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10 Magical Trips to Take Your Family on...
Now!
Life is short. Below are some of our favorite experiences. Maybe, just maybe, you can make them yours as well.
Camper van living in Iceland
Driving around the ethereal landscapes of Iceland in a camper van is truly a soul-stirring experience. With each mile, you’ll be immersed in nature’s boundless beauty and raw, primordial power.
Can you imagine waking up to the thunderous roar of a powerful waterfall cascading right outside your camper window? As you unzip the door, you’re greeted by misty tendrils dancing through the crisp morning air. Take a deep breath and let the rejuvenating essence of one of nature’s most spectacular displays enliven your senses.
As you wind along the rugged roads, be prepared to frequently pull over in awe of the wild Icelandic horses grazing nearby. With their thick manes whipping in the wind, these majestic creatures seem to roam straight out of ancient Viking sagas. Perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to capture their free, untamed spirit with your camera.
And then there are the hot springs, beckoning you to shed your hiking boots and soak away your cares in their therapeutic mineral-rich waters. As the geothermal heat envelops you, let the rising vapors help carry your worries away on the breeze. This is nature’s own personal spa experience.
With a camper van, the open road is your oyster in Iceland. You have the freedom to chase sunsets, pull over wherever catches your eye, and even park riverside to be serenaded to sleep by babbling brooks. Each day holds the promise of new adventures and memories etched into the grand canvases of this pristine land.
So embrace the wanderlust, friends. Rent that camper van and create your own epic Icelandic road trip. With new vistas around every bend, you’ll be forever changed by the magic and majesty of this natural wonderland.
Taking a Safari in Africa
Imagine bouncing along in a rugged safari vehicle, leaving clouds of red Kalahari dust in your wake. As the setting sun bathes the landscape in a warm amber glow, you’ll stop to take in one of nature’s greatest spectacles – a wide-arched rainbow framing the acacia trees. Grab your Kodak moments while you can!
After snapping enough pictures to trigger your data storage warning, it’s time for that most hallowed of safari traditions – the sundowner drink. As you sip your ice-cold beverage (shirley temples for the young’uns), you’ll scan the horizon with watchful eyes. Was that a fleeting glimpse of a stealthy leopard slinking through the tall grass?
The next morning, you’ll all eagerly pile into the safari vehicle again, batteries recharged for another day of wildlife watching. But perhaps you’re ready for an even more up-close immersive experience? Why not join the rangers for a walking safari? As you cautiously trek through the bush, be on the lookout for ostrich nests – those massive eggs make for an epic show-and-tell back home!
At certain points, your guide may suddenly motion for you all to crouch low. A few hushed words in the local dialect later, and you’ll turn to see a real-life wild elephant family grazing just yards away. The matriarch’s piercing gaze meets yours as she protectively shelters her calf with her trunk. Now try getting that image out of your mind!
With an endless array of fauna and breathtaking backdrops, every day promises a new panorama of awes on this safari adventure. So head out into the eternal plains and valleys with your loved ones. You’ll create lifelong bonding memories more impressive than any staged kiddie park!
Driving Across Italy
Amici, buckle up and prepare to get your storied Italian road trip underway! We’re talking vineyards, ancient ruins, glamorous coastlines – the whole fermata here.
First stop, the jaw-droppingly gorgeous cliffside village of Positano. As you wind your way down the costal road, the perfect postcard scene unfurls before you. Rows of pastel houses tumble down to a crescent-shaped beach with water so vividly turquoise and clear, you’ll swear it’s a desktop screensaver. Do yourself a favor and stop for a lemon-scented Aperol spritz while gazing out over the Instagrammed-to-death seascape.
Next, we simply must made a pit stop in the Eternal City itself – Rome! After navigating the wonderfully chaotic roads and choreographed traffic dance, you’ll be met by centuries-old ruins and cobblestone streets. Wander in awe past the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon – you’ll feel that magical juxtaposition of modern and ancient spirits around every corner. Just don’t go mistaking parking meters for miniature antiquities!
Once you’ve had your fix of la dolce vita in Rome, it’s time to chase the sun back towards the coast. This time, we’re headed to the glittering shores of the Cinque Terre. Park that vehicular stallion and prepare to burn some calories scaling the vertiginous hiking paths that connect these five pastel-hued fishing villages. Salty ocean air, shimmering azure waters, charming piazzas to wine and dine – the Cinque Terre has all the splendid Italian coastal views without the glitzy Amalfi crowds.
Whether you lace up your hiking boots or simply park that gelato-fueled bottom on the beach, these spectacularly rugged yet refined seaside towns are sure to leave you utterly stupendato. Just be sure to soak in every last Kodak moment before the wistful spell breaks and you have to head back to reality.
