Me, these two, and a heelan coo: Scotland June 2018

My takeaway on this is that I must have been the only person with a home containing an original-to-the-house toilet. For those who have toilets that are less than 50 years old, the proper method for flushing a Scottish toilet is as follows: 1) wait until the water has completely finished running; and 2) firmly depress the flusher and hold it until all of the water has run out of the toilet. If you do not properly execute either of these steps, the toilet will not flush

Excellent points! I've lived in some quite old houses with "antique" toilets so haven't had a problem (knock on wood) with flushing in Europe...I do find myself flushing after others have left the stall so maybe some of the above instructions aren't intuitive! Guess there was a benefit to living in student housing (aka repurposed WWII housing) in med school :)

I truly enjoyed your TR and summary and hope that if you travel again you'll share with us.
 
Thank you for your report. It's been a great read. Traveling with kids is wonderful and challenging at the same time. As a single parent, group travel is nice because it allows me to focus on parenting and enjoying the trip, instead of trying to figure out the logistics. I think where ABD falls short a bit for me (and this is based solely on trip reports and itinerary review), is that many of the trips just are not active enough for younger kids, or the activities don't allow for younger kids to participate. Perhaps it's a function of group size, but there seems to be less doing and more seeing than you can find on itineraries with other companies.
 
DS and I had to practically beg to get him to agree to our Star Wars cruise next year.

I envy this! I wanted to do one of these (we did Marvel last year), but they only offer them in the spring. My husband is a HUGE Star Wars fan, and we are hoping that Disneyland's Galaxy Edge will be open when we do our Backstage Magic ABD next August.
 
Excellent points! I've lived in some quite old houses with "antique" toilets so haven't had a problem (knock on wood) with flushing in Europe...I do find myself flushing after others have left the stall so maybe some of the above instructions aren't intuitive! Guess there was a benefit to living in student housing (aka repurposed WWII housing) in med school :)

I truly enjoyed your TR and summary and hope that if you travel again you'll share with us.

You wouldn't think it, but the amount of extra time that was spent on bathroom breaks due to flushing issues really added up over the course of the trip. Plus it was embarrassing for the poor people who couldn't get the hang of it. I almost feel like ABD should provide a bathroom primer in the trip materials.

Thank you for your report. It's been a great read. Traveling with kids is wonderful and challenging at the same time. As a single parent, group travel is nice because it allows me to focus on parenting and enjoying the trip, instead of trying to figure out the logistics. I think where ABD falls short a bit for me (and this is based solely on trip reports and itinerary review), is that many of the trips just are not active enough for younger kids, or the activities don't allow for younger kids to participate. Perhaps it's a function of group size, but there seems to be less doing and more seeing than you can find on itineraries with other companies.

That's one of the reasons that I think ABD is a good fit for young kids. My son is not yet at the stage where he will tolerate tons of walking or hiking without complaining. But give him a playground or a rubber chicken to fling and he's happy to be active all day long. So I thought this had the right kind of activity for a younger child. As I mentioned, it wasn't active enough for me, so I definitely should have brought my running clothes.

I envy this! I wanted to do one of these (we did Marvel last year), but they only offer them in the spring. My husband is a HUGE Star Wars fan, and we are hoping that Disneyland's Galaxy Edge will be open when we do our Backstage Magic ABD next August.

Hopefully you will get your wish. I am excited to see Galaxy Edge, but DH and I agree that we are not taking DS back to WDW or DL for at least a few years. His unwillingness to walk for long periods of time is not conducive to theme parks. I am probably going to get yelled at by the school district for taking my son out of school for a week for the cruise, but my friend who is an assistant district attorney promised me that the state lacks the resources to prosecute me for allowing my child to become a truant. (I say that only half jokingly. The way the rules about taking your kids out of school are written here is scary).
 
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You wouldn't think it, but the amount of extra time that was spent on bathroom breaks due to flushing issues really added up over the course of the trip. Plus it was embarrassing for the poor people who couldn't get the hang of it. I almost feel like ABD should provide a bathroom primer in the trip materials.

:rotfl2:
 
  • I wished I had packed gym clothing. We started late enough most days that I could have visited the hotel gym at least a few times. Since this was not a particularly active itinerary, I think I would have felt better if I had worked in more exercise.
  • We were the only people in our group that arrived early. Everyone else flew in on Day 1. I honestly don't know how they did it. There is plenty to see and do in Edinburgh, so I recommend pre-days if you can swing them.
  • I appreciate @Chirple and @Calfan 's thoughts on why they perceived DS as too young for this itinerary. There are a lot of people who, for whatever reason, are afraid to travel with children at all and that makes me kind of sad. But if the question is not whether kids should travel at all, but rather, whether a particular trip is right for them, then I think we are all actually on the same page. Hopefully my report has helped some parents decide whether this trip is right for their kids.
  • After Scotland, the ABD's that are of interest are: South Africa, Ecuador/Galapagos, Danube Cruise and China. Depending on price, we may book South Africa for 2020.

