The following links to websites and blogs showcase what you can do and see in Paris with kids. Many of the suggestions are FREE! For fantastic photos, humorous writing, or just valuable information to know before you go, check them out!
10 Best Free (Or Almost Free) Paris Summer Events, on Fodor's by Rachel Klein.
This article isn't specifically geared toward families (the list includes a location to see outdoor movies, with R-rated Brokeback Mountain as an example) but there are festivals and markets to consider, and even a baby might enjoy outdoor music.
Top Free Things to Do in Paris, on About.com by Courtney Traub.
Parks, cathedrals, and museums are included here, plus where to experience great views and fascinating neighborhoods.
Paris: Free water at historic fountains (just bring a bottle), on EuroCheapo by Theadora Brack.
The author concisely describes the history of Paris water fountains, some of which include artistic sculptural details, and highlights the locations of a few, including one in operation since 1866.
Paris Free Sights: The other Notre Dames de Paris, on EuroCheapo by Liz Webber.
Five of the 42 Paris structures named "Notre Dame" (churches, chapels, and basilicas) are described here.
Ten Great Things to Do With Kids in Paris, on a very entertaining food blog: David Lebovitz - living the sweet life in Paris, a guest post by Paul Bennett.
David's friend, Paul, contributes a list written with loads of clever humor, and includes descriptions of museums, parks, gardens, and an ice skating rink. The end of the post has 7 links to other fabulous internet pages about Paris-with-kids from sites such as Washington Post and Paris Visitor's Bureau.
Paris for Children, on TravelEden.
See this page for big photos of major sites such as theme parks, gardens, and medieval museums, Pompidou Centre, Notre Dame, and the Paris Metro!
Paris with the children, a post by IVYParis on Been there.
A long list, with links, of 15 'alternative picks' that kids and grown-ups will enjoy. We like the realistic commentary about the selections.
Family Travel Guide to Paris, on placesinfrance.com.
A page of links to sites covering many interests and age groups.
France: Paris, Family Vacation Ideas, on The Family Travel Files.
Another page of links to sites covering many interests and age groups.
Top 5 Things to Do in Paris with Kids on Viator.
This page has thorough descriptions and links.
Paris Cheap Eats - 8 great picnic spots, on EuroCheapo
Affordable Paris, on Budget Travel - a series of blog entries.
Amuse-toi bien!
Resources:
Paris hotels on Sleeps5.com
Paris Things to Do on Sleeps5.com
Paris Dining with Kids - Skip the Fast Food
Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com
Friday, July 31, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Travel Games with Toddlers and Kids - Keep Them Entertained
I placed the saltine between my toddler's toes. Then I maneuvered his foot toward his mouth so he could take a bite of the cracker, proving that parents get very creative when trying to entertain a little one on a long trip. He thought the cracker-in-the-toes routine was hilarious. He also thought it was funny to gesture for one activity after another, periodically throwing items to the floor: apparently it was hilarious to watch me fetch them.
But you gotta feel sorry for any guy with a tiny developing brain that isn't entertained with deep internal thoughts; a brain that requires human interaction from parents who don't always comply because sometimes they'd rather be staring out the window lost in their own deep internal thoughts. I did my best to keep my frustration in check, squelching the inclination to retort, "fine. You dropped it, and I'm not picking it up!"
As the kids got older, we devised other means to keep them satisfied. For airplane or car trips here are our favorites, very inexpensive! You can see them on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk:
Bandaids -- Buy a box for each child. If under 4, it will take him FOREVER to open the outer wrap, then remove the two plastics that cover the sticky part, then stick it on the car seat or his clothes. The wrappings are easy to pick up, and the sticky parts come off any surface easily. As soon as my son stuck one somewhere, I'd hand him another to open with chubby fingers and intense focus.
