I'm appalled by the negative comments. Saying that these parents should stay home so old people can enjoy their vacation is beyond the point. If you can't understand why these people are traveling with their children, that's on you.
5
We took our 8, 6, and 3 year old abroad last summer and experienced the same generosity. Like at home, we had to forego some experiences, but it was about exposure. I was a homebody as a child with a vagabond dad. While I don't remember many of the trips, it was the experience of getting out of my comfort zone that stuck with me and encourages me to do the same for my kids. Travel isn't just a checklist of sights to see, but an experience that informs who we are in big ways and small.
My guess is that the author's children didn't scream for 20 minutes at Stonehenge or he'd have taken them back to the bus. I don't know this, but let's give the benefit of the doubt. Our children acted out at times and, aware of the disturbance, we tried our best to isolate them. (Besides, who is the entitled one if you believe because you paid big money you should have pristine exposure to one of great wonders of the world?) Yes, people save for a long time for these trips, but I don't think families with children should have to stay home for 10 years or shell out money to megamarketing conglomerates like Disney just b/c they have young children.
Even if these kids don't remember much, they will remember more than 6 weeks of school. As a teacher, I know parents can cover most of their daily lessons in under two hours. School, like travel, is more than a sum of the parts. I'll get off my soapbox now, which we also missed in our quest to find a bathroom. :)
My guess is that the author's children didn't scream for 20 minutes at Stonehenge or he'd have taken them back to the bus. I don't know this, but let's give the benefit of the doubt. Our children acted out at times and, aware of the disturbance, we tried our best to isolate them. (Besides, who is the entitled one if you believe because you paid big money you should have pristine exposure to one of great wonders of the world?) Yes, people save for a long time for these trips, but I don't think families with children should have to stay home for 10 years or shell out money to megamarketing conglomerates like Disney just b/c they have young children.
Even if these kids don't remember much, they will remember more than 6 weeks of school. As a teacher, I know parents can cover most of their daily lessons in under two hours. School, like travel, is more than a sum of the parts. I'll get off my soapbox now, which we also missed in our quest to find a bathroom. :)
1
Sounds like fun. And to all the people with nasty comments, take a chill pill. This anti-kid sentiment is quite unique to the USA. My husband and I are originally from India. We have lived in and travelled in Europe with our child (who is now 6) starting from when he was an infant. So a couple of things for the nay-sayers:
1. Europeans, much like Asians, (at least in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Poland) love kids. This is not a sign of entitlement, simply an observation. Our kid is well-behaved and we appreciate anyone being kind enough to accommodate us with him, and engage him. If you've actually travelled outside the US, you will see people bringing kids and babies to restaurants for dinner or post-dinner (gasp!).
2. Our trips are frugal (one can buy essentials - food and clothing - in most places in Europe for prices on par with target or kmart). Airbnb or other rental accommodation can run about 60-80 Euros a night - not over the top. Rental cars are comparable to the states. Trains and buses are better and cost much less.
3. We find kid-friendly things to do and sometimes, one parent takes a morning or afternoon, or evening off to do something our son would not enjoy (6:30 am on a Tuesday at Rudas bath in Budapest comes to mind!)
3. We will travel as often as logistics permit (time off, school, finances) with the States and to other parts of the world and IMHO, so should everyone else, pre-kid, or with kid. I can't think of a single trip I regret taking!
1. Europeans, much like Asians, (at least in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary and Poland) love kids. This is not a sign of entitlement, simply an observation. Our kid is well-behaved and we appreciate anyone being kind enough to accommodate us with him, and engage him. If you've actually travelled outside the US, you will see people bringing kids and babies to restaurants for dinner or post-dinner (gasp!).
2. Our trips are frugal (one can buy essentials - food and clothing - in most places in Europe for prices on par with target or kmart). Airbnb or other rental accommodation can run about 60-80 Euros a night - not over the top. Rental cars are comparable to the states. Trains and buses are better and cost much less.
3. We find kid-friendly things to do and sometimes, one parent takes a morning or afternoon, or evening off to do something our son would not enjoy (6:30 am on a Tuesday at Rudas bath in Budapest comes to mind!)
3. We will travel as often as logistics permit (time off, school, finances) with the States and to other parts of the world and IMHO, so should everyone else, pre-kid, or with kid. I can't think of a single trip I regret taking!
