travel for like 80 years. They operate much like ABD, but you only have one guide instead of two, you usually have more included meals (and more ordering off the menu/fewer buffets), and guide gratuities are included. We have traveled with them several times. They do not have dynamic pricing, and once you have traveled with them once you get a free pre or post night at the tour hotel (which saved us about $1K in Dublin last year for our family of 5). Our guide in Ireland developed their Rome and Sorrento trip, and said that the kids LOVE the gladiator school that they do, so it is on our short list for the future.

Thanks! I will look into it for sure!

 

[Candycane83]

We waited until our youngest was 9 to take our ABD Italy trip & glad we waited.
Everyone knows their own kids best, but we waited for multiple reasons:

• If you go when your child is at the youngest of age limit, there's a good chance they will be the ONLY child that age (it was for our trip, which had 1 six year old & a large group in the 9-14 range, so the young one stuck with her mom the whole trip while the other kids became fast friends).
• There is LOTS of walking on most trips and keeping up and not wearing out is less of an issue for the bigger kids (no need to skip activities or retire early).
• We wanted our kids to be old enough to appreciate the cultural aspect & have the opportunity to learn about some of the things they'd be seeing in school before we left, & be old enough to remember it.
• Waiting until the kids were a little older just made everything easier: more self-sufficient at meals, getting dressed, socializing with the group. It made the trip better for mom and dad too!
• When younger, our kids' dream trip was a beach or the Magic Kingdom, not a 10 hour flight with lots of museums.
• We realized that it was US that really wanted to see Europe, so we delayed our gratification to ensure that it would be the trip of a lifetime for our WHOLE family, not just us.

Thanks for the input.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Our guide in Ireland developed their Rome and Sorrento trip, and said that the kids LOVE the gladiator school that they do, so it is on our short list for the future.

Love this. I think this will be our trip for 2021. I've been waiting until the right time to do it - DS will be 10.

 

[BluesTraveler]

ABD is such a great way to travel with kids, but I really do think younger than 8 is tough. The trips as a whole are so full and busy it does take a certain amount of independence and maturity, even with kids who are pretty experienced traveling with their parents. And I agree about the group dynamics - it's easier for the kids to assimilate into the kid group at a slightly older age. If you're really dying to do group travel with a younger child (and I would recommend it!), look at Backroads - they have trips specifically designed for the younger set (note: Backroads is an active vacation company, so more hiking, rafting, biking, and few museums). And then definitely plan an ABD once your child is 8. You will love it.

 

[Candycane83]

ABD is such a great way to travel with kids, but I really do think younger than 8 is tough. The trips as a whole are so full and busy it does take a certain amount of independence and maturity, even with kids who are pretty experienced traveling with their parents. And I agree about the group dynamics - it's easier for the kids to assimilate into the kid group at a slightly older age. If you're really dying to do group travel with a younger child (and I would recommend it!), look at Backroads - they have trips specifically designed for the younger set (note: Backroads is an active vacation company, so more hiking, rafting, biking, and few museums). And then definitely plan an ABD once your child is 8. You will love it.

Thanks I will look into it!

 

[disneyphx]

I say go for it!
I would consider what you and he are interested in.
We did our first ABD when DD was 5 (not her first international trip though.....maybe her 10th?). So we knew a bit what to expect in terms of dealing with jet lag and travelling internationally as a family.
Each trip we took when she was 5 til 10, she was always the youngest......I used to worry more about the age of other kids and now I don't. Like when she was 5 she connected with a 12 year old girl and when she was 6, 3 10-11 year old boys took her under their wing. As she gets older, she has gotten more particular about assimilating with just any kids who are at or near her age.....
The trips are very tiring though - we occasionally skip things if she -or we! - are too tired.

 

[Candycane83]

I say go for it!
I would consider what you and he are interested in.
We did our first ABD when DD was 5 (not her first international trip though.....maybe her 10th?). So we knew a bit what to expect in terms of dealing with jet lag and travelling internationally as a family.
Each trip we took when she was 5 til 10, she was always the youngest......I used to worry more about the age of other kids and now I don't. Like when she was 5 she connected with a 12 year old girl and when she was 6, 3 10-11 year old boys took her under their wing. As she gets older, she has gotten more particular about assimilating with just any kids who are at or near her age.....
The trips are very tiring though - we occasionally skip things if she -or we! - are too tired.

Sounds like great advice. I guess now I would look for a balance on culture and adventure. I’m worried about him not enjoying the Italy tour for all the museums and churches.

which one did you do when she was 5? I’m curious what you think would be better for a child that age. My husband for some reason does not want to do England France though! Lol (he thinks I will detour to DLP, which I would have if it were a choice)

 

[canadakath]

You might also want to consider a Mediterranean cruise. We did this (with Disney) when our boys were 7 (turned 7 on the trip) and 9. Gave the best of both worlds - great international experiences with the comfort of something familiar every night. Also meant only unpacking once!!! We had a few longer days in ports like Rome, and some chill days where we just figured out the train to Monaco by ourselves and wandered around (including the best 1 Euro tour of the city just by riding the bus around). We played a game of "which town has the best gelato" in every port stop! The cruise also gave us a great idea of where we want to go back to and spend more time.

I don't agree with thinking you have to wait until your kids remember a trip. Live for the moment! YOU will have great memories of them on the trip!

