​Costa Rica is a super family friendly exotic and adventurous vacation destination, and there are many regions to explore - whether you love beaches, jungles, mountains, cities, food, nature, wildlife, or Pura Vida lifestyle - you can enjoy them all here! 

If you are short on time, prefer slow travel, or have car sick kids (all 3 of these applied to my family on our recent trip and our first time in Costa Rica) you should stick to ONE region.

For this Spring Break multigenerational family vacation, we chose the region of La Fortuna / Arenal Volcano! Why? After doing lots of research, that volcano just SPOKE to me. It's iconic! And while their beaches look beautiful, I just knew I could not miss Arenal Volcano. And turns out, there is PLENTY to do within 20 minutes of La Fortuna!

Watch our highlights video and keep reading for more details about what to do with kids in Costa Rica, how child and senior friendly various activities are, and of course links to book the hotels and activities we absolutely loved and were perfect for our family, who ranged from 9 to 76 years old!

Disclaimer: links marked with * are affiliate links - you don't spend more but I receive commission from eligible purchases and bookings made after clicking.

FLIGHT:

Obviously the flight you book depends on many factors, most importantly your home airport options and if you prioritize price or convenience (aka flight times and stops)! We prefer flying out of Newark because it's closer and much cheaper to get to with a car service, but since my parents were coming with us, we wanted to get a direct flight, and the cheapest option was JetBlue out of JFK. It ended up being under $500 per person roundtrip, including free carry on, wifi, in-seat entertainment with tons of movies, drinks, and snacks! Check your flight options here* (just TRIPLE check you're searching San Jose (SJO) in COSTA RICA and not San Jose in CALIFORNIA - my mom made this mistake ha!!)

​At the time of booking, I signed up for their Barclay's credit card which gave me $250 credit and gets me 4 free checked bags (which we shared with my parents since we only needed 2).​ Score! The flights were smooth, under 5 hours. That might be long for some, but for seasoned long haul travelers like us, anything is easy when you're used to 24-hr travel days getting to Japan!!

HOTEL: SAN JOSE AIRPORT AREA
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Since our flight arrived in the late evening, we decided to stay at a nearby hotel rather than go into the city or take the 3hr road trip up to La Fortuna in the dark (not recommended!!!!!) After some research, I picked Country Inn & Suites by Radisson San Jose Aeropuerto* because it checked all the boxes:

• close to airport with free airport shuttle (caveat is the shuttle runs hourly til 11pm... we missed it by a few minutes and hubby didn't want to wait an hour for the next one, so we ended up paying for a taxi)
• free buffet breakfast (which was delicious!)
• had a pool
• could hold my family of 5 in one room (we booked a 4-person room and requested a free rollaway, planning to have 1 of our kids bunk with my parents if needed, but they ended upgrading us to a bigger suite instead, which was great!)
• was affordable and cute

HOTEL: LA FORTUNA / ARENAL VOLCANO AREA

Arenal Volcano area is renowned for it's luxurious hot spring resorts, which yes, are obviously amazing, but quite an extravagant splurge for mid-range travelers like us! We decided to go a much more budget-friendly route and I was SO happy that my hours of research paid off when I stumbled across Hotel Lavas Tacotal*. They have spacious motel-style rooms as well as single unit adorable bungalows, laid across their gorgeously landscaped and tropical grounds, with 2 small but lovely pools, volcano views, and a huge open-air restaurant with DELICIOUS breakfast buffet. It's also open for dinner, with a full bar, though we never dined here outside of breakfast. They're very conveniently located as well - a 5 minute WALK to Go Adventure Zip Line meeting point, as well as a convenient store for all of your necessities, and a couple of decent restaurants. And about a 10 minute drive in one direction to downtown La Fortuna, and 10-20 minute drive in the opposite direction to Arenal Volcano.

RENTAL CAR:

We booked our rental car with Adobe Rent-A-Car, after finding a great discount code on this Two Weeks in Costa Rica blog post - not only is it a great 10-20% discount, but you get some great freebies like a 2nd driver, booster seats, and car delivered to your hotel (which we needed since our flight arrived very close to their office closing and we didn't want to risk it)! We had a great experience with them - all the taxes and fees are straightforward from the get go, no hidden costs like some other companies often shock you with at the desk!

RENTAL / DRIVING TIPS:

• Rent wifi with your car, the one we got with Adobe allowed us to sync up to 4 devices before the speed slowed down. My husband synced his iPhone to it and used Car Play to navigate through the wifi, and I could use the wifi to find us a lunch spot or to research our next day's itinerary. Super handy!
• Download and use WAZE for navigation. Our rental agent said something like "If you enjoy being lost, go ahead and use Google or Apple Maps" LOL no thanks! Waze was great, btw! Never steered us wrong once!!
• While the process of renting and driving was super smooth, I could NEVER have driven on those narrow, curvy, terrifying mountainous roads, or the super chaotic streets of San Jose. So, make sure you have a skilled driver with nerves of steel, otherwise consider hiring a driver, Uber, or shuttle. ​

5 DAYS IN COSTA RICA ITINERARY:

DAY 1:  

• Drive San Jose to La Fortuna (about 3 hours)
• Hotel Check In
• Night Hike

CATARATA DEL TORO:
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There are numerous ways to drive from San Jose to La Fortuna. We went to the east and had a nice pit stop at Catarata Del Toro waterfall. We had a later-than-planned-departure from San Jose (due to hubby needing to take some morning work calls at the hotel), otherwise we also would have also visited Blue Falls (literally right next to the other, we just didn't have a moment spare for it).

Catarata Del Toro was GORGEOUS - an impressive 270 ft cascading waterfall within an old volcano crater! The water was actually grey due to nearby Poas Volcano current activity, but the color fluctuates.
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The entrance fee was $15, and you see the waterfall from above pretty much right away. We decided not to decend the hundreds of steps to the bottom due to the rain, instead we hiked around in our ponchos and had a nice relaxing adventure that broke up the drive perfectly. They have a restaurant on site that we were planning to lunch at, but the cook was sick, so we were out of luck there. This was our first lesson in "go with the flow, expect the unexpected" in Costa Rica! Pro tip: always have lots of snacks in the car for unexpected things like this, and being stuck behind cows or construction on the road for random 20-30 minute spans of time!

NIGHT HIKE:

A night hike to see frogs, sloths, and other creepy crawleys at night in the jungle is a MUST DO in Costa Rica. But there are SO many to choose from, I found myself spinning in circles!! Save yourself the time and just book La Fortuna Hikes & Trails night hike* (about $43 per person), which is the one we did and includes a really unique tortilla making class (it actually ended up being a really hefty snack / light meal so consider this when making your dinner plans before or after the hike).

​Our guide was SO amazing! We were all given rechargeable flashlights, and she walked us through pointing out creature after creature, telling us all about them, letting us take our time capturing endless photos and videos.  I had purchased and brought mosquito repellent bracelets and we all wore one but didn't notice many mosquitos, which was shocking - in the jungle and in Costa Rica as a whole. After 5 days I went home with only 2 bites, the kids had more unfortunate because they left the bedroom door open too long and had some in their room overnight. Oops!

Day 2:

• Hanging Bridges
  
• Coffee + Chocolate Tour​

MISTICO HANGING BRIDGES
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There are a few options for hanging bridges, we opted for Mistico Arenal Hanging Bridges* (about $40 per person) and absolutely loved it! It's a long hike, with lots of steep inclines, through gorgeous jungles, but the paths are paved and they even had strollers you could rent so that speaks to how well the paths are made! We didn't book tickets with a guide but recommend you consider it - they will help spot wildlife, take group photos etc! We occasionally came across a group with a guide and were lucky enough to have them point out a couple of vipers and other wildlife for us, so if you don't get a guide, try to stay near a group that does ha!!

One of my 3 kids was terrified of the hanging bridges, I did not anticipate that, so keep it in mind if you have anyone afraid of heights in your group. They are QUITE high, they creak, they swing a bit if anyone isn't walking carefully one foot in front of the other. They are spectacular though, some offer views of rivers, others of the volcano. We just loved it! And it was mostly shaded, we didn't even bother with sunblock and were just fine. Be sure to use the bathroom beforehand, as there's nowhere within the park to go. ​

​LUNCH:  After finishing your hike, they do have ice cream and a restaurant with a stunning view, but if you want to save money, drive a few minutes down the road to Soda La Palma which was recommended to us by a Mistico staff member. It has great food, and even had a mini petting zoo behind it!

​DON JUAN ARENAL COFFEE + CHOCOLATE TOUR
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I should preface this by saying my mother and I almost opted out of this one. It sounded boring for us and the kids, we were just going to send the men while we stayed behind to let the kids swim. Boy oh boy were we mistaken, and I'm SO glad we all went along, despite the pricey admission tickets (about $50 per person)... this tour was EPIC!!!! So hands on, lots to smell, taste, and do. Our guide kept it fun for the kids and was so informative about EVERYTHING involved in the process of growing these crops. We saw a sloth on property, picked and ate fresh bananas off a tree, sucked on fresh cocoa pod seeds (they taste like fruit candy!!), even got to make our own chocolate! Don't sleep on this one, get your tickets for Don Juan Coffee + Chocolate tour here*!! 

​Don Juan is located quite close to the La Fortuna Hikes & Trails, so could be nicely paired back to back with a hike there, although that's a LOT of guided tour in a row if you ask me (and my kids). They're also pretty close to downtown La Fortuna, so we booked the last tour of the day at 4pm and finished at late dusk and headed into town for dinner. We ended up at Volcano Steakhouse, which had a shockingly long wait (not sure if that's typical or they were down on staff) but food was good and vibe was fun, and my parents treated the kids to Pops ice cream afterward!

Day 3:

• La Fortuna Waterfall
  
• Zip Lining

LA FORTUNA WATERFALL

When in La Fortuna, visiting La Fortuna Waterfall* is a MUST DO. Again, like everything else, you must pay to see it, but it's worth it, trust me! It's about $20 per person, there was no discount for kids but my parents got in for dirt cheap after inquiring about their senior rate.

