Road trip through Europe with two dds (3yo and 5 yo) AM I MAD EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT?????

[Cloudhopper]

The best holidays dh and I have ever had have been rambling ones, where we have just packed a tent and gone without any reservations. We would just drive and decide day to day where we go.

Now the children are a little older, I am desperate to give it another go. I think it would be a fabulous family experience if we shoved a tent in the car and headed off into Europe to see where we end up. We could pack all the essentials.

I am thinking along the lines of down through eastern France, Burgundy, Geneva then down to Nice/Cannes. Then head across to Italy on the coast.

There is also a vague aspiration to end up in Eastern Europe and then back a different route, taking in Prague and Germany.

Then dh decided it was madness to take two little ones on a holiday that involves so much driving. Long journeys are probably not our favourite activity.

However, I think it would be an amazing experience for them to discover all these different places.

AM I MAD EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT?

I think it's the driving that will be the difficult and unfair bit for kids. DH & I drove to France to stay with friends. Never again. DS was a toddler and slept most of the time in the car but as soon as we got any where he would run around like a man just out of prison. We couldn't just relax as we were staying in a watermill. No reading or napping for us just constant running around.

May I recommend train travel. Apparently trains in France are fab. I did this a few times as a kid and later with my brother and sisters when they were little. Kids get to chat and meet people.
We plan to go to Spain this year and part of the journey will be by train. It made me a hugh Inter-rail fan in my late teens early twenties

P.S My first train trip was through France to Southern Spain only with my Mum & back. IT is still etched in my head. I was 6yrs brother 4. Could you wait a little so the the 3 year old will remember the trip?
have you already camped with the kids?

Thanks for your sound advice.

I agree starbear, I suppose that deep down I know that the journeys in the car might be unpleasant for us all, so better not to do it yet.

Plus I agree with motherflippin that they won't remember much and that we should wait a couple of years so that they do remember.

This was always more about us than them, and as a result could go disastrously wrong. Also you are right about never getting a break, which I am not so bothered about.

Disneyland this year then!

MotherFlippin You could be right. Op don't do all they travelling for them. They will need to discover new places in their own as young adults. I remember the day before our trip I vomitted with excitement when my Mum pointed out the train at Victoria Station that was going to take us! I remember the ferry, chickens on the train, People chatting to me. The transfer in Paris. Staying at my Granddads house in Spain and the little earthquake, the flood and the hail stones! Cleaning a neighbours patio and playing with insects and lemons!!
BIG bit playing with other children. If you keep moving they won't make friends to play with very important to a child's happy memories

Cloudhopper you don't have to go down the branded route. Please don't. Just scale down and add a train. I went down to Croyde in Devon with DS. DH drove all camping stuff down. Went with friends. Yes, it rained but DS loved it. Maybe try train to Southern france, campsite with kids club. What do you think?

hee hee, i am joking about disneyland. I think a festival sounds like a good idea. I have always worried that they would be to scary to take the kids - full of really drunk people and petty crime.

I liked the idea of inter-railing instead of driving, but it's hard to take enough luggage when you also have little kids in tow. Eurocamp in SOF might be a good idea though.

Hiring a campervan in UK might be a similar but slightly less ambitious one.

Thanks both for talking over my ideas!

Oh no. I think I have just got a wanderlust and needed talking out of it.

Imagine spending your life savings on the holiday of a lifetime and then finding that in practice it was a nightmare.

I will definitely do a practice run this year, with a view to something more adventurous in future years.

Now where is your real spirit of adventure?
Ditch the pushchair 3 year old should now be walking everywhere. If not start now. Scale down on 21st century must pack everything for the kids and me. Mad Spainish Mum 1 stroppy teenager (me) two kids 5 & 7 years, an Aunt in Northern Spain who also wanted India food ingredients she couldn't get. Trolley with mango, lady fingers and spices. 2 pieces of luggage and back packs for the kids. Lift to the station luggage on train.

we've done it with one 3 year old. lots of stops, music cds and yes i'm afraid eventually we bought a portable dvd player for the trip home - we made it down to southern italy though. great trip all in all.

we drove to switzerland too!

about trains in France. we have been twice on holiday in France and twice trains and public transports were on strike not very good if you are planning to do anything else than walking arround the same town for a week or more.

