city tour - Pitstops for Kids

How to get through a guided tour with kids

May 15, 2018 By Amy Hagstrom

Are you struggling with ideas for your family vacation this summer? Why not do something different this year and visit one of Americas most famous cultural landmarks, such as going on a tour in New Orleans or San Francisco? We are big fans of guided tours; we would have been lost in destinations such as Pompeii and Paris (and even Gettysburg and San Francisco) without someone explaining what we were looking at.

With a tour, you pick the itinerary, and the tour guides do the rest. Activities and accommodations are all arranged for you, all you need to do is arrive and have fun. A guided tour is a fantastic experience for you and the kids, but traveling with children can require some planning on your part.

Find a Reputable Tour Company That Deals with Children

The first step in planning your family tour is selecting the best tour operator in the city you want to visit. Search online for operators that specialize in handling kids. Your choice of service provider should have stellar reviews on both social media and Google.

Most tour companies have family packages offered at discounted rates, with all-in-one holidays that include accommodation, transport, and meals for you and the kids.

Research your Itinerary Beforehand

After narrowing down your options for the best tour operator, download their itinerary and review it with your partner before committing and money to it. Look at the list of destinations on the itinerary, will they be of interest to your children?

Don’t forget to include your kids in your decision, and if you want to show your children areas of the country that have cultural and historical significance, make sure you blend in some fun at a local theme park, zoo, or aquarium to balance the learning with the fun.

Prep Your Kids for the Group Tour

Group tours cover a lot of ground over a week, so make sure that your kids are up for it. Sit your kids down and review the itinerary with them, show them exactly what you’ll be doing and where you’ll be visiting. Tell them that they’ll be doing a lot of walking, and then take them out to the mall for a pair of new sneakers, and some ice-cream.

Get your kids excited about the activities and search online for pictures of the places you’ll be visiting to get them excited about the trip. If this is your first trip out of town with your kids, make sure that they understand they’ll be living out of hotels. Throwing your children into a hotel environment can be bewildering for them.

It’s vital that you create a separation strategy in case your kids get lost. Make an info card that they can keep in their pockets and tell them where to go to get help if they can’t find you. Being lost in a new city is a terrifying experience for any child, so make sure you have a plan for this possibility, even if it doesn’t occur.

Keep Them Interested

Bored children become unmanageable very quickly. If you don’t keep the attention of your kids, they’ll become unruly and rowdy, or just downright crazy. Make sure you engage with your kids every step of the way and don’t leave them unattended, ever.

While most tours offer meals included, they won’t remember the snacks, so make sure that you have some healthy options on hand in case they get hungry in-between meals. Granola bars, fresh fruit, and low-calorie flavored waters are your best bets. Try to minimize their sugar intake on tour, sugar crashes will make your kids go haywire and ruin the outing.

Remember to check if your tour operator offers discounts on airfare, flying across the country with the whole family can be expensive, so inquire about this service.

Exploring Rome with kids: Overome Colosseum tour review

March 21, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

Touring Rome’s Colosseum and Forum is always in the top three attractions for families. This center of ancient Roman history is a must-do, but also big, crowded, and complex. We were very glad we opted to see the Colosseum and Forum with a small group tour. If Rome is in your family travel plans, read on for our Overome Colosseum tour review.

We chose to see the Colosseum with Overome based on recommendations from other travel writers. I’d heard Overome’s tour guides work hard to make the content of the tour relevant to kids, are reliable and timely, and are knowledgable. We were steered right, because our guide Federica was all this and more.

Overome Colosseum tour review:

Overome’s Colosseum and Ancient City Tour starts at the Colosseum metro station, directly under the shadow of the great arena. We met Federica (Feddie) here; she was easy to spot with her Overome sign. Our group consisted of only our family of seven, plus three other guests. After brief introductions, we were off…and by off, I mean just across the street to the arena.

Note: I highly recommend booking small group tours instead of large ones. We saw many large groups walking through the sites, and it didn’t look fun to be in a herd.

The Overome tour includes all entrance tickets and fees, so we didn’t have to wait in the imposing ticket line. We did, of course, have to wait in the security line, but although it snaked halfway around the base of the Colosseum on the day we visited, it took less than twenty minutes to get through. During that time, Federica (Feddie) gave us an overview of the structure and its history. While we patiently moved up in the line, we heard other tour guides getting agitated with the wait, and their guests getting impatient. I knew right then, only minutes into our three hour tour, that we were in good hands with Feddie.

Once in the Colosseum, Feddie took us slowly from level to level, explaining how the arena was built and by whom, its architecture and design, and its uses over the years of its history. Even though the complex was crowded, it was easy to hear what she was saying because we were given earbuds and radios.

