RICK STEVES FAMILY EUROPE TOUR
Seeing the World for the First Time
London to Florence: A family's first trip to Europe.
Travel always felt like something meant for other people, not for us. We aren’t a family that travels much, and I never imagined we would find ourselves exploring Europe together.
And yet, somehow, we did!
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This was our first international trip as a family, and it filled us with awe and gratitude. We stood in places layered with history, tasted foods we had only read about, and listened as our guides brought each stop to life, from crowded city streets to quiet countryside villages. Along the way, there were surprises! The kids handled the pace and the change better than we imagined, despite being on the younger end of the group. And I realized that, despite being someone who loves comfort and routine, I might actually love traveling.
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More than anything, we hoped this experience would help our kids feel connected to the wider world beyond our hometown. We wanted them to see that people live differently in different places, and to understand and appreciate those differences. We also hoped it would make travel feel possible for them. Not something distant or out of reach, but something they could imagine doing again someday. This site is a small record of that experience, and an invitation to see it through our eyes.
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​What followed was two weeks of learning, wandering, eating well, and discovering that we were better travelers than we thought.
MEET THE TRAVELERS
We’re the Switzers— a family of four, plus our wonderful family friend Kay, who joined us for the adventure. We’re not exactly seasoned travelers (most of us love routine a little too much), so taking on a 13-day tour through Europe felt… ambitious. But somehow we did great, and we came home with tired feet, full hearts, and a brand-new sense of what feels possible.
Setting the Stage
THE ITINERARY
We chose the Rick Steves Family Europe: London to Florence tour because it balances iconic cities with smaller places where you can slow down and explore. It also happens to be designed for families with kids and teens— and at eight years old, our younger daughter just made the age cutoff.​
GETTING READY
Before we left, we tried to prepare ourselves in a few ways. We started a family walking plan to get used to long days on our feet (since we were, um, not particularly in shape). We watched Rick’s Art in Europe series (five stars), and the kids looked up interesting facts about the places we would visit. And because I am extra, I printed our itinerary with photos of each stop and hung it on the wall so the kids could see where we were going. It helped us really visualize the places we would see, and built up our excitement!
