I'm writing to ask your advice. I would like to get away abroad with my kids (9 and 15), but am unsure where to go. As a 38-year old single mum, I missed out on travel as a youngster. My biggest problem is that the kids have wildly different ideas of what constitutes a good time from one another, and from me! The oldest wants to go to Japan (anime, cool fashion, food, boys etc) or New York (bands, cool fashion, boys etc), and the youngest is happiest anywhere on a horse or messing around with kids her own age. I like talking to adults (in bars, preferably), museums, galleries and reading. If you have any ideas about how I could combine all this in one reasonably-priced trip, I'd be grateful for them! sam
San Francisco, California. I grew up around here, and it meets all of your criteria. You didn't mention where you live now, but i'm guessing England. With the echange rate in your favor, America is a cost effective choice.
San Francisco has everything you mentioned (horseback riding is within one hour of the city). There's bars, world class museums, a decent scene for teenagers, and the weather in california is always pretty good. I went to school in New York, but it's so expensive, and the only horses are the ones that the police ride on.
Posts: 77 | Location: Napa, CA | Registered: October 30, 2003
Thanks Dave, San Fransisco hadn't occured to me before. We are in the UK. Do you think a week in the city and a week in the country would work best? This would give both kids the chance to do stuff they like, without loads of driving. I'm going to go out and buy a 'rough guide' today, but if you want to give me advice about where a slightly alternative family could stay, and ideas for stuff to do, around Easter next year, I'd love to get it. I reckon an apartment hotel or a bed and breakfast would work best in the city. We all like indie music, since I gave up trying to get the kids into dance music, so any advice about gigs or festivals, as well as places to stay, would be really useful. Perhaps a farm holiday or similar would be a good idea for the second week? Do hippy communes and co-ops still exist, or did they all turn into weirdy suicide cults? Thanks again for the inspiration! regards sam
A week in the city and a week out of the city should be plenty of time.
Now that I think about it, you might also want to check out Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas. Right now, Austin is the hottest city in America for indie Music...lots of music clubs. Since it's in Texas, there are sure to be horses, and the weather should also be good in April. But San Francisco is always a safe bet. I'm not sure about hippie communes, but SF is 1/2 hour away from Marin County and Berkeley, which are two cities that are known for that sort of thing. Here's a site for a local "alternative" newspaper: http://www.sfweekly.com/
Posts: 77 | Location: Napa, CA | Registered: October 30, 2003
quote:Originally posted by DaveB: A week in the city and a week out of the city should be plenty of time.
Now that I think about it, you might also want to check out Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas. Right now, Austin is the hottest city in America for indie Music...lots of music clubs. Since it's in Texas, there are sure to be horses, and the weather should also be good in April. But San Francisco is always a safe bet. I'm not sure about hippie communes, but SF is 1/2 hour away from Marin County and Berkeley, which are two cities that are known for that sort of thing. Here's a site for a local "alternative" newspaper: http://www.sfweekly.com/
<Sam>
Posted
I've actually booked flights! Feeling a bit queasy- a months salary! But looking forward to it too, and trawling the net for places to stay and things to do once we get there. I found a hostel (HI Fisherman's Wharf) but it's all booked up, so i think I might send a posting to that paper you mentioned- thanks again sam
Have you considered Thailand, it has something for all ages and there is a dedicated family guide Thailand4Kids.com that has a whole chapter of advice for single parents. We are heading out next week having heard nothing but good reports about Thailand and the people of Thailand.
Children Open Our Eyes.
Posts: 3 | Location: London | Registered: December 11, 2005
