Anyone been on a good trip recently?

[basil]

Summer is almost over and I feel like next year my kids will be at an age where we could finally travel without diapers and strollers. They will be 4 and almost 7 in summer 2018.

I need to plan a trip. Thinking of Iceland or Scotland but open to anyplace that is not hot, has beautiful scenery, good restaurants, and isn't too far of a trip (preferably direct flight) from Boston.

Any recommendations? Tell me about your trip this summer especially if your kids are the same age as mine and how it went! 😀

[SnuggleBuggles]

My suggestion isn't glamorous or exotic so feel free and stop reading if you won't be interested. But, we absolutely love the Traverse City area of Michigan. In 2011, the Sleeping Bear National Seashore was voted the most beautiful place in the US. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616
There's so much to explore in that area and our kids have been going since they were babies. We like to rent a house in Sutton's Bay. We get a (small) private beach on the calm bay. We visit lighthouses, Sleeping Bear Dunes, wineries, play mini golf, hit farmers markets, eat at great restaurants, take boat rides...it really is lovely. So, if you are willing to consider Michigan as opposed to somewhere like Scotland, do it. I know they aren't in the same league but it sure is a great piece of earth. :)


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[basil]

My suggestion isn't glamorous or exotic so feel free and stop reading if you won't be interested. But, we absolutely love the Traverse City area of Michigan. In 2011, the Sleeping Bear National Seashore was voted the most beautiful place in the US. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616
There's so much to explore in that area and our kids have been going since they were babies. We like to rent a house in Sutton's Bay. We get a (small) private beach on the calm bay. We visit lighthouses, Sleeping Bear Dunes, wineries, play mini golf, hit farmers markets, eat at great restaurants, take boat rides...it really is lovely. So, if you are willing to consider Michigan as opposed to somewhere like Scotland, do it. I know they aren't in the same league but it sure is a great piece of earth. :)


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Definitely interested in domestic locations as well! Have never thought of Michigan as a vacation destination (not sure why!) but on my brief google it looks beautiful. Will add to the list. 😀

[SnuggleBuggles]

Definitely interested in domestic locations as well! Have never thought of Michigan as a vacation destination (not sure why!) but on my brief google it looks beautiful. Will add to the list. [emoji3]

:) Look at Mackinaw Island too. It's car- free and gorgeous.


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[AnnieW625]

I have never been to Europe so I am no help, but we are contemplating a Baltic Sea cruise for 2019 (my grandma is treating the the adults in our family and I am contemplating taking the kids who will be 13, and 9 then) that starts in Sweden and ends in Amsterdam. It would be a once in a lifetime trip for us.

Our vacations over the years have consisted of:
*San Diego for a week (this is driving distance for us.....less than 2 hours, and one time we tagged onto a business trip DH had)....one year we spent a week at the Liberty Station area (stayed at the Homewood Suites in the old Naval/Marine training area) of Point Loma, and the other time we stayed closer to downtown at the Doubletree. We have done the Zoo, the USS Midway, Point Loma, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Harbor tours, children's museum, Scripps Aquarium, and hung around beach areas like Del Mar, and La Jolla. We have been to Legoland a few times, but tbh I think it is too expensive for what you get....but we have only been in the winter when the water park isn't open. We did Sea World once in 2007 because DH was 33 and had never been.

*Boston/MA Coast: we did this in 2008 when some friends of ours got married. We went in the fall (first week of October) and had a great time. DD1 was 2/1/2. We stayed in a VRBO house in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston. The coastal area where the wedding was an hour from where we stayed, but we wanted to see Boston not just the coast. We did the Children's Museum, a Duck Boat tour, and walked around a lot of old Boston, including Boston Common. We also spent a day in Albany, NY as we met up with DH's family as it was a midpoint for everyone who lived from Pennsylvania , New York, and Vermont. (We would love to do a specific Pennsylvania/DC vacation as we both have cousins in the area; and would love to do Vermont/New Hampshire as well)

*Wyoming: my in laws live here (about 2 hours southwest of the entrance to Grand Teton NP) so we have done day trips here and really had a great time (we've gone over 4th of July week and it was crowded and late August and we much preferred the late August time). We hope to spend 3-5 days or so in the park in the future as I think the kids would like it. We fly to Salt Lake City and then drive 4 hours to my in laws house.

