So, where do we go?

Darrel and I have been so blessed to be lifelong travelers. Both of our families have always emphasized the importance of world travel, and we both have the travel bug. But as some of you may know, once you have children, travel is just....a lot. While we have traveled with the kids, we wanted to wait until they were old enough to endure world travel and appreciate the places we visited. Now that Finn is 13 and Penny Lane is 11, we feel they are old enough to do both.

We initially agreed on an ambitious seven-month adventure. However, Finn was particularly hesitant about such a long trip away from home and routine, so we compromised by scaling it back to a more manageable three months during the summer, allowing us to test the waters and adjust as needed. Darrel and I had wanted to explore more of Asia, having already traveled extensively through Europe, but the summer monsoon season there made it impractical. Instead, we settled on the summer of 2026 (May through August) for our journey, starting with Morocco, a destination we'd planned the previous year before Darrel's meniscus knee surgery forced a postponement, followed by a loop through Europe and ending in the eastern Mediterranean.

We decided to focus on one major city or highlight per week, acknowledging that even three months in any single country wouldn't reveal all its wonders. Our goal was to give the kids a flavorful taste of diverse cultures, sparking their curiosity so we could return for deeper explorations of their favorites later. 

Our three-month itinerary kicks off in Morocco, where we're checking off haggling in the vibrant souks of Marrakesh and sleeping under an incredible blanket of stars at an Agafay Desert camp. From there, we move through Europe with about a week in each spot to tick off some standout experiences: marveling at Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona; seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris; riding the London Eye for panoramic views of Big Ben and the Thames; cruising the canals by boat in charming Amsterdam; tasting world-famous chocolates and waffles in Brussels' Grand Place; exploring the fairy-tale old town bridges, creepy crypts!, and valleys of Luxembourg; hiking to Germany's highest waterfalls in Triberg, Black Forest; and taking the cogwheel train up Mount Pilatus for breathtaking views over Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. We finish in the Mediterranean, knocking off bucket-list highlights like walking inside the ancient Colosseum in Rome; standing atop the Acropolis overlooking Athens; watching the famous sunset over white-washed buildings and blue domes in Santorini; and exploring the Hagia Sophia, where East meets West in Istanbul.

 → Marrakesh/Agafay Desert (Morocco)

 → Barcelona, Spain

 → Paris, France

 → London, England

 → Amsterdam, Netherlands

 → Brussels, Belgium

 → Luxembourg, Luxembourg

 → Triberg (Black Forest), Germany

 → Lucerne, Switzerland

 → Rome, Italy

 → Athens, Greece (My ancestry homeland!)

 → Santorini, Greece

 → Istanbul, Turkey

As I sit here mapping out our big family adventure, I keep wincing at how this itinerary came together. It took many revisions, and I still wish I could add more.... It may not be a perfect mix of those “you-have-to-see-it-once-in-your-life” cities and the sweet little stops that just made sense along the way, but we wanted to balance top stops with convenience. Darrel and I agreed on the classics like Paris (because who doesn’t want to see their kids’ first Eiffel Tower moment?), London, Rome (hello, gelato and gladiators), Athens (my family homeland!), and Istanbul. But then there are the others that slid into place almost like puzzle pieces—Brussels for the chocolate and waffles (obvious mom win), tiny Luxembourg because it’s right there between stops, feels like a fairy tale AND has some really creepy dungeons (which I am into and the family supports), Triberg in the Black Forest for cuckoo clocks and enchanted woods, and Lucerne because those Swiss lakes and mountains are pure postcard magic. They keep the route flowing without huge detours.

We have had SO many people say, "why aren't you going to such and such, you are really missing out." Believe me, I WANT to go to your recommended stop, too. This itinerary made the most sense for us given our time and financial limitations. But don't worry....we will be going back to this area of the world again in the future.