Everyone knows at least a little about this colosseum of gladiators, emperors, and prisoners, but we learned quite a few new tidbits, especially about the many exotic animals who entertained and died there, as well as specific stories about certain victims of the games.

Feddie used illustrations on an iPad to help explain her points, which really helped us visualize what she was describing. By no means were we looking at the screen all the time, but it was definitely a useful tool. This tour doesn’t take visitors down to the bottom floor of the Colosseum, be we did spend time on the upper levels with views of the labyrinth of rooms and levers and one-time elevators that made the Colosseum function in its heyday. We actually wished we had more time in the Colosseum when it was time to move on to the Forum.

The Forum is the section of the ancient city center for which I most wanted (and needed) a guide. Without one, it’s an expanse of half-ruined buildings and rubble. Even with a guidebook in-hand, it’s not done justice without someone knowledgable to explain it. I know, because the first time I visited the Forum ten years ago, I did it on my own. I learned far more with Feddie.

We started at the far end, where she pointed out major landmarks in the Forum and showed us more images on her iPad to give us an idea of what it once was. After we could visualize it, we could see how the remains of marble and stone had once been grand buildings and streets. She explained what each structure had been used for, including the House and Temple of Vestrals, Arch of Titus, and the alter with Julius Caesar’s ashes. We learned about the multiple ‘layers’ of the Forum, and for the first time, I could really see how much of the area had been buried in mud and soil for centuries at a time.

We spent more than an hour in the Forum, which left us with little time for Palatine Hill. We were given an overview, however, and when Feddie left us, we were still inside the complex, so we were free to explore it more on our own. Instead, we were worn out and hungry by this time, so we asked her for a lunch recommendation in the area. After leaving Feddie, we happily dined on pizza at nearby Pizza Forum.

Our Overome tour definitely confirmed my suspicion that we needed an expert to fully experience this part of the city. And we couldn’t have been happier with Feddie; it was clear she likes her job and knows her stuff.

Cost:

The Overome Colosseum and Ancient City tour is $52 per person, and I believe the value is definitely there. At the time of our visit, we departed from the metro station at 9 am, and were done by 12 pm.

As I disclose whenever applicable, our tour with Overome was complimentary, for the purpose of review. Without this type of hospitality, we would not be able to write personalized and up-to-date reviews.

The Rome you may have missed: Why book a Walks of Italy tour

March 9, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

For anyone who can say, “I’ve seen the major sights of Rome, what next?” the answer is Walks of Italy’s Hidden Gems and Ancient Wonders tour. Perfect for adults and teens, this 3.5 hour tour dips in and out of the city and suburbs or Rome to hit upon a somewhat arbitrary yet completely fascinating bouquet of small stops. None of the sights on the tour take more than thirty minutes to view, and with stops ranging in topic from Jewish history to cannon fire to aqueducts, there’s something for everyone.

What to expect on a Walks of Italy tour:

Before the tour, we honestly thought 3.5 hours might be a little long. In fact, the time flew by, no doubt due to our funny and passionate guide, Andrea. It also didn’t hurt that unlike every other day in Rome, we were mostly off our feet, hopping in and out of a luxury van.

We only had eleven people in our group (three of which were from our family), which meant we were not one of the massive tour groups walking around the city. We started at Piazza Venezia, where we learned about the history of the buildings there and glimpsed the second century ruins that most overlook (away from the Forum). We then walked the short distance to the Jewish Ghetto and Jewish colosseum, where we learned about the history of Jewish Romans from the time the ghetto was established in the 1500s to the Nazi occupation.

We got in our van, and drove past the Circus Maximus and Palatine Hill to view something I’d been hoping to see in Rome: the view of St. Peter’s from the keyhole of the Knights of Malta. This brotherhood swore to protect the Vatican, hence the symbolic placing of the keyhole. It really is magical to peek inside this unassuming keyhole and see St. Peter’s dome perfectly framed there…like looking into some secret porthole. And while I’d read about this wonder in a guidebook, no way could I have found it on my own!

We then headed out the Appian Way, passing the Baths of Caracalla and stopping at the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella. While I’d been on the Appian way in the past, I’d never known there was so much in this area besides the many catacombs. We learned about the road, stopping to walk along it, see the chariot groves in the stone, and learn about the purpose and use of the road. From here, we went to the Park of the Aqueducts, which is actually just a large space with well preserved stretches of aqueduct. In other words, had we gone out here on our own, we really wouldn’t have known what we were looking at, precisely. In fact, each stop Andrea took us to was something we’d never be able to navigate or learn about on our own.

We finished the tour with a few more ‘drive by’ views and a stop at Janiculum Hill, where every day at noon, a cannon blast is set off to let the churches know when to ring their bells. Today, traffic obscures the cannon shot in most neighborhoods, which is why we had not heard it once in our five days in Rome! We certainly heard it from the hill! This is great place to take photos of the city, too. Finally, we drove down a particular street with a view of St. Peter’s dome that creates an optical illusion due to the street’s size and curve of its sidewalk: as you drive closer to the dome, it actually appears to grow smaller. This is yet another small tidbit of Rome I never would have discovered on my own.