*Southern Utah: last summer we did a week in Southern Utah (and spent two days in Las Vegas) and went to the NW part of Zion Canyon (Kolob Canyon.....Cedar City area), Bryce Canyon, and Brian Head. We did a bunch of easy hikes and my kids were 10 and 6. This was all within an 8 hour drive of our house.

*Central California Coast: we have done Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, and Monterey (all at separate times). We like to spend time at the beach when there, but have also done touristy stuff like Cannery Row in Monterey, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Hearst's Castle.

*This year we are doing Northern California and Oregon. We are on this trip now. We flew to Sacramento on Saturday, spent the night with my parents and drove to Southern Oregon yesterday. Today we drive four hours or so north to Portland and will stay there until Friday and then drive back to Sacramento and will spend two more days there. The weather is warm (85+) so I am not sure I would recommend doing this trip in August especially if you aren't from a warm area; otherwise we are enjoying the scenery so far and it is nice going someplace new.

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[pinkmomagain]

Just got back from Sicily. It was drop dead beautiful and you can easily combine relaxing with things to do. However it takes 2 flights to get there and, although I saw plenty of littles, it's not something that I would have had the fortitude to do when my kids were that young. Also, it was the hottest summer for Sicily but June weather would be better I've heard.

[daisyd]

Following this thread

[bisous]

Love hearing about these trips! I went to Vancouver this summer for my sister's wedding reception and it was just absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure how much there is to do there as I spend only 2 days and a lot of it was family/wedding stuff but it seemed like the whole city was teeming with beautiful locations and gorgeous trails.

[hillview]

We just did a villa in Tuscany. Direct flight from Boston. 2 hour drive it was hot but we had a pool. Super relaxing lovely towns to visit. Highly recommend.

[mom2binsd]

I would start small, with younger kids. Get them used to traveling. Maybe rent a cabin/cottage along Lake Michigan (there are lots along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan) or go to Door County in Wisconsin. You can still do most meals at the cottage and go out when it suits you.

Staying in the US saves the hassle of getting passports etc. When you can, drive to your destination, then you can bring all that you need. A

[solsister]

My favorite trip was when we took our daughter to Ireland when she was just barely 4, and had the trip of a lifetime. We went with family, and got to see where my Dad grew up, and meet cousins, and visit with friends. It was magical, and kids are better travelers than they are given credit for. Our only regret is that she was young in the sense that she doesnt remember much about it, at 15. Our goal is to get back there next summer, for her Sweet Sixteen.

[AlbrightRC]

WE love pigeon forge/Gatlinburg tennesee area. We rent a cabin every summer and have been going for the last 4-5 years.

[gymnbomb]

We didn't go this year because I was too pregnant, but our favorite is cruising to Bermuda from either Boston or NYC. We enjoy both relaxing and the activities on the ship for a couple of days on the way there and the way back, and have a few days in Bermuda for a combination of exploring and hanging out at the beach. Going back next summer when DS will be 4 (and old enough for the organized kids activities for the first time) and DD will be 9 months.

[theriviera]

My suggestion isn't glamorous or exotic so feel free and stop reading if you won't be interested. But, we absolutely love the Traverse City area of Michigan. In 2011, the Sleeping Bear National Seashore was voted the most beautiful place in the US. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/best_places_USA/sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan-voted-good-morning-americas/story?id=14319616
There's so much to explore in that area and our kids have been going since they were babies. We like to rent a house in Sutton's Bay. We get a (small) private beach on the calm bay. We visit lighthouses, Sleeping Bear Dunes, wineries, play mini golf, hit farmers markets, eat at great restaurants, take boat rides...it really is lovely. So, if you are willing to consider Michigan as opposed to somewhere like Scotland, do it. I know they aren't in the same league but it sure is a great piece of earth. :)


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How was the water temp of the bay? I've avoided homes on Lake Michigan because I'm worried the water will be too cold.

[citymama]

We went to Italy this summer and it was one of the best trips ever. I'm already starting to squirrel away money to go back in a few years! My kids are 11 and 7 though, so that may not be the trip for you right now. We did take the kids to the UK and France (primarily London and Paris) when they were 7 and 3, and that went really well. I'd be happy to share some pointers if you go that route. Our favorite ever trips with kids in the past were to Hawaii (Kauai, Maui, Big Island are all great with kids) and to National Parks (Zion/Bryce, Yosemite, Yellowstone etc).