​There are 500 steps down, and another 500 steps back up. My mother opted to sit that hike out but there is a great viewing platform at the top, so she still got to see it from above and waited in the shade for the rest of us to hike down, SWIM at the base of the waterfall, and hike back up. We were all nervous about that climb back up, but honestly, take it slow, take lots of breaks (for just looking around and enjoying nature!), and it's no problem, really!!

​Be VERY careful though, the rocks by the waterfall are VERY VERY SLIPPERY!!! Also, if swimming out, be careful not to kick the rocks, there's a drop off a bit out where you can swim without concern about rocks, but when coming back in, just use your arms as you get closer. Ask us how we know (ouch!). Also, be mindful of your things. There was some security guards down there, not sure I would rely on them. They have lockers at the top so I advise you to leave valuables at home or in the lockers, and only bring down your clothes, shoes, towel, water bottle, and your phone in a waterproof phone pouch (see my "Costa Rica shopping list" at the bottom of this post for other must-brings)!

GO ADVENTURE ZIP LINE

Zip lining is right up there with night hiking for "must do" in Costa Rica. There are many locations and companies to choose from, and we struggled big time with this decision, especially since my father has Parkinson's and he was very very nervous about his ability to properly hold onto the line. We ultimately chose Zip Lining with Go Adventure* because at about $60 per person they were MUCH cheaper than some others, the tour included multiple zip lines AND an optional (but no extra fee) rappel, a Maleku experience, and admission to nearby Montaña de Fuego hot springs (and hot springs in the area are quite pricey so it was like 2 birds one stone here). Oh, and the meeting point was literally a 5 minute walk from our hotel. Winner winner chicken dinner!​

​And were were 1,000% happy with our pick, Go Adventure was amazing!!! It was the first time zip lining for all of us, and we had THE best time! SO exhilarating, terrifying, breathtaking - all the feelings at once!! We were overwhelmed with the instructions at first, and totally anxious walking out to that first line. But everything felt very safe and secure - you were hooked onto the tree or the cable line basically at all times. We were SO high up but after that first zip, everyone felt amazing, even Mia who had been terrified on the hanging bridges was fine with this - so funny!!

They have lockers at the meeting point so you can leave bags and valuables there. They don't recommend bringing ANYTHING with you on the zip lining tour, but I wore my DJI Osmo action camera on a harness (on my shopping list at the bottom of this post!), and my husband brought his iPhone and kept it secured in his pocket while ziplining. If you do bring a camera, make sure it is held close to your body and fully secured. You dont want to get tangled, and you dont want to drop something - all the platforms are a gridlike metal so very easy for little things to fall through or larger things to bounce and be gone forever in the jungle! You can hire a professional camera person there, it was quite pricey but if you dont have a camera that can be secured safely, and want to capture amazing stuff, you may want to splurge. But we were happy with the DIY videos and photos we got on our own.

​After such an adventurous day, we were all exhausted and were glad to find nearby Mirador Arenal Steakhouse (across the street from our hotel) for dinner (and I treated myself to a Passion Fruit Mojito - YUM!), and afterwards, a cute little convenient store (next to Go Adventure) where we were all treated to ice cream again by my sweet toothed Mom! Score!! Sweet end to a sweet day!

Day 4:

• Arenal 1968
  
• Hot Springs​

ARENAL 1968 LAVA FLOW LOOP HIKE

As if we hadn't done enough hiking, JUST ONE MORE we told the kids! The Arenal 1968 hike (about $25 a person) is a must do in the area, it was a much more strenuous hike than we anticipated, AND we opted for the shorter loop, too! It also had lots of sunny areas - my shoulders deeply regretted not putting on that sunblock today! Definitely put on sunblock, bring water, use the bathrooms, and grab the hiking sticks they have at the entrance. There's plenty of wildlife to see, bring a guide for the best experience, otherwise just pay attention to other hikers looking at stuff, that's how we discovered most of the creatures we saw in Costa Rica! On this hike we saw a sloth, a Coati climbing through the trees, and some gorgeous birds with very interesting calls (listen to them in my youtube at the top of this post)! 

​At the end of the hike is a cute cafe with GORGEOUS views, but again, we opted to drive onward to a Soda for a cheaper lunch. This time we visited Soda Arenal, which had amazing food and a super cute dog my mom and kids had fun feeding from the table, ha!

Montaña de Fuego hot springs + pool
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Montaña de Fuego is one of the few all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica, maybe the only one in La Fortuna area? It's a beautiful property, and they have a lovely pool with swim up bar, jacuzzi, kiddie pool, 3 lovely manmade healing mineral hot springs, and volcanic mud to slather on your body - and a day visit for these is included with your Go Adventure wristband!! You don't have to go the same day, just don't take off your wrist band and you'll be admitted! There are no lockers, towels, or changing rooms though, so keep that in mind and BYO stuff. They do have bathrooms to use, so no worries there.  You can also purchase food and drinks. It's a fun and relaxing time, we really enjoyed it as a "free" way to have the volcanic hot springs experience essential in La Fortuna (the bigger venues are very very pricey, but again, do your research - you may find buying day passes worthwhile, or you may decide to splurge on a luxury Hot Spring Resort as your accommodation, which includes use of their hot springs).

Day 5:

• check out
  
• La Paz Waterfall Gardens

Check out and go home day, we chose La Paz Waterfall Gardens as our pit stop on the road trip back this time and it was PERFECTION! Definitely give yourself plenty of time there, I think we were there about 5 hours and could have stayed longer!! The grounds and location were spectacular, possibly the best "zoo" we've ever been to - it's an animal sanctuary so all of the animals are rescues, and all (or mostly all?) local to Costa Rica. There's a butterfly aviary where they fly all around and land on you. You can see UP CLOSE tons of animals including spider monkeys, sloth, puma, jaguar, ocelot, toucan, venomous snakes, and more!

I highly recommend paying a little more for the admission ticket that includes the buffet lunch, for one because there's nothing else in the area and honestly the cost is barely more than you'd pay at a soda, and it's BUFFET with drinks, too. Admission is about $54 per adult without lunch, and $69 with lunch. The food was delicious!!! And great way to fuel up for the lovely hike that takes you to FIVE waterfalls!! At the end of the (up and down hike with lots of stairs) they have a free shuttle that takes you back to the entrace. Even my parents did the hike, so while it's not stroller or wheelchair friendly, it's quite doable for most people.

TIPS, TRICKS, + PERSONAL TAKEAWAYS:

• Costa Rica is not a CHEAP destination. It's cheaper than things here in the NYC metro area, but it's not a "whoaaaa this is cheap!" kind of destination. And what shocked me most was EVERYTHING has a pricey admission fee, even hikes and waterfalls we're used to being free or dirt cheap in America. But once you've been to a few and see how wonderfully they're taken care of with beautiful bathroom facilities and paved trails and walking sticks to borrow, you start to understand a bit more - our admissions are basically paying for these private parks and places to be kept really really nice, paying for staff, etc. Tourism is a big economy in Costa Rica, and we pay for the high standards they maintain! A few things that helped us were requesting tap water at restaurants (tap water is safe in Costa Rica - we drank it everywhere), going to cheaper open air restaurants called "soda" for lunch (we went to several and they were all great, with plenty of variety, and had a nice chill local vibe), but otherwise just kind of letting go, and not being stingy. BOOK epic bucket list activities. DO the things. ENJOY your trip - this is why you work hard to save money! You may never get the chance to zip line through a jungle with sloths again! Just do it (and don't glance at the $300 receipt for your family of 5's 2-hour activity!) 
• It was not crowded at all when we went (for NJ spring break in mid April), and we only had 1 rainy day, so we really lucked out! During peak travel time (December - March perhaps?) it can be quite busy and various hotels, rental cars, and activities will be booked out. I researched SO SO SO much before out trip and had pages of ideas for what to do, with a short list of "must do's", but we didn't actually book any activities until we were down there, either the day of or the day before. Keeping things super flexible was a new concept for me, but it went well! We had no issues doing this, but again, it wasn't peak tourist season.
• While we are not hardcore "slow travel" people, we have adapted this way a bit for the sake of our kids. As you'll notice in our itinerary above, we tried to do a morning activity and an afternoon activity, with a pool + play break for the kids after lunch. This also gave the adults a chance for a mini siesta, or in my case, to post some Instagram stories and research for th enext day while serving as lifeguard.  Nobody ended this vacation feeling like they needed a vacation, yet everyone felt completely fulfilled that they really lived it up! It was the perfect balance!
• Shockingly we did not need to exchange money or use an ATM while in Costa Rica. We used credit card for everything - just be sure to use a credit card that doesn't charge international transaction fees, my favorite is the Chase Sapphire® Credit Card (click my referral link if applying, so I'll earn some free points), and always charge in the local currency as it'll be a better conversion rate), and many places also accepted US dollars. I do recommend bringing a bunch of US dollar bills as they're handy for tipping. 
• I was nervous about petty crime and scams, but we did not come across anything even remotely sketchy. That said, we were always careful, staying alert, and being mindful of our belongings and surroundings - just like anywhere, even in our hometown.

SHOPPING / PACKING LIST:

• bug spray* (just don't spray it on outside - be mindful of the wildlife!) and/or mosquito repellent bracelets*
• waterproof phone pouches*
• action camera and mount to capture amazing things like ziplining, surfing, etc - I love my new DJI Osmo Action 4* and off-brand accessory kit, which I bought for this trip!
• water-safe sandals* with closed toes and heel strap (think Keens, though I love my more budget-friendly hiking sandals from Dream Pairs) - lots of places require proper shoes for hiking and activities, and it seems these qualify, though we wore regular sneakers for everything other than La Fortuna Waterfall.
• swimsuit
• ​sunscreen
• poncho
• hiking backpack - no need for anything huge just make sure it's comfy, waterproof or water-resistant, can hold your water, poncho, etc.
• US dollar bills for tipping

Some of our other Travel Guides + Family Friendly Itinerary we think you'll enjoy:

• 6 Days in Iceland 
• 5 Days in Paris
• Japan
• Lancaster, PA
• Travel Prep + Packing Guide

​Are you a family of 5 trying to plan a budget trip to Paris? Looking for a kid-friendly Paris itinerary? From how to score cheap flights to Europe to where to stay and what to do and eat, we got you!! Here's our Paris Family Travel Guide - with everything we did on our recent short and sweet (<1 week) Paris family vacation so you can see Paris on a budget is TOTALLY doable!! And if you like, just copy, paste, and adjust for your own family's trip! Kick it off by watching our fun highlights video, don't forget to download our FREE travel prep + packing list here (handy for ANY trip), and read on for details!

