The Klepek family is going international, but Crossplay won't be going offline! Plus, do you have any advice for traveling abroad with two young children?
We took our three kids (at the time 9, 8, and 6) to London and Paris last summer. We spent a week in London getting over jet-lag before taking the train to Paris for the Olympics. Here's my advice: Don't pin your own happiness on the kids' impressions of major tourist sites (they're probably going to find them kinda meh), and leave time/space for the kids to have their own memorable experiences.
My kids' favorite place in London was the Diana Memorial Playground (after several hours we had to finally pry them away with ice cream) and in Paris it was the Luxembourg Gardens. I doubt either of those parks cracks the top 10 of tourist sites, but they're both really fun for kids, and they're different enough from American playgrounds that my kids still remember and talk about the stuff they did there.
Oh, and regarding food -- we took our kids to a couple restaurants, but also frequently used the local equivalent of DoorDash if there was a restaurant that my wife and I wanted to try but the kids wouldn't be into. We had chicken nuggets delivered to the hotel from one restaurant, and then ordered grownup food from another. Pick your battles! There will be plenty of time later in your kids' lives for them to try weird (and delicious!) British and French food.
Oh, the DoorDash tip is a great one. I didn't even think of that. Great idea. And, yes, one of our one major things we want to do is the Diana Memorial Playground!
English has really taken hold in the Western European capitals, so while you can still expect to see and hear plenty of French in Paris (and the locals will appreciate a "Bonjour" and a "Merci,") you shouldn't have much difficulty communicating, and a lot of signage and menus will have English as well as French.
My experience travelling with a younger kid is that you can't overplan, you have to be open to occasionally stopping at a McDonald's or the equivalent, and if you happen to have accommodations with a fridge or kitchen, picking up a few things at the grocery store that you know will tide them over is a good idea.
I also recommend scoping out the parks and playgrounds near where you're going to be to give them a chance to let off some energy amid sightseeing.
Yep, yep, we'll have a fridge and have warned my wife that McDonalds might happen a few times, even if it means stuffing them up before we go as a family to somewhere that might be less accommodating to them. It's funny how the most consistent advice we've gotten is to say "hello" and "thank you" in French and how much that'll unlock in terms of people being helpful.
I moved internationally this year and went to Disneyland Paris last year. If you only take one thing from this comment, BOOK RESERVATIONS FOR RESTURANTS FOR YOUR DISNEYLAND PARIS TRIP.
You might be thinking, it's a theme park, surely they will have reasonable food options that are not sit-down restaurants. You would be mistaken. I also did not heed this warning and was very disappointed in every meal I managed to secure, most of them after being told "sorry, no we cannot accommodate your party of 2" at a different place.
Overall, I don't know you or your family as much as I might think I do, but I'll share the best piece of travel advice I've ever received. Tell yourself, 'When I'm there, I'll be the outgoing, adventurous person I believe myself to be. And when I find something I love, I will bring that home with me. And when I find something I do not love, I will simply leave it there.'.
Some fun examples; Those new shades you've been meaning to try? Now's the time. That weird food you see other people waiting in line for? When in Rome! I don't have kids, but I have taught kids and this type of framing device has helped me navigate different situations.
Be safe, have fun, and visit The Netherlands sometime!
We took our kids (11 and 15) to Paris about a month ago. Glad to hear you are doing the catacombs without the kids - it is pretty spooky, but not to be missed! Our kids loved all the crepes and anything from the patisserie (chocolate croissants especially). Every place we stayed (air bnb and hotel) had blackout shades. If you go to the Louvre, get the self guided tours they have - it’s on a Nintendo 3DS with headphones! Has a map that tracks where you are and lots of info about most paintings and sculptures. Kept our kids way more engaged than just walking around. Kept me more engaged as well! Other favorite thing we did was a sunset boat ride on the Seine. It’s a late night, but was very worth it to see the city and especially Eiffel Tower all lit up. Also, everyone smokes. Get ready for inhaling second hand smoke everywhere. Sucks at first but you get used to it.