5
Not to pile on with the criticism, but how is this "backpacking" through Europe? Also, the grandparents are correct, the children will remember nothing and will learn nothing from this trip. It was self-indulgent of the parents and inconsiderate toward the adults trying to enjoy, peacefully, the expensive trip they planned for years and the ancient ruins they could not enjoy because there were loud little boys running around - too young to understand the significance of where they were. And the Stonehenge rocks should be returned. Ugh. Not a good story. Please change the title of this article to: "Traveling across Europe with little kids, lots of money and why you shouldn't do it."
1
The years that an English friends girls turned 12, they each came to spend 2 weeks with me here in the States. For years after the first girl came, something would happen and she would say to her Mother, "When I was in America..." and out would come some reminiscence of an event or person which she had never mentioned to before. Don't assume children don't remember things.
2
So, "backpacking" just means you carry your clothes in a backpack instead of a suitcase? Huh?
2
'...“Dad, run!” they shouted. “Dad, he’s coming! Hide!” And so, we ran and hid while others walked around in quiet homage to the long-ago people...'
I am sure the people who paid good money for this experience that was no longer a 'quiet homage' were thrilled that is was destroyed by these screaming and running children.
'...We simply couldn’t travel with children as we had traveled before...'
Is this somehow news to parents of small children?
These are the nightmare parents who bring shrieking children to expensive restaurants and on long airplane flights, expecting everyone else, many of whom are parents themselves who have saved for years and waited until their own children were grown for their own well-deserved meals and vacations, to not only tolerate, but even to enjoy their 'antics'.
I am sure the people who paid good money for this experience that was no longer a 'quiet homage' were thrilled that is was destroyed by these screaming and running children.
'...We simply couldn’t travel with children as we had traveled before...'
Is this somehow news to parents of small children?
These are the nightmare parents who bring shrieking children to expensive restaurants and on long airplane flights, expecting everyone else, many of whom are parents themselves who have saved for years and waited until their own children were grown for their own well-deserved meals and vacations, to not only tolerate, but even to enjoy their 'antics'.
13
Forgive me, more negativity here. I couldn't resist a word for indulgent, misguided people like you who take underage "kids," who lack understanding, experience, and keeping to the rules, on a backpacking trip abroad. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. These are trips for adults. It really escapes me why the New York Times continues to print narratives like this that read like National Lampoon.
10
This trip doesn't sound too different to any of the trips in Europe that I have taken with kids. By contrast, almost thirty years ago I backpacked around East Africa for five months with a two-year old (he actually turned three on Zanzibar). No Airbnb, no internet, no fancy restaurants. Not enough space here, but THAT was an adventure.
5
Ugh, that word 'chunnel'. Nobody really says that do they? Sorry, but as an expat American who has lived in 'Yoorup' for 27 years, I found this 'adventure' story just a bit patronizsng. Just because we don't have showers like Niagara Falls, doesn't mean we live in caves.
3
delightful. wish i had two fine kids like these. the children provide the entropy.
backpacking is carrying your gear on your back. dont confuse it with camping out in a tent. nice way to travel light and alter plans on the fly with no checked bags leading you like a ring in your nose. ten times more educational than sitting in class
where are you going next year?
backpacking is carrying your gear on your back. dont confuse it with camping out in a tent. nice way to travel light and alter plans on the fly with no checked bags leading you like a ring in your nose. ten times more educational than sitting in class
where are you going next year?
I enjoyed your article and relate to your situation: my wife and I are currently on a 6 month trip around the world with our 11 and 13 year old kids. We've also had our share of days starting at 11 am or ending at 4 pm. We 'only' do one or two things a day, and my wife and I have learned to slow down and enjoy things more. Ironically, our "do less" approach meshes well with our tight budget, Recently, our 13 year old son (who's job it is to track our daily spending on an iPad app) told me "Dad, we can't afford to do that" - something I thought I'd never hear him say! I know adults who haven't figured that one out yet.
13
With this article, I've learned how to not travel.
6
Ah,get a life to all the naysayers! I can hardly imagine that in the future the boys friends are going to be looking up old, obscure NYT travel articles. The boys learned more on that trip than they ever would in school , French, history, different foods, coping with adversity,staying up late ! Good on on you Mom and Dad. As for spending a lot of money, there are no pockets in shrouds.
5
What a great adventure!