BUDGET FRIENDLY FLIGHT TO PARIS
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​We scored roundtrip tickets from Newark NJ (EWR) to Paris Orly with low cost carrier French Bee and were super impressed with the service! The free personal item is the smallest of any airline I've seen (smaller than a standard backpack!), and there's no free "carry on" luggage allowance, BUT no one once measured our backpacks or made a fuss about us also having a bag of food and big neck pillows. Whether we got lucky or French Bee is much nicer about their limits than others such as Spirit and Frontier, I'm not sure...

We  did purchase ONE (max 50 pound) checked bag for our family of 5 to share ($70 each way). In total, it ended up being just under $500 per person round trip! The seats, leg room, and service were equivalent to any carrier we've been on i.e. just fine. Where French Bee stands out as a budget carrier is that they have IN SEAT entertainment, for free!! They had 55 movies and tv shows, though more than half were only in French, they did have some recent and "cult classic" American block busters! They have tons of in-flight meals and snacks and beverages you can order, and the prices were comparable to what you would find in the airport, so you can skip lugging them around and just order on the plane, even a hot meal! Order ahead if you need a special diet meal though.

Apartment Hotel

While researching where to stay, I quickly realized that most hotels in Paris accomodate only 2-3 people, max. So a big family of 5 or more needs to book adjoining rooms ($$$), a suite ($$$$$), or do like we did and find an apartment hotel. This is DEFINITELY your best bang for your buck since you'll get way more space, which means a kitchen and dining area (so you can save money by going to the grocery store and cooking a bit, if you want). And let's face it, you need time away from eachother after sightseeing all. day. long. Am I right?! AirBNB is fine, but I really recommend finding a complex like we got, which had a really nice common space in the lobby so when my husband was WIDE AWAKE at 3 am, he could escape down there to read without waking the rest of us up!

We booked 5 nights in a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment at the Quartier Libre Saint Georges and LOVED it!! They had a helpful staff member in the lobby during daytime, AC (you could control individually in each bedroom and the living room!), free wifi (all 5 of us on devices and no issues), free luggage storage, great L'occitane​ shampoo/conditioner/body wash in the shower, Keurig coffee maker, dishwasher etc etc. One of our bedrooms had the cutest view, too! No complaints, this place was amazing, and close to the subway, though we only did Uber vans, more on that in a bit!

GETTING AROUND PARIS

Metro and bus are probably a great option... usually. However, they doubled the ticket prices during the Olympic Summer 2024 so at 4 euros a pop, it did not make sense for our family of 5 to do that since an Uber van was just barely more expensive and was door to door and without the risk of getting pick pocketed or losing a child LOL. So, for distances under 1.5 miles, we walked, which is always our favorite. For distances over that, we ordered Uber van which were always SO nice "luxury" vehicles with really cool seating - the 2nd row faces backwards and the 3rd row forwards so you face eachother and have so much leg room!! Some of the vans also had HUGE moon roofs which made for great sight seeing.  You use your same Uber app that you use back in the US, and then you don't have to worry about language barrier or getting scammed with a street-hail taxi.

Our 5 Day Itinerary:

Day 1(A):
I don't really count this since it includes our overnight flight, which arrived at Paris Orly around 1PM. We grabbed a taxi from the official taxi stand (yes, they do have vans there for 4-6 passengers, ours was 49 euro flat fee, payable by credit card). It was almost 4pm by the time we got to our hotel, so we checked in, dropped bags off, and immediately went out to find dinner and explore the area. Even though I hadn't slept on the flight, I didn't want to let myself or anyone take a nap or go to bed before 7PM at the earliest. That's my best hack for jet lag LOL!

Day 1:
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LOUVRE 
Unfortunately, Mia woke up feeling incredibly sick and nauseas, so I stayed at the hotel with her and my husband took the other 2 to the Louvre, since timed tickets were required (a summer olympic thing?). We were really bummed to miss it, but glad they could see the Mona Lisa, and apparently the kids really enjoyed the museum! We were nervous about lines but apparently it took them all of 15 minutes to get inside, and after waiting in the Mona Lisa crowd they did eventually get up close.

Panthéon
Built in the 1700s, this building is spectacular, top to bottom!!! Foucalt’s pendulum is a cool sight, suspended from a steel wire 67m long! You'll see tombs of Voltaire and Rousseau (entombed in 1791 and 1794 respectively) on the main floor, and and many many others in the crypts below. I’ve heard the view from the Panorama is one of the best in Paris, just double check the hours because it closed before we had a chance to go up and I was so bummed!! Head to nearby La Crêperie for lunch or dinner or a snack - best (savory) crepe of my life!

Jardin du Luxumbourg
25 hectacres of free and beautiful gardens and park, this is a great place to walk around and relax! There are little boats kids can rent and "drive", there's a mini statue of liberty, a museum, and more. It does close, pretty early, I think it closed at 7pm and the playgrounds had closed even before that! So again, double check times before planning your day! For us, this wasn't a destination but rather an intentional walk-through to get from Pantheon to our next stop.

AURA INVALIDES
​I’ve never experienced anything like AURA Invalides before, and I honestly cannot recommend it highly enough! The Dôme des Invalides is a gorgeous monument on its own, but seeing it through new light (pun intended) was absolutely CHILLING!! The music, the light mapping, it was intense and we absolutely loved every second of it. You can sit down on steps around the dome for most of the show, but there’s a 15-20 minute period in the middle they encourage you to walk around to see the different areas, including Napoleon’s tomb!! The lights and music are still going while exploring, it’s just such an incredible experience!! It is a nighttime event only. Our session started around 9:30pm and lasted 50 minutes. We got home around 11pm. So take that into account if going with younger kids or if you'll be fighting jet lag.

DAY TWO:

Palais Garnier / Arsène Lupin and the Secret of the Opera
​To see and explore the Paris Opera House / Palais Garnier on a whole new level, be sure to get tickets for Arsène Lupin and the Secret of the Opera detective game on your next trip to Paris! It's not easy - it's recommended for ages 10+, but it 's a fun and immersive way to get kids/teens/adults involved and working together as a team instead of just traditional sightseeing! If you finish the game, you even get invited into some rooms usually closed off to the public!

Galeries Lafayette Mall + Terrace
This historic high end department mall is right across from the opera and a must see for a few reasons. For one, there's a great FREE view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower from the 6th floor terrace! The view inside is stunning as well, with a huge stained glass dome. They also have a great food court, and lovely (free) bathrooms! It's a great place to stop for food, rest, and a view. And if you love high end shopping, of course, have at it!!

Covered Passages
Paris is famous for their many covered passages - some luxurious, some quirky, some run down, but there are so many and they're fun to explore! You can buy a tour, or you can research and plop them on your own map for a DIY walking tour like we did - we found a few that were clustered enroute from the Opera House to our next stop and enjoyed wandering through them all! I found this guide super helpful!

Sainte-Chapelle
The most spectacular stained glass I have seen. Ever. Anywhere! Just Wowwwwww! Commissioned by King Louis IX, completed in 1248, Saint-Chapelle is a must see when in Paris! There was quite a long line, even with our timed tickets. You go through security like an airport. And there is a tiny staircase to reach THE. SPOT. But it’s 100% worth it!!! 360° surrounded by 1113 stained glass windows.

Centre Pompidou
This truly unique "inside out" Centre Pompidou building is a piece of art in and of itself - with escalator tubes between the floors on the outside, providing great views of Paris! Journey inside to see works from famous artists such as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol! It's a really interesting art museum for both young and old, our family really enjoyed it. 

Luminiscence at Saint-Eustache Church
This was the second spectacular night time light mapping and musical show we saw in Paris and it was equally amazing, but totally different! This one took place in the stunning 16th century Saint-Eustache Church, with lights projected 30m high 360 all around. Seated comfortably in the pews, you're taken on a journey through time, from the Middle Ages to the Baroque and the Renaissance. The scenes they could achieve with lights just blew me away - at one point when you looked up at the top of the cathedral, you could "see" rain and lightning hitting the "glass" ceiling - just WOW!!! The music, by greats such as Vivaldi, Bach, Fauré, Handel and Lully, was moving, with pipe organ behind us and a haunting live chorus up front. Unfortunately it seems that we saw one of the last shows in Paris, and it will be moving on to Lille and Nice next, so if you find yourself planning a trip to one of these places, definitely check their schedule!

DAY 3:

Seine River Cruise on Bateaux-Mouches
There are many companies operating cruises along the Seine River, so whether you want a private ride, a party boat, or a romantic dinner, you'll find something and have a great time! We were gifted Champagne Cruise tickets on Bateaux-Mouches, which is basically a 1 hour ride on their sightseeing cruise, plus you get a bottle of champagne to drink on the boat or bring home and have later (don't drink out on the banks of the river or by the Eiffel Tower - despite it being Europe, you cannot drink alcohol in public in Paris!). I was shocked that the boat was not crowded (there's a huge uncovered upper deck and covered lower deck, both with great views), and my son was thrilled that it was so smooth to not trigger his motion sickness!! We stopped by cute Japanese cafe Saint Pearl and brought delicious sandwiches on board to eat while we cruised, which worked out perfectly. They had narration throughout the ride in many languages, though honestly it was difficult to hear, and we sailed under a million bridges and by all the big sights, including my favorite, the Eiffel Tower! I highly recommend Bateaux-Mouches for a regular cruise, Sunday Brunch cruise, dinner cruise, or any of their offerings!

