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IMO aspects of getting to see Europe would help her understand the pluses and minuses of being American.
Also- she can appreciate cultures where fluency in more than one language is the norm.
Absolutely, and this is why we're strongly considering the Azores as well as Helsinki and Tallinn. We've taken her to Sweden, Italy, Greece, and Norway in years prior and had great vacations.
Absolutely, and this is why we're strongly considering the Azores as well as Helsinki and Tallinn. We've taken her to Sweden, Italy, Greece, and Norway in years prior and had great vacations.
She's very fortunate....many 11 year olds don't get these opportunities.
Tallinn and Helsinki would be cool, but, Helsinki may be a bit boring for an 11 year old. The weather would be really nice then! Tallinn is one of my favorite cities and I think it would be cool for a child to see it!
I was in Helsinki and Tallin the first week of June. The sunset was around 10:30pm and sunrise around 3:30am. The long days was an experience of itself. I had wished I was there for their Midsummer festivities, which was a few days after I left. That would have been an incredible experience. Once Summer hits in Finland there is a lot of talk about mosquitoes <—therefore August is probably not a good time to visit.
To the OP- if you are going mid August I would stick to the US. Europe seems to be getting hotter and many hotels do not have a/c - if you do go, be sure there is a/c.
I've been to Helsinki a couple of times (not Tallinn) and think it would be pretty enjoyable, but I wonder if an 11-year old (or indeed, her parents) could find enough sights or experiences to fill a week or 10 days. Adding Tallinn (I assume via ferry) would probably fill the bill. I haven't been to the Azores and can see that airfare (from NYC?) is fairly reasonable and probably would make for a fun time too.
But you asked for responses to an open-ended question, so I'll toss out one more. Let a hundred flowers bloom and all that.
Scotland. Now, August is when the various festivals in Edinburgh send hotel prices through the roof, but that's not necessarily the case in other parts of the country. Thought experiment: fly to Edinburgh or Glasgow (nonstops from a few places in the US and Canada, or easy connections through Dublin, where US preclearance makes the return trip really easy.) If Edinburgh, maybe take a day (from a cheaper hotel near the airport or in South Queensferry - picturesque and convenient) to go into the city and engage in some Festival or Fringe activities, maybe even the Tattoo, since staying up late wouldn't be a problem if you're still on North American body clocks.
But then hop on the train (either from Edinburgh or Glasgow) to the western Highland port of Oban. The train ride is quite scenic, and in August there are plenty of hotel, B and B, or AirBnB-type accommodations in the city. If you want to rent a car locally for some excursions, there are a couple of local agencies that can accommodate you.
Oban is the "gateway to the southern Hebrides," specifically Mull, Iona, and Staffa, as wall as several smaller islands. Many people take an affordable "three islands" tour which includes Mull, a stunning big island that many (including me) prefer over its more popular sister, the Isle of Skye. From Mull, a foot ferry will take you to Iona, birthplace of Scottish (and northern English) Christianity and to Staffa, with amazing Fingal's Cave (as commemorated by Mendelssohn) with its seals, puffins and all that. With a car you can also do day trips to places like Kilmartin Glen, site of hundreds of prehistoric monuments - standing stones and the like - or to Glens Etive and Coe, famous for their beauty. In the third week of August, Oban hosts a large Highland Games - pipes, dancing, caber tossing... that might be a hoot.
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Scotland is a good suggestion (add in a couple islands).
Be sure to keep your trips age appropriate for the Long Term memories / life events to form foundational interest in foriegn travel and cultural learnings. our kids were far more culturally engaged around 10 - 14, and by age 12 - 14 were doing a lot of the day trips on their own. Kids discover very interesting things and people when they are not inhibited by their adult travel companions. We would meet for a late lunch, then they would take us to all their morning 'discoveries' and give very detailed information.
OP, I remember you! You remind me of me, we took our kid everywhere, now she’s a grown, bonafide world traveler.