I can't believe all the negative comments. No one, ever, learned more in 6 weeks in 1st grade than 6 weeks traveling with their parents through Europe. They'll remember (I took my first flight at six, it was wonderful!) it. Also, five year olds do not read the NY Times very often- and those that would, most likely would have much more class than to razz their classmate over an accident. If I had been with you at Stonehenge, and your boys were playing hide-and-seek, my husband and I would have most likely loved to have joined in :)
(I mean, they're big stones!)
My parents took me to the USSR when it was still Soviet, to Franco's Spain, to Greece and thru Germany, through Finland (in February!)- places like Haiti and the Canary Islands. . . those trips taught me so much and I could never thank them enough for it. What a great article!
I can't believe all the negative comments. No one, ever, learned more in 6 weeks in 1st grade than 6 weeks traveling with their parents through Europe. They'll remember (I took my first flight at six, it was wonderful!) it. Also, five year olds do not read the NY Times very often- and those that would, most likely would have much more class than to razz their classmate over an accident. If I had been with you at Stonehenge, and your boys were playing hide-and-seek, my husband and I would have most likely loved to have joined in :)
(I mean, they're big stones!)
My parents took me to the USSR when it was still Soviet, to Franco's Spain, to Greece and thru Germany, through Finland (in February!)- places like Haiti and the Canary Islands. . . those trips taught me so much and I could never thank them enough for it. What a great article!
8
It's just class envy. Ordinary people who have to work 9-5 jobs (most of us) and who have only 10 days of paid vacation/year are sometimes frustrated by articles like these.
8
I hope that the introductory paragraph to this article is invented. Otherwise it feels rather cruel to document a 5-year-old's bathroom accident in the New York Times, to be available to the world forever.
24
Nice story, nice trip and glad you crossed that bridge on this lovely adventure. However, before you write your next piece, please consider how your child will feel ten years from now when his teenage friends dredge up, on whatever social media they'll be using, that he dirtied his underwear on the way to the airport. It happens to all kids, but normally parents don't make a point of opening an essay with their child's accidents. Once you reach the age of Depends, I don't think you'd like for him to expose your vulnerable moments to the world.
15
Two issues with this article:
1) I hoped you used pseudonyms for your sons. The Internet is forever and if other kids when they are in middle school ever find out about the potty accident, no matter how cute it seems now, he will be teased mercilessly for it. How would you feel about your son's future bosses and lovers to read about this incident forever? I do not eliminate my own children's presence on the internet but I do keep in mind potentially embarrassing situations when they are older. Anything I post is something I imagine they would be OK with showing their future boss.
2) While you may have enjoyed running around Stonehenge, I suspect the other who paid $144 for a close up quiet evening did not. I have small children myself, so I understand they are full of energy. But what I do understand is that I can't live the same lifestyle I did before having them. Fancy restaurants, adult oriented trips with them are out. They are adorable to me but I don't venture to think everyone thinks the same. Nothing bugs me more when we have ponied up for a babysitter for a nice dinner at an expensive restaurant and in comes a couple with a screaming kid. We will do Europe again, as we did multiple times when we were single. But we will do it at an age where our kids can control themselves and not be a burden on others. Until then, weekend trips, trips to visit friends and family, and DisneyWorld it is.
1) I hoped you used pseudonyms for your sons. The Internet is forever and if other kids when they are in middle school ever find out about the potty accident, no matter how cute it seems now, he will be teased mercilessly for it. How would you feel about your son's future bosses and lovers to read about this incident forever? I do not eliminate my own children's presence on the internet but I do keep in mind potentially embarrassing situations when they are older. Anything I post is something I imagine they would be OK with showing their future boss.
2) While you may have enjoyed running around Stonehenge, I suspect the other who paid $144 for a close up quiet evening did not. I have small children myself, so I understand they are full of energy. But what I do understand is that I can't live the same lifestyle I did before having them. Fancy restaurants, adult oriented trips with them are out. They are adorable to me but I don't venture to think everyone thinks the same. Nothing bugs me more when we have ponied up for a babysitter for a nice dinner at an expensive restaurant and in comes a couple with a screaming kid. We will do Europe again, as we did multiple times when we were single. But we will do it at an age where our kids can control themselves and not be a burden on others. Until then, weekend trips, trips to visit friends and family, and DisneyWorld it is.
