This article first appeared on AJ’s Medium account.
Six continents.
31 countries.
More planes, trains, automobiles, boats, Ubers, Airbnbs than you can ever imagine.
And one extremely durable stroller.
Author: The 2 Idiots
Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary to Spend 1, 2, 3 or 4 Days in Rome, Italy
Why do The 2 Idiots recommend Rome?
Rome is our favorite Italian city. It is basically an open-air museum – it was built so long ago that even if you didn’t rush around to see the sights and just walked around, you are walking through so much history at every tour. But Rome is also a very modern, living, breathing city. Most of the cities we visited in Italy, especially Venice, are 95 percent tourists with the Venetians who live outside the city coming in to earn money from the tourists. In Rome, you have tourists, but you also have a thriving city — the future of Italy is being built in Rome while the other cities were cities of the past. Rome feels authentic.
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Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for a cruise day in Naples and the Amalfi Coast, Italy
Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring the Amalfi Coast?
Every picture you have ever seen of the Amalfi Coast on Instagram is THAT– the coast looks just like the photos you have seen. It is so stunning and, for Natasha, the highlight of our tour of Southern Italy. For me, Pompeii blew me away – the archaeological site is the most preserved of any site I’ve ever seen and it feels like you are transported back in time and able to visualized what Italy was like centuries ago. When we visited Naples, it was through a Mediterranean cruise – the last stop of one of our favorite cruises we took with our son. Taking a tour that incorporates stops in Sorrento, Pompeii and a drive along windy cliff roads overlooking the sea will be a long day, but for us, a definite you should do when in port in Naples.
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How do you plan an 8.5 month trip across the world?
Hello, everyone! It’s AJ here, offering some thoughts on what goes into the planning of an eight-and-a-half-month trip. You may be wondering why I’m flying solo on this one, and the short answer is that I handled 99 percent of the planning for our family’s sabbatical. But don’t worry: Natasha will be writing a first-person post of her own, and it’s bound to be interesting!
Finding The Best Private Tours When You Travel
Finding and booking reputable private tours can be especially daunting when you are going to a new and unfamiliar city or country. When you don’t have recommendations from friends and all you can do is search, how can you find good private tours (including transportation), not to mention get the best rates?
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Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for a Cruise Day in Kotor, Montenegro
Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring Kotor?
We didn’t have any expectations of Kotor; in fact, it wasn’t even on our radar. Our original cruise stop was supposed to be Istanbul, but we were rerouted due to security issues. Natasha didn’t even know it existed and was wondering where we were going and if it would be any good after Mykonos and Santorini. But boy, were we blown away! It’s stunning; old school medieval times – with cats (read on). Just pulling into port while on the Adriatic Sea, we were able to take in the most incredible scenery of the medieval city that is still surrounded by its original fortification walls as it was generations ago. The city only truly began seeing tourism in the 2000s, so its relatively undiscovered. Pictures don’t even do it justice.
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Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for Cruise Day in Santorini, Greece
Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring Santorini
Of all the places we visited on our 9-month journey around the world, both of us feel Santorini deserves to be on our top 10 list. You’ve seen the iconic pictures — awe-inspiring how they built the city into the mountain — and it’s everything you have ever imagined. Actually, even more so for Natasha – she ranked Santorini as her top experience during our world sabbatical.
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Ultimate Kid-Friendly Itinerary for Spending a Cruise Day in Mykonos, Greece
Why The 2 Idiots recommend exploring Mykonos
The moment your ship arrives in Mykonos, you’ll notice white buildings everywhere with the blue roofs that provide the backdrop you were expecting about the Greek islands. It’s amazing to experience the island – even the streets are white to help keep the buildings cool and reflect the sun. Plus, there are no cars on the narrow streets, making it great for young kids, who can run around as you explore.
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Ultimate Kid-friendly Itinerary for Cruise Day in Olympia, Greece
Why The 2 Idiots recommend Olympia
Entering the port of Katakolon, you’ll have the option to travel 4 hours to Athens or an hour to Olympia. Both options are exceptional, as they ooze history at every turn. When traveling with a younger child, however, we recommend the closer Olympia, which is home to the original Olympic Games. Ancient Olympia is an archeological site with more than 70 structures from ancient Greece, dating back to 4,000 years AD. It’s truly impressive, and there are tons of open spaces for your child to run and play safely.
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Top Tips for Traveling with Toddlers on a Cruise
Cruises today are gearing more toward families, offering an array of activities, accommodations and services to appeal to parents. With our top tips for traveling with toddlers on a cruise, you maximize your vacation when taking a cruise with your kids. The first tip is to check for the minimum age requirement for traveling with kids. Most start with a minimum age of 6 months, so before you plan a cruise vacation, review each cruise line’s age requirements. From there, pick your destination and you’ll find ships able to make kids happy, especially toddlers and young kids who will be excited by all the offerings on the ship, as well as your excursions on land.
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