Best first ABD for 8-year old?

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Hi all,

I'm in the early stages of planning a trip for Spring 2019 (very early, I guess). My son (currently 6) has a few destinations on his bucket list - Costa Rica, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Italy and England. I'm looking at some of the ABD trips to get an idea of itinerary and cost. So many of these trips have activities with age and/or height/weight minimums. DS is a little guy. Granted, anything can change in two years, but I would hate to book a trip only for him to be too small to enjoy some of the activities. For the experienced folks out there, what trip would you recommend for an 8-year old? I was thinking we would be better to stay in North or South America to make the travel easier on him until hes' a bit older and we can better work around jet lag, but I'm not 100% opposed to traveling to Europe. He's likely to be far more interested in nature vs. museums and churches (another reason why putting off Europe may be a better idea). I'm looking at other tour operators as well, but would love some input on destination. As a single parent, I love the idea of traveling with a group and not having to plan every last detail myself.

And when will Spring 2019 itineraries likely be released? I'm guessing that like DCL, it's best to book early to get the best price.

Thanks for your help!

 

[tink1970]

Definitely best to book as soon as you can

I'm not so patiently waiting for 2018 dates to be released (I still plan vacations way out in advance, having been a full time working single parent in the not so distant past myself!). The expectation for 2018 is May 2017, so probably something similar for 2019.

If he is into nature and outdoor activities, then I'd vote for Wyoming (Yellowstone) or the Grand Canyon trip. DD and I did Yellowstone on our own in 2010 and one of my favorite memories of all time is of her chasing a badger in Yellowstone (trust me, I wasn't happy she was and no animals [or children] were harmed in the execution of that bad decision ).

Another somewhat active/outdoor trip is the Italy-Amalfi Coast if Europe is on the radar. Good trip report- https://www.disboards.com/threads/b...the-amalfi-coast-–-completed-8-29-16.3536704/ It looks like boating, swimming, bicycling and Pompeii are all involved.

Finally, again if Europe is okay then the Scotland trip seems to have outdoorsy/active things to do- pony riding, archery and hiking. I've been to Scotland four summers in a row (taking DD to summer school) so I'm a big fan, obviously

There are some other good tour companies out there including but not limited to: Abercrombie&Kent, Austin Adventures, Tauck (Tauck Bridges) and National Geographic. I've been on a Tauck tour and it was wonderful; can't speak to the others but there are some big Nat Geo fans here on the boards so hopefully they'll chime in. Austin Adventures looks great as well, even my lazy self has seen an itinerary or two I'd like to do!

Have fun planning...my DD used to be my travel companion (and is still my favorite) but she's getting too busy to do so. Enjoy the time on vacations with your son-they grow up and ditch mom waaaay too fast!

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

@tink1970 - Thanks for your recommendations! I will give them all a look. It is fun to plan, but so overwhelming. Identifying a destination seems to be a good place to start, but then I look at the various websites and I could get lost for days reading through all of the itineraries. If only there were no limitations on time and money....

 

[tink1970]

I hear you! I've had to change my travel friend from DD (now 16) to DM (mmm, not 16!).

I definitely break my planning down to:
1) where
2) when
3) budget
4) itinerary/goal of trip
5) what do the trip reports/reviews say?

I have an old school composition book I write down the different trips and then pro/cons. It helps me to see everything in black and white after I've spent time on the internet. There are some very experienced planners on this board and the Budget Board can help for nonDisney (gasp!) tips for savings as well.

Enjoy your planning

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Thank you!

 

[acndis]

Peru is a great itinerary (and well-priced, in my opinion) for 8 year old boys. Mine LOVED it. There are few museums and lots of outdoor activities. The altitude can be tricky for kids but once they get squared with that, it's so much fun. We had a lot of boys on our trip and it has become my son's favorite.

 

[RSM]

We did Northern Italy and Switzerland when our son was 8. Lots of outdoor stuff as part of the ABD and on our own (e.g., paragliding at the Matterhorn). You can see the trip report in the sticky. I wouldn't worry too much about jet lag. Our experience is that the kids tend to adjust better than the adults.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Such great ideas, thanks! I have to say, though, those river cruises are calling my name. It's overwhelming, but I'm so grateful to have many choices. I didn't have the opportunity to travel until I was in college and I'm so excited to bring DS along on these adventures!!