35
Couldn't agree more. You may think your children running around Stonehengen is adorable. I assure you others do not. Oh look, there are the entitled Americans behaving badly again.
19
As a father of a two boys, one 7 months and the other nearly 3 years' old, I feel sorry for the children under your care, and, based on the tone of the other comments, for the next generation of Americans. I fully sympathize with the author of the article and the effort he and his wife made to teach their kids how to travel and appreciate other ways of life. This is the kind of America my 3-year old liked about the US during the three long trips on which we've taken him there.
And before anyone accuses me of being a kid-hating troll, it is quite the opposite. But if kids are young enough that by your own admission, they are unable to follow rules both spoken (don't run around Stonehenge, don't take pebbles) and unspoken (don't climb on tombs, it's disrespectful and you could break it) than how much are they really getting out of a trip? Isn't it better to take them on a trip where not everything is old tombs and ruins they are too young to understand, and where there isn't the constant "no no no" that they are hearing? Is a trip like that really about them and what they might enjoy, or is it for your tastes? That doesn't even begin to touch the entitlement that comes from this piece. Why is is OK for you to bring your kids who are too young to understand rules consistently places where they are breaking said rules which are put in place to avoid damaging priceless ruins? It might seem cute to you but probably not to everyone around you.
I travelled quite a bit even when young. We went on a lot of trips several times a year, such as camping, to the city, etc. But we did not take an international trip of any sort until I was 10. (My husband, the same age with his parents). At that point I could sit and listen to rules consistently, and so we travelled extensively throughout the rest of my childhood. And my husband did the same and we travelled together until we had kids. And I imagine when our kids are around the same age, we will do the same.
I travelled quite a bit even when young. We went on a lot of trips several times a year, such as camping, to the city, etc. But we did not take an international trip of any sort until I was 10. (My husband, the same age with his parents). At that point I could sit and listen to rules consistently, and so we travelled extensively throughout the rest of my childhood. And my husband did the same and we travelled together until we had kids. And I imagine when our kids are around the same age, we will do the same.
24
No matter the age parents should not pull children out of school early for a vacation. It tells them that their vacation is more important than school. The Grandparents were correct. They are too young to remember the trip. To fully appreciate a trip such as this children need a sense of history. These parents went for themselves - a selfish act.
19
"No matter the age parents should not pull children out of school early for a vacation." Do you mean the American vacation of 1-2 weeks, or our six week European vacation? Seems like more American kids could use a little extra time seeing and learning about the rest of the world which yes, even five and seven year olds would remember.
9
I think you need to give this more thought and I believe you will find yourself seriously in error. Thank you.
1
Their itinerary, their tour, an interesting report on their experiences. I have many memories of traveling in Australia at age 5, including nervously traversing a mountain pedestrian plank bridge -- scary! And seeing a school of fluttering flying fish rise from a tranquil Pacific alongside the freighter Ward on the outbound voyage to Sydney in 1932, the year the Harbour Bridge opened.
1
Sure, the rental car and pricey Airbnb digs make the trip an upgrade from typical backpacking, but it was still a nice article about a family spending authentic time together. Esp. liked the part with each of them making their best efforts on a high, swinging bridge. And not scrambling for the Croatia passport stamp was somewhat poignant. A charming article with a slightly off tease.
3
As soon as the author said he pulled his kids out of school six weeks early, I stopped reading.
9
The children are 5 and 6! Not that much goes on in school at that age. My own kids were bored silly by elementary school. I would give these parents the benefit of the doubt if they think the kids will learn more traveling around Europe.
1
A bit tame I must say. When my three were 6,8 and 11 we pulled them out of school for 3 months and took them backpacking in Africa, staying in backpacker's lodges and hiking in the Chimanimani Mountains of Zimbabwe and the Mulange Massif in Malawi. They loved Zanzibar, but visiting the Serengetti, the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara national parks was the highlights for them. They loved the travellers and the local Africans they met and had the time of their lives, learning more than they could possibly have in school. it was so much fun that we did it again in Nepal a few years later.
9
Yes, but this was true backpacking in places where children could actually be loud without breaking rules and ruining other people's experiences and they could enjoy themselves. No doubt, your children remember this experience because there were some delightful experiences that I'm sure highlighted their childhood. This is different than traveling through Europe with lots of money, and with a five year old and a 7 year old, to ancient ruins.