Moist towelettes -- No, not for cleaning. Buy the kind that budget restaurants hand out. They are individually wrapped, and it takes a long time for a youngster to tear open the little package (sometimes I'd assist with a starter rip), pull out the wipe, and have fun 'cleaning' the car seat or tray table. When one dropped to the floor, I'd hand him another package to open. Also easy to clean up - don't let junior put them in his mouth, though.
Play-Doh -- This stuff is great for airplane trips and hotel rooms. It doesn't roll off the seat tray or hotel table or stain clothing and comes in tiny containers.
Magnetic Drawing Board -- We keep 3 travel size versions, one for each kid, in a 'travel bag' that we store with luggage. Over a decade, our kids spent lots of time making drawings over and over.
Bingo Boards -- When will they update these things? Still, our kids like the plastic windows you move when something is spotted. We modify the images required: you get to move the phone booth window when you spot a car with a cell phone. We keep these in the travel bag that comes with us on trips. (Sorry, I couldn't find an example on amazon.co.uk.)
Magnetic Road Trip -- From about age 3 to age 8, our kids loved these. When a picture on the board is spotted, they pull a vinyl check mark off a sheet of check marks and place it over the image. The board is easy to hold and includes lots of scenarios - city, country, vehicles, animals. And there are so many check marks on the sheet, you don't need to worry if one gets dropped. (Again, no luck finding an example on amazon.co.uk.)
Our kids really only needed entertaining until they were 7 or 8 and began using a Nintendo DS or iPod. But I still lament that I am not a more creative, active mom. If I were not so tired from the moving-about parts of any trip, if I could have a frame of mind to want to engage my kids at every opportunity, if I weren't grumpy occasionally and wanting to bury my nose in a book during a long flight, I'd create a list of games to whip out at the first indication of kid-boredom, say, in a museum line, or waiting for other family members to finish dinner at a restaurant or use the bathroom in our hotel room. But it's never too late! They are still traveling with us! Thinking of ways to entertain a toddler was crucial to avoid bouts of screaming misery, but thinking of ways to foster conversation and creative thinking to entertain older kids is something to strive for, too.
I've seen articles that describe kids utilizing iphone games, but that would never work for us: one, we'd never buy our kids an iphone (our 14 year old saved money and bought his own refurbished phone and pays for his own pay-as-you-go plan with birthday and babysitting money), two, 3 kids could never agree who gets to hold and play with dad's data phone without arguing, and three, I'd ideally have us playing a game together when on vacation. Happily, one iphone game app merely describes games that a family then can play together -- the iphone is used just to look up and learn about a game: familycargamesapp. Check out the video - it explains features and sorting options by age or subject.
If you are a good planner, see this familyeducation website before you go somewhere. It has nearly ninety games under subjects such as 'search games', 'waiting games', or 'word games', though it does not include a feature to sort by child's age. My grade school kids would love the game called Restaurant Reviewer: I can see my kids having fun evaluating a cafe's seats, menu selection, and restroom cleanliness. Another is Line Races, where you ask your child to predict which checkout line might move faster and evaluate the results by observing a person in line.
Very cool game and togetherness ideas -- why didn't I try to think of these? The list should get tucked in my travel papers next to restaurants to try and museums to visit.
Resources:
Games that Teach Geography
Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com
But you gotta feel sorry for any guy with a tiny developing brain that isn't entertained with deep internal thoughts; a brain that requires human interaction from parents who don't always comply because sometimes they'd rather be staring out the window lost in their own deep internal thoughts. I did my best to keep my frustration in check, squelching the inclination to retort, "fine. You dropped it, and I'm not picking it up!"
As the kids got older, we devised other means to keep them satisfied. For airplane or car trips here are our favorites, very inexpensive! You can see them on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk:
Bandaids -- Buy a box for each child. If under 4, it will take him FOREVER to open the outer wrap, then remove the two plastics that cover the sticky part, then stick it on the car seat or his clothes. The wrappings are easy to pick up, and the sticky parts come off any surface easily. As soon as my son stuck one somewhere, I'd hand him another to open with chubby fingers and intense focus.
