How do we pick a destination? It depends on the type of trip!
We always like to take a longer summer European trip, and for that we have developed a sort of secret sauce. We are beach people, we like warm weather, and we particularly love the Mediterranean. Personally, we like to go to off-the-beaten path towns, and discover new places. We’ve traveled to 7 different airports in Italy alone!
Our “secret sauce”:
We like to find a beach town to call “home base” for our trips. Personally, we find this easier than moving around. We get an apartment, ideally within walking distance to the beach, this way we can get comfortable, unpack, do laundry, cook some meals, etc. Having to pack and repack multiple times and move everything with kids seems very time consuming and daunting. We try to avoid it as much as possible.
We have fun searching through places to try to find lesser known gems. We start by doing some googling and looking on Instagram for ideas. Then when we have some ideas we use google maps to really drill down. I’m talking street views, little orange man on the map to really get a feel for what this place is like. Through scouring the map, reading blogs, and looking up local activities, we are looking for some specifics:
- We look for a town that is “happening”. There is something to be said for a quiet secluded vacation spot, but that's just not the vibe that works for us right now. Traveling with kids isn’t quiet, and they require lots of entertainment. We like to look for towns that ideally have a pedestrian street (closed to traffic), parks and playgrounds, supermarkets, entertainment for the kids such as carnivals, zoos, aquariums, and lots of restaurants, cafes, and gelato places.
- Ideally the town wouldn’t be too difficult to reach from the airport (or ferry terminal- depending on how we are arriving).
- Walking distance to a sandy beach. This is important- we like a sandy beach because the water is often more shallow and calmer for the kids to play in. The temperament of the water is another important thing we research for that same reason. We also prefer a sandy beach because you can put your things down, and have a place to sit for the day. Beach culture in Europe can be different than it is in the US so there are some key things you might not know to look for. I will detail more about that in "travel tips".
Once we start really looking into a particular area we start to research what is around it, and what kind of day trips and excursions we can do from this home base. The more interesting things we find the better!