Last summer, we could not go on holyday, so we decided to go to London, at a family member to base camp for four days. From there we went to Calais for one day (ferry not in London BTW).
Second day, we went to Oxford and arround to show the DCs all the places we lived in/loved when DH was a student.
3rd day spent from morning in Richmonds park
4th and last day, which was our "making our way back up north day" we stopped in Strattford upon Avon to visit.

This was one of ou best breaks ever. It did involve quite a bit of driving, but DCs (aged at the time 8,6,3 and 1) absolutely loved every bit of it.

Gorionine Oh No! never experienced a train strike. Just lucky in the 1960,70's and 80's.
I'm also an strange female anorak. Tried to get a train in the Algarve one day in 80's gave up and went to the beach don't even know what was going on? Didn't have kids then or car obsessed DH

am still researching road trips in europe on google. just to make sure it is the completely wrong thing to do.

Thing is, I wouldn't consider this if the dds were energetic, but in fact they are reasonably calm on car journeys.

They managed 5 hours this hol with only one 15 minute stop, and there was no whingeing. Who knows what we could all achieve with an in-car DVD player????

I just love the idea that europe is all so close, waiting to be explored, and I hate resort holidays. The hardship element is part of the fun for us. We have always favoured very basic campsites, and discovering offbeat places.

The big question is whether we could get the dds to enjoy it just as much as us, because I would hate to be selfish and take them along relucantly.

We have never ever had an expensive holiday, but this year I have a little savings pot burning a hole in my pocket.

Cloudhopper Good luck I'm researching. Plane to Northern Spain me and DS to Aunt. DH joins us later before 15th August Big Fiesta in Betanzos. Then from La Coruna to Cadiz by train (cross fingers) find a family friendly hotel with kids club for a week. Get DH to relax Ds to find friends me to have an adventure (really missing since meeting DH)

CLoudhopper I don't think it's too mad, because we're thinking of doing the same thing, only slightly differently in that we would have a while visiting F+F in Germany, so there would be the bit across France, then a more settled phase, then back through Switzerland France then home (quite a lot of England to get through as well, not living in the SE)/ I think it will be fine as long as we time it with the girls a bit (they will be 2 and 5) - because they do nap in the car very happily. I quite like the idea that they will have more of a sense of "travelling" than they would if they just "magically" left one airport in England and ended up in another in Switzerland. OK, DD1 more than 2!!

motherflippin, my friends did NZ in a campervan. It sounded amazing!

I'd do it, as long as there isn't driving every day. If you drive for five hours spend a few days and move on, I think it would work. how long are you planning on travelling for?

os i find cars MUCH easier than trains for toddlers. Trying to keep them still and not disturb other passengers is awful. At least in a car they can make as much noise as they want abd you can stop when they are bursting to run around.

Probably 2 1/2 weeks in total. I have very limited annual leave because of childcare commitments.

Did I mention I am reading Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road'?

oh yes we tried to drive for a day and then stop for a day or two. We drove to Germany, stayed 2 days with friends, then drove to northern italy, [lake Como!]stayed 2 days, the drove to southern Italy. Did the same on drive to Switzerland. Got to see some lovely places on the way.

I think the on/off driving might work. Doing a few major journeys interspersed with local exploring in nice areas?

We did a Loire road trip years ago and found the most fabulous places to stay. I loved the openness of it all. We found little chateaux off the beaten track, wine tasting places etc. Some of the restaurants were out of this world. A small bar in Montreuil-sur-Mer that had a pool table and African music.

Also did a Paris hosteling thing at 19yo. Ended up at a fabulous hostel called the 3 ducks with Janis Joplin playing all night on the jukebox and an enclosed courtyard where we drank the night away. Met loads of interesting people.

It is the contrast between the highs and lows that I like. One day you are trapped in a tent with pouring down rain, the next minute you can be sunning yourself next to a gorgeous river with a bottle of wine cooling off the side of the boat.....