Moist towelettes -- No, not for cleaning. Buy the kind that budget restaurants hand out. They are individually wrapped, and it takes a long time for a youngster to tear open the little package (sometimes I'd assist with a starter rip), pull out the wipe, and have fun 'cleaning' the car seat or tray table. When one dropped to the floor, I'd hand him another package to open. Also easy to clean up - don't let junior put them in his mouth, though.
Play-Doh -- This stuff is great for airplane trips and hotel rooms. It doesn't roll off the seat tray or hotel table or stain clothing and comes in tiny containers.
Magnetic Drawing Board -- We keep 3 travel size versions, one for each kid, in a 'travel bag' that we store with luggage. Over a decade, our kids spent lots of time making drawings over and over.
Bingo Boards -- When will they update these things? Still, our kids like the plastic windows you move when something is spotted. We modify the images required: you get to move the phone booth window when you spot a car with a cell phone. We keep these in the travel bag that comes with us on trips. (Sorry, I couldn't find an example on amazon.co.uk.)
Magnetic Road Trip -- From about age 3 to age 8, our kids loved these. When a picture on the board is spotted, they pull a vinyl check mark off a sheet of check marks and place it over the image. The board is easy to hold and includes lots of scenarios - city, country, vehicles, animals. And there are so many check marks on the sheet, you don't need to worry if one gets dropped. (Again, no luck finding an example on amazon.co.uk.)
Our kids really only needed entertaining until they were 7 or 8 and began using a Nintendo DS or iPod. But I still lament that I am not a more creative, active mom. If I were not so tired from the moving-about parts of any trip, if I could have a frame of mind to want to engage my kids at every opportunity, if I weren't grumpy occasionally and wanting to bury my nose in a book during a long flight, I'd create a list of games to whip out at the first indication of kid-boredom, say, in a museum line, or waiting for other family members to finish dinner at a restaurant or use the bathroom in our hotel room. But it's never too late! They are still traveling with us! Thinking of ways to entertain a toddler was crucial to avoid bouts of screaming misery, but thinking of ways to foster conversation and creative thinking to entertain older kids is something to strive for, too.
I've seen articles that describe kids utilizing iphone games, but that would never work for us: one, we'd never buy our kids an iphone (our 14 year old saved money and bought his own refurbished phone and pays for his own pay-as-you-go plan with birthday and babysitting money), two, 3 kids could never agree who gets to hold and play with dad's data phone without arguing, and three, I'd ideally have us playing a game together when on vacation. Happily, one iphone game app merely describes games that a family then can play together -- the iphone is used just to look up and learn about a game: familycargamesapp. Check out the video - it explains features and sorting options by age or subject.
If you are a good planner, see this familyeducation website before you go somewhere. It has nearly ninety games under subjects such as 'search games', 'waiting games', or 'word games', though it does not include a feature to sort by child's age. My grade school kids would love the game called Restaurant Reviewer: I can see my kids having fun evaluating a cafe's seats, menu selection, and restroom cleanliness. Another is Line Races, where you ask your child to predict which checkout line might move faster and evaluate the results by observing a person in line.
Very cool game and togetherness ideas -- why didn't I try to think of these? The list should get tucked in my travel papers next to restaurants to try and museums to visit.
Resources:
Games that Teach Geography
Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com
Friday, July 17, 2009
Washington DC: Things to Know Before You Go
I love Washington DC. We have just returned from the bustling capital city. There was no end of entertainment for our family of five plus grandpa. Museums, gardens, monuments, cool buildings, and charming neighborhoods, DC has it all and most of it is free. Logistically there are a few things that need to be planned ahead.
The White House - Make your request to visit the home of the Obamas six months in advance through one of your Representatives or your Senators. If you are a foreign visitor contact your embassy. The White House is receiving 1000 requests a day for tours! You will need to be able to provide Social Security Numbers and full names for each member of your party.
The Capitol - Again you can request a visit via your Representative or Senator. Or go to the Capitol website at www.visitthecapitol.gov where you can easily make a reservation and print it off at home. You can also just show up and take your chances that you won't have to wait long for the next open tour. The building closes at 4:30 so if you have picked up tickets to see the gallery from your Representative or Senator then give yourself time. I didn't realize the tour was going to take an hour and a half. As a result of that and the time I reserved for our tour, we did not have enough time to visit the Gallery (where the House or Reps meet). You can access the Gallery through the Visitor Center but you do need special passes and the access was not obvious so ask someone to direct you. Most of the Representatives and Senators have their offices in buildings near the Capitol. Security takes a while but that is the only line you will have to wait in if you have your reservations already made. There is a nice cafeteria in the Visitor Center if you get the munchies.
The Holocaust Museum: We made reservations for this as well. The museum runs out of time slots quickly. You can make your reservations through their website under "plan a visit" and then tickets.com actually provides the reservations for a small fee. The museum does not charge admission. Our tickets did not print properly at home but they were able to see our reservation in their computer. Please note there are understandably some very disturbing images and films in the exhibit. The museum has made certain footage inaccessable to younger children.
We did not have any similar constraints in any of the other government buildings or museums. Our personal favorite was the Library of Congress which has changing exhibitions, Jefferson's Library and one of the loveliest interiors.
For transportation, we used the subway or our feet. The last day we used our car without much difficulty. There are some decent sized parking lots near the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial. We even found a metered spot near the White House, but it was very early in the morning.
Resources:
Hotels in Washington DC on Sleeps5.com
Holly Jacobsen
Sleeps5.com
The White House - Make your request to visit the home of the Obamas six months in advance through one of your Representatives or your Senators. If you are a foreign visitor contact your embassy. The White House is receiving 1000 requests a day for tours! You will need to be able to provide Social Security Numbers and full names for each member of your party.
The Capitol - Again you can request a visit via your Representative or Senator. Or go to the Capitol website at www.visitthecapitol.gov where you can easily make a reservation and print it off at home. You can also just show up and take your chances that you won't have to wait long for the next open tour. The building closes at 4:30 so if you have picked up tickets to see the gallery from your Representative or Senator then give yourself time. I didn't realize the tour was going to take an hour and a half. As a result of that and the time I reserved for our tour, we did not have enough time to visit the Gallery (where the House or Reps meet). You can access the Gallery through the Visitor Center but you do need special passes and the access was not obvious so ask someone to direct you. Most of the Representatives and Senators have their offices in buildings near the Capitol. Security takes a while but that is the only line you will have to wait in if you have your reservations already made. There is a nice cafeteria in the Visitor Center if you get the munchies.
The Holocaust Museum: We made reservations for this as well. The museum runs out of time slots quickly. You can make your reservations through their website under "plan a visit" and then tickets.com actually provides the reservations for a small fee. The museum does not charge admission. Our tickets did not print properly at home but they were able to see our reservation in their computer. Please note there are understandably some very disturbing images and films in the exhibit. The museum has made certain footage inaccessable to younger children.
We did not have any similar constraints in any of the other government buildings or museums. Our personal favorite was the Library of Congress which has changing exhibitions, Jefferson's Library and one of the loveliest interiors.
For transportation, we used the subway or our feet. The last day we used our car without much difficulty. There are some decent sized parking lots near the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial. We even found a metered spot near the White House, but it was very early in the morning.
Resources:
Hotels in Washington DC on Sleeps5.com
Holly Jacobsen
Sleeps5.com
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Family of 5 in London for 46 Pounds Per Person Per Day
Readers have inquired: How much to budget for a trip to Europe with kids?
