I have so many dreams of traveling with kids. Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.. The list is endless and I don’t know if we can do it all. But when one of the dream seems to be within reach, it makes the dream even more exciting.

We have been talking about taking the kids backpacking through Europe in the next few years when they will be old enough to take care of some walking without whining.

Tuscany With Kids

But last week, I entered our family photo vacation for a chance to win a week long stay in Italy. Tuscany to be precised. Now, I have to admit when we were talking about Europe I was thinking more about Rome, London, Amsterdam or something in that nature. I didn’t even think about Tuscany.

Now, that there is a chance.. I start to dig more and see what could we do in Tuscany with kids. Will they get bored? We are not wine connoisseurs. Will we enjoy a week out in this beautiful countryside?

The answer is YES.. Big fat YES..

Resources for Things to Do with Kids in Tuscany

There are many more things to do for kids in Tuscany than we can fit into a week. A great resources from Ciao Bambino gives us a good start.

I let my fingers do a little more work and found more information at Children in Tuscany. A great resources for various things to do with kids in Tuscany. Kids will love to climb the Leaning Tower in Pisa, ride the bike in Lucca, climb the bell tower in Siena, and tour the amazing Florence.

The winning prize is a week stay in Casa Cornacchi Country House. The location is perfect for a family home base to explore Tuscany.

Now, why do you care about my dream?

You can help me achieve this dream my dear friends. It’s relatively easy.

How To Help

1. Become a fan of Ciao Bambino – Ciao Bambino Facebook Fan page (so you can do the next step)

2. Leave a comment on my family photo – Our Family Vacation in Macau

That’s it!!! Each comment will give us one vote.

The contest will run until March 12th. So you still have time to help us out.

Cheer to the dream!

You can check out other travelers dream for this Monday at Mother of All Trips.

First photo by Giampaolo Macorig

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dreaming of: Tuscany With Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

My good friend just recently came back from their Summer vacation in Europe. I’m so excited to talk to her about her experience during her trip. Her first stop was in Paris. She gave me great tips on things that went wrong during her trip.

Double and Triple check your hotel information

When they arrived in Paris to their hotel which they booked online, they were in for a surprise to found that their hotel has no A/C. Apparently, it is typical to a lot of hotels in Paris. This is one thing that I have never known about before but now I know that it will be one of the feature I will make sure to check.

Verify the museum hour for different days of the week

When you travel back and forth between time zone, the jet lag and the date change can get to you. Make sure to double check the date and time of the operating hour as it may be different each day. And check your calendar when you arrive to make sure that you know what day you are of the week. :) It happened to me a lot especially when I flew back to Thailand. I have to stop and think what day was it.

Don’t forget about the Metro System operating hour

When we travel, we could get carried away visiting all those fabulous tourist attractions that we forget about how we can get back to the hotel. The night time at the Eiffel Tower is one of the amazing sight to see. But make sure you have a way to get back to your hotel because the Metro System might not be operating after the light show.

Give yourself time to adjust

It will be best if you give yourself some time after arrival to adjust to the travel exhaustion and jet lag. So give yourself one extra day to relax instead of doing lot of sightseeing the first day.

Do you have any tips before anyone heads to Paris to share?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Tips Before You Go to Paris is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Oh.. Amsterdam.. where do I start? It’s one of the city that on my list for our Europe trip that I have been planning. We want to be able to go there in a couple years.

The first thought that came to Mr. Rojo’s mind is of course the “coffee shop” and the redlight district. So he questioned if it will be family-friendly city to visit with kids. I have read several posts and reviews and found that on the contrary, Amsterdam is highly recommended for family with children.

Staying:

I’m dreaming of renting a house boat and spend the morning sitting on the porch watching life happening along the canal.

Doing:

I’m dreaming of visiting the Keukenhof in Spring and being mesmerized by the beauty of the colorful tulips. But if we can’t get there by Spring, I’m dreaming of checking out the flower market along the canal or take a day trip to check out the flower auction.