Shall we keep meandering down the winding roads of la bella Italia? I’ve got endless mordant musings for any picturesque stop! Andiamo, andiamo!
Rice Paddy Living in Bali
Ah yes, living amongst the emerald-green rice paddies of Bali with your little rugrats. Quite the idyllic vision of family life, isn’t it? Let me regale you with some tales from this lush tropical utopia.
Wake up to the sound of a gamelan orchestra provided by Bali’s resident geckos and roosters. As you groggily peel back the curtains, you’re greeted by a panorama straight out of an exotic screensaver – undulating rows of viridescent rice paddies shimmering in the morning light. No urban jungle gyms needed when you’ve got actual jungles to explore!
The kids will surely want to follow the local farm hands out into the flooded fields, chasing dragonflies and learning to plant seedlings with deft little hands. Just be prepared for them to return home camouflaged in a solid coat of mud from head to toe.
As the equatorial sun starts its intense descent, you’ll likely find yourselves following the melodic giggles of local children to the nearest village center. There, the neighborhood’s rambunctious youth put on a spirited performance of traditional Balinese dance beneath the sculpted eaves of an ancient temple. Even your cutest kid’s flailings will pale in comparison to these pint-sized prima ballerinas. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the nighttime fireflies.
Of course, no Balinese experience would be complete without getting your spiritually-curious family acquainted with the local Hindu traditions. You’ll bear witness to the daily ritual of canang sari – making palm woven offerings to the gods, replete with colorful flowers, crackers, and even burning incense sticks plucked from unsuspecting ears.
Once the equatorial darkness blankets the fields, you can spark up your own beach bonfire and snuggle under a canvas of blazing stars with your little ones. As the night symphony of crickets, geckos, and crashing ocean waves lulls you to sleep, you’ll swear there’s an actual magic buzzing through the thick tropical air.
So go ahead and manifest that exotic homestead amongst Bali’s iconic rice paddy landscapes! Unless, of course, the realities of chasing barefoot kids through razor-sharp shafts of rice all day doesn’t sound so dreamlike after all…
Wintering in Europe
Gathering the whole brood for a whirlwind winter tour of Europe’s most enchanting cities? You’re either very brave parents or very foolish ones – I’ll let you decide which!
Let’s start in the City of Light, shall we? There’s nothing quite like rugging up and watching your vaporous breath mingle with the steam rising from Paris’ streetside crêpe stands. Sure, lugging overtired kids through the Louvre’s maze-like halls may test your sanity. But at least you can bribe them with promises of extra pain au chocolat if they behave during Dad’s lengthy pontifications about the Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile.
From there, it’s on to the charming and budget-friendly Budapest! Let the kids experience the magic of slowly freezing their tongues to the infamous statue of the Little Princess as you all take in the twinkling Xmas markets along the Danube River. Mugs of piping hot mulled wine should fix that tongue situation right up for you two, at least.
The real winter wonderland awaits in Prague though. As you crunch through the pristine snow blanketing Old Town Square, visions of gingerbread houses and sugar plums will surely dance through your children’s heads. At least until they realize the Astronomical Clock is essentially a very old, very lame cuckoo clock and start whining for hot chocolate.
Be sure to stop by the iconic John Lennon Wall so your two budding anarchists can gleefully deface public property with their own juvenile scribblings. It’ll be a fun memory to laugh about when they inevitably become rebellious teenaged punks!
Of course, the true highlight may be those tantalizing opportunities to teach some good old-fashioned European parenting. A cheeky child throwing a tantrum on the Charles Bridge? A quick dangle over the icy Vltava River ought to cool their petulance. Picky eaters refusing to sample the authentic goulash? Withholding Pilsner Urquell is a surefire way to motivate clean plates!
See, making magical wintertime memories across Europe with youngsters in tow is actually a wonderful exercise in maintaining sanity. Either that or you’ll become the cautionary tale of why airlines should never allow kids in First Class. Happy trails, my friends!
Copenhagen's Tivoli Amusement Park
Ah, taking the little Viking heathens to the storied Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen? What a gloriously whimsical and undoubtedly exhausting adventure that will be!
Can’t you just picture it now? You’ll arrive through Tivoli’s ornate arched entryways, the kids’ eyes growing wide with delight and visions of sugar plums at the dazzling fantasy land that unfurls before them. Lush gardens, glittering lights, towering rollercoasters – it’s like someone distilled pure childhood wonderment and Then spread it across these 21 acres of amusement nirvana.
First order of business will be securing some traditional Danish hot dogs piled high with crispy fried onions, remoulade, and other disgustingly delicious toppings. Sure, they may look like loaded calorie bombs, but you’re going to need all the fortifying energy you can get. Those kløften-clenching rides await!