Eiffel Tower
Apparently you need to book tickets for the TOP of the Eiffel Tower 90 days ahead. Well, news flash, I hadn't even decided to go to Paris yet at that point so, spoiler alert, we didn't get to go to the top. We discussed it and decided none of us really needed to go in the Eiffel Tower at all, so we didn't, and no regrets!! What we really enjoyed was being around it. Spotting it from across town, going by it on the boat, and most of all, walking around the area getting amazing up close and personal shots! Walk along the Seine River, cut in on Av. de la Bourdonnais, and stop by Rue de l'Université for a super cute "Paris street with Eiffel Tower behind you" shot (the righthand photo below). We stopped at nearby La Coquette for ice cream and really enjoyed sitting outside, drinking bottles and bottles of free tap water, and got a free toilet break, too LOL! If you know you know... water and toilet is the constant struggle (more on this in  my tips section at the end of this post).

Champs-Elysées + Arc du Triomphe
We walked from Eiffel Tower, down the beautiful tree lined Champs-Elysées (making sure to take a peek inside the fancy McCafe, as demanded by our 11 year old), ending at the Arc du Triomphe. Make sure to take the underground tunnel (not the subway, it's one just for the Arc) so you can pop up on the little island where the Arc is. That's free, you can walk around outside, see the eternal flame, take photos etc. You'll need a ticket to go up inside the Arc, which we didn't do. We were in a rush because we had timed tickets at our next location.

Catacombs
We jumped in a taxi and hauled booty across town for our 5pm timed ticket to the Paris Catacombs, which was WAYyyyyy different from all of the other sights we've been seeing! This one has you journey 131 step spiral staircase (20m / 5 stories) down to the Paris Catacombs, home to 6 million corpses that were transferred from cemeteries in the late 1700s due to overcrowding and public health concerns. Originally limestone mines, they're now the world's largest gravesite spanning 180 miles of labyrinth beneath the city! But the official catacombs where we get to go is just a 1.5km stretch that has been organized and reinforced. I definitely recommend paying extra for the audio tour, we did not and kind of regret it. There's not a whole lot of information once you're down there.

DAY 4: Montmatre

​Promotrain / Le Petit Train Montmatre
There are a few ways to get up to Montmatre, the most elevated (and adorably picturesque) neighborhood in all of Paris. The funicular is a popular option, but we opted to use our (gifted) Go City Paris Explorer Passes to take the Promotrain / Le Petit Train up and highly recommend it!! It's a comfy open air (but they can close it off in bad weather) super cute (if not rather bumpy) mini train ride winding through the streets up from Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
I fell in love with Sacre Coeur Basilica when watching the film Amelie in 2001, and it along with all of Montmatre became my favorite place in Paris on my last visit, when studying abroad in Germany back in college. It did not disappoint this time around, nothing has changed, it's as beautiful and charming as ever (despite being very crowded)! 

The line to get into the Basilica was long but moved fast (our kids explored the "love locks" and then sat on the steps playing rock paper scissors as hubby and I inched along in the line). It's free to go into the church, but you do need paid tickets to go up to the dome for a spectacular view over Paris. Despite the fee and narrow 300 step spiral staircase climb, it's 100% worth it. Quiet, breezy, and so lovely up there!

La Mere Catherine
We used our (gifted) Go City Paris Explorer passes again for an absolutely lovely 3 course meal at the historic La Mere Catherine in Montmatre, founded in 1793. We first sat outside in the gorgeous lush and green covered patio, but the bees really scared Mia, so by course 2 we moved inside, which was also nice! The Paris Pass allowed us several choices for each of the 3 courses, so between the 5 of us we got to try just about everything on the menu! Highlights were of course trying some French classics including escargot (thankfully our waiter took the time to demo how to get them out of the shell and onto the bread), ratatouille, and crème brulée!! It was a long meal, about 2 hours, but a wonderful break from a busy day, in a super cute and lively area!

Night Time Eiffel Tower
We walked back to our hotel after Montmatre for a quick rest (and to share a bottle of champagne from the cruise) before taking an Uber down to the Port Debilly area on the Seine River to finally see the Eiffel Tower at night. No one could tell us for sure what time it would light up or start its on-the-hour 5 minute sparkle show, but we were getting hints that it would be late, at 9 or 10. We got some snacks and just hung out down there, with many people of the same idea. It wasn't crowded, just a nice lively and safe feeling scene. The police did drive and walk through, and we saw them stop and tell several groups that they couldn't drink alcohol (they seemed like very friendly interactions though, not like they're out to ticket or punish anyone). The first "sparkle" show was at 10pm (probably earlier in winter but sunset in summer isn't til 9 so it makes sense) and we were VERY underwhelmed. There was no "show" it literally just sparkled, which was pretty, but was it worth 40+ euros on our roundtrip uber? probably not... but no regrets. Maybe you can schedule better so you're down in that area at night anyway! It was still a nice little adventure and we took a ton of photos, of course. I'm just obsessed with this tower!

DAY 5

Choco-Story / Musee du Chocolate
We used our (gifted) Go City Paris Explorer Passes for the 3rd time for entrance to Choco-Story (the pass also gifts you the most delicious hot chocolate at the end of the visit, without the pass you can purchase for 3euro). The museum was fun and very informative. There were 3 stories, each focusing on the history of chocolate, from ancient to medieval times to present day, and included lots of interactive bits. There was also a short movie and a really cool "virtual" cooking show with 3 chocolate makers. There's some free chocolate throughout the musuem and fun workbooks that help kids look for information and have a more interactive experience (they got a chocolate lollipop at the end when they turned in their completed books!).

The museum was cool but what we REALLY enjoyed, one of the highlights of our entire time in Paris, was the chocolate making workshop they hosted us on (you can purchase together or separately from museum admission). It was a small group and a chocolate maker, who was so helpful in demonstrating every step and helping us as needed. We got to use fondu type melted chocolate (milk, white, and dark chocolate) to dip marshmallows, truffles, and orange rinds, and had an assortment of toppings to use! Next, we used baggies to fill and create our own chocolate bars!! Best part - you get to keep all your chocolate (lasts about 2 months)! Such a unique experience, incredibly fun for kids and adults!!

Journey Home!
After the epic chocolate making workshop, we walked home, picking up lunch, eating in the lobby of our hotel, and ordering our final Uber Van of the trip. Paris Orly is a nice airport, plenty of food to choose from if you want to eat there or stock up for the flight. I searched all over and asked and everyone told me there were NO water fountains or water fillers, so I kept asking at the food court and they filled up our bottles. BUT, I finally did find one at the very end of our terminal, so, there is one, just very hard to find. Our flight left just before 7pm and we ended up ordering meals (8euro a pop) on the flight which were satisfying! I watched a few movies and before we knew it, our 8 hour flight was over and we were back in New Jersey around 10pm! If you can, I recommend NOT sleeping on the flight, so you get home, exhausted, and go right to bed at a normal "home" hour, lessening jet lag big time!

​PARIS TRAVEL TIPS:

• SAVE MONEY WITH A PASS: There are many passes to choose from, but basically if you know you're going to be doing X amount of museums / tours / activties, you can save BIG by going with a pass. We were gifted Go City Paris Explorer Passes which gave us 3 covered activities each - you can get a pass with more activities, or an "all inclusive" one that is good for X amount of days and even includes all of the museums - that can be a great bang for your buck!! The app is super easy to use, some activities require special reservation but for others you just show up, they scan your pass, and you're in!
• START IN FRENCH:  A great tip I got on TikTok was always start any conversation with a greeting (bonjour or bonne soi) and then asking (in french) if they speak English "Parlez-vous anglais?" We found this the most polite and best chance of having positive interactions with French people, who, let's be honest, are not alone in the world for being infamously not super fond of Americans ;) But we did our best to be polite, friendly, and respectful, and found everyone we came across to be equally nice and very helpful!
• CLOSING TIMES: We were caught off guard with many places closing much earlier than we would have thought. Huge parks closing at 7pm, playgrounds even before that. One panorama randomly closed 1.5 hours during "lunch break" and another panorama closing a couple hours before the monument. It messed us up many times and was pretty frustrating :/ So... do your research but know you'll probably still encounter some scheduling snafuus!
• PICK POCKETS: Paris is one of the worst 3 cities in Europe for pick pocketing, with Metro, Louvre, Eiffel Tower areas being the worst. Thankfully we didn't have any trouble but we were more than prepared and I was VERY on guard. NEVER put your phone in a pocket or down on the table (I always had mine on a lanyard around my neck and zippered in my purse, which i wore cross body on my front. Always question motives of anyone who approaches or bumps you. We did trust a few people to take our family photo for us, but always watched them for a few minutes before approaching them, and only fellow families - a reciprocal service kind of thing. Once we had a solo man come up and offer to take our photos, it was a quick "no, thank you" for me! He could have been just being nice, but not worth taking the risk!
• BREAKS (toilet, water, food + feet): We are typically American, always carrying our stainless steel water bottles around with us. But... these get heavy and water fountains are really not a thing you can easily find around Paris! By day 2 we were leaving these home and had gotten into a groove of lumping together 4 birds into 1 stone: basically every time we stopped, we made sure it was a cafe or restaurant where we could use the toilet, rest our feet, and hydrate with free tap water. What did this look like? We had breakfast at our hotel and headed out around 10. By 1 we stopped for lunch (and water, toilet, rest). Around 4pm we stopped for ice cream (and water, toilet, rest). Around 6:30pm we stopped for dinner (and water, toilet, rest). LOL!
• PHONE SERVICE: I see influencers talking about purchasing travel SIMs but we had no issues at all with service on our iPhones (with e-sims) in Paris. My husband upgraded to a big international data plan on T-Mobile and I have International Day Pass with AT&T but never had to use it, just kept it on airplane mode and used free wifi (available at many places) and used my husband as a hot spot a couple of times.

