Thanksgiving Travel with Kids
Kids will love taking a double-decker bus around London.
Photo: Stockbyte Silver, Getty Images
Question from reader LQB43:
"Before we had kids, my husband and I were very serious travelers. However, they are now 9 and 14, and we've traveled only in the U.S. recently with them. We now discover that we have 10 free days over Thanksgiving. We want to take them overseas but simply cannot focus on where to go: Costa Rica or Belize? A cold and rainy but free-of-tourists London or Paris? Portugal? We're not really up for a full-blown adventure trip, but I don't want something too canned (and I'm leery of dragging the 9-year-old to too many museums). Any ideas?"
I ran your question by Kay Merrill, a family travel expert, and Richard Edwards, a Central America expert, both on Conde Nast Traveler's annual list of the world's best travel planners. It'll certainly be chilly, and quite possibly rainy, in Europe, but there are plenty of inside activities, and you might get lucky with the weather. However, November is a prime time to visit Central America. Says Richard:
"Costa Rica has a wide variety of activities and attractions and more tourists than neighboring countries, though November is much less crowded than high season. Panama is a better choice if water activities and a more pristine cultural and wildlife experience are important. It has most of what Belize can offer in terms of crystal blue Caribbean waters, but lower prices."
Here's Kay's perspective on your European options:
"London and Paris are the easiest first-time European cities for children. There are many landmarks and references that they may have seen in school or on TV; I took my son there for the first time when he was 7. With 10 days, you could see both cities and take the Chunnel in between."
More info about both destinations, after the jump.
Kay continues:
"Paris is a magical city and very spontaneous and social. You can just walk around and stop at outdoor cafes and see street artists or watch boccie players. Definitely plan a trip down the Seine and a ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The tricky part is keeping your kids' interest and not trying to force too much on them at once. If you have boys, they may like castles and knights, so you could visit Versailles, Blenheim Palace, Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards, even the churches like Notre Dame in Paris with all the gargoyles. Luxembourg Gardens is fun 'downtime' to just look around. Rent the sailboats that you can float in the octagonal pool. Also, the Eiffel Tower always captures the imagination and there is a Ferris wheel and carousel in the Tuileries garden. Renting bikes is a good way to release energy but still see a lot of new places. Kids love riding the metro in Paris, trying to read the signs, and trying to use their language skills to communicate even if it's a simple 'merci.'
In London children and teens like taking the Underground. The British Museum with all the treasures (especially the Egyptian art), the Science Museum, and the Museum of Mankind are great on a rainy day. They like Big Ben, the Palace Guards and their barracks, and Pollock's Toy Museum. It is fun taking a boat down the Thames to the Tower of London or all the way to Greenwich. But most kids can only handle one museum a day and then it is time to go roller blading in Hyde Park or feed the ducks. London has many parks and some boating ponds. You might also like the War Room Museum where Churchill strategized. I think it was fascinating for my son to just be in a place where people spoke differently from him and there were cobbled streets.
As for hotels, the Royal Park in London has some rooms starting around $270 per night for a four-night stay. The Cranley has connecting rooms with a kitchen in a great location. In Paris, the Hotel de Banville on the Right Bank has classic rooms at $250 per night. Two 3-star properties have family rooms: Hotel Dauphine Saint Germain and the Saint-Paul. I also book many apartments in Paris for families."
On the other hand, Richard has some exciting ideas for you in Central America:
"A great new family hotel for this fall in Costa Rica is Arenas del Mar. The same management team that keeps Lapa Rios running impeccably has just opened this hotel close to lots of activities (surfing, sea kayaking, canopy tours) and the wildlife of Manuel Antonio National Park. It's where I'll be with my family in December. Manuel Antonio is perfect for families, especially in low season, because it has great beaches and relatively short hiking trails that bring you into dense jungle with abundant wildlife.
In Panama, the newer family lodge of choice is Tranquilo Bay, on Isla Bastimentos in the Bocas del Toro province. It's owned by two families from the U.S. and they've done a wonderful job of blending their lodge into the environment, both ecologically and with their work with local indigenous people. Surfing, boating, incredible snorkeling, and marine life are the main attractions, but the islands are full of jungle wildlife as well. And you have the funky Caribbean town of Bocas del Toro just a few minutes away by boat.
I'd recommend combining either of these lodges with a two-night stay at one of the cloud forest lodges in the respective country (Villa Blanca in Costa Rica or Finca Lerida in Panama), along with whitewater rafting to round out a trip full of activities, relaxation, and different ecosystems."
Hope we haven't confused you further, LQB43!
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