With every big trip, you seem to figure everything out just in time to go home. So this time, I wanted to capture the little lessons while they were fresh — the random tidbits about what worked and what didn’t — and share them here, so you can be that much more prepared for your own adventure. If you have more specific questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me directly about my trip to Europe and Iceland!
Start Planning Early — And Get Everyone Involved
We started preparing months ahead, especially with the kids. Since they’d want toys and treats, I encouraged them to save their own money. They put aside earnings and gifts for months leading up to the trip. On vacation, they tracked their spending carefully and felt proud of their purchases.
Booking plane tickets early also worked in our favor. Not only did we save money, but we secured flights with good schedules. I opted for flexible fares rather than paying more for full refunds or insurance, knowing I could get a credit or change if needed. The cost of full cash-refund coverage for six people felt unnecessary given the low likelihood we’d need it.
Why Traveling With a Grandparent Worked
My aunt had been looking at a group tour to France, but it didn’t include the destinations she cared about (Disney!) and added some spots she didn’t want. Joining our trip let her customize her experience and skip what didn’t interest her.
Since we already needed two rooms for our family of five, adding one more person didn’t change lodging but made it more cost efficient overall. It also didn’t change shuttle arrangement as most vans accommodate up to 8.
One of the biggest lessons from traveling with kids — and a grandparent — is that the trip can’t be 100% museums, palaces, and churches. While we did plenty of those, I made sure to sprinkle in experiences they’d find exciting too. We took a day trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, booked a whimsical Jurassic Park–themed high tea, shopped at Harrods, and saw a show — I chose Matilda because it was something the whole family could enjoy. I also kept my expectations reasonable at historic sites. I didn’t assume we’d spend an hour reading every plaque in every room; just being there was enough. And we didn’t force everyone to do everything together. When one child wasn’t interested in the Musée de l’Armée, they went with my aunt to get a manicure and do some window shopping while the others explored. And not everyone was ready to ride the Hyperspace coaster at Disney. My littlest ones could go with my aunt for tamer rides or experiences, while the rest went on 360° flips. Breaking up now and then made the trip more enjoyable for everyone, but I’ll tell you the challenge was sometimes linking back up. Wifi can be spotty, so we made sure at least one of us had a data plan.
Save on Lodging and Transportation
We primarily stayed in Airbnb apartments. They often cost the same or less than hotels, yet gave us more space, a kitchen, and laundry — which was key to packing light and staying comfortable. It was also nice to come back from vacation not having to do piles of laundry!
Public transit was our go-to in cities. We used the subway in London and Paris and only hired drivers or booked tours when heading into rural areas like the Cotswolds or the South Coast of Iceland. One tour company even offered half off if we met them outside London by train instead of making them navigate city traffic.
Credit Cards Are Essential — and Powerful
One of the biggest lessons was how much easier and safer it was to pay with a credit card. In fact, many places were cashless. I never had to exchange currency which was a welcome surprise compared to past trips.
I highly recommend bringing a credit card with no foreign transaction fee and always pay selecting local currency rather than letting the card reader convert to USD. At each tap, the terminal would ask: “Euros or USD?” — and show a conversion. We consistently found that letting the card issuer handle the conversion gave us a better rate than what was shown on the screen.
We also chose to pay for advanced bookings with a credit card rather than bank transfer or “friends” paypal option which would be suggested. That turned out to be a huge savings. Two of our prepaid bookings were canceled — one experience operator went bankrupt, and one airport transfer company failed to provide service. In both cases, we disputed the charges and got refunds thanks to credit card protections.
As a side note, I’m often asked if it’s worth having a dedicated travel card. I looked into this for myself and felt it wasn’t worth it for the sake of an annual trip. Having a really good everyday card that offers cash back rewards or good APR if carrying a balance is materially more important (and again – ideal if it doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee). The travel cards are best if you’re a regular of any one type of provider and can offer a couple other perks (Marriot, JetBlue, Delta, etc). That’s where you really see the benefit of the rewards you get by booking with the card. And the perks I mention might be something like free checked luggage or a signficant discount on purchases made on the plane, or building up to a status that grants access to lounges. The more general travel cards are difficult to gain momentum on. You have you book on their proprietary travel sites and I found they often have blackout dates, limited seat inventory, or inflated pricing which made the rewards usage break-even to having booked directly.
When to Splurge and When to Save
We splurged at Disneyland Paris, staying at the flagship Disneyland Hotel. The heat that week made it worth every penny to retreat to our room mid-day, then return to the park refreshed. We also budgeted for special experiences like a princess dinner.
On the flip side, we saved by eating many breakfasts in our rental using groceries from local markets. In London and Paris, it was easy finding a grocery store and restaurants often had affordable kids’ menus with staples like fish and chips.
Iceland: Brace for High Food Costs
Iceland was the most expensive destination. We did our best to find simpler meals but soon realized we needed to embrace the high costs and focus on the quality of the food. Not every meal could be their famous hotdog, which also was at Central Park level pricing. Nearly everything we tried was excellent, unique, and memorable. We’ll just have to do a little more cooking at home to offset the cost.
Be Ready for Wins and Mistakes
We learned as we went. Sometimes waiting until the last minute saved money — like using contactless credit cards on the Tube instead of buying tickets at kiosks, which were twice as expensive. Other times, waiting meant train tickets doubled overnight or had potential of selling out. Luckily for something like the Chunnel to Paris I booked well in advanced so secured seats at the best pricing. But for more local trains where I wasn’t positive about timing I waited, and that cost us a bit, but there wasn’t much worry about securing a seat.
The key is to plan, but also stay flexible and expect some surprises.
Final Thoughts
A multi-generational European trip is a big financial commitment, but it’s also an investment in family memories. Planning ahead, leveraging credit card protections, booking strategically, and teaching kids to save made the experience both manageable and meaningful.
With the right mindset, you can make the most of your money — and your time together.
