Help me decide if my kids are at the best age

[hilarys]

I am hoping to get some input from ABD veterans especially those who have travelled with Junior Adventurers. For the past two years, I have had my heart set on the possibility of an ABD trip to Europe with my family in August 2012. Now, the new dates and trips have been announced and I love the new France trip as well as Viva Italia. But, as I get closer to pulling the trigger the sticker shock is hitting me and I am questioning wheter the kids are at the right age for this kind of trip. Most of the trip reports that I read talk about kids 11 and older. My kids will 7 and 9 next August.

I know that I know my kids best and that it is my call, but would love to hear opinions as it relates to the type of itineries for these two trips.
Pluses-
- my kids love to travel (have done East Coast and Hawaii trips)
- kids like to meet new people and do so easily (both adults and kids)
- they adapt well to group travel and kids clubs
- they are not picky about food and like to try new things and adult food
- they even enjoy museums and city sightseeing as long as the pace is fast (keep moving minimal waiting around) and we get to stop for local snacks or to look in gift shops. We went to Hilton Head early this year and spent two days visiitng Savannah and they had a great time riding the hop on, visiting historic buildings and museums (without a lot of lingering) and trying lots of snacks.
- DS (9) has said that he wants to visit France or Italy

Minuses-
- they are kids and while they are out going and used to socializing in grown up situations, they can crash at times. They can be the life of the party and be complimented by grown-ups (and flight attendants), but then they can also throw royal fits when they melt-down.
- son loves learning and exploring but is very Type A can get a little tightly wound when over tired or stressed
- this is a very expensive (once in a life time type) trip and I want them to be at a prime age to enjoy it but also not at that age where it is not fun to hang out with your parents anymore.

Would love to hear opinions from those who have done the Europe trips with kids around this age either of your own or in your ABD group to help me with my decision.

Hilary

 

[tufbuf]

Here is my input. Our daughter was 7 when we did Viva Italia. We chose Italy because I have always wanted to go there and since she is an extremely picky eater, pasta was everywhere so there is no issue there. This trip is one of my all-time favorite if not my all-time favorite. It was so much fun and we saw a lot of the highlights of Rome, Florence and Venice. There are activities for kids in the Colosseum and the Vatican to keep them interested. There was a 6 year old in the group as well as another 7 yr old and all of them did just fine.

If your child crashes or has meltdowns, the one thing I will try to get them used to right away is the jet lag. You probably would want to consider coming in early, 2 or more days depending on how well your children adjust to time change. Surprisingly, our daughter's sleep pattern was the least of our worries and she adjusted to the time zone almost immediately. A sleep-deprived child or person is not a happy one so I would consider that.

That's my .02.

 

[abdmom]

My children were 9 (almost 10) and 12 (almost 13) on our ABD trip to China. I currently have a 6 year old. I think the minimum age I would take a child on an ABD trip is 8. It really is an active itinerary, with having to be up early, be at places at a certain time, as well as spending time with others on the bus. IMO, the child should be able to go with the flow and not have meltdowns.

 

[RSM]

Hi Hilary- Our son was 7 (a month away from being 8) when we went on Alpine Magic (then to Paris on our own). He is a pretty outgoing and active kid. He had an absolute blast on the trip. He met other kids his age and loved the activities. The nice thing about the Alpine Magic trip is that there is alot of outdoor activities, and it was less museum centric. Our son loved the the boatrides, gondolas into the mountains, ziplining, running with huskies, etc. I think the nice thing about the ABD's is that no one activity seems to extend for more than a few hours, and although we were doing alot of stuff, we never felt rushed. I guess this is a long winded way of saying I think your kids are at a great age for an ABD. I would look at the itineraries and try to match their interests to the activities in that itinerary. If you want to get a feel of an itinerary with alot of outdoor activity, I have posted a trip report in the sticky.

 

[mapsd]

What made us decide to wait was that at 7 & 10, our kids were the perfect age for DisneyWorld. So that's where we went. The awe of meeting all the princesses/Buzz Lightyear just isn't the same for a teen.

We're waiting until age 14 & 11 so they appreciate (and remember) the cultural uniqueness and history of Europe, something they wouldn't have 4 years earlier.

Since we knew it would be a one time thing, our goal was to make each Disney adventure as memorable as possible so we did 2 days at Disneyland at ages 4 & 7, a week at WDW 4 years later, and now 2 weeks in Europe.

 

[abdalums]

On our first adventure to Ireland, our kids were 8 and 10, and they had the best time. On each of our trips we have had young kids--most were great travelers. Our trip to Germany even included an almost 4 year old in a stroller. Bottomline, you need to know your kids. If they are flexible and understand that the trip is structured you'll be fine. The adventure guides and the older kids really make sure all the young ones are included and having fun. In Germany, there was a bike trip that I couldn't make due to an injury. I stayed behind at the bike shop parking area with a single mom. Together we taught her 6 year old how to ride a bike without training wheels. His excitement was a great memory to take home. Germany was geared more towards younger kids. Italy was kid friendly, but expect very tired kids after a fast-paced tour of Rome. Give your little ones their own cameras. They will take vacations photos from a totally different perspective. hint: have them practice with the cameras before you go. My kids were more engaged with the sights and local guides when they could take pictures of what interested them.

