European trip with a child

[uepianogirl]

My husband and I are thinking about taking another trip to Europe in the spring, most likely mid-May, if we do it. We have been to various countries throughout Europe on two different trips in the past, but this time, we would be taking our almost 2 year old daughter. We realize that we are not going to be able to move around as much as we normally

Comments

[dbskyler]

I don't have any solid advice as I've never traveled with a toddler, but I do have a couple of thoughts. The first is that yes, I would predict that train travel with a younger child would be easier than plane travel, if for no other reason than it's easier to move around, and there's usually more space.

You also might want to consider the culture of the countries you're visiting. You'll find people who love children everywhere, of course -- that's universal -- but I would guess that it's more acceptable to have noisy or upset children making scenes in public in some countries than in others. When I was in Ireland, it seemed like a very child-oriented place where locals would shrug off a tantrum or two at the table next to them. I saw lots of locals taking their young kids out to eat at ostensibly "nice" restaurants in Spain, but be aware that the dinner hours there are very late. On the other hand, you can sit in the plaza with your daughter at 10 p.m. and see other kids out with their parents, so how cool is that? You didn't mention Italy, but that's another country that I think is culturally very tolerant of kids' behavior (and misbehavior). I was there once with a friend's 5-year-old, and restaurants usually fawned over her.

No matter what you decide, hope you have a great trip!