UPDATED: We all know how 2020 went down. The only places we made it to on this list were Prague, Thailand, and the Alps. I’m sure you’d ‘d the recap for our 2020 travel adventures so we pulled that together for you.
We expect this year will be our last full calendar year in Germany. As expats (or diplomats in our case), the time in a country is finite. Whether it’s with official orders or a contract, our extended adventures will come to an end in this city.
For us that means the clock is ticking on what we can and should see in our remaining 18 months. We don’t have endless time and money to spend on vacations so our decisions on where to go must be carefully planned; as my husband put it, it’s now a “zero sum game” in which a visit to X likely means no visit to Y.
After we spent a little time reflecting on where we had been in 2019, we made a “bucket list” of places we want to see before we head home.
In no particular order, here is the cumulative list:
- Southern Spain
- Ireland
- Portugal
- Switzerland
- The Netherlands
- Belgium
- Prague
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
- Northern Italy
- Munich, plus surrounding areas
It’s a pretty ambitious list for 18 months so we had to prioritize and start planning. Since many places, especially in the summer, fill up six months in advance we needed to make some very judicious decisions. As you can see from the title of the post, this itinerary has already changed since it was first posted. It’s good to be flexible.
Here is the unofficial list of places we’re going to try to tackle for 2020.
[Updated] Spring Break in Prague
We made a quick switch to Spring Break from the Netherlands and Belgium to Prague. Not only were prices for apartments (and hotels) very expensive, but they almost seemed impossible to find even three months out. My guess is it’s the time of year–tulip season. After a quick analysis of cost and excitement for Munich, Prague, Ireland and Portugal, we settled this time on Prague. This one is set in stone as the flight and apartment is already book. We’ll be updating from the Czech Republic in April.
Related: Where to Travel with Teens: Our Favorite Picks from 2019
Summer in Scandinavia
When my kids were teeny-tiny, we lived in Stockholm. I loved it! And now we want to bring the kids back to see where we lived. While I know they have no memory of it, I think it’s nice to go back and see where we spent a year. One of my bucket list items has been to see the Norwegian fjords so we’ll be flying to Norway to hike and enjoy the all-day sun and cooler temperatures. Since we’re already there, we’ll do an overnight boat trip to Helsinki to check out Finland.
Related: One Teen’s Story of Canoeing in Sweden
Father-Son Trip Hiking the Zugspitze
Last year we started a tradition of taking the kids on a trip for their 15th birthday. I took Alex to London to see Hamilton. Jealous by the one-on-one time, my husband declared the 16th birthday would be his trip year. Seeing as we have back-to-back kids, that means a lot of trips. But the hubs is desperate to take my son hiking in the Alps and will settle for no other achieve than the highest mountain in Germany.
Related: Celebrating a Birthday with a Mother-Son Trip to London
Mother-Daughter Birthday Trip to France or Northern Italy
Since my daughter turns 15 this year, I will take her on a trip as well. We’ll have to find a way to work this into a long weekend over the summer or early fall. She has asked for another trip to France to give her French language training a true test. I think our trip to Paris last year was a bit too soon for attempting much in French. She has also expressed an interest in doing a pasta tour of Northern Italy. I’m up for both.
Portugal in Fall
Three out of four members of our family want to visit Portugal before we we leave. After a little research, fall seems the best time to visit with the fewest crowds. We are doing our best to avoid the full-on tourist crowds. Having heard so many great things about Portugal, we’re just trying to figure out the best plans for where to go and what to see. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, let us know!
Winter Break in Southern Spain
That puts us to the end of the year and checking quite a few places off the list. Southern Spain might be a worth a try. Similar to our trip to Greece, the weather could be variable. While looking for sun and warm, we could face cold and rain. The good news is by the time, we’ll know our next posting, which will likely drive our vacation plans for the rest of our time here in Germany. If we end up here in Europe for another two to three years, we’ll have time for more exploring. If Southeast Asia is on the agenda, then we might try some skiing before we lose the chance to ski for a few years. It’s unknown so we’re leaving our options open.
Taking Separate Trips: Thailand and the Alps
A little out of order, but I didn’t want to confuse “family travel” with all travel. Our February break is already planned. My husband and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary (woo hoo!) so we’re taking a trip to Thailand while our kids will be skiing in the Austrian Alps with their school. The funniest part of this trip is we had to convince our kids going to ski in the Alps was the fun thing to do. Fingers crossed for no broken bones.
Norway photo by Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash
Zugspitze Photo by Pablo Alonso on Unsplash
Portugal photo by Vita Marija Murenaite on Unsplash
Thailand photo by Mark Roberts on Unsplash
All other photos ©Linda Kerr, TravelTeening
