We found Little Passports when searching for fun, indoor activities for our kids, with a travel and exploration focus.

After over a year of not traveling due to the pandemic, we miss the sense of adventure and exploration that we used to get from seeing new places and experiencing new things. That’s why we’ve been looking for ways to bring some of the fun you get while learning and exploring during travel to our home life.

Sure, watching the best travel vloggers on YouTube is a lot of fun, but its educational value is debatable, especially for our kids, and to be honest, planning out your next adventure can only go so far until you can actually start booking things and marking off dates.

What is Little Passports?

Little Passports is a monthly subscription box for kids, with kits that focus on travel and exploration, or science (or both).

The subscription delivers everything your kids need to make, create and play, with different kits for different ages and interests.

They have monthly boxes for kids aged three to twelve.

Little Passports has five subscription packages (more on these down below):

• Early Explorers (ages 3-5)
• Science Junior (ages 5-8)
• Science Expeditions (ages 8+)
• World Edition (ages 6-8)
• USA Editions (ages 7-12)

Looking for a deal? Little Passports usually has a coupon on the home page, so check them out.

Little Passports Review

We tried Little Passports to see if it could bring together education and exploration for our kids.

Science Expeditions Review

We tried the Science Expeditions kit, aimed at ages 8 and up.

The Science Expeditions subscription lets kids solve real-life scientific mysteries every month, helping characters Sam and Sofia learn about the mysteries of the world through science experiments and activities.

The first, introductory, Science Expeditions kit comes with:

• Science Expeditions tote bag
• science lab notebook
• forensic science experiment kit
• fingerprint analysis card and ink pad
• a booklet with more fun games and activities

We tried a regular monthly Science Expeditions kit. Each monthly kit lets you solve new mysteries with cartoon characters Sofia and Sam, and comes with:

• 16-page comic book with glossary and bonus activities
• hands-on science experiments
• achievement badges for each subsequent theme
• access to bonus online videos and science content

Little Passports Science Expeditions review

The first Science Expeditions kit we tried was the Pinball Party.

Pinball Party kit

The first thing I noticed was that the 16-page comic book for the kit is glossy, colorful, and nicely illustrated. Inside there were fun facts about pinball’s history, and an illustrated story about Sam and Sofia, which taught about how pinball machines work, and which raised a lot of fun questions.

The comic book is full of games and puzzles, a pinball word search, and a comprehensive glossary at the end.

There were physics terms and questions throughout the book, and they were presented in a way that was fun, and simple, but also challenging.

There is even a link to more fun facts and a video online.

Once my 12 year old was done reading through the comic book for Pinball Party, she moved on to the science experiment.

The experiment had her create her own pinball machine with a guide, pre-cut wooden pieces, and all the assorted bits she’d need to make the pinball machine.

I really loved that the experiment guide is thoroughly illustrated, and easy to follow, with plenty of color illustrations, and tips.

What’s especially fun is that she ended up with a working pinball machine at the end of the experiment. She had the fun activity of building the pinball machine, learned a lot about physics and building, and she also ended up with a fun toy to enjoy at the end.

The second kit we tried was a Solar Energy Science Expeditions kit.

Solar Energy Science Expeditions kit

The timing of the solar energy kit was perfect, since we are working on getting a solar system for our travel trailer.

The illustrated comic for the solar energy kit started with a fun story of how Sam and Sofia join their Aunt Charlie on an adventure to monitor the movement of snow leopards in the Himalayas.

That’s a win – science and travel adventure combined!

While visiting a local village in the Himalayas, Sofia and Sam are surprised to learn that the village has adopted solar technology for everyday uses like cooking and drying clothes. Along the way, they learn how solar energy works.

For this kit, the science experiments are a solar powered car, a spectroscope, and an ultraviolet impact experiment. Again, all of the parts needed to do all the experiments are included in the package.

Our daughter hasn’t quite finished all three experiments yet, but she keeps asking when we can get started. We had a busy week, so we haven’t had a chance to get going on the last experiment yet, but I think her enthusiasm to start says it all.

All in all, I was really impressed with the subscription. The booklets, instructions, and supplies are high quality, and they were fantastic at keeping our daughter engaged and entertained.

Early Explorers kit

Early Explorers ages 3-5. Characters, Max and Mia, and their dog Toby, travel around the world exploring a different theme each month.