My parents had to travel a lot internationally with us when we were kids (dual citizens) - this was in the 90s so my mom swore by books on tape for something which was stimulating enough to keep us occupied but wouldn't prevent us drifting off to sleep if we were tired
I haven't been to Paris as a tourist for a long time, but couple of things: a. What you might see translated as hamburger on a kid's menu is usually steak haché, so it's more like a patty without a bun. If this is going to throw your kid off, maybe steer them to a different option and b. The only places that get really sniffy about you not speaking French were ironically near the big touristy areas. Everywhere else was totally fine as long as you made a token effort to say bonjour
And just on a personal note, I've been a fan of your work for a long time and was a day one subscriber to Crossplay. My first child was born two weeks ago, and I just wanted to say thanks for making the whole "raising kids in the weird digital landscape we live in" seem (slightly) less terrifying!
We went to Poland with our 2yo this past May. I don't think I have much to add on managing the flight, other than maybe bringing headphones with a 3.5mm plug on them if you've got some, as they'll be better than the ones you get on the flight if they want to watch anything on the in-flight entertainment. What also helps pass the time is that the flight should be doing a dinner service as well as a breakfast, so that breaks up the first and last hour+.
I would definitely recommend the travel health insurance though. My kiddo had some breathing problems in the first couple of days there, so we were frantically Googling in the middle of the night what we could possibly do, and that's with the advantage of my wife being a Polish citizen. We eventually had her aunt call the retired doctor who lived in her grandmother's building who let us come over to get him checked out, but if we didn't have the option, we probably would have been out hundreds or thousands of dollars to get him seen at a hospital/clinic. My thinking going forward is that I'm willing to risk my own health, and am confident I can know when something is really wrong vs just annoying, but it's so hard to tell with a kid that I'd prefer to not be worrying about the financial implications if it seems like something is up with him.
It turns out we have some health insurance through whatever we purchased as an add-on while buying the tickets. It's overpriced but should help us through any emergencies, if something crops ups. Next time, we'll buy it separately. (We are hoping to use Disney as a way to hop around the world in the next 5-7 years.)
Hey Patrick! French guy here, father of two, and a Parisian for 8 years now.
I hope you'll love your stay in France! It's a fun city.
Regarding eating, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll find a vast range of different cuisines. If you stick to French restaurants, they usually have a kid's menu, and it can be as simple as a drink, a beef patty, fries, and ice cream. And the fast food chains will always have your back. :) One piece of advice (though it can be hard to always walk back and forth when traveling with family): don't hesitate to get away from the most touristy places. If you walk about 15 minutes from the Louvre, for example, you'll find better restaurants than those close to it. I find the restaurants are better in the more residential quarters of Paris. Google Maps can be your friend.
Speaking of the Louvre (and other touristy stuff):
That applies to any museum or activity—go online and check if you need a reservation! Don't just show up, or you might have a bad surprise (giant lines, weird opening hours, no available slots...).
Big museums like the Louvre usually have stuff specifically targeted at kids (dedicated rooms with interactive things, booklets, goodies, etc.).
For the Louvre, be mentally prepared; it's huge! While I understand that a trip like that is expensive and you might want to maximize your time at the museum, know that you won't be able to see everything in a day. I'll go as far as to say that you'll probably skip some iconic artworks, and that's okay! It can be exhausting, especially with kids. I've seen a lot of miserable families in the Louvre. :D Take your time. They have a pretty clever selection of "circuits" to see the best the museum has to offer.
Good advice, but hard with kids: show up early or during off-peak hours. Montmartre/Sacré-Cœur at sunrise—beautiful, romantic, dreamlike. At 4 PM on a sunny Saturday? Who are all these people? Don't they have stuff to do?! Nightmarish.
Regarding traveling on public transport, if you have data, I HIGHLY recommend Citymapper. Best app by far.
Sleeping: bring or buy earplugs (it can be noisy). Hotels usually have blackout curtains.
Language: I think you'll be okay. It's a pretty diverse city; you'll find non-French Parisians who would love to help you. Waiters and other service workers speak English; otherwise, it might be broken English and a lot of hand gestures. You'll be fiiiine!
That's so exciting for your family, hooray! You'll have a great time. We took our baby internationally last year when she was a potato (easy peasy) and will be doing so again in September (not so easy peasy now that she's a toddler), so I understand the anxiety.