One big factor is the age of your family members. If you have toddlers, the total will be much less because they won't need a regular meal, and you'll probably not be able to visit as many tourist spots because little ones will need a nap, or time for a break in a park for free. And when you do pay admission for museums, toddlers will likely be free.
Tourists around the world have written about their expenses. Here are visitors' responses and articles from five Web sites which outline estimates starting at 50 euros per person per day, but they are referring to a couple of adults traveling together:
Travel Budgets on How to Travel the World
How Much to Budget per Day on Lonely Planet
UK Budget Travel Tips on Europe a la Carte
Per Day Costs on Rick Steves
How much money to save up on Euro Trip
Resources on Sleeps5.com:
England Hotels on Sleeps5.com
Family of 5 in Munich for 53 Euros Per Person Per Day
10 Tips for Budget Family Travel to Europe
Things to Do and Attractions in England
England Restaurants on Sleeps5.com
Our family travels frugal-ish: We stay at fairly nice budget-friendly hotels with a private bathroom, but we don't splurge for a suite -- we all sleep in the same room, and breakfast is included. We don't attend shows, or eat in gourmet restaurants, or shop, or take taxis. But we do enjoy a sit-down meal at a restaurant once or twice a day, and each kid has a soda and hubby and I have a beer or glass of wine with one or both of those meals. Still, by altering any of those choices, a trip could be even less expensive.
Here are our expenses for London - you will need to account for inflation. Airfare is not included.
London, presented in Pounds, 2 adults, 1 10-yr old boy, twin 7-yr old boys:
5 days in London, 2005
The Elizabeth Hotel on Eccleston Square (not Elizabeth House Hotel on Warwick Way)
625 pounds -- 5 nights, family room for 5, including breakfast
June 30
21.6 -- lunch at Nando's
8.6 -- Tube one-day travelcard, family
47.5 -- London Eye
17.95 -- dinner at Garfunkles'
free - read books, wrote in journals, watched tv
July 1
50.6 -- Tower of London, tickets included Tube one-day travelcard, family
35 -- lunch at Cafe Uno's
7 -- treats
free -- walked through Picadilly
40.04 -- dinner at Blue Jade
took #11 bus from Victoria Station around London and back
July 2
9.3 -- Tube one-day travelcard, family
24 -- Westminster Abbey
free -- walked near Big Ben
48.6 -- lunch at Pizza Express
free -- Science Museum
33 -- Zetland Arms Pub, non-smoking section
free -- watched Live 8 concert on tv at pub and later in hotel
July 3
6.4 -- railcard to Greenwich, family
12 -- Cutty Sark
42.57 -- lunch at Cafe Sol in Greenwich
free -- Maritime Museum and Observatory
12.72 -- ready-to-eat dinner items from grocery store
free -- watched Top Gear on tv
July 4
8.6 -- Tube one-day travelcard, family
17 -- Tower Bridge
free -- visited King's Cross Platform 9 3/4, a la Harry Potter
26.7 -- lunch at Chop Chop Noodle
free - visited Beatles Store near Baker Street Station
free -- Science Museum
free -- Natural History Museum
51.6 -- dinner at Spaghetti House
1146 pounds = Total for our family of 5 for 5 days in London. Equivalent to 229 pounds per day, which is 46 pounds per person, per day.
Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com
One big factor is the age of your family members. If you have toddlers, the total will be much less because they won't need a regular meal, and you'll probably not be able to visit as many tourist spots because little ones will need a nap, or time for a break in a park for free. And when you do pay admission for museums, toddlers will likely be free.Tourists around the world have written about their expenses. Here are visitors' responses and articles from five Web sites which outline estimates starting at 50 euros per person per day, but they are referring to a couple of adults traveling together:
Travel Budgets on How to Travel the World
How Much to Budget per Day on Lonely Planet
UK Budget Travel Tips on Europe a la Carte
Per Day Costs on Rick Steves
How much money to save up on Euro Trip
Resources on Sleeps5.com:
England Hotels on Sleeps5.com
Family of 5 in Munich for 53 Euros Per Person Per Day
10 Tips for Budget Family Travel to Europe
Things to Do and Attractions in England
England Restaurants on Sleeps5.com
Our family travels frugal-ish: We stay at fairly nice budget-friendly hotels with a private bathroom, but we don't splurge for a suite -- we all sleep in the same room, and breakfast is included. We don't attend shows, or eat in gourmet restaurants, or shop, or take taxis. But we do enjoy a sit-down meal at a restaurant once or twice a day, and each kid has a soda and hubby and I have a beer or glass of wine with one or both of those meals. Still, by altering any of those choices, a trip could be even less expensive.
Here are our expenses for London - you will need to account for inflation. Airfare is not included.London, presented in Pounds, 2 adults, 1 10-yr old boy, twin 7-yr old boys:
5 days in London, 2005
The Elizabeth Hotel on Eccleston Square (not Elizabeth House Hotel on Warwick Way)
625 pounds -- 5 nights, family room for 5, including breakfast
June 30
21.6 -- lunch at Nando's
8.6 -- Tube one-day travelcard, family
47.5 -- London Eye
17.95 -- dinner at Garfunkles'
free - read books, wrote in journals, watched tv
July 1
50.6 -- Tower of London, tickets included Tube one-day travelcard, family
35 -- lunch at Cafe Uno's
7 -- treats
free -- walked through Picadilly
40.04 -- dinner at Blue Jade
took #11 bus from Victoria Station around London and back
July 2
9.3 -- Tube one-day travelcard, family
24 -- Westminster Abbey
free -- walked near Big Ben
48.6 -- lunch at Pizza Express
free -- Science Museum
33 -- Zetland Arms Pub, non-smoking section
free -- watched Live 8 concert on tv at pub and later in hotel
July 3
6.4 -- railcard to Greenwich, family
12 -- Cutty Sark
42.57 -- lunch at Cafe Sol in Greenwich
free -- Maritime Museum and Observatory
12.72 -- ready-to-eat dinner items from grocery store
free -- watched Top Gear on tv
July 4
8.6 -- Tube one-day travelcard, family
17 -- Tower Bridge
free -- visited King's Cross Platform 9 3/4, a la Harry Potter
26.7 -- lunch at Chop Chop Noodle
free - visited Beatles Store near Baker Street Station
free -- Science Museum
free -- Natural History Museum
51.6 -- dinner at Spaghetti House
1146 pounds = Total for our family of 5 for 5 days in London. Equivalent to 229 pounds per day, which is 46 pounds per person, per day.
Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Paris Dining with Kids - Skip the Fast Food
We all know that Paris is for romantics. My own honeymoon trip included 4 nights there. But there are many, many resources that describe, guide, and recommend travel to Paris for families.
The harder part of family vacation planning for me is the dining. And it would be especially daunting in Paris, where I'd be fearful of glaring looks from waitstaff and diners alike were I to enter with 3 kids. It would take a while for guests to see that my boys actually have very good table manners, can sit still, and will try new foods (though sometimes it is necessary to seat a parent between two of them!). But still, I would be more comfortable knowing where they might be welcomed.
From Fodor's Europe travel forum, here are readers' responses about Paris restaurants suitable for kids: Family friendly restaurants/cafes in Paris.
I love the introduction of Child-friendly Paris: a gourmet guide, by Natasha Edwards on Simonseeks.com. It is so encouraging! She says, "Children get in early on the French passion for food. Eating out is a part of daily life here, and that means taking the kids, too – so the city abounds in child-friendly restaurants and cafés." Then she describes 8 places that strive to be kid-friendly, including one with special items for toddlers and preschoolers, and 4 with extra appeal for teenagers. Also included is advice for alternatives when presented with some children's menus.