World Edition subscription with Little Passports

The World Edition subscription is for ages 6-8. In this kit, characters Sam and Sofia travel to a new country every month, teaching kids about the world.

USA Edition Little Passports box

The USA Edition subscription is for ages 7-12. In these kits, characters Sam and Sofia travel to two new states every month, with an activity-packed State Journal.

Little Passports Science Junior box

The Little Passports Science Junior subscription is for ages 5-8. In this subscription, characters Sam and Sofia explore mysteries through science experiments and activities.

Get hands-on educational activities for all ages delivered to you every month,.

Summer Camp with Little Passports

This year, Little Passports has a limited time Summer Camp subscription.

The summer camp boxes come in three types:

• World Edition, for ages 6 – 10.
• Science Junior for ages 5 – 8.
• Early Explorers for ages 3 – 5.

Little Passports Cost

Little Passports subscriptions start at $16.95/month.

The Science Expeditions box costs $27.95 monthly, $25.95/month with a 6 month subscription, or $23.95/month with a 12 month subscription.

You can pay monthly, get a six month subscription, or a 12 month subscription.

Shipping is free within the continental USA.

See up-to-date Little Passports prices on their website here!

Little Passports coupon

Looking for a Little Passports discount?

We found the best Little Passports coupons by navigating to their home page, where they usually have a discount up front.

See discounts here.

Is Little Passports worth it?

What we like about Little Passports:

• on time delivery
• the kit was perfectly age appropriate, and had great quality supplies
• subscriptions include everything you’ll need. There’s no need to shop for additional supplies.
• the kits did a great job of engaging the imagination, and were a lot of fun

What we didn’t like

We have a 15 year-old, and I would love to see a subscription geared toward older kids.

In our case, the kits were fun for our younger child, but we had to find a different activity for the 15 year old. It would simplify our lives to have something for our older one as well.

I would especially love to see an older version of the World Edition subscription, which is for ages 6 to 8. The USA edition is geared for ages 7 to 12, but, as Canadians, we were less interested in a USA-only kit than subscribers based in the USA may be.

Learn more about Little Passports.

More about Little Passports

Here’s what the Little Passports website has to say about their service.

Little Passports creates products designed to inspire children to learn about the world through monthly subscriptions, educational toys and characters kids love. To date, we’ve delivered over 4 million packages designed in conjunction with professional educators, PHDs, and award-winning writers and designers. Headquartered in San Francisco, Little Passports is a National Parenting Publication Award winner and a Parent Tested Parent Approved product. The company was founded in 2009. Today our products are available in 16 countries and counting.

– littlepassports.com

With kids out of school and social distancing still in effect, families like us are looking for healthy, active ways to spend our family time.

If you’re fortunate enough to have an outdoor space, we’ve come up with some great inspiration for the best backyard games for the family.

What’s great about these games, especially CROSSNET, is that they can be played in your own backyard while you’re stuck at home. Some require just a tiny bit of space, while others need a bit more outdoor room however we even have a few choices for games that don’t require any special equipment at all.

Best Backyard Games for Families

These are challenging times. Depending on where you are in the world, you’re likely spending a lot of time indoors.

As a family, we’ve made a big effort to get outdoors as much as we can (in a safe way). Luckily, we have a private back yard, so we’ve tried out plenty of outdoor games with the kids. Here are our favorite backyard games for families.

CROSSNET

CROSSNET is a new game to us, and we’ve had a blast trying it out over the past week or two. It’s essentially a volleyball game divided into four. What’s awesome about this game is that you can play it in your backyard on grass, sand at the beach or even play it indoors! It’s easy to set up in a few minutes (though it did take us a bit longer the first time).

CROSSNET is meant for four players, though you can rotate additional players in and out if you have more than four and you can even play with just two or three.

What I really like is that the height is fully adjustable (from 5′ 6′ to 7’11”), making it easy and fun for kids of all ages. CROSSNET comes with a volleyball, pump, travel backpack, and the net itself.

Because our youngest is 11, we chose to play with the net a little lower than the typical adult height. It was actually a great height – not too easy, but still not too high to make it frustrating for our youngest.

