Child friendly-Tour guide in Italy-Child friendly (hostel, Rome, best, price)
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In the future I am thinking about taking my child to Italy. Hes a little young for it right now but when hes older I'd like to go. Does anyone know of a great tour guide service in Italy? Keeping in mind I do have a child. He'll be about 11.
It's quite telling how, to the textent of my knowledge, the concept of child-friendly only exist in English.
Mostly because it seems that North America has the unique distinction of being generally child unfriendly. That, due to poor parenting more than anything.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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My 8 an 10 yr olds had a pretty good time in Italy. Especially watching hundreds of 'Dresalia's' JET around on their sccoters in fur coats and dresses while smoking LONG cigarettes! and beeping their horns
Kids are really great opportunities for discussions / help from locals.
Determine interests, give the kid tasks to keep them engaged.
Our kids did budgeting, food buying, schedules, event planning, routes... We homeschooled so they were used to it (bossing us around, and NEVER being 'entertained' by parents, TV?... Video Games?, sorry not in our house).
They did all the currency calculations (pre-Euro). It was fun to go through a produce market and look things over, then turn them loose to come up with stuff for lunch, Kids had a GREAT repore with vendors, and MUCH easier (and fun) bridging language gap. + they became VERY resourceful... (good and bad)
You are very lucky to have the opportunity to travel for FUN with your kids, use it wisely, poof, their gone on their own adventures,,, (Ours went off to college at age 16, to escape 'Dairy-Farm-boarding-School' (where ALL teenagers should be ))
Thanks for the advice. But since it will be my child and I (and maybe one more adult) I was looking for a tour guide or service other then Adventures by Disney. Just to help us get around and discover Italy. When I say child friendly Im refering to a tour that wont have us in a bus or down the fashion district all day. I would love to learn about Italy but I also want my child to understand the culture as well.
Thanks for the advice. But since it will be my child and I (and maybe one more adult) I was looking for a tour guide or service other then Adventures by Disney. Just to help us get around and discover Italy. When I say child friendly Im refering to a tour that wont have us in a bus or down the fashion district all day. I would love to learn about Italy but I also want my child to understand the culture as well.
No one does foreign culture like Disney... Why the obsession about having someone else lead you? If you know what you want, or more accurately don't want to see, do some research and find out what you do want to do, and do it. Italy is super easy to get around. The people are nice, the transportation is effective and cheap.
Additionally Italy is HUGE. Where are you going, or want to go? You could easily spend a week in Rome and barely scratch the surface. Do you want Pompeii, Venice, Florence? How long are you going? What's your budget?
The best adventures aren't found around a tour guide.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Motivation12
Thanks for the advice. ... I would love to learn about Italy but I also want my child to understand the culture as well.
Thus why my kids helped plan and do ALL the logistics while traveling and living on 3 continents... They Taught ME (how to be creative, adaptable, fun, adventuresome, AND engaged with local culture.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyyc
...Disney... .... do some research and find out what you do want to do, and do it. Italy is super easy to get around. The people are nice, the transportation is effective and cheap.
...The best adventures aren't found around a tour guide.
Yes, our kids would have never considered Disney while overseas, they had too much fun with locals (we travel via 'private guest homes' so are with new families every few nights.. tough to beat $10 for a bed and meal with a foriegn family). EXCEPT when we had to Hostel on occasion... The kids named those 'Foster-Care-for-college-kids".
Italy can be a great adventure if you allow your kid to EXPERIENCE it the way kids do best!
Tours... I certainly wouldn't consider that much fun, Tho there are places where a 4 hr mini tour can help you enjoy the town on your own for a few days following. Make sure to book a few Agritourismos. (or travel via guest home... same thing (but better) for 1/10th the price)
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Why the obsession about having someone else lead you? If you know what you want, or more accurately don't want to see, do some research and find out what you do want to do, and do it. Italy is super easy to get around. The people are nice, the transportation is effective and cheap.
(how to be creative, adaptable, fun, adventuresome, AND engaged with local culture.)
