We are a family of 5 leaving Portland Oregon on 15 August
1999 for a 1 year sabbatical around the world.
Countries include: Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland,
Ireland, England, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia,
Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Austria, Luxemurg,
Liechtenstein, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain,
Portugal, Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Israel, Syria,
Turkey, Greece, India, China, Viet Nam, Japan, Australia,
New Zealand, Mexico, South America, Caribbean and back to
America, hopefully in one piece.
If any of you are from any of these countries or have been
to them I need information regarding places to stay that
are not too expensive, how to feed 3 hungry teenagers
without going broke, how to travel inxepensively but
safely, any safety issues, where to go what to see, any
advice on anything you think we should know. Or if we can
help you plan your trip to America or around the world
please contact us. Thank you for your help. The Smith's
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This really sounds great . I have three young kids
and have started plans of travel with them.
The only advice I would give from what you have
stated is that syria will not let you in if your
passport has anything to do with isreal on it.
I suggest you go there first and be sure your passport
has no stamps from isreal.
I am off to Vietnam in two days so I will keep my eye
on some ideas for you if you are still posted when I get
back
good luck
I am in the same situation as dwayne, 3 children aged 8,6,4 and just starting travel hopes.
If you are interested in corresponding I would love to hear of your adventures.
Good luck on this most excellent adventure.
You can apparently ask Israeli immigration to stamp a piece
of paper instead of your passport. Ask as you hand it over
so that they don't get to it before you can say something.
I live in Australia, so if you have any specific questions,
I might be able to help you (it's a big place!).
Hi there
I live in Basle, Switzerland. If you come to Basle the
cheapest way to stay here is the youth hostel. If you need a
hotel then you go better cross the frontier on go over to
Germany.
If you travel by train: buy a 'family-card' for CHF 20.- so
all the kids travel for free. With the 'Halb-tax-card' you
travel for half the price (CHF 150.- valable for 1 year).
If you need more information, drop my a line.
Hi,
The cheapest hotel in Copenhagen is "Cab-inn"
Let me know what you want to se in Copenhagen and what time of the year your are coming, and I will produce a traveller guide for you. Remeber the best time to Denmark are in the summer, june or august
Send some more info on the mail
Ulla
What great parents! Well, Japan will be very expensive,
you'll have to live on noodles, a cheap bowl being about
US$4-5; contact your nearest JNTO (Japan National Tourist
Office) for details of ryokan (traditional inns) that are
reasonably priced. But then China is dirt cheap!
If you come to HK I can highly recommend taking a tour to
see the pink dolphins, I think HK Dolphinwatch has a web
site or check with HKTA. Happy Trails!
Hi,
I am from Vienna, Austria, and I can give you information
about my hometown.I┤m waiting for your mail.
You're literally doing the whole world. You are really
going to have to rush, and only touch on the big countries
like China, Canada, India, Mexico, Australia, and Russia.
Yikes, are you sure that you will even have time to leave
all those airports???
Experienced travellers living in Denmark, ┼rhus (eastcoast
of Jutland). Can help you with any (almost) question you
wish.
All the best. Jens
Hello,
We are a family (also 3 children) living in Belgium between
Brussels and Antwerp.If you want info just e-mail us.
We travelled with our kids to a lot of European
countries,Turkey,Syria ,Thailand and in a few weeks we are
leaving for Rajasthan (India).
Have a nice trip but do not want to do to much .
Well nice to see you are still posted. I just returned
from Viet Nam and can likely answer any questions you may
have @ that country. I live in Canada and again can give you
some hints. I will be going to England in Sept with all
three kids, and Vancouver in May. My e-mail is posted so
feel free to write with any specific questions. Good luck.
Dwayne in Canada
Well nice to see you are still posted. I just returned
from Viet Nam and can likely answer any questions you may
have @ that country. I live in Canada and again can give you
some hints. I will be going to England in Sept with all
three kids, and Vancouver in May. My e-mail is posted so
feel free to write with any specific questions. Good luck.
Dwayne in Canada
My husband and I took our boys, 10 and 11, to Europe
(Amsterdam, Salzburg, Varenna on Lake Como, Murren, Arles,
and Paris) for 3 weeks in '97. The two of us backpacked
and worked our way through Europe, Israel, and Egypt for a
year before kids. Travel with them is slower but very
rewarding. Don't know the ages of your kids but many
people we saw travelling with teenagers were questioning
that decision. Seems all the kids wanted to do was sleep
and listen to their Walkmans. I'm sure all kids are not
like that though. Our kids liked hiking and outdoor
activities the best. Museums were not their favorites, but
we played a scavenger hunt game when we went and they liked
that. (Visit the gift shop first and let them buy cards of
favorite paintings, etc. Then each person has to find
his/her paintings in the museum) We used Rick Steves'
books and a book called "Taking Your Kids to Europe" by
Cynthia Harriman for all our travel advice. Here are other
tips that we are passing on:
1)Scope out the local laundromat when you arrive in a
city. You won't believe how much time you will spend
there. We had rainy, very cool weather during our trip and
were unable to wash out our clothes in hotel rooms.