The standard CROSSNET is an outdoor set, meant for sand or grass. You can buy an indoor base set add-on to let you play CROSSNET indoors, or you can get the indoor and outdoor bundle all in one. The bundle includes the CROSSNET, indoor bases, travel backpack, volleyball and pump.

Order your CROSSNET here.

Fun outdoor family games that require some equipment

There’s tons of fun to be had outdoors in your own back yard, whether it’s with a Frisbee, football, soccer ball, or another game.

Looking for free (or almost free) games? Scroll to the bottom to see our list of outdoor games that don’t require you to buy any special equipment.

Frisbee or flying discs

If you happen to have a Frisbee on hand, this is one of our favorite back yard games. It doesn’t require a lot of athletic skill, and it’s perfect for a casual bit of exercise if you’re not the competitive type. It’s also a perfect game if you have a puppy that’s game.

Tip! If you’re playing Frisbee with smaller kids, get a soft flying disc that doesn’t hurt when you accidentally toss it at someone.

If you set up a few items (like plastic buckets) as targets, you can even start a backyard version of disc golf (though there are backyard sets for that as well).

Nerf balls

Nerf balls and Nerf guns are almost always a hit with any age. Even better, if you accidentally hit someone (or a window), a Nerf ball doesn’t typically do a lot of damage.

We even picked up some Nerf bow and arrows and have had Nerf archery matches both in the backyard and in the house. (Yes, we’re that bored.)

American Football

You’ll need a bit of space for a proper game of American football, which can be modified a bit to play with as few as four players. If you’re a short on garden space, or players, then practicing throwing your perfect spiral is a great alternative.

Bocce Ball

If you haven’t tried bocce before, then you’re in for a treat. Bocce is more of a bowling game than a throwing game, and it’s a fun game to play in teams.

Tip! We found that bocce is better for older kids. The regulation size bocce balls we bought are a bit heavy and awkward for our kids however they do sell smaller sets if your kids are younger.

Basketball

Even if you’re alone, basketball can be a fun game when you’re practicing free throws.

With only two people, you can have a fun (but usually exhausting) game of one-on-one. With four people, and modified rules, you can have a proper game.

You can even make a DIY indoor mini basketball net with some wire hanger and string.

Ladderball

We play ladderball all the time in our back yard and in the park.

A ladderball game has two golf balls tied together on a string that are thrown at a ladder- like stand. It really is a fun backyard game to play with the family.

Ladderball is still relatively new, so it’s also known in some circles as ladder toss, ladder golf, ball rope, hillbilly golf and our kids favorite, horse nuts.

Check out ladderball sets here.

Horseshoes

Since horseshoes are heavy and a bit awkward, you may want to save this for slightly older kids (at least if you value your toes).

For younger kids, you can buy sets of lighter plastic horseshoes.

Feeling nostalgic for horseshoes? Check out this awesome starter set.

Beanbag toss

Beanbag toss is another staple in our list of fun back yard games.

In beanbag toss, you take turns throwing square beanbags at a board with a hole in it.

Interesting note: Since traditional beanbags are filled with dried corn, beanbag toss is also known as cornhole, especially down in the south.

Interested in beanbag toss? Check out your future cornhole set here.

Washer Toss

Washer toss is a cross between beanbags and horseshoes, where you throw metal washers into a small box with a circular hole in the center. There are plenty of variants on the basic game, meaning you can make up your rules as you go along.

We actually built one last summer to take camping with us since it’s so small and the kids enjoyed watching the metal washers destroy the wooden bases we made every throw.

I think we’ll fork out for these plastic coated washers instead this year: Plastic Coated Metal Replacement Washer Set – Set of 8 Washers at Amazon.  

Croquet

Croquet has been around for centuries but it’s still a fun game if you have a small group of people and a bit of space to play. It’s also so rewarding to smack someone else’s ball away with a wooden mallet that it’s a great way to relieve some stress from all those days stuck indoors together.

Soccer (Football)

Whether you call it soccer in the US and Canada, or football in the rest of the world, this is still a great back yard game. Sure, you probably don’t have the room for a full sized game of soccer, but your back yard is the perfect place to practice your fancy ball handling and for short passes.

Footvolley

Footvolley is a great choice if you don’t have room for a proper game of soccer. In footvolley, teams are 2 vs 2, and it’s essentially a combination of volleyball and soccer. Check it out in the video below.