I always want to bring gym clothes, but I don't think I've ever been on an ABD where there is time to work out. I remember super early meet times on the old Scotland itinerary. I don't think I've had an ABD with a meet time later than 8:30 am and most were earlier than that. You must have been up very early, LOL!

I can't believe you were the only ones to arrive early! I think that's unusual--or at least it hasn't been that way on the ABDs we've been on.

I totally agree with Calfan and Chirple as well. We traveled with our kids outside of the country, including Europe, when they were under 5, but I didn't try group travel with ABD until they were a few years older. I think most of the European ABD itineraries are very busy and not set up with young children in mind--long days, lots of travel, not a lot of downtime, etc. I haven't been on a River Cruise, but that might give more flexibility for down time and choosing activities based on how the kids are doing/feeling.

China and the original Scotland itinerary are the favorite ABDs that we have done, but I would caution you against China for a few years. It is phenomenal, but there aren't many activities to interest young children, and the days are extremely long. We had 5 interior flights requiring very early wake-ups, etc. We had a couple kids on the trip who were under 12 (?) and they were often asleep at the table, LOL. I know @CousinOrville took his son when he was pretty young and had a great time, but I don't think China attracts a lot of young kids in general.

Excellent points! I've lived in some quite old houses with "antique" toilets so haven't had a problem (knock on wood) with flushing in Europe...I do find myself flushing after others have left the stall so maybe some of the above instructions aren't intuitive!

I grew up in an old house as well, and the non-flushed toilet issue is something that we've grown used to (ugh). I've seen some in England with a "hold the handle down until completely flushed," but most of Europe should have those, LOL.

I think where ABD falls short a bit for me (and this is based solely on trip reports and itinerary review), is that many of the trips just are not active enough for younger kids, or the activities don't allow for younger kids to participate.

I think it depends on the kind of "active." One of the reasons I would steer people with young children away from *some* of ABDs trips is because I think they are too active in terms of busy (long days etc), and they don't let themselves to lots of down time or the ability to easily remove yourself/kid from a situation if they are struggling. Some ABDs are more physically active than others (Norway and Switzerland come to mind?), but I think that brings up another issue: liability. I imagine it's hard to find lots of physical outdoor activities (rafting, horseback riding, ziplining, etc.) that appeal to older kids and adults that younger kids are going to be able to do. I've seen the liability issue on DCL often. Many times DCL port adventuress have age requirements would be higher than the company operating the activity. My friend did a horseback riding port adventure with her 11 at time (?) son who was too young for DCL but not for the company. I would love to see more hikes on ABDs, but I suspect they are building itineraries to the average and there aren't a lot of kids/adults who want to hike longer than a mile or two on these trips.
 
I always want to bring gym clothes, but I don't think I've ever been on an ABD where there is time to work out. I remember super early meet times on the old Scotland itinerary. I don't think I've had an ABD with a meet time later than 8:30 am and most were earlier than that. You must have been up very early, LOL!

China and the original Scotland itinerary are the favorite ABDs that we have done, but I would caution you against China for a few years. It is phenomenal, but there aren't many activities to interest young children, and the days are extremely long. We had 5 interior flights requiring very early wake-ups, etc. We had a couple kids on the trip who were under 12 (?) and they were often asleep at the table, LOL. I know @CousinOrville took his son when he was pretty young and had a great time, but I don't think China attracts a lot of young kids in general.

On this new Scotland itinerary, our meetup time was usually 8:45. There was one day where it was 10:45. I didn't pack gym stuff because I was expecting much earlier meeting times based upon other trip reports -- so that was a surprise.

China is on our list for when DS is older because of the amount of travel time between places, just as you said. CousinOrville's trip report is what got me interested in the trip though.
 


On this new Scotland itinerary, our meetup time was usually 8:45. There was one day where it was 10:45. I didn't pack gym stuff because I was expecting much earlier meeting times based upon other trip reports -- so that was a surprise.

China is on our list for when DS is older because of the amount of travel time between places, just as you said. CousinOrville's trip report is what got me interested in the trip though.

OMG I would have killed for a 10:45 meeting time on the China trip, LOL. Yes, that definitely would have been a surprise.

I think CousinOrville's trip report got many of us interested in China. There was an earlier one on here as well with a woman and her parents that also impressed. It's really an amazing trip.
 
@Jess_S, we just had our welcome dinner for our Backstage Magic ABD, and Michael is one of our guides. He said he just got back from 2 months of guiding Scotland trips. He seems like he’s going to be a really great guide.
 
@Jess_S, we just had our welcome dinner for our Backstage Magic ABD, and Michael is one of our guides. He said he just got back from 2 months of guiding Scotland trips. He seems like he’s going to be a really great guide.

