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Hello! I have the chance to go to Europe next year in the spring! Im so excited but a little nervous. Im traveling only with my 7 yr old son. I want to visit Scotland, Italy, and maybe the UK. I only have two weeks to do it in. Is that possible without seeing the sights at record pace? Since its our first trip which should I stay at? These are also some other question I need answered:
How much U.S dollars should I bring?
Where should we stay (hotels, rent an apartment, or..)
What sights should we see?
Will it be safe?
Also if you know of any books I can buy to prepare myself.
Scotland IS the UK, and Italy is nowhere near them. So, without intending to sound sarcastic, brush up on your geography before you go.
Europeans don't hover over their children the way Americans so. Give him some freedom to wander by himself. It is an adventure for him, and all the more so if he can feel a little more grown up, and look at things that catch his interest. At his age, though, make sure he is wearing a secure attachment with the name and address of your hotel on it, at all times, just in case you get separated.
My wife and I have made a rule. If we ever get separated, go back to the last place we saw each other. That might be hard for a 7-year old to do, but try to impress the idea on him anyway.
While this may be your first trip, think of it as NOT your last, and make mental notes on what you'll want to do next time you travel.
People are often friendlier to travelers with children, and you might find that having him with you will open doors for you that otherwise might not have been. Don't be afraid, people outside the US are more protective of OTHER people's children.
As for taking dollars, assume that it will cost you a minimum of $100 a day, probably more. Your Visa or MC credit or debit card will work everywhere, and there are plenty of ATMs. Take a spare card, if you can. Notify your card issuer that you plan to be abroad, or they might freeze your card when your overseas purchases send up red flags.
It's your first time, and you're going to make mistakes, no matter how well prepared you think your are. Chalk them up as learning experiences that you will laugh about when you retell them later. You'll both come back alive, and all else is adventure.
#1 advice travelling with children in Europe: don't overdo it! Kids tire out/get bored a lot easier than we do. I would pick only one country and one town -- not a big city -- and use that as my main base. Show him a castle, a cathedral, a farm, a nice shipping port, and that's about it. He could care less about the historical significance of one castle over the other, etc. Give him plenty of down time each day as well. Of the three, I would say England fits the bill the best. I'd avoid London though. Its expensive and chaotic and too similar to major U.S. cities. Then again, he's a seven-year-old boy so he might appreciate the (gory) Tower of London, lol.
Hello! I have the chance to go to Europe next year in the spring! Im so excited but a little nervous. Im traveling only with my 7 yr old son. I want to visit Scotland, Italy, and maybe the UK. I only have two weeks to do it in. Is that possible without seeing the sights at record pace? Since its our first trip which should I stay at? These are also some other question I need answered:
How much U.S dollars should I bring?
Where should we stay (hotels, rent an apartment, or..)
What sights should we see?
Will it be safe?
Also if you know of any books I can buy to prepare myself.
My thoughts:
It will be safe.
Skip Italy this time around. You don't have time.
Stick with the UK. Remember it takes time to go from place to place.
Get your son involved. Go to the library and look at a few reference books. Get an atlas; look at Western Europe.
I don't think it would be worth it to rent an apartment unless you want to spend one week in a big city (such as Edinburgh) and take day trips out.
You will probably be on the move--so you would go to hotels, bed and breakfasts, or hostels. (Hostels are not always just for young backpackers.)
But you could check out what's available (room, studio apt) at Airbnb
In my opinion have time to either see a lot of Scotland plus London, or a lot of England (maybe into Wales as well) plus Edinburgh.
I think you'd enjoy either itinerary. We took our then-9 year old son on the first itin, and our then-11 year old son on the second.
If you fly open-jaw (into one city, and out of another) you could perhaps save a bit of time on your itinerary. Example: You could fly into Edinburgh or Glasgow, travel through Scotland, then take the night train to London, and fly home from there.
For guidebooks: Your best bet is Rick Steves. I don't necessarily agree with every bit of advice he offers, but his writing style is engaging and his guidance is sensible.
London is indeed very expensive but I can't imagine going to the UK and not seeing it. Besides, many/most of the sites/museums are free. A good thing to do (esp if you have a kid) is take the hop on/hop off bus tour.
You are indeed looking at a minimum of $100 a day. In Britain, it seems like you usually get a big breakfast, so often we would picnic for lunch (grocery store, etc.)
You could check out Laterooms.com
Pay attention to what your son is REALLY interested in, and aim for things that will pique that interest. If he's into nature, get a European bird book---all the birds there will be of different species than in NA, and a suitable pair of travel binoculars can be had for about $25. If he's into license plates, find out how to tell what areas different plates are from. If he's into dinosaurs, check out some digs or museums.
Consider renting a car and buying some camping gear. You can get a decent little tent and sleeping gear for a hundred bucks, maybe even a cookstove, and save a thousand on hotels. Research British camping on the web, it's a pretty popular activity there. Scotland would be wonderful for that, but can be pretty cold in the spring.
Scotland is a part of the UK, along with England, Wales and Northern Ireland. I wouldn't recommend cramming too much into one trip if you're travelling with a child and you want it to be relaxing. Spring generally has mild temperatures (40s-60s F) in the UK but very changeable weather, and campsites here don't necessarily open until May. Camping is more popular in mainland Europe than here anyway.
If you come here be aware that accommodation/food costs are higher than the US and you will need to change currency, but most museums (in London at least) are free. If you're basing yourself in a city then a car would be more of a hindrance than a help unless you like crowded, narrow, confusing streets and driving a manual car on the left. Public transport is good enough in and between cities (it's funny to see American children here get so excited just by the idea of going on a train!), but buy long-distance rail tickets in advance and get a travel pass for London as you'd save a LOT of money. It's very unlikely you'd be the victim of crime here, but letting a seven-year-old wander off alone out of sight in an unfamiliar town in the UK is unheard of.
#1 advice travelling with children in Europe: don't overdo it! Kids tire out/get bored a lot easier than we do. I would pick only one country and one town -- not a big city -- and use that as my main base. Show him a castle, a cathedral, a farm, a nice shipping port, and that's about it. He could care less about the historical significance of one castle over the other, etc. Give him plenty of down time each day as well. Of the three, I would say England fits the bill the best. I'd avoid London though. Its expensive and chaotic and too similar to major U.S. cities. Then again, he's a seven-year-old boy so he might appreciate the (gory) Tower of London, lol.
I agree with everyone in saying stick to the UK and don't overdo it.
I think Gottasay has a good plan, though I disagree on skipping London. It is not similar to major U.S. cities at all in terms of vibrancy and architecture. There are many attractions in London that you can't find in small towns like the Museum of Natural History, or the British Museum. There's also the London Eye if your children like to go high up. Westminster Abbey is also great. They even have a children's "quiz" sheet that you can find answers to while walking around the abbey and in the end you can turn it in for a giant chocolate gold coin. There's also Hamley's which is a huge toy store that's fun just to window shop. Good luck.
I wonder ...
Slip of the pen ??
Instead of Italy, did you mean Ireland ?
I wondered about this too.
If the OP ever comes back, maybe we'll find out.
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