Plenty of great advice in the comments from folks, so I just want to add my two cents about insurance: get some. First, check if you have travel coverage on your credit card(s), as quite a few include it as a perk. Second, I don't know what your wife does for work, but if she has benefits through an employer, these may cover international medical. Unlikely, but possible! (Sorry if you already checked, just covering all the bases as a fellow anxious traveller.)
If you end up buying medical insurance, shop for the most barebones plan that would cover emergency medical for all four of you and ignore the trip, luggage, delays blah blah insurance—the former is good for peace of mind, where the latter is a cash grab IMO.
We took our (then) one year old and four year old for a month to Ireland last summer. The biggest challenge by far was the long flight for the one year old. The four year old was fine with a tablet and activity books (and unlike the little one, he slept just fine). Once we got there though, it was mostly smooth sailing... but:
1) Traveling with little ones is like traveling with old people (we took a London and Cornwall trip with my in laws a handful of years ago). They can only manage *one thing* a day, not a marathon. Go slow. Find parks and playgrounds every day. Be willing to sit somewhere instead of run to the next museum on the itinerary. Have lots of snacks ready. Never go far from a public bathroom. Develop daily routines (e.g., morning walks to the cafe).
2) If you can avoid it, don't drive. It helps if you're well versed in city navigation, trains, and public transit. Prioritize mobility over preparedness (travel with backpacks, not suitcases). Be ready to carry the little one from time to time. Be willing to sit and rest more than you probably want to.
3) You've probably already booked your accommodations, but in case you haven't, getting AirBnB's with kitchens is *far* preferable to hotels. You can cook your own food. It's a lot cheaper and your kids can eat whatever they want. Bodegas and farmer's markets are your best friends. Shop for the day, not the week. Whenever possible, make eating and shopping for food part of the fun. Get them excited to try new things. But this totally depends on the kind of eaters your kids are.
4) As for bedtimes, don't sweat it. Not much sense in trying to get them on their "normal" bedtime since you're going to be in totally different time zones. If their travel bedtime is 11pm, so be it. Sleep in. You're on vacation.
Yes! We are staying at an Airbnb, mostly because we want to make it feel as home-y as possible. (I know, I know, I know there are so many problems with this on a mass level.)
Londoner here, appreciating your transatlantic advice on kids and games! Will try and repay you with some London tips.
You'll be grand for food in London, plenty to cater to all palates... and Mac and cheese is a pub staple! For feeding kids I'd suggest two decent UK pizza chains are Franco Manca and Pizza Pilgrims (though plenty of decent non-chain Italian restaurants). If feeling more adventurous, Brick Lane for curry is wonderful, though walking ten minutes away from the touristy part and crossing over to Tayaabs will get you really excellent curry for cheap. There are also plenty of food courts where the kids can get Mac and cheese and you can have something more exciting (like Seven Dials Market). Samuel Smiths pubs are good for cheap(ish) food and beer in central London, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is particularly quaint.
For stuff to do, the tower of London is a pretty good historic landmark for kids (and you can get a river boat to it from central). The national history museum and science museum are good, the latter has a big video games retrospective called Power Up! which is basically a giant arcade of retro and modern games. You could also check out wonderlab in the science museum for some cool interactive exhibits. Theatre wise, My Neighbour Totoro is spectacular. It's long, but our six year old loved it - depends on attention span (but lots of puppets and music and spectacle). Agree Diana memorial playground well worth a visit, as is letting the kids splash round the nearby Diana memorial fountain. Kings cross (granary square) also has plenty of restaurants, fountains to run around in and a free open air cinema. Lots of other recommendations out of central London and can make some a bit more local if you're staying anywhere outside zone 1.
Re Paris, will leave to see if you have french followers - but most people speak English. Just make sure you attempt to speak a bit of french first, then they will take pity on you 😅
Airalo is a decent way to get cheap data while abroad- though it is finicky, but if the process fails you can call them and eventually they'll get it sorted. Usually its cheaper than international add-ons.