I’m dreaming of renting a bike and putting on our helmet and setting off around town to check out little hidden gems that might not be in any travel guide. After a long bike ride, we will stop by one of several parks around Amsterdam like Vondelpark to enjoy the beautiful summer and free music performance at the Open Air theatre on Sunday; or Museumplein park to take a break from museum visits.

I’m dreaming of visiting various museums – being the Rijksmuseum to see Rembrandt and Vermeer masterpieces, the Van Gogh Museum to learn about his lifework and let Miss J and Mr. Z enjoy the audio tour, or the Science Museum Nemo where the only rule is ‘please touch everything you see and explore!’. And depend on the energy level we have left, we will want to check out the Ann Frank House. It will be a great educational experience for them to learn.

I’m dreaming of cruising on the boat along the canals to see what Amsterdam has to offer or maybe renting pedal boats called ‘canal bikes’ and sweating ourselves pedaling around the canals.

Day-tripping:

I’m dreaming of taking a day trip to Zaanse Schans. We can’t go all the way to the Netherlands and not visit the working Windmills.

Eating:

I have to admit. I don’t know much about the dutch food but I do know that we will have to try the famous snack ‘Vlaamse frites’ - which basically french fries with mayo. And based on WhyGoAmsterdam, the best french fries in Amsterdam is either Vleminckx Sausmeesters or Manneken Pis. For a quick bite, I might try FEBO vending machine per EuroCheapo’s recommendation. This is not your American vending machine but a fast-food franchise in the automat style. We might also try our hand (or stomach) on Indonesian food. It might seem weird but Amsterdam has a large Indonesian population so the food there is amazing.

Now that’s my dream. Check out other travelers’ dreams at Mother of All Trips.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Dreaming of: Amsterdam with Kids is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 50 Places of a Lifetime By Intelligent Travel is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) WW – Amsterdam Canal at Night is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

This week Thursday Thirteen is all about the countries that I have visited. I don’t list it in any particular order. Enjoy!

2) Hong Kong – We went there a couple years ago during our family trip back to Thailand. It was like a family reunion trip with my mom, my sister, my brother and my cousin. We had so much fun there. What a lively city and the food was incredible and exotic.

3) Mexico – Our recent cruise had a stop in Cozumel. We only spent a day there. So I know that I will have to go back there to experience and explore more of this beautiful country.

4) Cayman Islands – Love it, love it, love it!!! Another port of call on our recent cruise trip. Oh what a beautiful beach! I think I can just stay there by the beach all day long.

5) Jamaica – Colorful and interesting country. We didn’t get to explore much this trip. But I know that we will find another opportunity to go back and be more adventurous next time.

6) England – I went there about 10 years ago with my mom and my brother. Big Ben, London Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Harrod’s.. Too little time, too many things to do. I need to go back there before my friend moves away.

Picture by fraise

7) Switzerland – On the same trip to London, we also went to Switzerland. Checked out watches and stayed in a beautiful B&B. What a beautiful country!!

8) Germany – I couldn’t believe it has been 10 years already from that trip. We stopped by Heidelberg. Checked out the castle and enjoyed lunch at the town square.

Picture by mattwyn

9) Italy – Rome.. what can I say.. No need to explain. We have to go back. One trip is not enough for this country full of history and great architectures.

Picture by RZen

10) Scotland – A business trip took me to this lovely country. We got to check out the Edinburg castle and visited Glasglow in Ireland. Very peaceful place. I would love to go back there with Mr. Rojo.

Picture by sZelee

11) France - Shopper heaven.. Not so much for me at that time. As a poor student, I didn’t get to enjoy all the brand name stores. But who can forget your experience in Paris. There is no other city like it.

Picture by idreamofdaylight

12) Bahamas – The Carribean paradise. Our first visit was for our honeymoon and followed by our first cruise. We had a great memory there for blue ocean and great snorkel.