When she was your daughter’s age, we went to Scotland, also took in North Yorkshire (where we made a lifelong friend) & Lake District of England..beautiful countryside, amazing history. A flight from NYC should be reasonable, stay out of the cities.
I would NOT recommend a trip to Colorado in August. That is our world traveler’s home base now & we have visited them at that time of year, it is tourist insanity, reservations required for Rocky Mtn. NP.
She's very fortunate....many 11 year olds don't get these opportunities.
Thank you! Both my family and my wife's family didn't have the means to travel much when we were children. We are light years away from being wealthy, but are more fortunate than our parents and have really tried to give our daughter great and memorable travel experiences. Have also visited many U.S. national parks, which has been an incredible (and affordable) experience.
I've been to Helsinki a couple of times (not Tallinn) and think it would be pretty enjoyable, but I wonder if an 11-year old (or indeed, her parents) could find enough sights or experiences to fill a week or 10 days. Adding Tallinn (I assume via ferry) would probably fill the bill. I haven't been to the Azores and can see that airfare (from NYC?) is fairly reasonable and probably would make for a fun time too.
But you asked for responses to an open-ended question, so I'll toss out one more. Let a hundred flowers bloom and all that.
Scotland.
Yes, airfare from NYC to the Azores is very reasonable, and non-stop flights to Helsinki are affordable as well, which is why those two seemingly random places are high on our list. For the latter choice, we would fly into Helsinki, spend 3 or so days there, then take the 2 hour ferry to Tallinn and spend a few days there before returning to Helsinki the last night before our return flight.
And we'd absolutely LOVE to visit Scotland and particularly the Highlands. But I have read that midges are a terrible problem in August in the islands and in the most beautiful places of the mainland, and I think that would ruin the experience for us. So I have been saving Scotland for sometime when we can visit in Spring or Fall, which likely means after my daughter is out of school.
OP, I remember you! You remind me of me, we took our kid everywhere, now she’s a grown, bonafide world traveler.
When she was your daughter’s age, we went to Scotland, also took in North Yorkshire (where we made a lifelong friend) & Lake District of England..beautiful countryside, amazing history. A flight from NYC should be reasonable, stay out of the cities.
I would NOT recommend a trip to Colorado in August. That is our world traveler’s home base now & we have visited them at that time of year, it is tourist insanity, reservations required for Rocky Mtn. NP.
Thanks Cal! For Colorado we are really only considering going to the SW part of the state, such as Mesa Verde, Durango, Ouray, etc. RMNP looks beautiful but I understand that it is terribly crowded and congested in August.
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Originally Posted by BD1978
This forum has been really helpful with open-ended questions like this, so here goes. My wife and I (mid 40's) are planning for a 7-10 night vacation next August with our 11 year old daughter, and we're looking at various options in Europe and North America based primarily on pricing/logistics from NYC. We enjoy everything from outdoor vacations involving hiking/horseback riding/national parks to architecture and history, and we've been everywhere from Israel to Greece and Italy to the national parks in Utah and Arizona and have loved all of it.
We're considering the below options based on pricing and flight options, and in recognizing that the list seems super random, please understand that it's because we're willing to be guided by cost and logistics as opposed to pure desirability. (For example we'd love to go to Switzerland but it's out of our budget, and ditto for Yellowstone and Glacier which involve expensive indirect flights and lodging that needed to be booked already.) Any thoughts re: what to choose from the list below would be hugely appreciated - thank you!
-Azores
-Helsinki and Tallinn
-Milan (for northern Italy although I'm concerned re: hotel costs).
-Prague and/or Vienna
-Denver/Estes Park/Colorado Springs
-Northern New Mexico and SW Colorado (Santa Fe, Taos and Mesa Verde, etc.).
-Bozeman, MT
Austria is a lot like Switzerland and is very beautiful, whilst the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands in terms of the mid Atlantic/African coast are all worthy of a visit, and the weather is far better than in the other areas in Europe that you mention in your list.
These areas would be my personal preferences in relation to the areas you have mentioned.
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