Hacky sack

Hacky sack isn’t just for ’90’s university student’s sporting dreadlocks.

It’s a great backyard diversion, since it doesn’t take a lot of room. You can also play with a hacky sack solo, or in a larger group.

Since you generally don’t keep score, hacky sack lets experts and novices alike enjoy kicking the old dirtbag among the circle.

If you’re the crafty type, you can even crochet our own hacky sack.

Check out these hacky sacks here.

Tip! If you’re really good, you can even use the CROSSNET set above to practice your foot volleys with a real soccer ball or a hacky sack.

Sepak takraw

We first saw sepak takraw being played when we traveled around Thailand. Sepak takraw is a game from Southeast Asian where you have to kick a rattan ball over a net using only your feet, head, chest or knees. Imagine a combination of hacky sack and volleyball.

It’s usually played 3 vs 3, but you’ll get a heck of a workout when playing 2 on 2 or even 1 on 1, if you dare. The court is similar in size to a badminton court, but you can modify it to play in a smaller space.

Check out these traditional sepak takraw rattan balls here.

Backyard games that don’t need special equipment

Stuck in the house without a lot of equipment? Don’t worry, if money’s tight, or even if it’s just hard to pick up games right now, we have some great ideas for backyard games without special toys.

Here are some alternative games you and your kiddos can play in the back yard. The only limit here is your imagination.

Treasure hunt

Kids love searching for hidden treasure, so give them a mission. The treasure hunt can include things of a specific color, rocks, sheds, specific plants, and so on. Depending on your kids’ ages, you can make it easy or hard.

Just make sure you have some sort of prize for everyone at the end! Cookies or chocolate still works with our family.

Obstacle course

Kids of all ages love a good obstacle course.

Easy obstacles include wiggling through a kid’s play tunnel, hopping through hula hoops, dodging sprinklers (when the weather allows), walking a tightrope along a board, jumping from rock to rock, tossing a ball into a bucket, and so on.

Blowing bubbles

Ok, so it’s not really a game, but blowing bubbles is a blast, and easily done without special equipment. Check out this recipe for making your own homemade bubble solution.

If your kids are bigger, try getting them to make giant bubbles with a rope and a stick.

Volleyball without a net

Ok, so admittedly volleyball without a net sounds like some weird sort of extreme sport, but it’s honestly pretty simple. Even if you don’t have a volleyball net on hand, getting a few people together in a rough circle is a great way to enjoy playing a little volleyball.

You don’t even need a volleyball, honestly. Any inflatable ball, including a beach ball, works in a pinch.

Playing catch

It’s an oldie, but a goodie. All you need is a ball and two people. You can even bounce a ball off the side of your house (just be sure the noise isn’t too annoying for your neighbors or someone inside).

If you have baseball gloves, great, but you can easily play catch bare handed.

Do you have any favorite outdoor games for kids and adults that you can play in the backyard? Let us know below!

Are you thinking about buying Rosetta Stone for kids?

My husband and I tested out Rosetta Stone with our own two kids to prepare for our annual winter trip down to Mexico.

What did we discover?

Here’s what we thought of Rosetta Stone’s foreign language learning, and whether it’s worth it or not.

Rosetta Stone for Kids

For a couple of years now as a family, we’ve been learning Spanish from a free app, and via first hand interactions while traveling in Mexico and South America. At this stage, we have a bit of basic vocabulary, but I’m finding that none of us are progressing at a level I’d like.

Despite dozens of cumulative hours spent on the free app, we’re still not able to hold a conversation in Spanish. Besides for a bunch of key words, we still haven’t even learned basic day to day questions.

At this point, we’re just not learning as much or as quickly as we’d like. Instead, our choices are to take a class at our local college, hire a tutor, or find a really good online program. Once I checked out how expensive local classes would be for the four of us, I decided that was out.

Hiring a tutor would be around $20 an hour where we live, so that was out as well. We could hire an online tutor (with good reviews) for cheaper (around $10 an hour), but that still got expensive with four of us wanting to learn is.

With those all crossed off, we decided to take an online course with Rosetta Stone to learn better Spanish. The price is pretty good, at $5.99 per month (if you sign up for 24 months) or $7.99 a month (if you sign up for 12 months). We took the Spanish Latin America course.

