mikelisaanna's VirtualTourist Home Page

We live in Ridgewood, New Jersey, a town of 25,000 people that is located about 20 miles northwest of New York City. We have always liked to travel, and are happy to report that having a child has not stopped us from jumping onto planes to go to interesting places. Fortunately, our daughter Anna has generally been easy to travel with. She is 8 years old, and has already been to 24 states and 23 countries.

Countries that Anna has visited:

Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Mauritius, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Swaziland, Turkey, the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

States within the USA that Anna has visited:

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia

We are very big fans of the United States' National Parks, National Monuments, and National Historic Sites. They are one of this country's greatest bargains, offering visitors the highlights of our scenery and history at an affordable price (usually under $20). Every year we always try to visit a few more. Our favorite thus far is Yosemite, although we also loved the national parks and monuments of southern Utah (Bryce, Canyonlands, Zion, Arches, and Grand Staircase-Escalante ). Other ones that we have visited include: Crater Lake, Newberry Volcano, Hawaii Volcanoes, Pu'uonua Honaunau, Sequioa, Kings Canyon, Devil's Postpile, Manzanar, Death Valley, Muir Woods, Grand Canyon, Sunset Crater, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Montezuma's Castle, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Devil's Tower, Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Skagway, Glacier Bay, Kenai Fjords, Gateway Arch, Mammoth Cave, New River Gorge, Acadia, St. Gaudens, Thomas Edison, Independence Hall, Gettysburg, Steamtown, Lowell, New Bedford Whaling, Ellis Island, and many of the historic sites in Boston, New York and Washington DC.

We love to discover small museums and other attractions that aren't on the usual tourist itineraries. We've learned a lot of interesting things and met a lot of nice people in these places. A few that we recommend are listed below:

USA:

Tillamook Air Museum - Tillamook, OR
St. Gaudens National Historic Site - Cornish, NH
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum - Bronx, NY
Huntington Art Museum - Huntington, WV
River Heritage Museum - Paducah, KY
Quilt Museum - Paducah, KY
Isabella Stewart Garden Museum - Boston, MA
Army Ordinance Museum - Aberdeen, MD
Newark Museum - Newark, NJ
New Jersey Naval Museum - Hackensack, NJ
Marx Toy Museum - Moundsville, WV
Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace - New York, NY
New England Carousel Museum - Bristol, CT
Whaling Museum - Nantucket, MA
Virginia Museum of Transportation - Roanoke, VA
Booker T. Washington Birthplace - Franklin County, VA
Warm Springs Indian Museum - Warm Springs, OR
Smithfield Plantation - Blacksburg, VA
Creede Underground Mining Museum - Creede, CO
Oglebay Mansion Museum - Wheeling, WV
Oglebay Glass Museum - Wheeling, WV

Europe

Archdiocesan Museum - Krakow, Poland
Musee Cognacq-Jay - Paris, France
Fondation Maeght - Saint-Paul, France
Menshikov Palace - St. Petersburg, Russia
Museu do Azulejo - Lisbon, Portugal

Africa

CP Nel Museum - Oudtshoorn, South Africa
Livingstone Museum - Livingstone, Zambia

Many people look at us as if we have sprouted seven heads when we tell them we are traveling to Europe or the Western United States with a small child. They assume that we are crazy and/or foolish to even think of doing it. The truth, however, is that traveling with a small child is not that difficult, it just requires a little extra preparation and a few adjustments to the trip. And the benefit of having a child who has seen new places and experienced a lot of new cultures and other things far outweighs the inconveniences, in our opinion.

A few things tips for parents who are thinking about traveling with a small child (a few of them are things that we have learned the hard way):

1. When flying to Europe, take an overnight flight. Hopefully, your child will sleep right through it. Also, eat at the airport before the flight so that you can go to sleep on the plane right after takeoff.

2. When getting on an airplane, always have something for your child to sip on or chew during takeoff. It will make it easier for them to clear their ears when the pressure changes.

3. For long daytime airplane flights, bring a portable DVD player with extra batteries. An entertained child is a happy child on a plane. The DVD player also comes in handy if your hotel's TV doesn't have any childrens' programming or anything in a language your child understands. Coloring books are also great for long flights.

4. Always have a change of clothes with you, in case of an accident (big stains, wet pants, etc.) while out sightseeing.

5. Whenever possible, stay at a hotel with a beach or swimming pool. Kids love to swim and makes for a good bribe during the day's sightseeing (If you behave, we'll swim this afternoon.)

6. Find a few sights and activities that your child will enjoy (toy museum, zoo, amusement park, horse carriage rides, playground, etc.) and weave them into your itinerary.

7. Stop for ice cream at least every other day. Also carry some candy for an occasional good behavior bribe/reward.

8. Buy a lightweight folding stroller and a folding backpack so that your child does not get tired of walking and become miserable.

9. Don't book tight connections at big airports. Running through a large airport with a stroller is not fun.

10. Don't get overly concerned about time zone changes. Your child's body clock may not fully adjust, but will get close enough to be OK. When we go to Europe, we just sleep in a few extra hours and stay up a little later than usual.

11. Even if your child is a picky eater, you will be able to find something that they can eat.

12. Make things interesting to them. If visiting a castle, tell them about the kings and princesses that lived there. In an art museum, point out paintings of little girls, angels, and ponies.

13. Get a rental car. That way you don't have to deal with the logistical hassles of getting your kids and luggage off and onto trains and buses.

14. Carry something for them to play with when they get bored (in restaurants, museums, ets.). Coloring books are great for restaurants.

15. Be on the lookout for children their age that they can play with from time to time on the trip. A few minutes of playtime works wonders, even if they can't understand the other child's language.

2005

Paducah, Kentucky
Pittsburgh
Boston
Montenegro (Budva, Kotor, Sveti Stefan) and Croatia (Dubrovnik)
Poland (Krakow, Czestochowa, Zakopane)
Amsterdam
Wilmington, Delaware
Nantucket, Massachusetts

2006

Las Vegas and Death Valley
Rhode Island (Wickford and Newport)
Boston
Portugal (Lisbon, Fatima, Obidos, Alcobaca, Batalha, Sintra)
Nantucket, Massachusetts
West Virginia (Charleston and Huntington)
Slovenia and Northeastern Italy (Venice and Trieste)
Roanoke and Blacksburg, Virginia
New Hampshire
Boulder, Colorado
Pittsburgh

2007

Skytop, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
Charottesville, VA
Los Angeles
Charleston, WV
Vancouver, Alaska, Yukon
Savannah, GA and Hilton Head, SC
Wilmington, DE
Philadelphia
Roanoke and Blacksburg, VA
Rhode Island
Pittsburgh

2008

Philadelphia
Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai, China
Nantucket, MA
Chicago
Turkey
Boston
Paducah, Kentucky
Blacksburg and Roanoke, VA
Orlando, FL (Disney World
Pittsburgh
Rhode Island

2009

Skytop, Pennsylvania
Boston
Blacksburg and Charlottesville, Virginia
New Hampshire
Savannah, GA and Hilton Head, SC
Mauritius and Reunion
Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, and Swaziland
Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona