Traveling with children

Some people with 3 very young children would never consider traveling to another country. We are brave (or crazy) enough to try everything at least once. And boy did we learn a lot on this vacation from Spain to Portugal! Traveling with children is certainly not ideal, but if you are physically and mentally prepared it can make things a lot more enjoyable for everyone. First, with very young children you have to be prepared for a very light itinerary. Even the 'kid friendly' ideas in the guide books were too ambitious for us. So we only planned a 5 day visit, instead of a week. We used a baby backpack to carry the infant, which worked out very well, but the other 2 had to walk, and they can only do 1-2 hours of walking total per day. Streets in Europe are not very stroller-friendly because of all the cobblestones, and most sidewalks are very narrow. Luckily, public transportation like the metro or trolleys are very exciting to them and let you navigate the city without exhausting everyone. The oldest really enjoyed counting metro stops on her fingers, and the younger ones even snoozed on the train. Unfortunately, with children you won't be able to do or see as much as you would with adults, because you just need to walk slower, and make frequent stops for snacks, bathrooms, and nose wiping. But the positive side is that children under 5 get free admission to most sites, and travel for free on public transportation, so there is not much harm in trying something for a little while to see if they like it. Of course children get bored just looking at old buildings or artwork, so we took them to castles, churches, and the aquarium. And we made up games for them, like letting them pretend to be knights, princesses, or adventurers. I learned a lot of facts and history from my guidebooks, and enjoyed translating them to kid-friendly stories and sharing those during dull moments.
Another important consideration is what will be your home base for your visit. We knew we could not all share a hotel room for 5 nights, so we found a fully-furnished apartment we could rent for the same price as a hotel room. It was in a quiet historic neighborhood near the castle (where you won't find any modern hotels), had a kitchen to prepare meals, and allowed the kids to sleep in separate bedrooms to get better sleep. Ours was awesome because it was very kid-friendly and had a fully-stocked playroom. The kids loved exploring the new toys and books (which I had to pretend to read to them since they were in Portuguese!) so they were entertained whenever we were home. Our American movies were not compatible with their DVD player, but we played a movie on the computer for them as a special treat once or twice to give the parents a break. Only downsides of renting an apartment is that you will not get typical American standard quality of appliances that you would in a hotel. Biggest difference: no central heating. Portuguese and Spanish winters are mild enough to get by with space heaters in the bedrooms, but it was still quite chilly by our standards. We made a fire and gave the kids lots of blankets, but they did get a little sick, and Danny in particular got a fever which required us to stay home for a while. Also, the bathtubs had a hand held sprayer for a shower. The washing machine was tiny, and we dried things on a clothes line outside. The kitchen oven was tiny too. But everything worked, including the hot water, so I didn't mind the few inconveniences.
Another thing to consider when traveling with children: know when to quit. If you start a trip with your mind set on certain destinations, you may get frustrated or disappointed that the children are interfering. You have to keep an open mind, be flexible, and remember that a family trip is about journeying together, not necessarily getting to destinations. We did not see as much as I wanted to in Lisbon, but we did learn that my husband and I are a good team, and we tried to avoid dragging people around and making them miserable. When Danny got feverish, we had to scratch a day trip to Fatima-a religious pilgrimage I was looking forward to. But it was over an hour away, and he needed to spend a day resting. So instead of creating negative memories and making him sicker, we hunkered down and spent a relaxing and surprisingly fun day at the apartment. A few days later, we thought the kids were feeling better, and attempted a train ride to Sintra, the "essential day trip" 30 minutes outside the city. The kids enjoyed the train ride, but by the time we got there they were obviously exhausted. So, instead of spending an afternoon dragging them around and yelling at them, we swallowed our disappointment, enjoyed lunch in Sintra, and then got back on the train and went home without seeing any castles. But it made it easier to leave the city for good e next day, because we knew we couldn't vacation any longer. I think 4-5 days is the max trip for our family.
A final bit of advice: if you drive, you can bring many more comforts with you. I brought food from home, so we could always offer familiar snacks or alternatives if they didn't like the local offerings. Also, be sure to bring a 1st aid kit and children medicine since it may be difficult to find that in a foreign country. I was so glad we had a thermometer and Tylenol when Danny got feverish. We brought several pieces of baby equipment, including diapers, strollers and backpack carrier, so we would have options. Now we know that the backpack works best! Our apartment provided us with a high chair and crib, so luckily we didn't need those. We even brought some christmas resents for them to open. But we would have had to travel much lighter if we went by plane, so we were not quite ready to try that. However, there are lots of hidden costs of driving: gas is twice as expensive in Europe, there are numerous tolls on the roads (and if you have a large car like a minivan, you will pay class 2 tolls, which are double the class 1 rates.), and you will have to pay for parking during your stay. So in many cases, the costs of driving will be comparable to train or air travel.
So, I wouldn't say every moment of our vacation was successful. There was sickness, bed wetting, whining, and general frustration. But overall, we had a good time and we are glad we came! I have wonderful memories of cobblestones, rich food, an indoor fireplace, christmas lights, quiet down time, and laughter. i will treasure those memories, and hope my family will too. We learned a lot, and hope that our next adventure will go even more smoothly.