How We Spent Our Family Vacation is a new column that unpacks a single trip down to the cost, from the point of view of families who love to travel.
When New Yorkers Claire and DJ Aven had the opportunity to take daughters Maggie (six) and Emmy (18 months) to Zurich last summer following an invite from friends, they jumped at it. “We normally do two big trips a year,” says Claire, “and due to our older daughter’s school schedule, the one in summer is almost always in Europe.” They decided to stretch a few nights in Zurich into an 11-day trip that went from Zurich to Copenhagen, a city they love for its food and kid-friendliness, and ended in London. A few must-dos—a meal at Noma and a Taylor Swift concert in Zurich—served as anchor points for the whole itinerary.
But what set this trip apart from their travels in the past was that this was the first time they traveled with another family—a move that felt like a gamble but turned out to be a total game changer. Read on for their tips and highlights from a memorable summer family vacation in Europe.
Pick Inspiration for the Trip
“Normally, we plan trips around an event,” says Claire. This time, it was people who helped motivate the vacation. Good friends of theirs with kids nearly the same age spend a month in Zurich every summer and invited the Avens to join. “That was the catalyst for the whole trip,” said Claire.
Weston Wei
The Avens then suggested that the group continue to Copenhagen, a city that Claire and her husband love—and is fantastic for children (“We love sharing Copenhagen with people who love to travel with their kids as well,” says DJ.). Finally, they rounded off the trip in London to visit old friends from New York whose daughter is a close friend of their six-year-old. But events still played a role. Even though the trip was already decided, when they realized Taylor Swift would be in Zurich during the same month, they shopped for tickets and decided to try to snag a dinner reservation at Noma too. Once both were secured, flights were booked. “With those two must-haves locked in, we were able to build the trip around them,” says Claire.
Short-Term Rentals Make Everything Easier
The Avens always rely on Airbnb for holidays with the kids; they enjoy the flexibility of kitchens and common spaces that can be a savior when managing children with varying energy levels. But this time around, their Airbnbs proved even more valuable. “Always ask the hosts questions,” says Claire. “We weren’t sure our Zurich apartment was legit, given it had no ratings yet, and all we had to do was ask a few questions to realize the hosts were responsive, honest, and knew the area. In Copenhagen, our host gave us a list of the available baby gear so we knew what we needed to pack—and skip. In London, after hearing we would be traveling with two kids, our host asked what they liked to eat and had some staples waiting for us.” There were other built-in bonuses. In Zurich, Maggie became fast friends with a little girl who lived downstairs from their Airbnb, and the two played easily together despite not knowing the same language. The Airbnb in Copenhagen had an indoor swing the kids loved. And being communicative about needs with all the Airbnb hosts helped lighten the load of child gear the family may have needed to lug with them. (“This will make your life so much easier, especially if you have multiple legs of a trip. Your kids won’t know the difference,” says DJ.)
Having Another Family Made All the Difference
This was the first time the Avens had ever traveled with another family, and admittedly they had slight concerns going into it. “To us, it always felt like a gamble to go somewhere with other people because other people are wild cards! And another family? More kids in the mix? That always scared us,” says Claire. But it turned out to be a game changer—the children always had a built-in vacation buddy and were more easily entertained. Plus, there was always an extra set of hands to help with whatever needed doing. “We don’t know why we didn’t do it sooner,” says Claire. “It helped make a vacation with kids feel more like a vacation!”
Weston Wei
Traveling with another family actually made things more flexible too. If a toddler needed to stay behind for a nap or one kid didn’t want to do a tour, there was always an adult who was able to hang back and allow the others to stick to the plan. “It didn’t feel like an all-or-nothing situation like it might have been with just the two of us managing our kids. The adults always had a buddy too… and a backup plan,” says Claire.
Go With the Flow
Not everything will go according to plan, and the Avens learned that, in many instances, an unexpected pivot can lead to a truly wonderful experience. In one instance, a makeshift lunch plan in Switzerland led the family to a place on the way to Riesenwald Elm. The food was spectacular, and the place was incredibly kid-friendly, thanks to a bunch of rubber duckies floating in a fountain in front of the restaurant. In Copenhagen, days of rain meant missed dining experiences and planned playgrounds, but a backup plan that involved the Experimentarium Children’s Museum, some local wine, and hunkering down in the Airbnb was a great replacement.
It’s Okay to Get Some “Me Time”
A top tip that the Avens shared is to remember that babysitters are possible—and crucial—to secure when traveling with kids. Many hotels have onsite babysitting services or can help you locate one. “We’ve had luck asking our Airbnb hosts if they have a sitter they use. One other way we’ve found a sitter is through Facebook.” In Copenhagen, they found a sitter by asking a friend who gave a personal recommendation, which helped ease any nerves.
The Essentials
This won’t surprise any parent, but the Avens’ stroller, the Uppababy Minu, was key. “Our toddler could travel in it for an extended period of time, see what was going on—and it fully reclines for naps on the go,” says Claire. It also provided a place to stash bags when exploring. Always having activity books and coloring supplies handy made a difference for all those in-between moments, like at restaurants when waiting for food and at nighttime when the kids were quieting down after a day of activity. Finally, Claire and DJ were sure to bring some of the kids’ favorite snacks from home. “Having a favorite snack on hand not only helped our kids as they adjusted to a new place and time zone, but they helped buy us time on many occasions,” says Claire. They brought applesauce pouches and Amara smoothie melts with them.
Do It Differently
Even when traveling with people who may know the place better than you do, preferences matter. Because the Avens were traveling in Zurich and London with friends who knew the destinations better, they took a back seat in planning these two legs.
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“The next time we plan a trip with other people, we’ll probably weigh in so all parts of the trip really end up feeling like us and how we like to structure our travel,” says DJ.
The bottom line
- Group size: Four (two adults, two kids)
- Days: 11
- Cost of Airbnbs (11 nights of accommodation): $3,850
- Cost of flights: $500 (CPH–London). A mix of credit card points were utilized for the long-haul flights and the flight between Zurich and Copenhagen.
- Cost of food/entertainment: $3,500
- Total cost: $8,000