1
So what, exactly, is the definition of backpacking?
16
A pack with two straps that pass over the shoulder and attach to the bottom of the bag that rests on the user's back (thus a "backpack"). This bag should contain all the necessities for your journey. Then bring the mountain close to Mohammed by taking a step.
1
I like this article as it shows pretty much the experience every parent has to make when taking kids in a back packing tour.
Let you kids decide on the pace and rhythm of the tour.
The mistakes you made in the first place are simple, do not plan too much ahead and never ever pack too much into you itinerary.
Kids will decide what they are interested in.
Their approach is different.
Culture is only of interest if they can relate to it.
They have no concept of "Have to have" and "Must sees".
Once you have learned this, you can take your kids on every back packer trip around the world.
Your kids will show place you have never seen, even if you have been there before.
I have done this with my kids.
Once they have seen Vietnam, Laos and Central America, they never wanted to go back to those all-inclusive storage cans some people call holiday places.
Let you kids decide on the pace and rhythm of the tour.
The mistakes you made in the first place are simple, do not plan too much ahead and never ever pack too much into you itinerary.
Kids will decide what they are interested in.
Their approach is different.
Culture is only of interest if they can relate to it.
They have no concept of "Have to have" and "Must sees".
Once you have learned this, you can take your kids on every back packer trip around the world.
Your kids will show place you have never seen, even if you have been there before.
I have done this with my kids.
Once they have seen Vietnam, Laos and Central America, they never wanted to go back to those all-inclusive storage cans some people call holiday places.
2
Sounds like a great trip. Hope your kids do remember some of it. My son is now 22 and there are things I was sure he would remember from his childhood that he does not. Your parents are not altogether wrong.
5
As a former "J Crew Sherpa" myself, I get it, and applaud the family for this trip! We also decided to introduce our kids to "real travel" at ages 5 and 7, and six years later, they still talk about and remember our big trip to Manhattan. We took the bare necessities then, and they learned to travel light. People who don't have kids don't always appreciate how much they change things, so it's a thrill when parents can still do the things that feel like "you" and include them, too.
5
A nice story about a family vacation, but would have been more aptly titled "How to Backpack across Europe with kids and lots of Money." The amount of privilege and lack of self-awareness are striking. Your kids stole rocks at Stonehenge? Not cute. And free replacement eclairs when you let yours get stolen? Your children may be charming, but you just got a lesson in French hospitality that you interpreted, instead, as entitlement.
30
I fully agree with Abo. Doesn't sound like backpacking. Reading this piece, I kept wondering what exactly about the journey was 'adventurous.' Of course, traveling with kids is always a challenge, and that's interesting to read about. But, it seems to me that this family thought they were traveling to a continent with no clothing stores, no supermarkets, and no washing machines. This is precisely the reason why, living in Paris, you see hordes of tourists dressed like they were going on a hike, not visiting one of the most sophisticated and advanced European capitals.
22
'...“Dad, run!” they shouted. “Dad, he’s coming! Hide!” And so, we ran and hid while others walked around in quiet homage to the long-ago people...'
I am sure the people who paid good money for this experience enjoyed it being destroyed by your screaming running children.
'...We simply couldn’t travel with children as we had traveled before...'
Is this somehow news to parents of small children?
These are the nightmare parents who bring shreiking children to expensive restaurants and on long airplane flights, expecting everyone else, many of whom are parents themselves who have saved for years and waited until their own children were grown for their own well-deserved meals and vacations, to tolerate and even enjoy their 'antics'.
I am sure the people who paid good money for this experience enjoyed it being destroyed by your screaming running children.
'...We simply couldn’t travel with children as we had traveled before...'
Is this somehow news to parents of small children?
These are the nightmare parents who bring shreiking children to expensive restaurants and on long airplane flights, expecting everyone else, many of whom are parents themselves who have saved for years and waited until their own children were grown for their own well-deserved meals and vacations, to tolerate and even enjoy their 'antics'.
23
Sadly an example of entitled Americans Behaving Badly, again.
6
Aw, come on. Isn't it possible those people were amused? Have you never enjoyed watching a child's reaction to something? Europeans actually like children, unlike Americans who think (to paraphrase Sarte) hell is other people's children.
5
Thank you for saying it again.
Beautifully written. Thank you.
