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How to fly from the US to Ireland on points and how to use points in Dublin and Belfast. It’s possible to visit Ireland on a budget, and we show you how!
Here’s how we visited Amsterdam on points and miles during the summer. This helped us stretch our budget for our 5 weeks across Europe.
If you are planning a trip to Italy (or anywhere in Rome) then you will want to download a few apps before your travels to help you navigate the country.
A review of a beautiful hotel in the Algarve region of Portugal. The perfect family-friendly hotel for a beach vacation.
The Eternal city is a wonderful place to spend 3-5 days. You will never run out of things to do, and checking things off your Rome bucket list is easy.
Here’s our list with all the costs for a few days in Rome in 2026.
A review of Palm Suite, Rome, an SLH hotel near the Colosseum.
This boutique hotel will spoil you with their beautiful rooms, epic breakfast, and friendly service.
You cannot find a better location in Rome than this.
Traveling during Christmas can be expensive. Here’s how we visited Rome and Milan on a budget using our points and miles.
Read on to learn how we flew from the east coast to Italy and back and used points to cover 5 nights of hotels in Rome and Milan.
A 1-week itinerary for exploring Finland at Christmas.
Start at the Christmas Markets in Helsinki and then end with reindeer, snowmobiling, and ice-floating in Lapland.
Stockholm is an incredibly family-friendly city with lots of engaging and fun museums for young children.
Learn about our stay in Stockholm and our 5-year-old’s favorite activities.
How much does it really cost to visit Santa Claus Village? How does one visit Lapland on a budget? To be honest, I do not know! We attempted to visit Lapland on a budget, but it was challenging to complete our bucket list AND keep things affordable. Snowmobiling across a frozen lake, and being pulled around in a sled by reindeer is not cheap. We spent 4 days and nights in Rovaniemi, Finland in December of 2024. We stayed over Christmas, so that definitely increased our costs.
Read about our kid-friendly morning in Paris.
If you are looking for one place to add to your Paris itinerary and are traveling with young children, then I recommend spending one morning in Luxembourg Gardens (in French- Jardin du Luxembourg). Your child can have a quintessential Parisian experience and the gardens offer a nice break for parents who want to escape the hustle and noise of the city.
If you are looking for a beautiful winter getaway AND you want to visit a European Christmas market without the crowds, then look no further than Helsinki. We loved our two days and night in this capital city. Read on about about family friendly trip.
How to visit Pompeii for a day.
If you need a place that checks off boxes for both adventure-loving adults and fun-loving children, that will not 100 degrees in the summer, then the Dolomites is it.
South Tyrol, this area of Northern Italy is one of the most beautiful places we have visited and features Germanic influence and a confluence of Austrian and Italian culture.
Malahide Castle, which is close to Dublin, made it to our list because it is touted as a kid-friendly castle due to it’s fairy trail, diverse food choices, and small castle (which is easy to navigate in a tour). The playground at Malahide is also extensive and suitable for kids from all ages.
If you visit Northern Ireland and ask for any advice on what you should do, most people will say to take a Black Cab tour. And I did not fully understand why until we listened to this advice and took a tour one summer day.
These political tours take you through the murals of Belfast and help make the Troubles more real. If you visit Belfast on your own, you might find yourself down by the Titanic museum or the W5 museum with children, or wandering around the grounds of Queen’s University, but you will likely not find yourself on the Falls road or Shankhill road.
The Dingle Peninsula is on everyone’s radar, and for good reason. This southwest coastal town is beautiful, and is the perfect place to spend a few days in the summer. We visited Dingle in July of 2024 with our 5-year-old daughter, as part of our road trip around Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Some of the most iconic photos from the Emerald Isle are often of Northern Ireland’s east coast. In two days on the Antrim Coast, you can easily visit well-known natural treasures, while also taking a beach day. Here’s our family friendly guide to the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede bridge, and the beaches of Portrush.
Many hiking enthusiasts head to Doolin, Ireland to explore the Cliffs of Moher.
However, if you are traveling with kids, you will probably not be hiking the slow cliffside trail, so you will need to find other kid-friendly activities in County Clare. We found Doolin to be a great home base for two nights while we explored the west coast of Ireland and the Cliffs of Moher.
Here are our some of our favorite activities and places from our 48 hours in Doolin.
While we were there in July, many days in Budapest were close to 90 degrees, so in order to cope with the heat and entertain our 4-year-old, we found ourselves seeking water, the shade of trees, and a cool breeze. Margaret Island (Margitsziget), which sits in the middle of the Danube River, was the perfect oasis for our family trip to Budapest.
On a chilly day in July, we took a few aerial cableways (very large and sturdy gondolas) from our hotel in Murren up to the Schilthorn. On the way back down, we stopped at the Birg Thrill Walk. All in all, if you wanted to explore this part of the Bernese Oberland, you could spend an entire day working you way from top to bottom.
Lucerne (Luzern) is a popular town in Switzerland, and for good reason. It sits on a beautiful lake, is halfway between the Bernese-Oberland and Zurich, and is a great starting point for family-friendly adventures on the way to Mount Pilatus.
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You guys—Rick Steves was right! The Bernese Oberland is a must-see place in Switzerland. But I’m not sure he knew that the this area is also heavenly for children and families; we spent 5 weeks in Europe, and this was one of our favorite places.
When I think of the Bernese Oberland, I think of stunning views, epic adventures, and the best playgrounds for kids. We visited in June, and spent 4 wonderful days in this region with our 4-year-old.
If you loved hiking before you had kids, but can never motivate your little one to hike, then you need to spend a week or two in the Dolomites in summer.
In July of 2023, we spent a week in the Dolomites, exploring the towns of Ortisei (Urtijëi), Santa Cristina, and Selva di Val Gardena. On our last full day, we discovered what may be the perfect area for families with children to have a memorable adventure.
Our 4-year-old is a reluctant hiker, but on this day, she hiked over 1.5 miles without being carried. If you’re looking for a kid-friendly hike, then read on.
Amsterdam is a fun city with lots of activities for young children. Here’s 5 family-friendly activities in Amsterdam.
How much does 1 week in Iceland really cost?
Iceland is becoming quite popular, and this small island nation has adapted to serve more tourists each year. But, it can still be quite pricy to visit, especially for Americans who may be used to low fuel prices and cheap fast food. We visited in the summer of 2017 when AirBnBs were available on family farms and hotels were hard to come by.
When people think of Dublin, they might first think of pubs and not add it to their family trip to Ireland. However, we thought Dublin was a great city to visit with our daughter. We felt welcomed in all restaurants, and it is an easy city for walk around. If you are roadtripping around Ireland, you will probably want to spend more time in the countryside, but you should not skip Dublin and the surrounding area.