Traveling with kids: 5 trips we're definitely going on

Cape Scott, Vancouver Island.

I have a lot of ideas for trips I would love to do with my kids, but I know that many of those ideas are not going to happen anytime soon (ever?), unless we all of a sudden are rolling in money... However, here are 5 trips I really want to do with the kids, that are actually very do-able for us.


1. Disneyland
My husband and I already went once, way before we had children, and I think it's going to be time for this trip pretty soon. The kids are old enough to handle the excitement and craziness of all the rides and crowds and fantasy characters wandering around, but also young enough to really get the magic of the place. One of the things I do wonder about is whether we should drive to LA from Vancouver and enjoy the scenery on the way down, take the train maybe, or just be lazy and fly.


2. Yellowstone
This is another place my husband and I visited before we had kids and it was such a fantastic trip . Deer, buffalo, hot springs, geysers, boiling mud, boiling rivers... just an amazing place. I want to do it the same way we did it on our previous visit: camping. I'll probably be terrified that the kids will step in a hot steam vent or something, but that's just part of the experience, right? My kids love the outdoors, hiking, animals, and camping so I think Yellowstone would really blow their minds.


3. The Rockies, Banff & Jasper
This is another great camping-trip I want to do with the kids. Camping in Banff and Jasper is fantastic in the summer, even if you risk ending up in some freak thunder storms (and reading a lot of bear warnings...). There's the wildlife, the amazing scenery, and the trails. If we end up spotting a grizzly, it'll be a thrill and a half for the kids for sure. I'm also thinking that if we go really crazy with the driving and camping, this trip could include a trek across the Rockies into Alberta, and a visit to Drumheller, dinosaur capital of the world.


4. Finland
When we visit my parents in the summer, Finland is right there, just a ferry-hop across the Gulf of Bothnia if you travel the Umeå-Vaasa route. I know the kids love to ride the ferries on the Sunshine Coast and to Vancouver Island, so why not this ferry ride too? The crossing takes only a few hours, and I think it could be a fun, easy way to visit another country. Maybe stay overnight in Vaasa and visit the Wasalandia amusement park.

 
5. Vancouver Island
This is basically our backyard, and yes, we've already taken the kids to "the island" before, but I want to do a Big Trip. Drive across to Long Beach and do that, head up to the northern end and Cape Scott, see some ancient trees, and maybe some whales with them, go for a swim in a cold lake, and burn some marshmallows under the stars too!