Great article - As a parent of two young children who loves (loved?) traveling internationally, I'd love to hear more about this trip...this should be a series of articles!
So odd to read this in the same edition reporting on the closing of the Croatian border. How lucky this family is to be American, where their "backpacking" across Europe is an adventure rather than a harrowing ordeal.
3
Fantastic story. So glad you enjoyed the real France. I think other people could learn from your humble approach.
1
What a wonderful trip! I am sure the boys will indeed remember this.
This sounds like a perfectly wonderful adventure. I hope Cal and Cormac can one day take their own kids on such a vagabond jaunt. This story reminds me of a favorite Kurt Vonnegut quote: "Unusual traveling instructions are dancing lessons from God."
3
Newsflash to this author - your parents (who said that you are wasting your money and that your kids will never remember this trip) and friends (who said you are crazy) were absolutely right.
6
Wonderful. I look forward to future travels with my own young children.
I'm so glad you slowed down the things you did, because already in London your list of accomplishments were making ME tired! But how lovely that your boys were boys and that you soon adapted to their needs and pace. And how wonderful the connections you had with innkeepers and storekeepers - simply because you had two rambunctious and adorable boys in tow!
Thanks for giving your readers a sense of your trip!
Thanks for giving your readers a sense of your trip!
We heard the same things from (some) of our family. "She's too young to appreciate/remember these trips". Not true. Will she remember, in details, entire days? No, but neither did we. Don't let people scare you out of taking your young kids with you. That being said, talk to them about layovers, long plane rides, public transport, etc... Our experience was not a backpacking trip, but we have taken my daughter to 9 different countries and she is 4.
I agree with the writer that Air BnB is really they way to go, with kids in particular. Adjust your expectations. Before the kid, we did what I call "Sport Tourism" spending long days trying to see every conceivable thing to get it all in. Now we each decide what we "must" see, and if that means the other parent taking the kid to go play on St. Stephens Green while the other tours the Long Room, then so be it. At the end of the day, everyone is happy.
Packing light is so, so much more enjoyable. I have felt the same underwear panic as the writer, but there is always soap and a sink somewhere, you make due. (another benefit of air BnB, access to laundry!). I know we have made an impression when I hear "I want to grow up to travel the world and help people". Too young to appreciate travel? I think not.
I agree with the writer that Air BnB is really they way to go, with kids in particular. Adjust your expectations. Before the kid, we did what I call "Sport Tourism" spending long days trying to see every conceivable thing to get it all in. Now we each decide what we "must" see, and if that means the other parent taking the kid to go play on St. Stephens Green while the other tours the Long Room, then so be it. At the end of the day, everyone is happy.
Packing light is so, so much more enjoyable. I have felt the same underwear panic as the writer, but there is always soap and a sink somewhere, you make due. (another benefit of air BnB, access to laundry!). I know we have made an impression when I hear "I want to grow up to travel the world and help people". Too young to appreciate travel? I think not.
1
We learn to take it slower when we went to Paris and Nice last year with a young child. One of the best trips we've ever had. I have no doubt that seeing the world at such a young age will change their life for the better.
1
great story. the telling point is when the writer realized that he did not need to do it all. You can never do it anyway and it is good to have down time.
Typical. Far too much in not enough time. You would take a month to really see the UK! Let alone half of Europe. Just relax and take each country at a time, an do not rush. Europe is not small, and travel is time consuming. My wife and I spent a month just travelling around France (a country we know very well) and didn't see all of it, so there is no chance you, or your children, could enjoy your 'European' experience. This article is a cautionary tale of what NOT to do.
3
What a great story! Bravo!
1
My wife and I did the same thing when our kids were little. Making multiple trips to Europe from the time they were four. They both became intrepid travelers with no fear of foreign travel. They too ran through the bomb craters at pont du hoc. Seems like a very long time ago and at the same time only yesterday.
3
It's sweet the family traveled together, but this isn't a backpacking trip at all. I thought this article was going to be about camping and, if not hitchhiking, then at least riding a bus and traveling frugally. Instead, they stayed in expensive airbnb apartments (especially London), took expensive trains and rental cars, and went on really expensive tours (e.g. Stonehenge). This is an upper middle class Europe vacation with two small kids.