Once sufficiently fueled, you’ll indubitably get wrangled into the queue for the Rutschebanen roller coaster. As you climb aboard the rickety wooden coaster cars, you may start questioning historic amusement park safety standards. But those fears will be drowned out by your kids’ screams of pure joy as you whip around the tight corners and plummet down the stomach-dropping inclines.
When little legs finally give out, you can take a whimsical reprieve drifting along Tivoli’s Russian gondola boats. Sip some cherry gløgg as you glide past twinkling Scandi-styled gardens and architecture straight out of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. Just don’t let Junior fall overboard in pursuit of trolls or sea hags!
And of course, no visit is complete without experiencing Tivoli’s pride and joy – the Rutschebanen roller coaster at night. Soaring over the illuminated gardens amid a dazzling canopy of lights is enchantment embodied. You’ll be making magical family memories to cherish forever…at least until the Disney comparisons inevitably start.
So lace up those walking shoes, parents! That Tivoli Gardens awaits with its intoxicating blend of rickety thrill rides, storybook whimsy, and likely at least one child losing their Copenhagen post-amusement park dinner. Totally worth it, right?
Discovering the US National Parks
Alright you rugged outdoorsy parents, strap on those Keens and hearken the call of nature’s most magnificent playgrounds – the national parks! We’re talking wide open spaces, majestic vistas, and plenty of opportunities for your little wildlings to get completely feral.
First up, let’s gallop on over to that crown jewel of the park system – Yellowstone. Watching Old Faithful erupt on cue will surely instill some awe in the young’uns. At least until they start wondering why we’ve traveled all this way to see an oversized sprinkler on a schedule. Keep ’em engaged by narrating all the gruesome tales of unsuspecting bison goring foolhardy tourists who got too close for that perfect selfie.
When the geysers grow stale, pile the family truckster and head towards the Grand Canyon. Prepping the kids with warnings about the sheer bone-crunching drop will only amplify the drama as you first catch sight of that miraculously vast chasm. Gaze out in wonder…right before one of the little rascals goes streaking towards the edge straining your heart into arrest. A few forcible muzzlings may be required.
If you still haven’t achieved complete family reconnection with nature, make your final stop Zion National Park in Utah. Surrounded by burnished red-rock cliffs and bizarrely twisting hoodoos, you’ll indeed feel like you’ve crossed into another spiritual plane of existence. At least until your spirited boy tribe kicks off an epic dirt clod war, speckling the sandstone masterpieces with their muddy graffiti. Ah, the sweet circularity of life!
Of course, any outdoor odyssey with kids wouldn’t be complete without a few bonding misadventures. Freak dust storms burying all your gear, sudden soakings from rogue flash floods, wrong turns leading to miles-long forced death marches – that’s what builds hardy childhood memories! Just be sure to pack the chemical hand-warmers for inevitably frozen backsides on cold nights in the tent.
So load up the gas guzzler, crank up that wholesome outdoor playlist, and take those kiddos to drink deeply from the fountains of American natural splendor. With a bit of judicious bribery, their decades of future therapy may be avoided!
Touring Petra, Jordan
Taking the little ones on an archaeological odyssey to the rose-red city of Petra? Now that’s an adventurous family vacay that’ll make your neighbors green with envy!
Let’s set the scene – you’ve spent hours cooped up in the airport listening to that one Frozen song on repeat amid a choir of crinkly snack wrappers. But as you finally stumble out into the dry Jordanian heat, the reward unveils itself like a grand velvet curtain. Towering Roman ruins, intricately carved into the rusty sandstone cliffs with astonishingly precise craftsmanship? Check. An endless desert valley canvas painted in soft pinks and oranges under the blazing sun? Double check.
Of course, getting the crew through the winding, narrow Siq entrance is easier said than done. Those cramped mile-long canyons, with 200-foot vertical walls squeezing in on both sides, are bound to trigger a few Mummy-inspired Indiana Jones fantasies for the young adventurers. You may have to wrassle away the odd carved-out walking stick before bonking ensues.
Once you emerge into the magical treasury environs though, just try pulling their awestruck gazes away from the majestic Al-Khazneh facade. Especially when you regale them with tales of the ancient civilization who built this wonder, and all the precious riches it may have once safeguarded. Those stories could very well inspire your budding archaeologists of tomorrow!
While exploring Petra’s sprawling necropolis, be prepared for spontaneous kiddie demands to build sandcastles amidst the towering ruins. And why not? Letting them frolic amongst the remnants of a bygone empire is a surefire way to kindle a lifelong passion for history and wanderlust. Just be sure to keep a watchful eye for any priceless antiquities they may try carting home.
