Three Weeks in the Netherlands, Belgium and France with Kids

Our three weeks in Europe included two weeks in the Netherlands and one in France. This meant that we were able to spend a day in Belgium on our way to and from France as well. You can see some tips I have give here on what to consider when planning your trip.

Chapmans in the Eiffel Tower

What to Consider When Planning a European Family Vacation

We recently travelled through the Netherlands, Belgium and France with our three kids for three weeks. The purpose was primarily to connect with my dutch roots and for the kids to experience various cultures. Our hope was to go to all of the museums and attractions that we wanted and to eat local foods yet keep the budget for the entire trip under $10,000 Canadian.

Our kids are seven, 10 and 13 which worked well for a trip like this. When planning I had a few questions: How should we get around? Which cities should we see? Will my MasterCard work okay? How much would it all cost?  This is what we did and I wouldn't say there is a right or wrong way; this is just what worked for us.

Here are a few things that you may want to consider when planning your European trip:

Ball Hockey Tournament in Edmonton

The Western Challenge Cup is a ball hockey tournament that includes teams from B.C. through to Manitoba. Every year it rotates being hosted between B.C. and Alberta and Kai has the highest chance of making this team on the years that it is away as he is the older at that time. We weren't sure if he should try out for the U13 team as we had a big trip to Europe planned but he really wanted to and we thought the tryouts would be a good experience. 

Well, he made the team of 15 runners and 2 goalies. Leading up to the tournament in Edmonton, Kai fundraised with bottles and earned $240 to pay for his team fees, "new" back-up stick and gloves.  He also had many practises and exhibition games. Going into the tournament their only loss was to Delta and they tied with Metro. They felt pretty confident and Surrey has a pretty good reputation of doing well at this tournament. 

Our All-Inclusive Vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Our family is normally the adventurous type; whether backpacking, road tripping or flying, we prefer to visit places that include a lot of activity and exploration. I should clarify that this is what Gary and I enjoy, not necessarily our kids, which led us to booking a trip that we had never considered: an all-inclusive trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The kids love food and playing in the waves as we learned on our Caribbean Cruise, therefore, this trip would ideally allow Gary and I to relax and the kids to have a blast keeping busy with all of the activities offered.

Rolley Lake Camping Trip

We had one last trip planned this summer: Rolley Lake Provincial Campground. Unfortunately due to the wildfires in B.C. the air quality was the worst we have ever experienced and it was advised to avoid strenuous activities and stay indoors. We visited the Stave Falls Powerhouse for an indoor activity but the rest was all outdoors. We decided to end our trip early and packed in as much of the camping experience as we could into those 24 hours.

Stave Falls Dam and Powerhouse

I've lived in B.C. my whole life yet had not visited the 100-year-old Stave Falls Powerhouse Facility in Mission, B.C. We were camping at Rolley Lake which is five minutes away and decided to check it out. I can see why various movies and TV series have been filmed there as it is quite a unique and historical site! The powerhouse was once B.C.'s largest hydroelectric source and was completed in 1912.

Peak Suspension Bridge in Whistler, B.C.

Are you looking for a fun new adventure? Whistler, B.C. has many different options in the summer such as ziplining, hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, and ATVing.  Most people are familiar with their Peak 2 Peak Gondola which holds the Guinness World Record for longest and highest lift and now they have just opened up a new experience for thrill seekers: The Peak Suspension Bridge.

Peak Suspension Bridge located at the very top of the mountain: Can you see it on the peak?

From Phoenix to the Grand Canyon South Rim with Kids

Our seven day vacation in Phoenix, Arizona had several priorities: visit the Grand Canyon and find family-friendly hikes. We enjoyed temperatures of 20-30 Celsius in the month of March and also the cheap gas prices compared to BC. Here are the main things that we did and what I thought about them:

Seven Things to See and Do in Waterton Lakes National Park

I have lived in BC my whole life and only recently heard of Waterton Lakes National Park. It is a smaller park located in southwestern Alberta and was the reason for our recent road trip. We drove across southern BC to Waterton and then down to Yellowstone through there. We spent two nights in Waterton Lakes National Park and these are the highlights that I recommend doing if you find yourself there (which you should!):

Seven Things to See and Do in Waterton:

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park

Our family recently had our first adventure in spelunking otherwise known as cave exploration–what a unique and incredible experience it is! Established in 1971, Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park is located 12 km off of Hwy 19 just north of Parksville. There are three caves that are open to the public and you are able to venture on your own for about 20 meters into each of those caves, just be prepared with headlamps and/or flashlights! The path is well labelled and I recommend stopping in at the information centre before heading out to see where the location of each cave is.

Travelling with Netflix

For the past five days we have been on the go exploring Vancouver Island. Our kids have been spending hours playing at the beach, skimboarding, hiking new trails, and even spelunking! My Fitbit has us getting 15,000-25,0000 steps a day!  Here are some of our adventures from the past few days...