By the way, as a mom of now much older kids-- I realize this is a lost cause, but I am really concerned with the routine way so many young parents parade the most intimate details of their small children's lives in international media, where it is permanently on record. The pee accidents & soiled underwear are really embarrassing for a 5 year old. This isn't something, I'm sure, he'd give permission to share internationally, if he had a choice. But he doesn't. So the parent must protect him and err on the side of respect. Will this boy enjoy reading this article in 7 years? Showing it to his friends?
I wish parents would put their children's privacy first in their writing.
By the way, as a mom of now much older kids-- I realize this is a lost cause, but I am really concerned with the routine way so many young parents parade the most intimate details of their small children's lives in international media, where it is permanently on record. The pee accidents & soiled underwear are really embarrassing for a 5 year old. This isn't something, I'm sure, he'd give permission to share internationally, if he had a choice. But he doesn't. So the parent must protect him and err on the side of respect. Will this boy enjoy reading this article in 7 years? Showing it to his friends?
I wish parents would put their children's privacy first in their writing.
19
After a 6 year hiatus of backpacking to global sites during the summer months, my wife and I went back to Europe with our 5 year old. With only 3 carry-on bags we went to Paris for a month. It was a fantastic trip. We did a house swap for our home in central Washington, DC for a 1 bedroom Paris apartment that was 3 blocks from the Louvre. My wife and I know Paris well from lots of previous visits sans child. We set an agenda of just one major destination each day. We also chose to visit during Paris Plage which has lots of activities for kid and adults. The best advice, bring your child's scooter. Our girl was scooting the streets like a local. This let us cover a lot more ground. We got an monthly metro pass so we had many options for travel around the city. Within a couple of days we settled into a routine of grocery shopping in the morning, breakfast in the apt, and then out for adventures until late in the night. At the end of a month we left with many arrondissements covered and tons of new family memories created. Second best advice - book your Eiffel Tower tickets on line and book early. We waited until the last week and almost missed out. Booking on line allowed us to have timed entry. We just showed our e-tickets and took the elevator to the 2nd level and then up to the summit of the Tower. Priceless. For the most up to date information we found three really good web sites that featured Paris events for kids. We look forward to going back next year.
9
It's a shame that the parents didn't save the money that they spent on their two young children and presented it as a gift for them when they were older and had to learn how to navigate the world by themselves. But then again, the parents couldn't tell their friends that they took the kids to backpack in Europe, or write their underwear adventures in the NYTimes.
12
Great education for the kids. Would've been better if you stayed at hostels the whole way. Great way to meet other international travelers and share your travel experience. Would've saved you a lot of money and called this a true backpacking trip.
2
Awesome. They won't remember any of the sight, but it's the time you spend together as a family that counts. My recommendation would be to stay in youth hostels, they have great family rooms, breakfast is included and you get to mingle with travelers and it doesn't have to be Europe, any itinerary will do where parents want to spend time with their children.
2
Traveling with kids that age, and for that long, and with so few artificial distractions, is no easy feat. Inspiring: could we do that with ours, rather than a day trip to the beach? Why not? Well done, and thanks for sharing.
I'm not sure I grok this article. Backpacks instead of suitcases, check. And then? It seems they did exactly what they would have done if they had had suitcases. Okay, no ipads (but 5- and 7- year olds have their own iPads to ban in any case?). Still, no walking, no hitchhiking or even its tamer modern equivalents, no night trains to save on hotels, the kinds of things I would associate anyway with actual "backpacking". Buying 150-dollar tickets to see Stonehedge, in my eyes anyway, makes this trip the antithesis of the spirit of backpacking, at least as I knew and understood it.
I'm glad the author's family had a nice four-week vacation (is it the length which makes this extraordinary to Americans?), but they don't seem to have been backpacking even if they had backpacks.
I'm glad the author's family had a nice four-week vacation (is it the length which makes this extraordinary to Americans?), but they don't seem to have been backpacking even if they had backpacks.
56
So there are rules for how one must travel if one carries a backpack, and you are the arbiter of those rules?
Do tell.
I found the article, and the family, charming.
Do tell.
I found the article, and the family, charming.
Is it a lack of hygiene, a meager budget, sleeping in cramped hostels and generally being a nuisance to the locals that qualifies as "backpacking" to you? In the U.S we call that "drifting" and drifters are regarded in the same light as homeless people.
1
Their idea to use backpacks (instead of roller type suitcases) was to be mobile and hands free .. not to especially 'backpack.'
1