For 5 clear, easy to follow, tips on how to go about dining with kids in Paris, see Vanessa Druckman's Traveling Mom article, Dining in France Sans Chicken Nuggets. Check out her link about 'some stressful moments' for a good chuckle and mental notes on what not to do.
My tip: When we went to Germany and Denmark, I accidentally left behind my carefully researched list of family-friendly restaurants. It wouldn't have helped though, since we usually ended up hungry around the tourist locations, too tired to travel any further to try a kid-friendly place that may be two-mass-transit-stops away. Next time we travel, I will plot the recommended restaurants on a map, and take with me a list only of those that are located near the museums or other sights we plan to visit.
Bon Appetit!
Resources:
Expedia Deals in Paris blog article
Hotels in Paris on Sleeps5.com
Things to Do in Paris on Sleeps5.com
Paris Things to Do Sleeps5 Blog post - many links included
Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com
The harder part of family vacation planning for me is the dining. And it would be especially daunting in Paris, where I'd be fearful of glaring looks from waitstaff and diners alike were I to enter with 3 kids. It would take a while for guests to see that my boys actually have very good table manners, can sit still, and will try new foods (though sometimes it is necessary to seat a parent between two of them!). But still, I would be more comfortable knowing where they might be welcomed.
From Fodor's Europe travel forum, here are readers' responses about Paris restaurants suitable for kids: Family friendly restaurants/cafes in Paris.
I love the introduction of Child-friendly Paris: a gourmet guide, by Natasha Edwards on Simonseeks.com. It is so encouraging! She says, "Children get in early on the French passion for food. Eating out is a part of daily life here, and that means taking the kids, too – so the city abounds in child-friendly restaurants and cafés." Then she describes 8 places that strive to be kid-friendly, including one with special items for toddlers and preschoolers, and 4 with extra appeal for teenagers. Also included is advice for alternatives when presented with some children's menus.
For 5 clear, easy to follow, tips on how to go about dining with kids in Paris, see Vanessa Druckman's Traveling Mom article, Dining in France Sans Chicken Nuggets. Check out her link about 'some stressful moments' for a good chuckle and mental notes on what not to do.
My tip: When we went to Germany and Denmark, I accidentally left behind my carefully researched list of family-friendly restaurants. It wouldn't have helped though, since we usually ended up hungry around the tourist locations, too tired to travel any further to try a kid-friendly place that may be two-mass-transit-stops away. Next time we travel, I will plot the recommended restaurants on a map, and take with me a list only of those that are located near the museums or other sights we plan to visit.
Bon Appetit!
Resources:
Expedia Deals in Paris blog article
Hotels in Paris on Sleeps5.com
Things to Do in Paris on Sleeps5.com
Paris Things to Do Sleeps5 Blog post - many links included
Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
School Group Travel Insurance Warning
I recently wrote about travel insurance for families (See previous post: Family Travel Insurance - Be a Smart Buyer), and today came across this article in the Seattle Times online that came from Detroit Free Press by Ellen Creager. The article is titled Don't buy insurance from your tour operator. It warns that doing so could mean you have no protection if the tour operator goes out of business.
What I never thought about before, is that this applies to school tour groups, too. So even when your teenager brings home all the paperwork from school for that great trip to a city far away with the language or band or history class, and you're spending hours reading the details, filling out forms, and writing the travel deposit checks, and selecting the tour group's insurance option looks so easy - STOP! Don't do it. Immediately find travel insurance elsewhere - you must purchase the insurance within 7-14 days. See the article for more details and instructions.
What I never thought about before, is that this applies to school tour groups, too. So even when your teenager brings home all the paperwork from school for that great trip to a city far away with the language or band or history class, and you're spending hours reading the details, filling out forms, and writing the travel deposit checks, and selecting the tour group's insurance option looks so easy - STOP! Don't do it. Immediately find travel insurance elsewhere - you must purchase the insurance within 7-14 days. See the article for more details and instructions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