Mostly just my recommendation is to only plan like (1) thing you really want to do each day, because trying to schedule it all with the kids is impossible. So go to the (1) thing you want to do, then see how people are feeling and go to other things.
Also, spoil the children with treats, cus you can build a really positive association with travelling, which I think is healthy. :D
We basically came up with a list of things we'd like to do and a list of things we have to do. The "like to do" is very long, the "have to do" is very short. We're treating this trip as an opportunity to spend time as a family in a different places, *not* a marathon to experience everything.
Went to Paris with my 3 year-old last November. Don't sweat it, you're going to have a great time!
We didn't have any problems with the language barrier. Most everyone we encountered could speak English, though sometimes our conversation started with a blank stare from me as I tried to summon back my college French class lessons to decipher what they had said. Lots of English text/signage and the camera feature of Google Translate provides a good safety net for things like menus.
Try to score a fresh-out-of-the-oven croissant at one of the many bakeries. It might change your life! Other than pastries, we found that traditional French cuisine isn't our favorite so don't be afraid to try some other kinds of restaurants. We had some incredible Italian Carbonara and Japanese Ramen while we were there!
My wife loves scavenger hunts like Where's Waldo, so she was thrilled to keep an eye out for the Invaders, small pixel art displays found on lots of street corners. There's an app, FlashInvaders, to track your progress if you want.
Sounds to me like you have the right attitude of not trying to squeeze in too much. Sometimes the simplest things, like lets stop in this ice cream shop and walk through this park, can have the biggest impact.
We took our three kids (at the time 9, 8, and 6) to London and Paris last summer. We spent a week in London getting over jet-lag before taking the train to Paris for the Olympics. Here's my advice: Don't pin your own happiness on the kids' impressions of major tourist sites (they're probably going to find them kinda meh), and leave time/space for the kids to have their own memorable experiences.
My kids' favorite place in London was the Diana Memorial Playground (after several hours we had to finally pry them away with ice cream) and in Paris it was the Luxembourg Gardens. I doubt either of those parks cracks the top 10 of tourist sites, but they're both really fun for kids, and they're different enough from American playgrounds that my kids still remember and talk about the stuff they did there.
Oh, and regarding food -- we took our kids to a couple restaurants, but also frequently used the local equivalent of DoorDash if there was a restaurant that my wife and I wanted to try but the kids wouldn't be into. We had chicken nuggets delivered to the hotel from one restaurant, and then ordered grownup food from another. Pick your battles! There will be plenty of time later in your kids' lives for them to try weird (and delicious!) British and French food.
Oh, the DoorDash tip is a great one. I didn't even think of that. Great idea. And, yes, one of our one major things we want to do is the Diana Memorial Playground!
English has really taken hold in the Western European capitals, so while you can still expect to see and hear plenty of French in Paris (and the locals will appreciate a "Bonjour" and a "Merci,") you shouldn't have much difficulty communicating, and a lot of signage and menus will have English as well as French.
My experience travelling with a younger kid is that you can't overplan, you have to be open to occasionally stopping at a McDonald's or the equivalent, and if you happen to have accommodations with a fridge or kitchen, picking up a few things at the grocery store that you know will tide them over is a good idea.
I also recommend scoping out the parks and playgrounds near where you're going to be to give them a chance to let off some energy amid sightseeing.
Yep, yep, we'll have a fridge and have warned my wife that McDonalds might happen a few times, even if it means stuffing them up before we go as a family to somewhere that might be less accommodating to them. It's funny how the most consistent advice we've gotten is to say "hello" and "thank you" in French and how much that'll unlock in terms of people being helpful.
I moved internationally this year and went to Disneyland Paris last year. If you only take one thing from this comment, BOOK RESERVATIONS FOR RESTURANTS FOR YOUR DISNEYLAND PARIS TRIP.
You might be thinking, it's a theme park, surely they will have reasonable food options that are not sit-down restaurants. You would be mistaken. I also did not heed this warning and was very disappointed in every meal I managed to secure, most of them after being told "sorry, no we cannot accommodate your party of 2" at a different place.