 

[nemofans]

We decided for our 1st tour group vacation to do Costa Rica with Tauck Bridges. We have an 8 yr old who is small for his age. He is old enough to do the zip line, but won't anyway b/c he has a fear of heights. We will enjoy doing the other option that day.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

We decided for our 1st tour group vacation to do Costa Rica with Tauck Bridges. We have an 8 yr old who is small for his age. He is old enough to do the zip line, but won't anyway b/c he has a fear of heights. We will enjoy doing the other option that day.

This one is definitely on our list. When are you going? I would love to hear how you enjoy the trip. Turns out DS isn't enamored with the idea of ziplining, either. He made me promise he wouldn't have to do it .

 

[tink1970]

I have to say, though, those river cruises are calling my name

We were on the Holiday Danube and will be on the Holiday Rhine this year. It was so very enjoyable...and I can only imagine how beautiful everything is when it's green (well, thanks to @sayhello and @calypso726 and their photos/trip reports I don't have to imagine too hard!). Unfortunately the more I travel the more I add to my Travel To Go list

 

[quinnc19]

I am a single parent and I took my DD on the Utah/Arizona trip when she was 8 and it worked out great. I can't remember anything that she couldn't do and going somewhere iconic like the Grand Canyon I think made it a little more exciting for her. We've done a lot of other traveling with Disney and are excited for our next ABD to be the Rhine river cruise in 2018!

 

[nemofans]

We are going to Costa Rica this July. I found out the park where we will be doing zip lining has 2 small zip lines 1st before doing the big ones. I am hoping he will at least do the small ones. Not sure how high those are though.

 

[chloe77]

We are going on the Italy trip (Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Venice) this summer with our 6 and 8 year olds. I talked to ABD about it - they seemed to think it was fine, and I do think my kids can handle it. They travel a lot and are used to walking all day. We were first considering Australia, but ABD advised us to wait on that one with a 6 year old, so hopefully their advice about Italy is good. Good luck!

 

[Lawyer Mommy]

Our first ABD was Australia, and my son was 8 and my daughter was 11. Everyone in our family had a great time! Lots and lots of outdoor activities. They've changed the itinerary some this year, but I still think it is largely outdoor based. I highly recommend it. Chloe77, I think ABD gave you good advice on waiting for Australia until your 6 year old is bigger. There was a 6 year old on our Australia trip, and she had trouble on more than one activity. Wait for 8, which is ABD's recommended minimum age.

 

[Branchall Fam]

Our first ABD was Germany when my DD was 8. She absolutely loved it and it was a great adventure for kids. I think the youngest traveler on that trip was 6. The second tip we were on was the England/France trip when she was 10. That one was great as well but I would say that it had quite a bit more in the way of history lessons that was geared towards older kids. She was the youngest on the England/France trip. I think 10 would be the youngest I would recommend for that trip.

 

[JRM815]

Being the very first to sign up for a particular trip might not be the best strategy -- here's why: If you ask, ABD will tell you the demographics of who has already signed up. So it might be worthwhile to pick a trip where other families with 7-9 year olds have already signed up, so as to give your child like-aged companions.

 

[CrazyZeus1]

We are going on the Italy trip (Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Venice) this summer with our 6 and 8 year olds. I talked to ABD about it - they seemed to think it was fine, and I do think my kids can handle it. They travel a lot and are used to walking all day. We were first considering Australia, but ABD advised us to wait on that one with a 6 year old, so hopefully their advice about Italy is good. Good luck!

That's a great choice! We had a number of kiddos that age on our trip and they all did great! Museums are fun for the kids because they have special kid tours with a scavenger hunt type thing lead by a local guide and an ABD guide together. Our son loves those!

 

[CrazyZeus1]

We are going to Costa Rica this July. I found out the park where we will be doing zip lining has 2 small zip lines 1st before doing the big ones. I am hoping he will at least do the small ones. Not sure how high those are though.

Looks like it's the same one we did on our trip, and there is a "practice" zip that's maybe 20 yards long and about 3 ft off the ground. Really easy! I am terrified of heights and did the whole course. What I loved about Sky Trek was that each platform station had a bunch of plants or hillside underneath it, so if you looked down you didn't look like you were standing hundreds of feet off the ground. You felt like you were just at ground level. Then you just sit, lift your legs, and go...and before you know it the ground drops away and it's WAY down. But I was never afraid to do that because the platforms didn't START super high, if that makes sense. This is a pic on the first "big" platform and it's the only one I have that kind of shows what you'll see...you don't feel like you're just hanging out there over the volcano!

 

[nemofans]

I like that my kids can do the small practice ones and then not have to do the rest. They would rather walk around than fly through the sky.