2)Don't move too quickly. "Live" in a place for awhile.
Travel gets old real fast and it's nice to stay put and get
to know how the people carry out their daily lives.
3)We alternated train travel with car travel. You see a
whole different country when you have a car. Both kinds of
travel have their benefits.
4)Staying in small towns is better than staying in large
cities because your kids can have more freedom to leave the
hotel. You wouldn't want them to go on a major excursion
alone, but you might want to let them go next door for an
ice cream cone or go to the park across the street to toss
a football.
Hope this was helpful. If you would like more info, e-mail
me and I will try to answer any questions.
Sounds like a grand plan. We hope to do something similar
in 2000 for 1 - 2 years (our kids are 6 and 8 - we live in
Ireland).Some thoughts:
- A home exchange can be an excellent way of establishing
a base in e.g. Europe e.g. in South East of England and
organise excursions around Europe from this base (you can
get to France/Holland/Belgium by car from London within a
day through the chunnel or by ferry)This can be done from
1week to 2 months. Many exchange organisations often
feature Australia/ South Africa etc.
- Camping in Europe (esp. France/Italy/Neth/Germany) is a
good low cost way of getting accomodation. A lot of
campsites border on the luxurious.
- Another thought would be to "jettison" the 3 hungry
teenagers into a camp for 1-2 weeks (e.g. learn to sail off
the coast of England/Ireland - these can be quite low cost,
all inclusive and they get to meet folks their own ages
from all around) - while Mom and Dad do their travelling.
Everybody needs a break from each other at some time!
Hope this helps - good luck with your trip,
Mike Collins
I happen to run a backpacker hotel called the Treehouse, in a small village in Upper Austria called Gruenau. I am also a mother of two little boys ages 3 & 5. Our house is located across the street from a very inexpensive ski field and we have horseback riding, hiking, bikes, tennis & alot for your kids to do, or not to do if you just want to kick back and relax a little bit. I've travelled with my own kids and know what its like to be on the go all the time. Its alot of fun and a lot of work!
We are located between Salzburg and Vienna so there are possibilities for day trips too. If you would like more information, please write or call/fax. E-mail: treehousehotel@hotmail.com Ph. 43 7616 8499 Fax: 43 7616 8599. Gruenua also has a website: www.tiscover.com/gruenau
I hope you have a great trip! All the best,
Heidi Bammer
Welcome to Finland! Our northern and beautiful country is
ideal destination for a family. Safe, clean and not anymore
so expensive. I have a company organaising tours in Finland
mainly for individuals. So if you need any help I'd be
pleased to help and give you good advise.
I've also been travelling a lot with my family (3 y/o boy),
Last time we were in Malaysia. It was great!
Hope to hear from you!
PΣivi Hartman
In New Zealand the Youth Hostels cater very well to family
groups, and often have young New Zealand travellers in them
too - so your kids might make some friends.
*
The settling in a couple of places idea is also good. Here
are a couple of places in New Zealand with good hostels
where you could settle and catch your breath for a week.
* Wellington
*
Wellington is the capital city and is set around a stunning
harbour. The Youth Hostel there is right on the harbour,
and also in the centre of town, under ten minutes to the
national museum (which would be great for kids), the
library, movies, cafes, etc. It is right next to a huge
supermarket too, so self-catering would be easy. The YH
was converted from a hotel, so it would be a great place to
relax cheaply in relative comfort. My siblings and I were
all let loose in the Wellington streets from ages 12 up,
and a self-led tour to the museum, for example, is
completely feasible. Another idea, if you are Methodist,
is to visit Wesley church on Taranaki Street, it has
English, Tongan, Samoan and Fijian Services - so if you
catch them in the service a month they all share you could
have a wonderful Pacific experience.
*
Nelson
*
Nelson is a small town at the top of the South Island -
stay at the YH (a lovely big old house), or in summer at
Tahuna Beach camp. Nelson is very sunny, by the sea, and
is quite arty, many alternative lifestylers, etc, now live
here. It is a good place to start in the South Island, and
a good base for the wonderful Abel Tasman National Park
nearby.