[SnuggleBuggles]

How was the water temp of the bay? I've avoided homes on Lake Michigan because I'm worried the water will be too cold.

Tolerable. ;) even the non Bay side is ok, especially if you go in August vs June.


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[hwin708]

Iceland probably wouldn't be my first pick with kids. I love it for an adult trip. But Reykjavik is seen in less than a day, and beautiful scenery and nature trips are just not enough to keep a whole trip going with kids for a week. And keep in mind it is CRAZY expensive. Plus, I wouldn't say the food is amazing, if that is indeed something you are after.

Scotland, however, I adore and find extremely kid friendly. Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities anywhere, and they have many of the apartment type hotels, which makes it very easy for families to stay in the heart of the Old Town.

[mommy111]

Lisbon (beee-yoootiful, sea, history, great food, direct and relatively cheap tap flight if you plan in advance)
Paris
London
Rome
Istanbul (drop dead gorgeous)
Dubai (a lot of kid centered fun but longer, and hot although everything including water parks are ACed)
All are direct flights from Boston, Logan is such a great place to fly out of now with all the direct flights!!

[KrisM]

My kids love Sleeping Bear dunes in Michigan. We go most summers.

This year, we did a 2 week road trip from Michigan to South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming. I would think your kids are on the young side, but in a couple of years, it will be great! My kids were about 9, 11, 13 when we did it. We saw the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Theodore Roosevelt NP, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and a ton of other things. It was about 5000 miles round trip, with about half of it going out and back. So still a lot of driving once out that way. Great stuff to see and do though!

Have you done stuff in New Hampshire? Storyland, Santa's Village, the mountain entertainment in the summer (zips, ropes, slides, coasters)?

[twowhat?]

We went on a very quick trip to Rocky Mountain National Park and it was AWESOME. It's cooler in the mountains, and just beautiful. We stayed in Estes Park and rented a car. The food isn't glamorous though :) DD2 has some physical limitations and gets tired very easily from walking, but there were so many easy, short hikes that she did just fine. The longer hikes, we just sat and rested frequently and took in the mountain air and scenery.

[georgiegirl]

We went on a very quick trip to Rocky Mountain National Park and it was AWESOME. It's cooler in the mountains, and just beautiful. We stayed in Estes Park and rented a car. The food isn't glamorous though :) DD2 has some physical limitations and gets tired very easily from walking, but there were so many easy, short hikes that she did just fine. The longer hikes, we just sat and rested frequently and took in the mountain air and scenery.

We were just there too. Stayed in a condo in Estes Park. Did lots of lovely easy hikes with our kids (11, 8, and almost 4).

[kara97210]

I need to plan a trip. Thinking of Iceland or Scotland but open to anyplace that is not hot, has beautiful scenery, good restaurants, and isn't too far of a trip (preferably direct flight) from Boston.


We visit family in Europe every summer and with your criteria (especially avoiding the heat) I'd highly recommend either Ireland or Scotland. Ireland is very child friendly, has beautiful scenery and is a direct flight from the east coast. Agree with PP that Iceland is wonderful, but I think it's less of a family friendly vacation than either Ireland or Scotland.

I'd also highly recommend Sweden, Northern France, Austria or Switzerland. We've had some great family vacations in other parts of Europe (my mother's family is from southern France so I'm partial to that region, but Italy, Spain and Portugal are great too), but they can be very hot in the summer. We were in Paris a couple of weeks ago and it was very warm. We had a great trip around Spain 2 years ago, when my kids were about your kids age and Spain was so child friendly, but it was definitely hot.

Highly recommend finding places where you have access to laundry and your own fridge. We usually rent a house (if we aren't staying with family) and explore from there. Also, when we started traveling with the kids I would pack so much, now we pack super light (because we know we'll have access to laundry) and it makes the trips so much more enjoyable.

[jenmcadams]

It's just my kids and I (my DH passed away two years ago) and they're older and pretty experienced travelers, but we did a 2 week roadtrip in Slovenia and Croatia (including a daytrip to Montenegro and one overnight in Bosnia and one in Trieste Italy) this summer and loved it. It doesn't meet you criteria of not hot or direct flights though. We were lucky enough to do Paris last Spring break, but it might be too hot in summer too.

For domestic trips, I love the pacific northwest (or my current home state of Colorado). Sometimes with younger kids, a beach or lake destination is easiest.