Japan is a bucket list trip for many people, and many wonder whether or not it's worth taking the kids when they're young, waiting til they're older, or waiting til they're out of the next and just going with your partner! I'll say, any and ALL of these are excellent choices!! We're lucky in that my husband is from Japan so we get to go and have a place to stay basically whenever we want, but are limited in that the flights alone cost a good $7-10k for our family of 5... I lived there for 5 years pre-kids and we've been back with kids 3 times so far. This blog post will host videos from our latest trip, in the summer of 2023, featuring lots of Japanese cultural nuances and tidbits such as tours of a typical Japanese home, as well as touristy spots like Kyoto, Arashiyama, Arima Onsen, and Universal Studios Japan (hello NINTENDO WORLD!!!). If you have any questions or comments, throw them below!!!

PART 1:
Features: our flight to Japan on United), Obon Matsuri, Japanese house tour + Tatami Room explanation, Japanese katana + suriken, Japanese washlet (bidet toilet) demo, how they grow rice / rice field, garbage and recylcling in Japan, Japanese vending machines, Japanese cemetery / graveyard, Japanese conbini haul / convenient store tour, Japanese bath and shower explanation, Japanese genkan / entryway, Japanese tatami mats, shoji doors, home shrine, Japanese shrine, Kaiten Sushi / Revolving Sushi and ROBOT, Japanese McDonald's Menu, Karaoke in Japan (private karaoke party room),  Japanese Temple, and jetlag in kids.

PART 2:
Featuring Japanese yen lesson, Yamaguchi-cho town hall children's center & shoe changing / bathroom slipper lesson, how to open Conbini Onigiri (rice ball packaging), Japanese shopping mall / Randoseru, Japanese food court / children's meals, squat toilet vs washlet in Japan, Rajio Taiso (morning TV exercise), me playing piano after 20 years!, Japanese babies and home BBQ,  Japanese pinata "Suica Wari", Japanese bakery "Sanbonmatsu Pan", meeting 3 of our 4 Japanese nieces and nephews for the first time!, Buying & using train tickets / train to Kyoto.

PART 3: Kyoto + Arashiyama
Featuring: room tour of Kyoto Hotel Androoms, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Gion ward of Kyoto, Aloe Yogurt, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Arashiyama Monkey Park, Kiyomizu Dera Temple, How to take onsen / sento (public bath) in Japan, Higashi Hongashi Temple, Gatcha Gatcha Capsule Machines, Takoyaki, machinery for planting and harvesting rice, and local farmland, Mos Burger (japanese fast food hamburger), Okinomiyaki restaurant.

PART 4: Universal Studios Japan
Featuring our day at Universal Studios Japan, including Super Nintendo World (we even got to ride Mario Kart Koopa's Challenge), the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and much more!!

PART 5:
Featuring Danjiri Matsuri Festival Cart , Taiko Drum Demo, Japanese shoe and indoor slipper culture, Arima, 1 of Japan's Top 3 Onsen (Hot Spring) Towns, BBQ with Rio's friends from college, Japanese Fireworks (hanabi), Family & Cousins feat. Japanese B-Boy breakdancing, Nashi Somen (Noodle Slide / Flowing Bamboo Noodles), Japanese Middle School, Sushi & Robot, Playground, Yakiniku and trying beef tongue, Japanese Futon and Sleep Culture,  Japanese public bathroom tour, Airport goodbye! Flying Osaka KIX - SFO San Francisco with United - Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz & San Francisco!

See our past Japan trips including:

• Summer 2017 Family Trip to Japan (with 1 year old twins and 3 year old) 
• Summer 2014 Family Trip to Japan with our Toddler 

See other helpful family travel tips, destination inspiration, and more here!!

Volcanos. Glaciers. Whales. Geothermal pools. And SO so so many breathtaking waterfalls. Iceland is a nature lover's paradise, a quick flight from NYC area, and everyone speaks English fluently (more or less)! If the Land of Fire & Ice is not on your travel bucket list yet, I hope this blog post inspires you to add it right at the top!

We did Iceland on a budget, so I'm thrilled to share our trick to scoring cheap flights to Europe, and booking a cheap hotel in Iceland (that is big family friendly!). While I have you, don't forget to download our FREE travel prep + packing check list here (for ANY travel, not just Iceland).

​While most travelers plan their Iceland trip during their more temperate summer months, I'm thrilled to show you why spring is perhaps the BEST time to visit Iceland (spoiler: there are zero crowds, there are gorgeous snowy landscapes galore, and you'll have enough night time for Northern Lights but long enough daylight for 12+hr sightseeing days).  I'll share every aspect of my family's Iceland itinerary so you can quickly copycat our multigenerational family vacation, and I will include tons of tips and things to consider when planning and customizing your trip.

If you want to sit back and be entertained with beautiful footage of Iceland, watch our youtube highlights video below first! Then read on for all of the details!!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored but we were provided some tickets free to in exchange for including them in our vacation guide, and they're noted below. This post also contains some affiliate links below, noted with ** - as an Amazon Associate, I receive commission from purchases made after clicking those links.

FLIGHTS:

​Flight times and prices will vary depending on your home airport and time of year, but I was able to find $280 roundtrip direct flights on Iceland's budget carrier, Play Airlines, for my family flying from Stewart International Airport in Newburgh NY (1 hr from NYC) to Reykjavik. INCREDIBLE!! It was about 4 hours there and 6 hours back, an easy peasy flight from the US east cost! 

When on Play's website, play around (see what I did there LOL) with the dates to find the best fare, and definitely also check out Kayak and Google Flights to compare with larger carriers. Think of how much baggage you'll need to bring and calculate that into your total cost. For example, with Play, only a "personal item" (SMALL backpack) is included in the lowest fare ticket. My family purchased ONE checked bag to share, and it was an amazing deal for us! But if your family needs a checked bag for each person plus you want in-seat entertainment and meal service, a higher priced ticket with a traditional carrier might be a better deal.​​

If budget travel is your thing, make sure to come back and read these 2 blog posts (or click over and bookmark them now!):

• How to pack to save money on flights
• How to save money on your spring break family vacation

ACCOMODATIONS:

​We traveled with my parents (in their 70s) and our 3 kids (ages 8, 8, 11) and wanted to be together in a stair-free accommodation, so our needs were a bit exceptional. We decided to stay the entire trip in Reykjavik, because researching and finding a different place in each stop was too much of a headache. Plus, we didn't want to be driving a 10 passenger van all over, which would have been necessary to fit the 7 of us and our luggage.

After hours and hours (no joke) of research, I booked a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom "Superior Apartment" with kitchen and balcony at Downtown Reykjavik Apartments on Booking.com**. It was PERFECTION! A true home away from home! It was very quiet while being centrally located in the city - just a 10 minute walk to the main street and bus depot. It was too cold to hang out on our 4th floor balcony but I set my alarm a few times each night to go out and look for Aurora and one night I actually did capture them on my phone from there!! They had an elevator, free wifi, we never had trouble finding a free parking spot, and there was a luggage room which worked out great because our flight arrived at 4:30am and our bus got us to the hotel at 8am but we couldn't check into our room until 3pm LOL! Just dropped our bags off, bundled up, and headed to breakfast at Sundholt Bakery followed by a FULL day on our feet sightseeing (more on that below)!​

If looking for a house, Airbnb** and VRBO** are great places to search.

Our 5-7 day Iceland Itinerary:

• Day 1: Red Eye Flight & Reykjavik Sightseeing.

Overnight flights are not ideal, and this was the worst timing I could have imagined because we weren't even tired til the end of the flight which was only 4 hours long!! We left Stewart at 7:30pm and arrived around 11:30PM ET / 4:30am Iceland time. I didn't sleep a wink and the kids nodded off for *maybe* one hour. After going through customs and collecting bags, we waited for the first airport shuttle at 6am (we booked with Gray Line because kids under 12 are free), got to the hotel around 7:30am, put our stuff in the luggage room, bundled up, and headed out for the day since we couldn't check in til 3pm. It was a long day, but we walked outside in the brisk sunshine and kept very busy. I was shocked how well the kids handled it (only passing out briefly when we went to a coffee shop - hilarious footage in our 1st video). What to do and see in Reykjavik is outlined in another section below)

• Day 2: Self Drive, Southern Golden Circle (more below)
• Day 3: Self Drive, Northern Golden Circle (more below)
• Day 4: Reykjavik Sightseeing (more below)
• Day 5: Whale Watching + Public Geothermal Pool  (more below)
• Day 6: Flight home

BLUE CAR RENTAL:
Figuring out who to rent a car from was another hours upon hours of research I put into our trip, but you can save yourself the hassle and just choose Blue Car Rental, which was amazing!!! AND you can save 5% with my commission earning affiliate code Usjapanfam by clicking this link**!! One thing that's so great about Blue Car Rental is they have an office at Keflavik Airport AND in downtown Reykjavik, so you can pickup and dropoff at either. Personally, we only used the city location because we wanted to get a 7-seater, which was just big enough for our group WITHOUT our luggage. The Kia Sorento was less than a year old, in perfect condition, and all of their cars have studded tires (see photo below!) so you don't have to worry so much about weather, well, not when it comes to the car anyway!

Car Rental Tips:

• Stay on top of weather and road conditions on Safe Travel. 
• Bring an ATM card with PIN for getting gas.
• Paid parking is via app or credit card station at most places, even at most of the parks. There are signs posted so keep a look out.
• I was nervous about driving in Iceland but it could not have been easier. You drive on the right side, just like in the US. The roads were in perfect condition, there was NO traffic in the city or on the Golden Circle (I suspect there is a lot more traffic in summer), the GPS we got with the car was great but we usually used Apple CarPlay with my husband's phone since he purchased an international plan for the month so we could use his data.
• When putting destinations into the GPS, try to include "parking lot" otherwise you may be misled to the wrong location.
• There are all kinds of extra insurances available, even one that covers volcanic sand and ash. When in doubt, like I was, just get them all, including roadside assistance. Better safe than sorry!!