For age appropriate pre-reading, we got a number of books in the "You Wouldn't Want to be a..." series. They are cartoonish, but factual, tellings of some of the gross parts of history that little boys love! And you would be amazed what sinks in. When we walked into the Coliseum in Rome, my 7 yer old started telling all the adults inner tour group about how the gladiators normally only ate oatmeal but got to pick what they wanted for the night before the big battles, and how they used to flood the arena for mock sea battles. He impressed everyone!

 

[Candycane83]

You might also want to consider a Mediterranean cruise. We did this (with Disney) when our boys were 7 (turned 7 on the trip) and 9. Gave the best of both worlds - great international experiences with the comfort of something familiar every night. Also meant only unpacking once!!! We had a few longer days in ports like Rome, and some chill days where we just figured out the train to Monaco by ourselves and wandered around (including the best 1 Euro tour of the city just by riding the bus around). We played a game of "which town has the best gelato" in every port stop! The cruise also gave us a great idea of where we want to go back to and spend more time.

I don't agree with thinking you have to wait until your kids remember a trip. Live for the moment! YOU will have great memories of them on the trip!

For age appropriate pre-reading, we got a number of books in the "You Wouldn't Want to be a..." series. They are cartoonish, but factual, tellings of some of the gross parts of history that little boys love! And you would be amazed what sinks in. When we walked into the Coliseum in Rome, my 7 yer old started telling all the adults inner tour group about how the gladiators normally only ate oatmeal but got to pick what they wanted for the night before the big battles, and how they used to flood the arena for mock sea battles. He impressed everyone!

I actually have a 5 day Mediterranean cruise booked with DCL. Weighing my options really... either way, we will have some time touring on our own.

 

[Donalyn]

I'm worried about my 12 and 15 year olds having church and art/museum overload on our trip (we leave in 4 days!!!!!).

I don't think that their is a perfect age to go on a trip like this. However, I do think that there are some things to consider.

1. Is this a once in a lifetime trip? If so, wait. You will all enjoy it more later.
2. Are you okay not doing everything on the itinerary? You may have to skip out on stuff for additional downtime, etc. Would you still enjoy the trip (and feel that you got your money's worth) if you have to miss some really cool aspects of the trip? There is a trip report from a recent Scotland trip where the poster had a young son - reading that may give you some food for thought.
3. Do you think that your son will enjoy the activities? Or will he just feel dragged around to stuff. (My kids at 5/6 really liked to do things on their own schedule and trips were more fun when we let them, such as the extra two hours climbing around in Badlands National Park. Wouldn't have worked in the group travel setting.)
4. Food - now, these tours do tend to have kid friendly food options. But some kids are really picky. Where does your son fit on that spectrum? (Mine are still pretty picky and not very adventurous, but finally getting better. That is part of the reason we are doing the main Italy trip - easily accessible food options that I know they like.)
5. Who is in your travel party? Will there be multiple adults to help with your son and the logistics of travel? (So happy that our girls can deal with their own luggage now.)

Good luck with your decision.

 

[lpm23]

I definitely vote for go for it! My girls are 7 and 9 and we are going on our 6th ABD in a few weeks. We started going when they were 5 and 7. Every single trip has been amazing! so far we have done: NYC, Wyoming, Arizona/Utah, Costa Rica and the Rhine.

There are certain factors I always look at when picking a trip:
1. How much bus time (there is no way my kids would enjoy Iceland with 25 hours on a bus)
2. Time Zone- Going to the west coast is harder for them because it means very late bedtimes!
3. Activities- we choose trips where there is an active set of options- rafting, biking, zip lining etc.
4. How many hotels- with younger kids i prefer to not have to be at a ton of hotels because it means that much more unpacking.

We did Wyoming when my younger daughter was 5. We had a blast! She has been the youngest on every single trip so far and she has made so many friends.- young kids, old kids.

I took a risk booking our first trip and I am so glad I did it. You never know how it will be until you try. The adventures we have had have been amazing and I don't regret it at all.

 

[disneyphx]

which one did you do when she was 5? I’m curious what you think would be better for a child that age. My husband for some reason does not want to do England France though! Lol (he thinks I will detour to DLP, which I would have if it were a choice)

We started with China.....Not a typical choice, or one I would automatically recommend.
DH and I love to travel, I wanted to try high end family travel - and China was a place we would be less comfortable doing on our own. DD loved Mulan and DH and I wanted to see China. At the time DD had been to Europe 2 or 3 times and Australia 5 times ( I am from there) - so we knew how she handled travelling and jetlag. I talked to ABD about it too.
The trip was much busier than I would have imagined.
The age limit has since gone up to 6 - I hope not cause ABD thought she was a disaster!
The 5 internal flights turned out well as DD sleeps on planes - later trips with long bus rides have been more tiring for us.....

We did London/Paris more recently - that is the most tiring trip we have done!

I think Donalyn's list is awesome - looking at that, China at 5 made sense - and for us, Italy and Greece still don't.......
We tend to not view trips as once in a lifetime. ABD is so fast paced we think of it more as, we will see and do awesome things and if we love it or want to see more we will go back one day!

 

[Cousin Orville]

I’ve taken a 7 yo on the (now extinct) France ABD and as I’m writing this we have our 6yo on the Japan ABD. It’s fine. I wouldn’t hesitate.