My children have been all over the world. After taking them to 24 countries and counting, we have developed a good rhythm.
My family is fortunate to be able to travel as frequently as we do, but there are challenges. My children don’t always enjoy every destination I bring them to. My kids have a limited attention span when it comes to museums, churches, and castles, which are often the main attractions in the cities we visit.
When we travel, I try to focus on experiences my children can’t get at home. Despite their reluctance, I try to expand their horizons by showing them great art, like the “Mona Lisa,” and extraordinary palaces like the Palace of Versailles. I also try to ensure they have new experiences they wouldn’t get at home, like riding camels and hiking in the desert.
To make trips fun for everyone, I also try to make space for activities my children enjoy. They don’t share my relentless desire to pack in as many new experiences as possible. Sometimes they want to do the same things they enjoy at home, even when in far-flung places around the globe. Sometimes that means visiting a playground in Austria or eating at McDonland’s in India. Other times, that means visiting an amusement park, which my kids particularly enjoy.
Amusement parks have become a staple of our trips
Amusement parks can be expensive places to visit. They also take a day (or more) to enjoy fully. That’s why I was initially reluctant to carve out time for theme parks during our trips. But I’ve changed my stance over time.
My family is full of theme-park fanatics. We have held season passes to our local Six Flags amusement park near Washington, DC for years. Once, we purchased a year-long pass to Universal Studios in Orlando. Even though we live 12 hours away by car, we visited frequently that year.
During a trip to Quebec a few years ago, my kids discovered that there was a Six Flags park called La Ronde in the middle of the city. They begged me to go. Why would we do that when we had a Six Flags less than an hour from our house, which we visited several times a year? Eventually, my kids wore me down and I relented. We had a great time. More importantly, the visit breathed new life into my kids, who left happier and with more patience for the stops I wanted to make.
Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith
Now, visiting amusement parks is a staple of our trips. We don’t plan vacations around visiting theme parks like some amusement park enthusiasts. However, whenever we are in a city with an amusement park nearby we inevitably find ourselves there for at least a day.
Visiting amusement parks abroad is a cultural experience
My family’s visit to Six Flags in Quebec wasn’t just a good opportunity to ride roller coasters. It was also a cultural experience. Although there were many similarities between the Six Flags in Quebec and the one near our home in DC, there were also many differences that provided insight into Quebecois culture.
Instead of mass-produced buckets of popcorn, we found huge buckets of poutine, a local specialty consisting of french fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy. We saw the park’s nightly Feux Loto-Québec fireworks display that is a beloved summer Quebecois tradition. Several of the rides, with names in French, differed as well.
While visiting France, we spent two days at Disneyland Paris. Instead of Cinderella’s castle, we climbed through Sleeping Beauty’s castle, realizing that it made all the sense in the world that Disneyland in Paris would feature the home of a French princess. For a snack, we ate chocolate crepes, which we all agreed were better than any theme-park food we’ve had in Orlando.
Giving my kids an activity they love helps the rest of our trip run smoothly
On a recent trip to Japan, we visited theme parks at either end of our trip. We spent a day at Tokyo Disney at the beginning of our journey and a day at Universal Studios Osaka at the end.
Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith
Kicking off the trip with a visit to Disneyland Tokyo put my kids in a good mood. Having a trip to Universal Studios Osaka at the end gave them something to look forward to while I was dragging them to yet another temple during the weeks in between. We also loved the Japanese touches in each park, especially the anime-themed rides at Universal. We also enjoyed going on familiar attractions like the Tower of Terror at Disneyland Tokyo.
Each amusement park we have visited abroad feels familiar, yet local influences make each one feel different and special, rather than a carbon copy of the parks we visit at home. Despite my initial reluctance to add amusement parks into the itinerary, they have now become one of my favorite parts of traveling.