Overall, I don't know you or your family as much as I might think I do, but I'll share the best piece of travel advice I've ever received. Tell yourself, 'When I'm there, I'll be the outgoing, adventurous person I believe myself to be. And when I find something I love, I will bring that home with me. And when I find something I do not love, I will simply leave it there.'.
Some fun examples; Those new shades you've been meaning to try? Now's the time. That weird food you see other people waiting in line for? When in Rome! I don't have kids, but I have taught kids and this type of framing device has helped me navigate different situations.
Be safe, have fun, and visit The Netherlands sometime!
This is great advice and yes, the reservation thing was tipped off to us a while ago! We already have spots booked lol
We took our kids (11 and 15) to Paris about a month ago. Glad to hear you are doing the catacombs without the kids - it is pretty spooky, but not to be missed! Our kids loved all the crepes and anything from the patisserie (chocolate croissants especially). Every place we stayed (air bnb and hotel) had blackout shades. If you go to the Louvre, get the self guided tours they have - it’s on a Nintendo 3DS with headphones! Has a map that tracks where you are and lots of info about most paintings and sculptures. Kept our kids way more engaged than just walking around. Kept me more engaged as well! Other favorite thing we did was a sunset boat ride on the Seine. It’s a late night, but was very worth it to see the city and especially Eiffel Tower all lit up. Also, everyone smokes. Get ready for inhaling second hand smoke everywhere. Sucks at first but you get used to it.
I am so excited we're doing the 3DS thing before it's gone. :)
My parents had to travel a lot internationally with us when we were kids (dual citizens) - this was in the 90s so my mom swore by books on tape for something which was stimulating enough to keep us occupied but wouldn't prevent us drifting off to sleep if we were tired
I haven't been to Paris as a tourist for a long time, but couple of things: a. What you might see translated as hamburger on a kid's menu is usually steak haché, so it's more like a patty without a bun. If this is going to throw your kid off, maybe steer them to a different option and b. The only places that get really sniffy about you not speaking French were ironically near the big touristy areas. Everywhere else was totally fine as long as you made a token effort to say bonjour
And just on a personal note, I've been a fan of your work for a long time and was a day one subscriber to Crossplay. My first child was born two weeks ago, and I just wanted to say thanks for making the whole "raising kids in the weird digital landscape we live in" seem (slightly) less terrifying!
Oh, thank you Olivia <3
We went to Poland with our 2yo this past May. I don't think I have much to add on managing the flight, other than maybe bringing headphones with a 3.5mm plug on them if you've got some, as they'll be better than the ones you get on the flight if they want to watch anything on the in-flight entertainment. What also helps pass the time is that the flight should be doing a dinner service as well as a breakfast, so that breaks up the first and last hour+.
I would definitely recommend the travel health insurance though. My kiddo had some breathing problems in the first couple of days there, so we were frantically Googling in the middle of the night what we could possibly do, and that's with the advantage of my wife being a Polish citizen. We eventually had her aunt call the retired doctor who lived in her grandmother's building who let us come over to get him checked out, but if we didn't have the option, we probably would have been out hundreds or thousands of dollars to get him seen at a hospital/clinic. My thinking going forward is that I'm willing to risk my own health, and am confident I can know when something is really wrong vs just annoying, but it's so hard to tell with a kid that I'd prefer to not be worrying about the financial implications if it seems like something is up with him.
It turns out we have some health insurance through whatever we purchased as an add-on while buying the tickets. It's overpriced but should help us through any emergencies, if something crops ups. Next time, we'll buy it separately. (We are hoping to use Disney as a way to hop around the world in the next 5-7 years.)
Hey Patrick! French guy here, father of two, and a Parisian for 8 years now.
I hope you'll love your stay in France! It's a fun city.
Regarding eating, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll find a vast range of different cuisines. If you stick to French restaurants, they usually have a kid's menu, and it can be as simple as a drink, a beef patty, fries, and ice cream. And the fast food chains will always have your back. :) One piece of advice (though it can be hard to always walk back and forth when traveling with family): don't hesitate to get away from the most touristy places. If you walk about 15 minutes from the Louvre, for example, you'll find better restaurants than those close to it. I find the restaurants are better in the more residential quarters of Paris. Google Maps can be your friend.
Speaking of the Louvre (and other touristy stuff):
That applies to any museum or activity—go online and check if you need a reservation! Don't just show up, or you might have a bad surprise (giant lines, weird opening hours, no available slots...).
Big museums like the Louvre usually have stuff specifically targeted at kids (dedicated rooms with interactive things, booklets, goodies, etc.).
For the Louvre, be mentally prepared; it's huge! While I understand that a trip like that is expensive and you might want to maximize your time at the museum, know that you won't be able to see everything in a day. I'll go as far as to say that you'll probably skip some iconic artworks, and that's okay! It can be exhausting, especially with kids. I've seen a lot of miserable families in the Louvre. :D Take your time. They have a pretty clever selection of "circuits" to see the best the museum has to offer.
Good advice, but hard with kids: show up early or during off-peak hours. Montmartre/Sacré-Cœur at sunrise—beautiful, romantic, dreamlike. At 4 PM on a sunny Saturday? Who are all these people? Don't they have stuff to do?! Nightmarish.
Regarding traveling on public transport, if you have data, I HIGHLY recommend Citymapper. Best app by far.
Sleeping: bring or buy earplugs (it can be noisy). Hotels usually have blackout curtains.
Language: I think you'll be okay. It's a pretty diverse city; you'll find non-French Parisians who would love to help you. Waiters and other service workers speak English; otherwise, it might be broken English and a lot of hand gestures. You'll be fiiiine!
Fun stuff for the family and kids:
- Museum: [Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle](https://www.mnhn.fr/en)
- Paris Zoo: [Parc Zoologique de Paris](https://www.parczoologiquedeparis.fr/en)
- Atelier des Lumières: [Atelier des Lumières](https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/en)
- Amusement Park in Paris: [Jardin d'Acclimatation](https://www.jardindacclimatation.fr/en)
- Lots of city parks with playgrounds.
And if you don't mind taking the train, plenty of beautiful things outside of Paris (Versailles, Giverny (Monet's garden) etc)
Have a great travel! London is amazing and I hope you'll enjoy your stay in France
Love Remap Love Crossplay <3 <3
This is wonderful and detailed advice. Thank you!
That's so exciting for your family, hooray! You'll have a great time. We took our baby internationally last year when she was a potato (easy peasy) and will be doing so again in September (not so easy peasy now that she's a toddler), so I understand the anxiety.
Plenty of great advice in the comments from folks, so I just want to add my two cents about insurance: get some. First, check if you have travel coverage on your credit card(s), as quite a few include it as a perk. Second, I don't know what your wife does for work, but if she has benefits through an employer, these may cover international medical. Unlikely, but possible! (Sorry if you already checked, just covering all the bases as a fellow anxious traveller.)
If you end up buying medical insurance, shop for the most barebones plan that would cover emergency medical for all four of you and ignore the trip, luggage, delays blah blah insurance—the former is good for peace of mind, where the latter is a cash grab IMO.
Yeah, we ended up realizing after the fact that we bought some alongside the tickets, so we should be set. Thank you, though!
We took our (then) one year old and four year old for a month to Ireland last summer. The biggest challenge by far was the long flight for the one year old. The four year old was fine with a tablet and activity books (and unlike the little one, he slept just fine). Once we got there though, it was mostly smooth sailing... but:
1) Traveling with little ones is like traveling with old people (we took a London and Cornwall trip with my in laws a handful of years ago). They can only manage *one thing* a day, not a marathon. Go slow. Find parks and playgrounds every day. Be willing to sit somewhere instead of run to the next museum on the itinerary. Have lots of snacks ready. Never go far from a public bathroom. Develop daily routines (e.g., morning walks to the cafe).
2) If you can avoid it, don't drive. It helps if you're well versed in city navigation, trains, and public transit. Prioritize mobility over preparedness (travel with backpacks, not suitcases). Be ready to carry the little one from time to time. Be willing to sit and rest more than you probably want to.
3) You've probably already booked your accommodations, but in case you haven't, getting AirBnB's with kitchens is *far* preferable to hotels. You can cook your own food. It's a lot cheaper and your kids can eat whatever they want. Bodegas and farmer's markets are your best friends. Shop for the day, not the week. Whenever possible, make eating and shopping for food part of the fun. Get them excited to try new things. But this totally depends on the kind of eaters your kids are.