SELF-DRIVE ITINERARY:
​

Road Trip #1:  Southern Golden Circle (12hrs)
Picked up our rental car at 8am and headed out bright and early... we all crashed at 6pm our first night so it was actually perfect, despite our bodies still being on Eastern Time (4 hours behind Iceland)!​

Stop 1:  Urriðafoss / Urridafoss Waterfall
​Not super tall but large and powerful, very short path from parking lot i.e. you could do as few as 5-30 minutes here)

Stop 2:  Lava Centre 
An amazing hands on educational center that gifted us tickets in exchange for including them in our review. They had a beautiful volcano movie (with bean bags on the floor the kiddos loved) and so many exhibits where you could learn about how volcanos work, how Iceland is divided between 2 spreading tectonic plates so the country grows bigger at a rate of 2" per year! They even have an earthquake simulator!!! Very cool place!! We probably spent 1 hour here, followed by lunch on the road nearby.

Stop 3: Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Beautiful tall (almost 200 feet) and narrow waterfall from a glacier-capped volcano. You can see it from quite a distance as you approach it by car. In summer you can walk behind the waterfall (bring a poncho) but in winter and in spring when we went, the back path is iced over and blocked off, and even the matted path in front was pretty icy (my kids loved "skating" around and had a hilarious fall a stranger caught on camera for us (see below photo!). We didn't want to risk my parents falling so they stayed back beyond where the mist was hitting (and freezing). This is a MUST stop, absolutely gorgeous! It's not far from the parking lot, maybe 5-10 minute walk, plan for at least 30 minutes here, more if you want to hike and see more waterfalls along the way.​

Stop 4: Rútshellir Cave
A quick, free, and unique stop to break up the drive but you do need to be rather agile to maneuver the little ladder over a fence to access the cave (my 70 year old parents had no problem, but just a heads up). 10-15 minutes is all you need here.

Stop 5: Skogafoss Waterfall
This waterfall was spectacular, my favorite of all of them! Almost 200 feet fall and 82 feet wide. When we were there in early April, there was a lot of ice all around which made it even more stunning, there was a rainbow over it at one point, and you could hear ice break off and fall down occasionally. It is about a 10 minute easy walk from parking to the waterfall, plan for at least 30 minutes here, more if you are adventurous enough to climb the MANY stairs to view it from the top (we did not). You can walk right up to it but the mist gets heavier and heavier as you get closer (and the ground icier and icier).

​Sólheimajökull Glacier:
We did not stop here but rather admired it while driving by on the Golden Circle, which was enough for us. There are plenty of tour groups that organize hikes here, they'll provide the gear and everything!

Stop 6: Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
​
​A beautiful beach, infamous for "sneaker waves" which suck a few people each year out into the frigid open waters. There are warning signs up - never turn your back to the ocean and don't go past the dry sand too close to the shoreline. Even when waves look calm, there could be a random one that "sneaks" up on you. Best case, you get wet and someone adds a video of you to countless other Reynisfjara  sneaker wave videos on TikTok. Worst case, it knocks you down, pulls you out, and game over.

That said, it's a beautiful beach which my kids will tell you is NOT black sand, it's black pebbles LOL! And the gorgeous basalt structures to admire, just wow, I loved those!! ​

Stop 7:  Vík i Myrdal​
We didn't spend much time here but it's a popular place to spend the night if doing a multiple night ride around the Golden Circle. Defintiely see their iconic church and have dinner at Black Crust Pizzeria (it's not black from volcanic ash but rather charcoal, to go along with the black sand beach vibe - SO yum!! I highly recommend the #2 (pizza with duck, cream cheese, syrup soaked orange, cashew nuts + chilli), and the sweet bacon wrapped dates. OMG. I'm drooling just remembering these!! ​

Dinner completed our first road trip and we drove 2.5 hours back to Reykjavik, with a brief pit stop for ice cream and bathroom at a nice convenience store on the highway.

Road Trip #2: Northern Golden Circle (8hrs)​

Stop 1:  Brúarfoss Waterfall
​This was a nice waterfall but a bit scary as there was a portion before the bridge that had no guardrail - if you have little ones, please be careful! The view over the waterfall from the small foot bridge is lovely! It's probably the longest trek from parking to a waterfall that we did, but still quite short, maybe 10 minutes, so schedule 30 minutes here to be safe. If I were forced to drop any of the waterfalls from our itinerary it'd probably be this one, but only if FORCED. It was beautiful, just a bit of a drive off the Circle and then a walk, so took quite a bit of time if you're rushed, consider dropping this one to save time.​

Stop 2:  Strokkur Geyser
​There is an amazing visitor center here - very new and modern with a huge variety of delicious food options!!! Depending on your schedule, you may want to plan for a meal or a snack here, then head over to the geyser. It's a quick 5 minute walk and erupts with a spout of water 100 feet high every 10-20 minutes. Lots of bubbling hot springs around so just stay on the path. The larger Geysir is dormant now, unfortunately, but Strokkur was still impressive! Allow at least 30 minutes here.​​

Stop 3:  Gulfoss Waterfall
​This waterfall is incredible!! If you have time you can walk along the path for a few different angles, it's not far from the parking and this one also has a wonderful visitor center with great food options! Give yourself at least 30 minutes here.

Stop 4:  Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal Bakery Tour & Geothermal Baths
​
To be honest, I heard about this place on Netflix's Down to Earth with Zac Efron and reached out to see if they'd host us for a visit, and they did!! And this place did not disappoint!!! You MUST schedule this on your trip to Iceland, it's right on the Golden Circle and provides some once in a lifetime kind of experiences!!! Book the Geothermal Bakery Tour and they'll take you out to their lake, dig up bread that's been baking in the ground for the last 24 hours, and bury a new loaf for tomorrow's tour to dig up. You'll see the water in the ground actually boiling!! Geothermal energy, baby!!! THEN, you go inside and they cut the Icelandic Rye Bread open - it's still steaming hot!! And you'll eat it with fresh Icelandic butter and smoked trout caught in the very lake you are at!!! It was absolutely delicious!!! 

We followed up the bakery tour by relaxing in their geothermal baths. Bring your own towels and swim suits or you can rent from Fontana. They have nice big locker rooms where you can safely stow your items and wear the key on a wrist band. You'll need to scrub down in the showers before putting on your swimsuit and heading outdoors to the various naturally heated geothermal pools. I'm not gonna lie, it was COLD when we went. They were having a wind storm and it was honestly probably 0 degrees Fahrenheit wind chill!!! You briskly walk from the locker room and then plunge down into the hot baths and it feels SO good!!! The lake was frozen but they pound out the ice so you can do a cold plunge if you please (we did not but many people did), and you've also got snowy mountains in the background. After bathing, head back to the locker room - they've even got shampoo and hair dryers for you (but no shower curtain... when in Rome)!

Both bakery and bath adventures at Fontana were so incredibly unique, this place goes down as one of my top 10 most memorable and recommended travel experiences ever, 100%!!!

​Stop 5:  Þingvellir / Thingvellir National Park 
This is supposedly the only place on earth where you can see on land where two tectonic plates meet and it's spectacular. We learned at the Lava Centre the day before that the two plates are spreading apart, making Iceland grow 2" per year! To see it in person the next day was just really cool! The parking lot is very close so you could do this in as little as 10 minutes but it's a HUGE park if you want to spend hours hiking and exploring, you can. It's only 45 minutes from Reykjavik so this could be its own day trip if you have time, but we crammed it into the larger half Golden Circle trip.

REYKJAVIK ACTIVITIES: ​

Reykjavik is a really cute town! The main street is lively with lots of shopping and restaurants, really nice to walk along and explore, wide variety of architecture and colorful buildings going on which I really loved! But it's not a huge city. I would have been content with a single day in the city and the 2 full road trip days, but having 5-6 days gives you much more flexibility and more of a slow travel vibe. I found Reykjavik the perfect place to have as our base camp, so you can go about leisurely if you have extra time, or book last minute tours (or rental car) out of the city.

Perlan Wonders of Iceland Museum:
Perlan's observation deck has THE BEST view in town (see below)! You can buy tickets for just the observation deck OR an all-inclusive museum ticket, the latter which we were gifted in exchange for including them in our vacation coverage. It is an amazing museum with lots of hands on exhibits and ways to learn about the science behind this amazing land of Fire & Ice! Their manmade 100m long Ice Cave was one of the highlights of the trip for me - made with 350 tons from Iceland's Blue Mountains and is kept at a frigid 14°F (-10°C)!! I also really enjoyed their Northern Lights show in the planetarium, but several in our family slept through that one since we went on our first day in Iceland after flying overnight with no sleep... oops!

​​​Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral:
Perhaps the most iconic building in Reykjavik - you can pay to go up top for a great view from their tower, but we just went inside for free and listened to beautiful pipe organ), and our kids had fun on the swings outside!

Whale watching tour with Reykjavik Sailors / Special Tour:
There are MANY whale watching tours running but Reykjavik Sailors had the best pricing I could find, definitely a splurge for us but totally worth it - we had a great trip! It was a nice big boat with TONS of seating inside (great for the 45 minute ride to and from the bay, if it's cold weather), drinks and snacks for purchase, free wifi, life jackets (required for kids under 12), nice bathrooms, and a great deck on top for viewing. We saw soooooo many whales and even a few playful dolphins. I was nervous about my son and myself getting motion sick but 99% of the ride was shockingly smooth and we all did totally fine!​

Public geothermal swimming pool (Sundhöll):

If you have time, this is a really local experience that is fun for the whole family! Supposedly the indoor/outdoor public pools are where Icelandic people go to hang out regularly, all year round, and it seemed very much the case when we went!! Maybe bars and restaurants aren't as popular because alcohol is so expensive?? I digress...

