European Road Trip - with Children

chris.tarry85 · 8 Dec 2015 at 10:05

Hi All,

I've just had a three week chunk of holiday approved for next summer and the plan is a roadtrip!

The (very!) rough plan at this stage is to spend a week driving through Belgium, Germany, and Austria ending up in Northern Italy where we would rent a villa for a week.

The third week would then be spent going across to the south of France before heading back up to Calais.

A rough route might look something like this:

A night in Belgium (somewhere like Ypres, Brugge)
Cologne
Frankfurt
Stuttgart
Munich
Through Austria to somewhere perhaps around Lake Garda

Milan / Turin
Perhaps through the Mt Blanc tunnel to Geneva (although would also like to do the south coat of France so this seems to one or the other situation)
Then back up through Reims etc. (with perhaps some time around the Somme)

Obviously having two children with us will mean that the driving is less of a focus than in a lot of the other trips on here and it's more about the places and the scenery.

We have done several European city breaks with them before so are confident they will like the trip (combined with the promise of a pool for them to relax in during the middle week!)

We've started to collate a list of places to see on the way (the obvious castles, montain passes etc.) but would really appreciate any first hand feedback from people who have travelled this route before!

Chris

hyperseven · 8 Dec 2015 at 10:15

This excelllent documentary by the Griswold family should give you some pointers.

bloodiedathame · 8 Dec 2015 at 10:45

Child age is important.

Terminal_Boy · 8 Dec 2015 at 10:52

bloodiedathame said:
Child age is important.

This.

Younger kids need a lot more entertaining that older ones which will be happy with a DVD player.

Make regular drink/comfort breaks in places that have something to look at rather than the big grubby motorway service areas.

chris.tarry85 · 8 Dec 2015 at 11:03

bloodiedathame said:
Child age is important.

11 & 9

I guess the plan is to break the driving into perhaps half days with the remainder of each day spent exploring, this makes break locations whilst driving less important.

Cosimo · 8 Dec 2015 at 11:04

hyperseven said:
This excelllent documentary by the Griswold family should give you some pointers.

Should definitely try the Bavarian slap dancing. The family will love it.

Nitefly · 8 Dec 2015 at 11:15

European Road Trip - connotations:

Sex
Drink
More sex
Partying
Some culture
Crazy hot sex
More drinking

.... Oh. With kids.

SickAsAParrot · 8 Dec 2015 at 11:51

I did a 2 week trip this summer, Ypres, Cologne, Munich, Salzburg, Munich, Amsterdam, and Bruges with a 5 and 15 year old. After the first couple of legs they seem to get used to it and settle down.

I was expecting the 10 hour jaunt from Munich to Amsterdam to be a complete nightmare but it just wasn't.

Terminal_Boy · 8 Dec 2015 at 12:01

chris.tarry85 said:
11 & 9

I guess the plan is to break the driving into perhaps half days with the remainder of each day spent exploring, this makes break locations whilst driving less important.

That should work.

These worked a treat when my two girls were that age:

DVD player with screen for each child.

One each of those car seat organisers so they can have games, magazines, toys etc. to hand.

Diagro · 8 Dec 2015 at 12:27

for older kids. access to the internet at all times.

If it was me and i was taking an 11 year old... I would get a 12v to 100w 240v transformer, an ok gaming laptop and a decent mobile internet with a high alowance.
Then let them play minecraft in the back

[TW]Fox · 8 Dec 2015 at 12:58

Diagro said:
for older kids. access to the internet at all times.

If it was me and i was taking an 11 year old... I would get a 12v to 100w 240v transformer, an ok gaming laptop and a decent mobile internet with a high alowance.
Then let them play minecraft in the back

Good luck finding tetheringly-friendly mobile internet with a high allowance that allows cross border roaming! :eek:

Even Three a) doesn't work in some of the countries b) bars tethering.

chris.tarry85 · 8 Dec 2015 at 13:00

[TW]Fox;28916439 said:
Good luck finding tetheringly-friendly mobile internet with a high allowance that allows cross border roaming!

Even Three a) doesn't work in some of the countries b) bars tethering.

Might as well just leave them at home if doing that?!?

Whilst they both like Minecraft as much as any other child of that age, I'm sure they will be able to manage a few weeks without it!

The oldest is very keen and has actually started to look for places to visit already.

Jono · 8 Dec 2015 at 13:08

Don't bother with DVD players - keep them engaged, you parents.... if you can avoid some of the boring stretches of motorway, yet still make decent progress it'll make it a heck of a lot more interesting being a passenger. Worked for me in Denmark when I was 7.

Zogger · 8 Dec 2015 at 17:03

Jono said:
if you can avoid some of the boring stretches of motorway, yet still make decent progress it'll make it a heck of a lot more interesting being a passenger. Worked for me in Denmark when I was 7.

I don't believe you.. there aren't any interesting stretches of road in denmark...

(also it only takes about 5 hours to drive from one end to the other on the motorway [except in north jutland where the motorway mostly runs out]!)

Last year we did Luxembourg -> Lucerne -> Lake Garda -> Venice -> Chamonix -> Paris with a couple of minor stops in between, with a 2 (nearly 3) year old for 16 nights, and I don't regret much of it