The past year has been difficult for everyone. For those of us in the travel industry, our livelihoods came to a screeching halt and we were challenged to come up with ways to talk about and inspire people to travel, without actually going anywhere. I spent a lot of time learning how to meditate, journal and reflect. One of the things I really tapped into was what travel means to me. It really is what fills my cup up, it is a form of self-care face masks, bubble baths and yoga can not compete with. I found I am full when I am experiencing new things and learning about new people. I reaffirmed that the travel industry is where I want to continue my career and I started planning trips to look forward to.
I knew I wasn’t alone so I reached out to some of my travel blogger and agent friends and asked them where they were most looking forward to going when travel restrictions are lifted.
Provence, France | Keri of Bon Voyage with Kids
Whenever it is safe to travel internationally, our family can’t wait to return to Provence, France and Switzerland. It is hard to decide which will be first on our itinerary, as both destinations offer incredible scenery, peaceful family time, outdoor exploration, and a chance to explore the extraordinary culture. But one thing is for sure: our hearts will be filled with so much amour by returning to places that have inspired and rejuvenated our family.
Provence in particular has proven to be quite an extraordinary family adventure. From painting lessons in St. Remy to Calisson making classes in Aix-en-Provence, from a cooking class with a French chef to exploring the Calanques, there is so much to do in Provence with kids. It has also given us the opportunity to vacation like the French. Exploring the country through experiences is one of our favorite ways to travel with our kids and introduce them to world cultures! Spending afternoons in the sleepy but gorgeous village of Lourmarin, where we can pick up a baguette from the local boulangerie and enjoy the Joie de Vivre, is something we can’t wait to enjoy again.
Scenic heights and cog train rides up the Swiss mountains and exploring the glorious town of Lucerne have also offered our family lasting memories. The fresh mountain air and glorious scenic Alps are bucket-list-filling for the soul and are such a reprieve from this online world we have been living in for the past year.
When it is safe to travel internationally again, we will anxiously await the opportunity to revisit favorite spots and appreciate these special places for our family. Traveling with kids opens their eyes to the world, teaches flexibility and risk-taking, and introduces them to countries and cultures around the world. It’s why we travel with kids and why my blog, Bon Voyage With Kids, focuses on how and why to travel with kids. It also shares the ways to introduce kids to world cultures through multicultural activities you can do right at home! Traveling with kids is a journey, and Bon Voyage With Kids inspires families to enjoy it from door to door and at home!
Dahab, Egypt | Lisa of FlipFlopGlobetrotters
In 2005 we went to Dahab, Egypt for the first time… and we were sold. Dahab is a great place, both for a short holiday and a longer term stay. Actually, lots of people end up staying a lot longer than planned. It’s just such a place. Dahab has a special vibe, amazing underwater biodiversity and a gorgeous mountain desert. Not to mention that we own a holiday home in Dahab and that after all these years we’ve made some very good friends there. We usually go at least once a year and it’s been too long. It really is our second home and we can’t wait to go there again. Our 7 year old often says he misses Dahab. The first thing we’ll do when we get there, after visiting our friends, is say hi to the fishes and the reef. The three of us love snorkeling. Our son also really enjoys the mountains. He’s now old enough to go camping in the desert with the Bedouins. Sleeping under the stars in the desert is an amazing experience.
We love to travel and this didn’t change when our son was born in 2013. Our family travel blog FlipFlopGlobetrotters was founded in 2015 when we went on a year long adventure in South East Asia with our little one. He was 17 months old when we left and it was awesome seeing the world through his eyes. Since then we’ve traveled quite a lot with him and there’s still so much to discover! We can’t wait to start traveling and worldschooling again.
London, United Kingdom | Marcie of Marcie in Mommyland
As a family, we’ve been talking a lot about where we want to go when international travel opens up and we’ve gotten our vaccines. My kids really want to visit London. I haven’t been there since I was 18 years old and my kids have never been. During this past year at home, we’ve been learning about countries through subscription boxes like My Global Citizens and Kiwi Crate and London has been a featured destination. They got to read kids’ books about London, do a few crafts, and learn some cool facts about the city. The top things they want to do are ride in a double decker bus, experience the London Eye, and see Big Ben. My oldest just started reading the Harry Potter series, so that’s another major draw. In addition to seeing all the top London sights, I also want to do a family photo shoot there. We’ve waited so patiently to do a “big” trip and I definitely want to commemorate that! Travel has been such a big part of our lives. My kids each started traveling internationally when they were just 6 months old. I’ve captured a lot of our family trips to places like Europe, Disney, and Hawaii on my travel and lifestyle blog Marcie in Mommyland.