We went to the Sundhöll Reykjavíkur because it was very close to our hotel, but if you have time I think Laugardalslaug looks even more fun for kids (it has a huge water slide!) Kids are free, it's about $10 per adult. They have lockers and you just take the little key with a wrist band, they even had footies to cover your shoes so you didn't get the locker room dirty where people are walking around barefoot, and they had floaties for non-swimmers. You bring your own towel and swimsuit, scrub down (naked) then suit up and go enjoy the pools! They're geothermally heated - the pools were gloriously warm, the hot tubs were amazing, and ours even had a cold plunge (which my husband did, how!?!?!). They had an indoor pool that was being used for kids swim lessons, so we stuck to the many outdoor pools and it was such a unique experience. No cameras were allowed in the pool area so I don't have any photos or videos of that but we had a great time!

Grotta Lighthouse:
We drove since we still had our car but it's walkable from Reykjavik. It's a really cute lighthouse! Check the tide times though (they're listed there but it'd be better to know before hand so you can plan your day accordingly) -  you want to have enough time to walk out and not get stuck out there!! This is a popular (dark) spot to come out at night to see Northern Lights for those who can't get out of the city.

Árbæjarsafn / Arbaer Open Air Museum:
This is another one we squeezed in because we still had our car and wanted to use it LOL! They provide a tour guide and you can learn a lot about Iceland's history, I highly recommend it, though younger kids may find it a wee boring.

Smáralind / Smaralind Shopping Mall:
This was another one we randomly added to our free day with a car. I love going to grocery stores and shopping malls in foreign countries, don't you!? One big plus about this one is they have a Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur store in the mall, where you can try the famous Icelandic hot dog without standing in line for an hour and eating outside in downtown Reykjavik with the rest of the tourists LOL!! Don't try to pick and choose your toppings, you need to go all in with the standard which includes onions, fried onions, ketchup, lamb/pork/beef hot dog, remoulade, and mustard! SO YUM!!!

​​​There are tons of activities and museums and day tours you can do in Reykjavik, and tons of excursions that will pick up and drop off there. So do your research and figure out what are musts for your family - do you want to hike a volcano, explore a glacier, do the FlyOver Iceland ride, visit the Blue Lagoon (it was closed due to volcanic activity while we were there), see the Lava Show, take a walking food tour or book a bus tour out to see the Northern Lights? Viator is a great place to book your tickets and tours, and don't forget to install the Rakuten extension** so you can 10% cash back on Viator purchases!!

WEATHER / WHAT TO PACK:

​In winter and spring, pack for super cold weather with some base layers. Inside is nice and warm but outside can be brutal. You need a WARM winter coat, hat, gloves, snow boots or waterproof hiking boots. I recommend my magical combo of sherpa lined leggings and wind/waterproof pants**. This fleece lined hat and neck gaiter** also did me goooood!! There are places you can rent gear in Iceland, but it's expensive and probably only necessary for those coming from warm places who do not already have a warm coat and boots. If you're coming from northern US or Canada, you'll be fine in your winter gear. To save money on your flight, just wear all your gear on the plane ;) No joke, we did, and it saved us from having to purchase a second checked bag!! You can bring a travel umbrella if you want, but we brought ponchos instead so we didn't have to worry about wind. In the end, we didn't have any rain the whole week we were there, only got a bit of snow while boarding our flight home!! Got really lucky!!

Don't forget to pack a bathing suit for visiting a geothermal pool or two, a waterproof phone pouch** for your phone if you want to take photos in the pool, and consider a tripod if you are serious about setting up for some amazing northern lights photos.

​Of course you'll also need sunglasses, phone and charger and TRAVEL ADAPTER because they use different plugs (type C/E)!! We brought 2 because between the 5 of us we had a TON of devices. This Lencent travel plug adapter** folds in and has 4 outlets, 2 USB and 2 USB C, and this Trond adapter** has 3 outlets and 2 USB. They use different voltage (230v), which is fine for most phones and laptops and tablets have a wide range (110-240v) and will be fine, but triple check all electronics before bringing - hair dryers, sound machines and things like that will NOT be ok.

Iceland Travel Tips
aka things that surprised me about Iceland:

• Food is expensive! Be prepared! Having an apartment or hotel and visiting the grocery store is a fun experience to "live like a local" or at least save money and time on breakfasts before heading out for the day. Kronan and Bonus (the pink pig logo) are affordable and located all over. Also helpful to get over the sticker shock at restaurants: keep in mind that tax is included and tip is not expected. So that's like 20-30% right there that's already in the menu price!
• Alcohol is even more expensive. My husband indulged in a few drinks but the rest of us had a dry week. If you need to stock up your hotel room, I've heard the cheapest option is the duty free shopping just before you exit Keflavik Airport!
• The water stinks, but it's GOOD water! It smells like sulfer right out of the tap, you'll most notice when swishing your mouth after brushing your teeth LOL! But we filled our water bottles and glasses straight from the tap, it's GREAT water!!
• Iceland is the first non-English speaking country I have ever visited where we did not run into a single local who didn't speak perfectly fluent English. I was absolutely shocked! So, if you're someone who gets nervous traveling abroad, wanting to take an organized tour because of potential language barrier, it is NOT a problem in Iceland. All the signs, menus, people, everything everywhere that we encountered was no problem for English speakers.
• It seems to be more or less a cashless place. We didn't exchange any money or use cash, not once. We used just our American credit cards (Visa & Mastercard, leave AmEx at home) and Debit Card (needs a PIN) for pumping gas. SO easy!!
• Driving was SO peaceful and chill (when we went anyway, I can't speak to the summer touristy season). But also... there are LONG stretches of absolute nothingness, which means gorgeous landscapes but they made me a wee bit of nervous to think what would you do in an emergency? How would you even know if there was an alert of a nearby volcano erupting imminently? And at night, omg, SO dark. SO SO DARK!! Which is great for aurora hunting but also a bit unnerving.
• The sun never rose high in the sky! It always felt like 8am or 7pm. It must be something to do with the latitude, they're SO far north, or a spring thing? I'm not really sure but it felt SO weird to me!
  
• Free WIFI was widely available. I had considered bringing a hot spot or pay for AT&T's International Day Pass, but in the end I didn't need to! I was able to get free wifi at every restaurant and attraction as well as the airport and our hotel and other random places. My husband kept his cell service turned on because he needed to be available for work texts and calls, but otherwise it honestly wouldn't have been necessary. Service also seemed pretty consistant. I'm used to going hiking in the US and having NO service, but I don't think we ever lost it in Iceland. 

NORTHERN LIGHT TIPS:

• Best months are September - April because you have enough hours of dark night time.
• If you have a car, you can check the Aurora forecast and cloud map and go out on your own - that's what we did on our last night with the car and were able to find them, though they weren't strong enough to see with the naked eye on that night, we captured them with long exposure on our phones. Driving out to a very dark area in the middle of the night when the KP index is high will be your best chance, that said, we captured them one night from the balcony of our hotel in the city. So you just never know how lucky you will get!
• If you don't have a car or just want to go with a professional guide / Aurora Hunter, book a Northern Lights tour** and do so early on your trip because you can usually rebook for free if they can't find them. Prices vary greatly depending on size of the group, and what's provided. Some will even give you hot cocoa and will take professional photos for you!
• Equipment - holding your cell phone with a steady hand on long exposure (3 seconds or so) will give you decent results, that's what I did. But if you want stunning results, bring a camera you can adjust settings manually on: shutter speed of 5-10” seconds, ISO between 1600 - 6400, aperture as low as possible (F1.4 – F2.8).
• Ask around!!! Join Facebook groups, I found members in Aurora Alerts Iceland group helpful! Ask concierge at your hotel if they have a notification system in place if the lights are dancing. I think there are some subscriptions you can sign up for via text, we didn't do this though. Download some apps, too.  I liked this Aurora Alerts app which includes KP index (strength of 1-9 with higher being stronger and better) and BZ (when the nT goes negative, there's a better chance), as well as weather and other important factors. This post on Fstoppers goes into detail about KP, BZ etc etc if you want to learn more about how to predict the Aurora.

PHEW! Did I warn you I was going to give you ALL you need to know about planning a spring vacation to Iceland or what!??! 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions??? Leave them all below! We honestly LOVED Iceland and the whole vibe of this vacation SO much we are already trying to figure out when we can go back, definitely looking to go during summer next time because I want to see it all gloriously green and full of puffins and flowers!

Contributed post.

Planning a vacation overseas can sometimes feel like conducting a large-scale symphony with all the anticipation, excitement, and, let's be honest, stress. It's all too easy to forget important things that could make or break your trip in the rush of organizing your itinerary, finding places to stay, and booking your flights.

If you want to have a smooth and easy trip, here are some of the (genuinely important) things you’ve probably forgotten to account for and need to plan ASAP.

Travel Insurance

To start off with a reality check, let's face it: accidents happen, flights are cancelled, luggage disappears, and people can get sick or injured. Even though we always hope for the best, it's important to have comprehensive travel insurance to be prepared for the worst.

But how much is travel insurance? This will depend on the type of cover you go for, and what you deem necessary. The more comprehensive your cover, the more you’ll be paying, but the less worries you’ll have. Regardless of what it costs, though, consider it your safety net, covering any unforeseen expenses on your trip that you certainly won’t want to be dealing with while you’re trying to enjoy a holiday.

Health Precautions

Your health is your wealth, and you need to pay extra close attention to it while visiting foreign places where you could be exposed to new diseases, climates, and foodborne illnesses. Speak with your doctor or a travel medicine specialist before heading off to a new destination to find out whether there are any vaccinations or preventive treatments you can or should be taking.

Some common vaccinations can include typhoid fever, yellow fever, influenza, and hepatitis A and B, depending on the area you're visiting and your general health. You should also travel with a well-stocked first-aid kit containing all your usual medication as well as some extras for unforeseen emergencies.

Currency Exchange

Dealing with foreign currencies can be quite confusing if you haven’t done your research (and sometimes even if you have). Spend some time getting acquainted with the local currency and current exchange rates of the place you are visiting before you travel there.

Although it could be tempting to exchange your money at the hotel or airport kiosk because of how easy this would be, keep in mind that these kiosks often provide bad exchange rates along with loads of additional fees. For the best deal, rather think about taking out cash from ATMs or exchanging money at local banks once you arrive. It’s also a good idea to keep a backup credit card on hand in case of any issues.