 

[pipch]

Hilarys - we fly home tomorrow after our 3rd adventure ( trip notes to follow) I was so exited when I read about ABD that I waited for our son to reach aged 5 before we booked our first adventure - costa rica. Please note this was recommended age 6, when i rang and asked what the age was based on they said humidity and temperatures ..... We live in barbados so i thought we would risk it. He loved it and had a ball, as did we - aged six we did Wyoming and this year aged eight we did Peru. Each trip has been as advertised an amazing adventure and the children have got along famously. There are enough different activities and "space" that you and your family can a few hours down time on your own. This year our son had such a ball with four boys his own age that all the down time we ended up spending together as families- dinners scheduled as on our own we all did together, which was great and very relaxed. The reality is that on these trips you meet some like minded individuals - adults who share a pleasure in travel, educating their children and life adventures so you find the adults enjoy the different company too.
21 out of our 33 adventurers were repeat guests and the "newbies" all said they would do another adventure - I don't think you can ask for a better recommendation.
The level of culture and education on our trips has been varied but with enough child friendly subjects and activities to keep them interested - you know your children so will chose your trip on their interests ie: our first two trips were animal and natural wonder based rather than culture as our son was young..... But this year we felt he was ready for Peru . Good luck but I would certainly take the plunge and give it a try .... Certainly don't think you will regret it

 

[disneyphx]

My daughter is 6, and she was 5 when we did ABD China and 6 for South Africa. Next year we are considering France or Germany ABD.
She shares many of the pluses you describe.
She had been on long flights prior to our ABD trips - I am from Australia, so she has been there several times and to Europe too. And we arrived early on both trips to help deal with jet lag.
We chose China because she wanted to go - she loves Mulan - and then SAfrica as she loves animals.
She did not have any huge meltdowns with the group - I think she saved them for the hotel room!
She loved the trips. But I have to admit she would have loved a week at the beach too - and I am not sure how much she will remember - although she does remember things that surprise me.
I would check with ABD as to why the recommended ages are what they are. In China it had to do with trip length, not activities. And in SAfrica with the safari drives - which were a bit of a challenge.
Not sure if that helps. We do love ABD!

 

[rchristiansen]

We have been to Europe, but took DD8 on the Backstage Magic trip this april. She too has a similar personality to your kids. What we found was nice about Backstage Magic was when we got to the DL portion of the trip, was about the time when the evenings got rough for her and she would be at a tipping point for a meltdown. The first days were fine, but toward the end she got tired in the evenings. She never did meltdown, but I could tell she was at a point if she did much more after 6PM she would have lost it.

However, DL has the Pinnochio's Workshop where she spent two evenings after dinner (we paid for that separate, not included in the package price) - she missed out on evenings in the parks, but the ability to chill out there and do her own things at her own pace was priceless.

So my suggestion would be to see what child care offerings are available to you in case the kids need to a place to crash and chill out.

 

[kristilew]

One thing to consider is not so much how your kids travel now as how you want to shape them as travelers. Big trips teach kids to travel well and to enjoy big trips. There's a lot of stuff they need to learn by doing: that you eat when there's a chance to eat, that you will have some down time on the way to the fun stuff, that getting to know other people who see the world differently is part of the fun.

If you wait until your kids are in their teens to travel, you've missed an opportunity to travel with well-traveled teens. A seven year old is going to require you to pay attention to his melt-down level whether you go to the park or to Italy...might as well go somewhere fabulous and do your training on the way.

I was so grateful on my recent London trip with DD13 that she was an old hand at flying overnight and sleeping on the plane, patiently enduring baggage lines and train rides, and that she was so enthusiastic about seeing new things - she was well aware she was making memories, and felt lucky to be doing it. This wasn't because she's a teen, it was because we loaded her up to head to Germany when she was 6, and have continued to travel with her ever since. She doesn't remember a lot about that trip, though she did have fun, but over time she sure remembers how to be a great trip partner.

It's different for everyone, and if it's truly a once in a lifetime trip for you, then it may be right to wait until they'll remember every detail. But, in the decision making process, don't overlook the rewards you may reap later above and beyond the immediate fun of the trip.

 

[hilarys]

Thanks everyone for all the great responses. It certainly has given us a lot to think about. I guess what we need to decide is if next year is the ideal time or do we want to wait one more year so they will remember more (and it gives us another year to save up for it). They are pretty good travelers already and I do think they could handle it with special attention paid. I absolutely agree that you need to expose kids to travel to make them the kind of travelers you want them to be.

We have not made the decision yet - but I will keep the group posted.

Hilary