Highly recommend finding places where you have access to laundry and your own fridge. We usually rent a house (if we aren't staying with family) and explore from there. Also, when we started traveling with the kids I would pack so much, now we pack super light (because we know we'll have access to laundry) and it makes the trips so much more enjoyable.

Also just want to echo the above point - even on our road trip, one of my criteria for any Airbnb or hotel (in addition to wifi and AC) was laundry. We tried to make sure at least every 3-4 days, we had access to laundry

[AnnieW625]

One bonus to summer travel is that we were able to fit 7-10 days of clothes for a family of 4 into 3 small 20-22" carry on suitcases and one large suitcase. We actually feel like we may have over packed (at least for DH and I). Our hotels have laundry as well just in case.


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[trales]

Iceland - been there with kids, so I disagree on the bad trip with kids part. It was amazing. Hot springs, horse riding, hot pools, hiking, beaches. Best 10 days with kids, and such an easy country to travel with kids. Flew direct from Boston. Food was simple and delish. We did the 10 days for about $4k including air. we hit the grocery and packed lunches on the road and ate picnic style. Breakfast at the B and B's, dinner at restaurants or B and B's

Ireland- flew boston to Shannon for 10 days, stayed on the west coast, did the Aran Islands, hiked, biked, walked, poked around, explored. It was amazing. Did that with a 9 and 2 year old. Stayed in little B and B's that included breakfast, dinner at restaurants. Lunches we packed picnic style from the grocery - bread, cheese, cookies, water/ juice, fruit.

[StantonHyde]

I PMed you

[gatorsmom]

Highly recommend finding places where you have access to laundry and your own fridge. We usually rent a house (if we aren't staying with family) and explore from there. Also, when we started traveling with the kids I would pack so much, now we pack super light (because we know we'll have access to laundry) and it makes the trips so much more enjoyable.

I really agree with this. We travel a lot with our kids (ages 9-14) and the trips that go over best with everyone are the ones where we rent a house in the middle of an area where we can make little trips to see things. The kids still talk about our trip to the south of France. We rented a house in Provence and in the morning would walk to the bakery and then drive out to explore whatever was near. They loved climbing on old Roman ruins and seeing old castles. We'd lunch out and grab some ice cream in the afternoons and then head back to the house middle of the afternoon in time to do a load of wash and make dinner together. We have also rented houses in the Loire valley and in Alsace and those trips have gone over well too. Lots of local things to do and see without a lot of driving. Next summer we've rented a house on Omaha beach in Normandy. The kids are really excited about that.

But honestly, even with direct flights AND flying first class (we use dh's air miles), it's a LONG flight overseas. From the east coast it's less time in the air (we fly direct from Minneapolis which is longer) but with little kids the age of yours I would stick with domestic flights and see the US. The other thing about international travel is that you have to really prepare in advance. There's the passports and time spent at the airport which suck with little kids. Long, overnight flights are really hard with little kids too. You can't just easily get the same medications and supplies overseas that you can here. I wanted to buy melatonin for the kids to fight jetlag in France and besides some difficulties with the language and understanding accents (and I speak French!) the pharmacist said that in France that had to be prescribed by a doctor. France has nationalized health care so very little is available OTC. There have been other little hassles like that when we have traveled internationally. With children the ages of yours, it would be a lot less stressful and less work for you if you save the international trips until when your kids are a bit older. jmho

[basil]

OP here. So many great suggestions, thank you!

My kids already have passports, actually, from a trip to the Bahamas last year. A few of the suggestions weren't on my short list for various reasons...We went to Ireland when DS was 8 months (my brother was living in Belfast at the time), and there are some countries I went to as a teen (Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, France, England). I also forgot to include on my short list Belgium...my brother's wife is from Brugge and her parents live there.

A direct flight from Boston to the west coast of Europe is about the same length of travel as a connecting flight to the west coast. I want to get to Hawaii but the flights are just soo loong.

Totally agree with having an apartment with a kitchen and laundry. Would definitely book Airbnb or similar.

Definitely appreciate the domestic recommendations too! Sounds like Rocky Mountain National park would be great.

I want to get my kids used to traveling at this age so that we can do even more stuff when they are a bit older. They did great on a recent trip to Florida with a 4 hour flight, but no time change. But the only way I will know is to try!