First impressions of Rosetta Stone

This review was originally written after five weeks of using Rosetta Stone.

We’ve been using Rosetta Stone for six months now. In that time, I’ve found huge improvements in my Spanish language skills. My Spanish vocabulary is bigger, and I’m much more adept at asking questions in Spanish.

I also find it pretty useful to be able to pick up bits of conversion that other people are having in Spanish. Before I started Rosetta Stone, it was really hard to understand when other people would talk in Spanish. It all seemed too fast too understand.

Now, while I don’t understand everything in a conversation between two native Spanish speakers, I get the gist of a conversation, by picking out probably every third word. I still have a ways to go before I’m fluent, but I’m getting there!

We’ll update again with our impressions at 12 months.

What’s interesting is that Rosetta Stone’s immersive lessons are done only using pictures and words in the language you’re learning. It doesn’t use your native language during teaching (other than if you ask for help, or if there are instructions on how to use the app).

There are no explicit explanations or translations. However, you can press on the photo or words, and a translation will pop up, if you need.

At first, not having an English translation onscreen felt a little disorienting, but I quickly got used to it. I found that having the lessons only in photos and Spanish kept me from translating to and from English in my head. Instead, I found myself going straight from a photo to a Spanish word or phrase.

One thing that I noticed right away is that I was spending more time learning. I think that’s a good thing.

My Rosetta Stone sessions said they’d last about 30 minutes a day (I finished most of them in 20 or 22 minutes, though).

When I was learning using other apps, I found that I’d lose focus after about 10 minutes and quit. Rosetta was really good at keeping me focused and on task, so I almost always finished my daily lesson.

What did the kids think of Rosetta Stone family?

We have two kids, age 14, and age 10. Rosetta was simple enough that both kids installed the app, got started, and completed their lessons on their own. We occasionally sat with our 10 year old as encouragement, but she really didn’t need it.

Honestly, I was a little worried they’d have trouble staying with the 30 minute lessons. It turns out that wasn’t an issue at all.

There was a little resistance at first, but when I told them they’d be able to play video games when they were done, that melted away pretty quickly.

The kids used the Rosetta Stone app on their iPod (for the 10 year old) and an older iPhone 6s (for the 14 year old). I think that being able to use Rosetta on their gaming devices made it feel a lot more like a game, and less like language learning, so that’s a definite win.

I wish I could say that they managed 30 minutes a day, five days a week, but we fell a bit short of that. They occasionally had a bit of homework, had friends over, or we had an after school activity. All in all, they averaged about 3 days a week learning.

Even with the kids doing about 3 days a week, I saw improvements in their Spanish the second week. Our youngest tends to pronounce Spanish words with a strong English accent (like me), and I noticed a huge improvement in her Spanish accent in only a week and a half.

When you first sign into Rosetta, it asks if you’re an adult or kid, and it tailors the voice recognition specifically for kids or adults.

Is Rosetta Stone only for beginners?

No, you can start at what level of lessons you need: beginner, intermediate, or proficient.

We’re all probably at beginner, nudging into intermediate, but we all chose beginner.

What are Rosetta Stone Lessons Like?

For this review, I used the Rosetta Stone app exclusively.

Each week starts off with a basic core lesson in language basics. Then, you’ll go onto phrases (for example, phrases you’d use when meeting people), pronunciation, and vocabulary. After that, there are lessons in listening, speaking, and grammar.

After that, you move onto basic sentences, listening, and speaking.

Lessons focus on basics like meeting people, dealing with time and money, clothing, family relationships, around the house, travel, shopping and travel.

I really liked that each week’s lessons had a lot of opportunities to practice the language. Rosetta uses something called TruAccent speech recognition, which helps Rosetta understand and rate your spoken lesson. I found it did a really good job of understanding my Spanish, but corrected me when my pronunciation was a little off (which was a lot of the time).

Since I struggle most with pronunciation and spoken Spanish, doing a lot of pronunciations, and listening to Spanish, was great for me.

When you first start a lesson, you can tailor the plan to your specific needs, like traveler, career builder, heritage seeker, language lover and so on.

Because we travel so much, I chose traveler.

How much does Rosetta Stone Cost?

Right now, Rosetta has a great sale on. Here are the prices.