Crete, Greece | Nichola of Global Mouse Travels
I cannot wait to travel again and the first place I would love to go is Crete. This beautiful, sunny Greek island is just full of warmth – from the sun, from the people, from the land. We have had such great family holidays in Crete. There’s something here for everyone from amazing history, to beautiful beaches and fun attractions. One of our favourite places is the historical site of Knossos which just brings history alive particularly for kids. Taking the boat over to the island of Spinalonga, Greece’s former leper colony, with its tumbledown buildings is such a unique trip too. I can’t wait to eat the food again, family favourites like the sticky honey covered Greek doughnuts loukoumades and the delicious spanakopita, feta and spinach filled pastry that is perfect for lunch, dinner or just a snack. It’s the people of Crete that are the most wonderful part of a trip to this island though. Greeted like family with such a warm welcome there is something about the Greek and their love of family that is just so welcoming. Memories of this beautiful island, its rolling hills, tables laden with olives and rounds of bread, the turquoise sea sparkling beside us have kept me going through lockdown and I absolutely cannot wait to return to make more family memories.
Oberammergau, Germany | Nicolette of Semi-Budget Travel
My name is Nicolette, and I write about semi-budget travel: budget-conscious travel, with a splurge here & there. I love finding great deals on travel and also deciding which things are worth splurging on. Travel gives the (former) accountant in me a space for adventure. Whether riding the summer toboggan in Grindelwald, Switzerland, climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or floating in the Dead Sea, travel gets me away from the day-to-day schedule and expands my view from the norm.
While I would love to travel to Germany as soon as international travel opens up, I’ll have to wait until 2022. Why, you may ask? Well, the event we were going to attend in 2020 was postponed until 2022. That event normally takes place only every 10 years, and it is the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Germany. I’ve been to Oberammergau and the Passion Play before, but my husband and children have not. It will be great to show them the quaint little town, tucked into the hills of Bavaria. For many, attending the Passion Play is a once-in-a-lifetime event! Between the years of the Passion Play in Oberammergau, tours of the Passion Play theater are available. Walking through the streets of the small town also reveals colorful murals on many homes and buildings. Wood carving is also a local specialty, in terms of finding a unique souvenir. Oberammergau is less than 90 minutes away from Munich, which has a major international airport and an abundance of history. Also nearby is Neuschwanstein Castle (Walt Disney’s inspiration for his theme park castles), and the ornate Linderhof Palace is only 15 minutes away.
Rome, Italy | Debbie of World Adventurists
Part of our first trip to Europe found us wandering around the fascinating and historic city of Rome. We threw coins over our shoulders into the Trevy Fountain, with hopes that we would one day return again.
It has been hard with so many cancelled travel plans this last year, but it also made us think about where we really would love to return to, because time really is precious.
We would love to show our kids Rome once it is safe to travel again. Rome is full of so much history and is so well preserved. Wandering Rome is a feeling like no other, surrounded by a network of cobbled streets and squares. We would start in the the historic centre of Rome, where you find the great monuments of the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and Pantheon.
We would love to show our kids where the lions lived in the Colosseum. The kids would be particularly thrilled over all the spectacular fountains. We would love to have them throw their own coins into the Trevi Fountain, to hopefully return again when they are older.
We’d also love to show them the Vatican City, to witness some of the most incredible art and architecture in existence. St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s breathtaking ceiling would be definite highlights. There are so many reasons to visit Rome.
And, of course, eating endless gelato all over Rome is a must. We foresee a lot of smiles, wide-eyes and tasty gelato in our future.
Debbie Fettback is the voice behind WorldAdventurists.com, and Mom to four kids. Traveling with kids since her first baby was a couple of months old, she hopes to inspire others to adventure with their kids.
The trip I am most looking forward to is my family’s postponed trip to Greece. We originally planned it for May 2020 to celebrate my Dad’s 60th birthday, last child graduating from college, two weddings and a baby. We have been talking about visiting Greece as a family for the past twenty years, but the timing was never right. So when this trip finally happens I know it will be incredible!
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