I am sure he will be just as amazing in the U.S. as he was in Scotland. Have a great trip.
 
I’m a year late but thanks for the report! I love how detailed your report it and actually how it focuses on your son too. I have been looking for people with actual experience taking a child that young. I have a 5 year old now and was looking into taking him on an ABD in Europe next year. Someone pointed me to your trip report for while I am really grateful for! It’s a lot of insight and a lot of behaviour my 5 year old now has! Lol! I have really been looking for an itinerary that would make both my DH and DS happy... so far I think I like Italy and Amalfi Coast. I have a Med cruise booked too and am not really sure which direction I’m going to take. Interesting that a lot of people here pointed out independent travel vs group travel. We have done Japan with a group of friends last year when my son was 3 and although we enjoyed the trip, we did not really enjoy being in a group as much as we would think. (Our friends were all adults, no kids). Thinking about that does give me pause and would probably look into Thompson or just do the cruise and travel independently next year. Funny you mentioned about WDW and DL. We have taken my son once to both and will be taking him to WDW again next month. I was thinking it would be a great testing ground for how long he can last with a long day as well as how he (and DH) can deal with heat if ever we decide to go to Italy next year, lol!
 
I’m a year late but thanks for the report! I love how detailed your report it and actually how it focuses on your son too. I have been looking for people with actual experience taking a child that young. I have a 5 year old now and was looking into taking him on an ABD in Europe next year. Someone pointed me to your trip report for while I am really grateful for! It’s a lot of insight and a lot of behaviour my 5 year old now has! Lol! I have really been looking for an itinerary that would make both my DH and DS happy... so far I think I like Italy and Amalfi Coast. I have a Med cruise booked too and am not really sure which direction I’m going to take. Interesting that a lot of people here pointed out independent travel vs group travel. We have done Japan with a group of friends last year when my son was 3 and although we enjoyed the trip, we did not really enjoy being in a group as much as we would think. (Our friends were all adults, no kids). Thinking about that does give me pause and would probably look into Thompson or just do the cruise and travel independently next year. Funny you mentioned about WDW and DL. We have taken my son once to both and will be taking him to WDW again next month. I was thinking it would be a great testing ground for how long he can last with a long day as well as how he (and DH) can deal with heat if ever we decide to go to Italy next year, lol!

I read your question about travelling with a 6 year old and started to type a response this morning, but didn't get to finish.

If you do decide to do an ABD, one thing you might consider is asking if there are other younger kids booked on any dates that you are considering. We booked opening day for the discount on our trip and so we wound up with whomever else booked -- though it does seem that ABD skews older than I was expecting (kid's age-wise). Still not sure what ABD can do to get more people to actually take their kids on these trips because I think the issue is that people are worried about the hassle of travelling with younger kids. As far as being kid friendly, I think ABD does a lot to ensure that there is doing in the trips as opposed to just seeing. My son really liked things like the cookie baking and highland games -- and my husband and I would not have done those things if it was just us. And having someone with snacks, drinks, etc. whenever your child (or yourself) gets hangry is certainly a nice benefit

We are considering doing ABD again in 2021 for Africa because my parents are coming and they enjoy group travel. Plus, having other people for my parents to hang out with if my husband, son and I need some down time is a benefit to us. In the meantime, we have done a cruise and have 2 independent trips abroad planned.

If you have any questions about travelling with a younger child on an ABD, I am happy to answer them.
 
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I read your question about travelling with a 6 year old and started to type a response this morning, but didn't get to finish.

If you do decide to do an ABD, one thing you might consider is asking if there are other younger kids booked on any dates that you are considering. We booked opening day for the discount on our trip and so we wound up with whomever else booked -- though it does seem that ABD skews older than I was expecting (kid's age-wise). Still not sure what ABD can do to get more people to actually take their kids on these trips because I think the issue is that people are worried about the hassle of travelling with younger kids. As far as being kid friendly, I think ABD does a lot to ensure that there is doing in the trips as opposed to just seeing. My son really liked things like the cookie baking and highland games -- and my husband and I would not have done those things if it was just us. And having someone with snacks, drinks, etc. whenever your child (or yourself) gets hangry is certainly a nice benefit

We are considering doing ABD again in 2021 for Africa because my parents are coming and they enjoy group travel. Plus, having other people for my parents to hang out with if my husband, son and I need some down time is a benefit to us. In the meantime, we have done a cruise and have 2 independent trips abroad planned.

If you have any questions about travelling with a younger child on an ABD, I am happy to answer them.
That’s awesome! I hope to read your trip report if you do go to South Africa!

DH does get grumpy during group travel so I’ll need to prep him for that. Right now we’re going through a crisis so we may have to postpone our WDW/ DCL trip next month. I might end up booking something else this year. I have a lot of thinking and planning to do these next few days..
 

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