Searching for sea anenomes and sand dollars at Tigh-Na-Mara

Our 2017 Summer Road Trip Plans

Growing up we spent the majority of our summer on road trips. Over the years our family drove across Canada in our truck and camper (all the way to Newfoundland!) down to Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Oregon Coast and did a lot of exploring on Vancouver Island as well. As a kid I didn't always love it (my mom almost sent me home on a bus from Ontario because of my attitude) but I am thankful for the opportunity to see as much as I did! 

Last summer we took a week to do the Lake and Circles Route in BC and I was in awe of all the beauty that is just a drive away. This summer we have the freedom to do two different road trips. I hope I won't regret this decision as that is a whole lot of family time in the minivan. Here is our plan:

Our Eight Day Eastern Caribbean Cruise with Kids

For our first cruise we chose to do an eight night Eastern Caribbean cruise which we booked through a travel agent. Gary and I have never been to the Caribbean and if we were going to fly all the way to Florida, we might as well make it worth our time by doing a longer one! We chose Carnival Cruise Line due to the affordability and the family-friendly nature aboard the Carnival Sunshine. Fifteen tips for first-time cruisers can be found here.

Family in Grand Turk

Here was our itinerary:

Five Must Haves When Travelling With Kids

We have done a variety of travelling with our three young kids; from backpacking to road trips to flying to SE Asia, our kids are pretty experienced travellers. Our youngest was just 14 months when we flew to the Philippines and Thailand and she was four years old when doing her first overnight hike. We have road tripped to places like Oregon, Tofino, Drummheller and Barkerville–there's always somewhere new to explore! Our kids are currently aged 4-10 and I'm so thankful for the adventures we've had and all that is to come.

Visiting Ucluelet, B.C. {Vancouver Island}

For the past eight years, we have vacationed in Ucluelet, BC on Vancouver Island. It is not only incredibly gorgeous but allows us to have the true West Coast experience at an affordable price. We love the laid back feel along with the beautiful trails and beaches to explore.  

The Travel Bug

One thing our family loves is travelling.  Both Gary and I grew up doing a lot of travel--usually in the form of camping and road trips.  I don't necessarily need to camp (I'd prefer not to at my age) but I do love to see the world.  Now that we will have our summers free (teachers who are no longer doing wedding photography), we might as well use them to our advantage!  Travelling can be expensive so we usually take do it via road trips.

Some of our favourite trips as a family to date have been:

Drumheller, Alberta. Seriously, it's fun!

Nehalem Bay State Park, Oregon. We've gone twice.

{You can stop by Mount St. Helens along the way}

Thailand. Yes we all got some form of food poisoning (and Kai got Dengue Fever!) but it was worth it:)

{So hot that we had mango smoothies every day!}

The Philippines. Gorgeous. So great to visit friends there.

{How did we do it with three young kids? Not sure}

Mexico.  We rented a bus with about 6 other families that we are good friends with and traveled through Mexico! Not sure I would do it now but it was fun in 2007 :)

Disney World.  How did that even happen?  It's so surreal that we won that trip earlier this year!

Yearly trips to Ucluelet and Tofino.  We love it there; it is our happy place.

Our bucket list of trips (I LOVE having trips to look forward to!):

1.  Road trip up to Alaska (just doing the Panhandle as Gary and I have traveled through Alaska before), up to Whitehorse, and then back going through Liard Hotsprings.  We have been to Liard Hotsprings before but, ahem, have no photos from this trip. This will hopefully happen summer of 2016 dependent on whether our Little One is with us or not.

2.  Cross Canada trip.  We are trying to figure out how we will travel across as I don't want to tent all the way.  Maybe stay with people we know, cabins, and hotels.  The plan would be to do this in 2018.  I have been across twice before--once with my family (all the way to the tip of Newfoundland) and once with a friend on the train.  Canada is incredibly gorgeous.

3. Iceland.  Probably just Gary and I.  Maybe for our 15th wedding anniversary in 5 years? 2020?

4.  Road trip to Disneyland.  We will definitely do Disneyland one more time with the kids and hope to make it a larger trip going to places like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park.

I had always wanted to take our family to Kenya for a year but I'm not feeling as confident about it now.  I'm thinking we will revisit this when they are older.  We also have friends in India right now so that is another trip to consider!

What about you?  Do you have a list?  Where would you love to go?

Have a great weekend.

Love,
Louise

Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa 2015

Once or twice a year we head out to Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa.  We love it there. Why? 

1.  It's only an hour away; far enough to feel like you're getting away but close enough that the kids are totally fine getting there. 

2.We love the warm pools.  There's something for everyone AND the indoor pools open at 5 am which is helpful when your kids are crazy like that.  