We stopped several times for bathroom breaks and/or food breaks along the way, each time at a nice cafe with a friendly staff and great atmosphere. Snacks were on our own; our 11-year-old had the best pastry he found in Rome at one next to the Jewish Ghetto. Again, this tour should not be your first activity in the city, as it won’t hit the headliners, but is rather the perfect thing to do with your last morning in the city, or during repeat visits.

How to book:

It’s easy to book your tour directly through Walks of Italy. We booked online, and printed our confirmation email, which also listed our meeting time and location (just look for the person holding a Walks of Italy sign). They also do tours of the biggies, like the Colosseum and Vatican. They do offer lower prices for kids. Grab breakfast before you go, bring water, and try to be at your meeting point about 10 minutes before the tour time listed.

As we disclose whenever applicable, Walks of Italy offered us a media rate for this tour, for the purpose of review. All opinions remain our own.

Touring Paris with Fat Tire Tours

February 1, 2016 By Amy Hagstrom

While planning our itinerary for Paris with kids, I kept hearing about an English-language, Paris-based tour company that goes around on bikes. My family loves exploring cities by bike (you may remember how we gushed about Bike ‘n Roll in the States), so we contacted Fat Tire Tours and set up a morning with them.

We chose to try their Paris Day Bike Tour, which has been a staple at the company since 1999. The tour is 3.5 hours, and covers a lot of ground. After several days of hoofing it around Paris, it was a welcome relief to be on two wheels. The Paris Day Bike Tour is designed to give visitors an overview of the area around the Eiffel Tower, Concorde, and Invalides. We took the tour on Day 3, and but while we’d seen the Eiffel Tower from afar and walked around the Louvre area, most of the stops were brand new to us.

The tour started at 9 am. After booking online, we were sent an email confirmation with instructions on where to meet the group. It was easy to find the Metro station indicated, but we almost ended up being late when we stood in the wrong place and somehow didn’t notice the group gathering. Doh! Once we were on the right track, one guide led the large group of about 25 people to Fat Tire’s office, where we could stash backpacks if needed, buy water, use the restroom, and get fitted for bikes. I worried at this point that our group would be too large to be manageable, but I shouldn’t have feared. Once we were all on bikes, the group was broken down to about 8 people per guide.

We set out within about 25 minutes, and rode primarily on streets, following our guide, with breaks from traffic on some bike paths and while on car-free paths along the Seine. While we did need to pay close attention to our guide while navigating the streets, it was easy to follow instructions and I never felt unsafe. Our kids were old enough to ride solo and follow instructions, but young kids are also welcome, as Fat Tire Tours has bikes with child seats available. I’d venture to say kids under age 5 would have a hard time in the traffic, and should be in bike seats.

Our guide Nick was British, living in Paris, and he was a wealth of information with a fun and lively personality. The kids were always interested in his commentary as he described Paris history through the various stops at historical buildings, churches, and bridges. I appreciated that Nick didn’t ‘dumb down’ the information for children. Even when the commentary was geared more to adults, there was always the novelty of riding the bikes through the city to keep kids entertained.

I learned a great deal about some buildings I otherwise would have passed by in Paris, and Nick was able to provide advice on where else to go in the city with the kids. In fact, we would have skipped seeing the d’Orsay Museum if not for his tip to go the following morning. It turned out to be our favorite museum.

We made about 10 stops through the city, with a longer break off the bikes at a cafe in the Tuileries by the Louvre. Even though we went in winter, this garden area was beautiful, and the little cafe was perfect for an easy lunch with kids. The boys got savory crepes and soup, and the adults had sandwiches on baguette. The wine and hot chocolate were both nice, too. At the end of our tour, we got a great photo op at the tower, too.

Note: Lunch is not included in the price, but is not expensive. I believe we spent about €7 per person. We brought our own water bottles in a small backpack.

Overall, we found everyone at Fat Tire Tours to be friendly, welcoming, and energetic, from Nick to the office staff to the attendants putting us on bikes. It was a very friendly place to spend a morning in Paris, which can be an intimidating city. After our tour, the office staff gave us further advice on how to spend our afternoon. We had tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower, so we walked over from the office and spent a few hours enjoying the winter sunshine and checking out the Christmas market.

Cost:

This half-day tour is $32 each, which I think is a steal. It was absolutely worth this and more.

Directions:

The office is located by the Eiffel Tower, and full instructions for meeting your group will be given upon booking.

As I disclose whenever applicable, our tour was comped by Fat Tire Tours, for the purpose of review. All opinions remain our own.