4) As for bedtimes, don't sweat it. Not much sense in trying to get them on their "normal" bedtime since you're going to be in totally different time zones. If their travel bedtime is 11pm, so be it. Sleep in. You're on vacation.
5) Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility.
Good luck!
Yes! We are staying at an Airbnb, mostly because we want to make it feel as home-y as possible. (I know, I know, I know there are so many problems with this on a mass level.)
Londoner here, appreciating your transatlantic advice on kids and games! Will try and repay you with some London tips.
You'll be grand for food in London, plenty to cater to all palates... and Mac and cheese is a pub staple! For feeding kids I'd suggest two decent UK pizza chains are Franco Manca and Pizza Pilgrims (though plenty of decent non-chain Italian restaurants). If feeling more adventurous, Brick Lane for curry is wonderful, though walking ten minutes away from the touristy part and crossing over to Tayaabs will get you really excellent curry for cheap. There are also plenty of food courts where the kids can get Mac and cheese and you can have something more exciting (like Seven Dials Market). Samuel Smiths pubs are good for cheap(ish) food and beer in central London, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is particularly quaint.
For stuff to do, the tower of London is a pretty good historic landmark for kids (and you can get a river boat to it from central). The national history museum and science museum are good, the latter has a big video games retrospective called Power Up! which is basically a giant arcade of retro and modern games. You could also check out wonderlab in the science museum for some cool interactive exhibits. Theatre wise, My Neighbour Totoro is spectacular. It's long, but our six year old loved it - depends on attention span (but lots of puppets and music and spectacle). Agree Diana memorial playground well worth a visit, as is letting the kids splash round the nearby Diana memorial fountain. Kings cross (granary square) also has plenty of restaurants, fountains to run around in and a free open air cinema. Lots of other recommendations out of central London and can make some a bit more local if you're staying anywhere outside zone 1.
Re Paris, will leave to see if you have french followers - but most people speak English. Just make sure you attempt to speak a bit of french first, then they will take pity on you 😅
Thank you. :)
I'm torn between telling you that HK Disneyland isn't worth it and lying just to make sure you get out here!
LOL. Fortunately, we're going to (if all goes well) Tokyo Disney first, so HK would be further down the list. ;)
Airalo is a decent way to get cheap data while abroad- though it is finicky, but if the process fails you can call them and eventually they'll get it sorted. Usually its cheaper than international add-ons.
Mostly just my recommendation is to only plan like (1) thing you really want to do each day, because trying to schedule it all with the kids is impossible. So go to the (1) thing you want to do, then see how people are feeling and go to other things.
Also, spoil the children with treats, cus you can build a really positive association with travelling, which I think is healthy. :D
We basically came up with a list of things we'd like to do and a list of things we have to do. The "like to do" is very long, the "have to do" is very short. We're treating this trip as an opportunity to spend time as a family in a different places, *not* a marathon to experience everything.
Went to Paris with my 3 year-old last November. Don't sweat it, you're going to have a great time!
We didn't have any problems with the language barrier. Most everyone we encountered could speak English, though sometimes our conversation started with a blank stare from me as I tried to summon back my college French class lessons to decipher what they had said. Lots of English text/signage and the camera feature of Google Translate provides a good safety net for things like menus.
Try to score a fresh-out-of-the-oven croissant at one of the many bakeries. It might change your life! Other than pastries, we found that traditional French cuisine isn't our favorite so don't be afraid to try some other kinds of restaurants. We had some incredible Italian Carbonara and Japanese Ramen while we were there!
My wife loves scavenger hunts like Where's Waldo, so she was thrilled to keep an eye out for the Invaders, small pixel art displays found on lots of street corners. There's an app, FlashInvaders, to track your progress if you want.
Sounds to me like you have the right attitude of not trying to squeeze in too much. Sometimes the simplest things, like lets stop in this ice cream shop and walk through this park, can have the biggest impact.
Cheers!
Thank you! I will download FlashInvaders. :)