After coming back home, if you have any foreign cash that didn’t get spent, you can always redeem leftover Japanese cash (or whichever currency you are possessing) through authorized currency exchange services, since they can ensure you get the best value for it.


Connectivity

Thanks to the tech of our modern and hyper-connected world, staying in touch with your loved ones wherever you go is ridiculously easy. However, you still need to think about it and have a plan in place. Before you leave, check out what your options will be for staying connected – you could look into portable Wi-Fi devices or hotspots, buying a local SIM card when you arrive, or using international roaming plans.

You’ll want to have a plan in place to get connected as soon as you can – you need to be online to access GPS and find your way around and, of course, to let your family know that you’ve arrived safely at your destination.

Safety Precautions

When traveling overseas, the phrase "safety first" is more important than ever. Foreign countries are always full of exciting adventures and new things to experience, but they also harbour unfamiliar dangers, especially for those who might be caught off guard.

From political unrest and natural disasters to petty crime and theft, there’s a lot to be on the lookout for. Research the safety and security conditions in your destination country, including any travel advisories or warnings issued by the government, and keep yourself updated on local laws and emergency protocols. Personal safety equipment should also be kept on hand, and stay safe by avoiding unknown areas at night – especially when you’re alone.

Backup of Travel Documents

Every frequent traveller has had that unsettling nightmare of losing their passport or some other vital documentation on a trip and getting thrown in a foreign prison.

Luckily, it’s unlikely to be that serious, but you should still be on the ball about keeping your travel docs on hand, and having backups as well – just in case. Digital copies are always going to be your friend, so keep all your files saved on a platform like Dropbox. But that being said, hard copies are usually preferred when it comes to travel documents, especially when flying, so try to keep your passport, ID, visa documents, and other important information in a travel wallet that you keep on hand at all times.

We recently journeyed from our happy home in NYC (with our 3 kids under the age of 5, including twin toddlers) to Japan for 10 days to visit my husband's family in the rural valley of Yamaguchi-cho Nishinomiya (about an hour from Osaka). We lived (barely) to tell the tale!

In case you missed it, I'm embedding our 4 ten-minute long YouTube videos below for your viewing pleasure! (Links at very bottom to products and other things mentioned / recommended in the videos!)

Video 1:
Featuring our 30-hour travel day to Japan via 3 flights (2 of which got rescheduled during our travel!) and the beginning of a horrible stomach bug (i.e. me being puked on for 4 hours of our 2nd flight, yippee!) ​

VIDEO 2:
Featuring our first few days in Japan (with no clothes, thanks to our flights being rescheduled our luggage didn't catch us for 3 days!!), a tour of a 7-11 convenience store (I LOVE Japanese "Combini"), the beautiful scenery of mountains and rice fields near my husband's home, and a typical experience at a "kaiten" (conveyor belt) sushi restaurant! (The nasty stomach bug that hit our youngest on the flight returned to hit 3 more of us the night after our sushi adventure, and 3 more family members in the next couple of days...)

VIDEO 3:
Featuring our adventures after recovering from the stomach bug, including a fun afternoon at the Anpanman Children's Museum in Kobe (Anpanpan is a Japanese superhero just about EVERY Japanese toddler is OBSESSED with, including all 3 of my kids), a nature walk near my husband's home (we found frogs, kiwi, tomatoes, pumpkin, a praying mantis, and more!), shopping at the mall (always a tricky endeavor with toddler twins!!!), library and children's play center, and how amazing a typical Japanese public toilet is (with electric bidet toilet and child seat on the wall to contain your little one while you do your business!)

VIDEO 4:
Featuring our visit to neighboring natural hot spring town of Arima Onsen, a big family and friends BBQ at my husband's home (and my first odd and exciting experience with "Nagashi Somen" / "flowing somen noodles" / "water noodles"!!), a tour of the amazing bathrooms and nursing rooms at Kansai International Airport, and our 24-hour door-to-door travel home back to NYC, including our sweet ride with the kid-friendly car service Kidmoto that provides top of the line car seats and drivers TRAINED to install them properly (get $20 off all rides using code "USJAPANFAM"!!)

So, the stomach bug put a major damper on our time, taking us out of commission for a good 2-3 days. On the bright side, it kept us more local and relaxed, giving us more chance for good quality family time rather than running around trying to jam in as much touristy stuff as possible! We plan to take the kids every 2-3 years, and eventually they may start going and spending summers over there, even going to local public schools for a month or so! That's the plan, anyway... we'll see how things pan out!!

LINKS!!

• Essential Gear & Toys for Travel with Toddlers
• Cozyphones (my review) - really comfy headband style headphones for kids and adults
• Twingo Carrier (my review) - the amazing tandem baby carrier you can take apart to share the burden with a partner - good for babies through toddlers! A must have for families with twins or Irish twins!
• Joovy TwinGroove Ultralight (my review) - an amazing infant ready double wide umbrella stroller, perfect for travel!
• Kidmoto - amazing NYC-area car service for families, with drivers carrying and TRAINED to install top of the line car seats correctly (get $20 off all rides using code "USJAPANFAM"!! My review coming soon)

So, what do you think? Did you enjoy following along with us!? What's the furthest you've traveled with your kids? Any hilarious horror stories, or fabulous tips to share?? Leave a comment below!!!

In case you're new to the blog, I should preface this post with the fact that my husband is from Japan. As in, I met him clubbing in Tokyo one night while I was teaching English in Japan for 2 years! We did a year and a half of long distance, then I moved back over there, we lived together in Yokohama for 3 years together, got engaged, married in Hawaii, moved to good ol' NYC, popped out 3 kids, and the rest is history!

​Suffice it to say, raising our kids to know Japanese language and culture is extremely important to both of us. Also important is taking a family trip back to Japan every other year (we would go more often if budget wasn't an issue...one ticket costs about $1500!!)

We had decided this summer my husband would take our 4 year old son alone, and I would stay behind with the girls because we just couldn't fathom the difficulty of the 24 hour door to door journey and a week of jet lag in each direction with TWO toddlers! It was a nightmare when we took Kenzo in 2014 when he was 20 months old. Multiply that times TWO??? Ugh.... But, when hubby broke the news to his parents, apparently they weren't too thrilled, so we have decided we will suck it up and all 5 of us will be making the trek this coming summer (just before the twins turn 2, so they can get cheap lap child tickets, which cost 10% of the regular fare!!).

So, as I embark on planning this epic journey with three children, I realized I never did a blog post or video recapping our last family vacation to Japan in 2014!! So, without further ado, check out our short and sweet video montage!!

I'll be coming back and posting more articles about what to do in the various cities, tips for traveling to Japan with kids, and much more. So, stay tuned!!

Please feel free to leave a comment below with any questions about where we went, places or things you are curious about in the video, recommendations for places you've been in Japan, etc!!

Each year we spend a good chunk of time and money going to my hometown to visit our family. My sister's family comes in from Montreal and mine from NYC. All of us are avid travelers and wanderlusters, so we sat down last year and unanimously agreed that we would start taking trips somewhere new rather than just going home, as much as budget allows.

This year marked our first attempt and it was, in a word, A-MAY-ZING!!! As word spread of our exciting plans, extended family jumped in and we ended up with a group of 19 adults and children joining from USA, Canada, and Japan!! And the location? Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!

Meeting all of our requirements was the Crown Paradise Club Puerto Vallarta. For my family of 5 (granted the 2 babies were free), one week including flights, hotel, all food and drinks, was $3,000. Awesomely budget-friendly!!

For us, 2 best things about the Crown Paradise were: 

1) Their pirate-ship themed kids' pool, featuring a bunch of water slides (9?), which was SOOOOOO much fun for the kids and adults!

Also amazing was the food. Their buffet was great, TONS to choose from and even a kids' buffet corner. They had 3 a la carte restaurants which were great (Italian, Asian, and French), but a bit annoying because you have to call a day ahead, from your room, to make a reservation.

The beach was beautiful, though I'm not much of an ocean girl. Some of our party did the free kayaking, and my hubby and his family paid extra for parasailing!! It was really exciting to watch, maybe I'll get the guts to actually do it next time!

The rooms were nothing special, but they were clean and ours had a nice balcony with views of 2 pools and the beach. I enjoyed nursing my babies out there while people watching!! We got 2 complimentary pack 'n plays for our girls, and there was plenty of room to fit them, but they were very dingy and disappointing. Our babies are only 5 months so clean sheets fitted over the mat was fine, but if they had been older and standing and chewing on the rail of the beds, yikes, I would have been really upset... So, if this sounds like your situation you may want to consider bringing along your own baby bed (like a blow up Dock a Tot perhaps).

The free nightly entertainment was also a bit disappointing. First off because it was not quite the level of professionalism and excitement as I was expecting, but also because it was so late. Most shows didn't start til 9, and after bringing all the kids to 2 shows I quickly realized it wasn't worth it. For the rest of the week we all went back to the room after dinner, nursed the babies, and were in bed by 9pm.​

The only other negative thing at all I have to say about the resort was that several underwater steps in the kids' multi-level water park were no longer marked. I tripped going up and down steps that I didn't see, and I witnessed several children unexpectedly going under water because they missed steps down. We had water wings on our toddler and he was never out of reach, but this seemed a bit dangerous. Also, there were no life guards. So, long story short, please keep a close eye (or hand) on your kids if they're not very good in the water. ​

If you start getting antsy to get out on some adventures, there are TONS of excursions you can book right from the hotel (and if you have the time to sit through time share spiels, you can free excursions or other goodies). We did a full-day city/tequileria/jungle tour which was pretty cool, but I would have been 100% fine with just staying on the resort property for the full week! With all of our family with us, they were so helpful with watching the babies while we swam or ate, it was so relaxing and one of the most amazing vacations of my life... so far!! I really hope we can visit the Cancun location of Crown Paradise sometime soon!!!

Here's a video montage of our stay in Puerto Vallarta, enjoy! We sure did!!!