3. The two playgrounds on the beach rock.  

4.  Free cookies and tea at 4 pm.

5. Decently priced family suite.  You get two adjoined rooms for $189.00 which allow for four kids and two adults (two kids were in playpens.)  The rooms aren't fantastic but work well for us!

6.  We order pizza from Village Pizzeria for dinner ($21 for a large) and eat it on the beach.  {We bring a cooler with snacks and cereal, milk, bowls and spoons for breakfast because feeding a family of six would just be too much for us--yep, I'm cheap!}

7.  It's calm, quiet, and beautiful.  It's so nice to just walk around in the fresh air and enjoy nature. 

{Six months pregnant with Kai and then...nine-and-a-half years later!}

Well, that was our last holiday of the summer!  Now, on to school, preschool, therapies, dance, basketball, foster parent training, subbing (yay, still going to sub once/week!) and weddings. September is going to be a doozy.  You ready?!

Love, 

Louise

Top Ten Family-Friendly Activities at Tigh-Na-Mara

We just returned from a four night stay at Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort  in Parksville, B.C. with my entire extended family – 30 people. It was extremely relaxing due to the ages of our own kids (3-9 years old), the set up of our accommodations, and the family-friendly activities available at Tigh-Na-Mara. This is our third family reunion and definitely the most enjoyable. 

Camping in Tofino

Every year we head out to Ucluelet and Tofino; I believe this was our 7th year! Usually we go over Spring Break but this year we decided to go in the summer. We were going to Parksville later on in the week for a family reunion so it worked out well.

We always stop at Cathedral Grove; it's located just 20 minutes before Port Alberni and the perfect rest stop. The trees are amazing and the kids have a great time running around.

We arrived at our campground in Tofino around 2 pm. The road there is quite windy for an hour so be prepared! We stayed at Bella Pacifica Campground because it had good ratings and we were able to get a beachfront spot (#7).   If you go, I highly recommend getting a beach spot. It's not cheap at $54/night during peak season, but it's probably one of the most affordable lodging options in Tofino.   It is located on Mackenzie Beach which is just a 5 minute drive from town. If you are looking for a little more privacy in the beachfront sites then #1-8 are best. 

I did not pack appropriate clothing. We had left home when it was about 35C so I packed that way – it was a cool and windy and even rained the whole first night! 

We have a 5 man tent that we've been using the past few years. It fits us well but I don't think we could fit any more bodies in there! Every time I spend a night on that inflatable mattress I do wonder how many more years I can do it; my hips really feel it!

This is the view from our tent – nice, right?

Well, at least we didn't need to worry about sunscreen?! 

A major plus about this beach is it has an area that is contributed to by a stream. The water is warm and the kids played in there for hours.  

The sites were quite small but it worked for us and our tent.

After waking up to rain on Tuesday morning, I was not a happy camper. The kids loved their "camping breakfast" (cereal in a recyclable bowl from Costco.)  

It was too cold for the beach so we decided to go hiking. We hiked about 14 km total over the day!  We did the Rainforest Trail which we really enjoyed and would do over again. Koen said that was the highlight of our trip there. Notice Kai wearing Gary's shirt.  Note to self: always pack each person a hoodie. Always. 

We also drove into Ucluelet to the lighthouse because we really enjoy that view and it's tradition to get our photo at this sign. We did some more climbing and exploring there. Nya doesn't seem so impressed with that tradition.

{Below is the picture from 2014}

{And 2013...I'll stop now}

We went back to Tofino (Ucluelet and Tofino are about 30 minutes apart) and went out for pizza. I wasn't ready to go back to the campsite until it warmed up! The playground in Tofino is always a hit and we went there each day. My sister Maria and her family were staying in Tofino as well so we met up several times which the kids loved.

The sun came out so we went back to the campsite and got ready for a day at the beach!

Having a kite was also a major hit for the kids. They loved it; Kai was a little more successful than Nya with it.

We had the whole beach to ourselves!

The kids have been racing these animals for the past 6 years; there were 4 of them but now there are only 2.

By the afternoon the sun was out in full force–yay! By the way, this is our Costco hammock and we love it.

The cousins came over to play at our beach and this was Kai's higlight; jumping in the waves with the girls.

Then we had "smorepedoes" back at the campsite (waffle cone with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in  pot on the stove.) 

Once the kids were in bed, we had a little time to relax.  

I was definitely happy that our second night would be warmer!

Wednesday morning was beautiful – I didn't want to leave!  

We stopped by Long Beach on our way out. You can't go to Tofino and not go to Long Beach.

Bye bye, Tofino. Now we need to figure out if we'll come back at Spring Break or the summer in 2016. Whatever we decide, we're definitely keeping the tradition alive.

Have you been to Tofino? What was your highlight?

Love,

Louise