13) Singapore – Another great oppotunity from my ex-company. We got to live there for over a month. What an experience!

Picture by travellingzenwolf

Since a handful of the countries I visited were from way before the digital camera era, I didn’t have the digital copies of those pictures. Thanks to the internet I am able to find great pictures from other flickr users.

Check out other TT participants here.

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Countries I Have Visited is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Right now, my little brother and my mom are on  a trip of their lifetime in Europe. My little brother is a real traveller in our family. I believe he suffers from wonderlust.  Everyone in our family loves to travel. Though, he is the one who really makes it happen. Some might the reason is that he is single. Some might say that he is young. But no matter how we put it, he is living the life and I’m glad my mom benefits from his travel savvy. She so deserves it!

Yesterday, they just arrived in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Their first country in their 17 days European trip. My brother planned the trip all by himself. Normally, we like to take guided tours but not my brother. He did some work with the travel agents to help him book the tickets for hotels, hostels and airlines. But most  of the planning he did it by himself.

First stop for them today in the Netherlands is Keukenhof. The famous Garden of Europe in Lisse, Netherlands. They travelled there by bus and spent a whole day there. The garden is the world’s largest flower garden and they picked the best time to visit in Spring. I sure hope my mom brings a very comfy pair of shoes to walk around. When I called them, they were waiting to get on a bus after they just packed up from their hostel to head excursion.

After Keukenhof, they head to Belgium.  Their stops there will be Brussle and Brugge.  Brugge is the World Heritage Site with a medieval historic settlement.. I wonder if any of the Medieval festivals here in the states can hold a candle to the real thing.  I asked Mr. Rojo if he would like to go to a Medieval festival if one were to swing by our area and he just laughed at me.  Though he laughs, I’m sure secretly he would like to go. If just to laugh at all the thee’s and thou’s.  Sorry. I digress…  My brother is on a neat journey. Gosh.. I can’t wait to see his pictures!

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) Oh.. I'm jealous!!! is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog

Sometimes vacation is all about our imagination. It will be nice to get to go on a real destination on your dream vacation.

As I have so much time on my hand (apart from working, cooking, taking care of our home, cleaning, etc..), I have come up with 13 destinations that I would like to go on my vacations. These are not the finite list as I refuse to limit my own dream. I want to go places.. different places, different cultures.. Only time will tell.

For now, enjoy my Thursday Thirteen.

1) Hawaii – This is my top destination. It’s just something about the beach that always attract me.

2) Italy – I want to go back there and be able to take my time and get to travel the whole country especially Venice, Rome and Florence

3) Greece – Again something about the ocean.. It’s that blue sky with the crisp clear ocean. Plus Greek food is one of my favorite.

4) Australia – This might happen sooner if I can manage the budget. When we go back to Thailand next trip, I want to try to have a side-trip to Australia. After all, it will cut the flight time by half.

5) Ireland – This one is for Mr. Rojo. He thinks he has an Irish blood.

6) Switzerland – I don’t know how to ski but I would love to go ski there. Does that make me sound a bit insane?

7) Japan – Technically, I have been there countless times except I only set foot on their airport. I don’t think that count.

8) China – Especially Shanghai, it’s the Western city of China.

9) Mexico – It won’t be right not to visit and get to your our neighbor, heh?

10) California – I have been there 10 years ago. But I think my one trip doesn’t do justice to that State. I would love to go back to San Diego, San Francisco and LA (this one mainly for Thai food)

11) Las Vegas/Grand Canyon – Whatever happen in Vegas, stay in Vegas. :)

12) Fiji – We can always dream, right?

13) Brazil – I would love to visit the Amazon and take in the vibrant culture.

That’s it folks. My list. So where are your dream destination?

Thanks for reading my feed. Please stop by to say hi or leave a comment! :) 13 Destinations for my Vacation is a post from: The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog