Start the New Year off right by planning a trip abroad. Here are seven ways to travel internationally as a family, from dipping your toe in with a weekender to taking the plunge on a RTW (round the world).
1. Weekender
A weekend trip can be a quick way to experience another culture cheaply, especially if you take advantage of airline ticket sales in the off-season. Two or three days is not very much time, so you’ll want to focus on hitting the highlights of your destination. This is not hard, since many travel books have sample itineraries based on your length of stay. You’ll probably still be recovering from jet lag when you get home, so the first day or two back at work will be rough. I will say, however, that “flew to Paris” is still one of my favorite answers to the question, “what did you do this weekend?”
Time is one of the greatest limiting factors on a weekend trip. If you live on the East coast, aim for Quebec, Canada or a major European city. Catching a Friday evening flight should put you on the ground Saturday morning (the time zones work in your favor here). You’ll fly back early Monday morning and arrive late on Monday evening, just in time to put the kids to bed.
This kind of trip is also feasible from the Midwest, since there are dozens of international flights departing from major hubs like Chicago. The farther west you live, however, the more likely it is that you’ll want to aim for Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. Flight times to Asia make a weekend trip impractical, and Europe is only within reach if you spend the whole day Friday traveling.
2. Cruise
A cruise is one of the easiest ways to travel overseas. The cruise ship functions as a floating hotel with restaurants and shops included. The popular cruise lines all have staff dedicated to programs for kids, allowing for some time alone as a couple. You only have to unpack once.
Most of the cruise itineraries familiar to Americans stay in the Caribbean. In a one-week cruise, you’ll visit 4-5 countries and spend one day at each port. You won’t see much of the country in a day. In fact, critics would argue that the experience you’ll get is far from authentic. Shopping for souvenirs just off the ship in Nassau or Basseterre is not the same experience as venturing to the Out Islands or Charlestown. Whether you agree or not depends on your objectives for the trip. If you’re looking for an in-depth exploration of one culture complete with language immersion, then a Caribbean cruise is not the right option. If you’re looking for an easy way to get out of the country and start traveling, it might just be the way to go.
For a longer trip farther afield, consider a transatlantic cruise, a repositioning cruise, or a Mediterranean cruise. A transatlantic cruise won’t have very many port calls, if any. A repositioning cruise will be cheaper than usual but will be scheduled on the shoulder season of the prime vacation window.
3. Business Plus
You have to go abroad for work. Why not take your family with you? Your employer is paying for the hotel and your airfare, leaving you to cover the airfare for the rest of your family. Stay out of legal trouble on this one by checking your company’s policy first. If the policy isn’t clear, or there isn’t one, make sure to get your supervisor’s approval.
It’s not all fun and games. After all, you’re there primarily for work. Add a few days at the start or the end of the trip to do things as a family. Make sure your spouse and your kids know that they’ll be on their own on the days when you’re working. They can have an adventure and tell you all about it at dinner.
4. Visit friends
Sit down and make a list of all the people that you know who live overseas. Family members. Friends from high school or college. Former co-workers. A friend of a friend. There’s a good chance that you know someone who lives abroad. Now it’s time to plan a visit.
Staying with friends might mean not having to pay for a hotel, a considerable savings in some cities. It could also mean that you have a host who knows the city and can introduce you to experiences that only locals know about.
Obviously you will need to coordinate this type of trip in advance with your host. Don’t show up unannounced. Definitely let them know how old your children are as well. It’s polite to bring them a gift, maybe something from home that they can’t get there. Depending on their work schedules and your relationship, they might give you a tour of the town or just a place to drop your luggage and sleep at night. Either way, it’s more than you would have if you stayed at a hotel.
5. Themed Trip
Planning your trip around a theme can provide a good framework and a good start on your itinerary. If you’re a runner, schedule your trip around a race in an exotic location. Take a trip to your ancestral homeland and trace your genealogical roots. Go on a mission trip with your church or sign up with a volunteer organization and spend part of your vacation serving the community that you’re visiting.
Pick an international event and attend it. I have a friend who travels to the summer Olympics every four years. By doing this, he’s seen Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London. Another friend’s family traveled to Germany to see the Passion Play in Oberammergau, an event that only happens once a decade.
6. The Grand Vacation
Not for the faint of heart, this can be a major expense. The word grand indicates the scale of the trip. Typical examples include touring around Europe or Southeast Asia. A grand vacation usually takes place over a summer vacation. It could a few weeks to a few months to however long your wallet can tolerate. I don’t recommend this as the first overseas trip that you go on as a family. If you already have a few smaller trips under your belt and want to kick it up a notch, feel free to give it a go.
7. Round the World
Even bigger than a grand vacation, this is the classic round the world voyage. These can be done on any budget, depending on your comfort level and time available. Be forewarned though – to travel is to be changed. Some people set off on this trip hoping to check off a box on their bucket list and end up traveling permanently.
Your turn
Where will you go in 2016?