At the end of each dusty day’s explorations, you can gather around a crackling desert bonfire, sharing lamb dishes and fragrant mint tea with the uberverdant Bedouin guides. As you all swap tales of Lawrence, Faisal, and the legendary Arab Revolt under that ocean of diamond-bright stars, you’ll share a powerful family bonding experience. At least until someone inevitably asks to watch Aladdin again.
So go ahead and take the risk, intrepid parents! An immersive, child-friendly journey to the lost city of Petra could be your greatest shared adventure yet. Assuming they don’t burn out early from all the walking, of course…
Basking in the Greek Islands
Ah, the sun-drenched, myth-steeped Greek islands. While Santorini and Mykonos tend to steal the spotlight, discerning families know to beeline straight for the underrated gem of Naxos. Let me indulge your wanderlust with a few pearls about this quintessential Cycladic paradise.
As your ferry boat bobs towards the port town of Naxos City, you’ll be greeted by an amphitheater of whitewashed sugar cube houses adorning the harbourfront. Quaint Byzantine chapels and bougainvillea-draped balconies dot the marble-paved labyrinth of lanes just beckoning to be explored. Good luck keeping the little ones from scrambling up the ancient walls like so many baby goats!
But the real treasures lie further inland amid Naxos’ rolling interior of olive groves, vineyards, and tiny mountainous villages frozen in time. Rent yourselves some snail-paced pickup trucks and go get delightfully lost among the meandering dirt roads. Let the kids jump gleefully from one stone-fenced farm terrace to another in pursuit of the roaming chicken flocks. Beachside resorts have nothing on the rustic charm of waking up to roosters crowing just outside your whitewashed shutters.
Of course, even island paradises aren’t complete without their requisite strip of golden sandy strands for those classic seaside frolics. Naxos overdelivers here with an impressive 25km of coastal bliss to choose from. Crowd-free Plaka Beach beckons with its silky smooth waters and killer view of Naxos’ massive photogenic gate-crashed, while remote Agios Prokopios offers stunning dunes for your bohemian babes to frolic upon undisturbed.
And should the siren song of Greek mythology call to your curious youngsters, you can always make a little pilgrimage to the island’s famed fertility-linked ruins. Watching wide-eyed as you recount the ancient tales of deities like Dionysus being born and married here is bound to stir their wanderlust for years to come. That, or simply confuse them as to why their parents keep rambling about giant dancing penis statues.
With its rugged interior charms, blissful beaches, and lack of overcrowded tourist mobs, Naxos truly embodies the ideal laidback Grecian island escape for families. Of course, much like the mighty mythological gates themselves, getting the kids to leave may prove…challenging.
Cultural Celebrations in Spain
Ah, the legendary Feria de Abril in sunny Sevilla – a dazzling, week-long extravaganza that marries Andalusian passion with absolute debauchery! What better way to immerse your familia in the vibrant heart of Spanish culture?
As you stroll into the iconic Real de la Feria fairgrounds, you’ll be immediately transported into a whirlwind of polka-dotted flamenco dresses swirling amid a kaleidoscope of striped marquees called “casetas.” These tented party palaces, hosted by the city’s most elite families and social clubs, beckon with endless flowing rebujitos and throbbing salsa beats.
Go ahead and let your little sevillanas loose to twirl and clap along with the professionals putting on impromptu tableside dance performances. Just be ready to deploy earplugs when they inevitably start lamenting how the backup dancers on Kids Bop have nothing on these seasoned pros.
When the euphoric combination of sherry and noon sunshine starts going to your head, siesta time strikes. Retreat to the shaded corridors between casetas where roving bands of gitano street performers will be strumming classic folk tunes as horses lazily chomp hay nearby. The perfect old-world ambiance for that midday rejuvenating nap you’ll desperately need.
Once sufficiently rested, prepare for the grand parade of participants decked out in full regalia of ruffled trajes de flamenca gowns and garish Seville-style suits. As these fashion peacocks strut their stuff through the fairgrounds on lively caballos, they’ll toss fistfuls of luscious to the crowds with unbridled enthusiasm. Scoring a coveted fresón or sugary confection for your kiddos practically crowns them Feria royalty!
And what respite from the nonstop fiesta better than a sunset promenade through Sevilla’s stately Parque Maria Luisa? As dusk falls, the scent of azahar blossoms and sound of families leisurely dining al fresco provides a welcome contrast to the hedonistic party scenes you’ve left behind. A perfect opportunity to remind your sugared-up ninos what civilization looks like before plunging headlong into the nocturnal festival madness ahead!
So go ahead, seize your sarongs and castanets and let the whole clan dive soul-first into this spirited bacchanal, mis amigos. Just don’t be surprised if they party like locals from the very first vino-fueled “ole!”