• 3 months $11.99 /month
• 12 months $7.99/month
• Lifetime, with unlimited languages, $179.

However, you can’t pay monthly. You’ll need to pay for the entire 3 or 12 months up front to get the deal.

Subscriptions automatically renew at the full retail price (plus tax). You can turn off auto-renewal at anytime.

To start, you need to buy a minimum of three months.

What we didn’t like

All in all, I really liked Rosetta Stone. I found that I learned a lot.

That said, I wish it was a little cheaper. Then again, I found that you get a lot for what you pay for. I definitely learned more with Rosetta than with any other language learning program I’ve tried. Now, maybe I really stuck with it more this past month because it was more expensive, but who knows?

I don’t love that subscriptions automatically renews at the full retail price. Sure, you can turn off the renewal in your settings, but a lot of people will miss that in the fine print.

I also didn’t love that you needed to pay for your entire subscription at once (with the exception of the 24 month subscription, which let you pay in 3 monthly installments). Honestly, this seems like a missed opportunity to me. A lot of people will sign up for something at 5.99 a month for 24 months, but I would think that fewer will pay $143.76 up front.

I also had two times where I got an error in the app. Both were when I closed my lesson, and then went back in quickly. The kids never saw an error, so it just may be a glitch with my phone. As soon as I closed the app and opened it again, the error went away, so it was really no bother.

Looking for a Rosetta Stone discount?

There’s also a big discount on right now that gives you a 24 months for $5.99 a month.

Do you homeschool?

Should you take Rosetta Stone’s Spanish Latin America or Spanish (Spain)?

Here’s the short answer: if you’re traveling to Spain exclusively, then take Rosetta Stone’s Spanish (Spain). If you’re traveling to Mexico, South America or Central America, then take Rosetta Stone’s Spanish Latin America. Most people in the USA and Canada take Rosetta Stone’s Spanish Latin America.

We’ve discovered first hand that there are quite a few differences in spelling, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary between Spanish in Spain and Spanish in Latin America.

We ended up taking Rosetta Stone’s Spanish Latin America course, since we tend to spend more time in Mexico and the Americas than Spain itself.

Rosetta’s Spanish (Spain) course focuses on a European Spanish dialect, called Castilian (castellano), that most Spanish-speakers in Europe use.

Though we weren’t as fluent in Spanish when we visited Spain a couple of years ago, we definitely noticed the many different words and a different pronunciation from the Mexican Spanish we were used to.

As frequent travelers with both a teenager and a tween, we’ve witnessed the good and all the bad when traveling with someone whose moods and hormones can fluctuate like a duck on a pogo stick.

The good news is that you can travel with a teen!

Benefits of traveling with a teen or tween

Mood swings and occasional disdain aside, teens can make great travel partners. Not only are they now better at communicating, they can sit still for hours and can better occupy themselves during extended travel or down times. Some can even tolerate museums, art exhibits, and even enjoy the odd architecture tour, which is something we dreaded when our kids were younger.

Teens and tweens can also better create and hold onto memories than younger children can.

We’ve traveled with our children since they were babies, and it always surprises us of what they do and don’t remember about our previous travels. We’ve definitely discovered that they retain way more now, as well as better understand the cultural and historical significance of the places we often stop at. They even sometimes surprise us with their knowledge of certain events and people that made a landmark important in the first place.

Another big plus of traveling with teens is that teens and tweens can generally do the same physical activities we as parents enjoy, such as extended hiking, ziplining, biking, waterslides, and even going on scary amusement park rides.

Travel memories with your teen

I can now look back at certain moments of my childhood with a certain clarity. That’s right, I can remember in perfect detail what that 14 year old teenage me was thinking as I walked into a Disney theme park and compare it to the first time I went when I was only seven. I can even compare it against the 21 year old me’s thoughts as well.

To say that my memories and mindset were in vastly different places would be an understatement. I was at a different place in my life at each age. Not only were my expectations and enjoyment different, but I was different both physically and emotionally.

Trust me, you probably don’t want to know exactly what’s going on in your teenager’s head, however, if you realize that they’re their own person and have their own thoughts, expectations, problems, likes and dislikes, you’ve just discovered the best secret to successfully traveling with a teen.

Why you should travel with a teen or tween

As I get older, I realize I have years of my childhood where I have no significant memories, outside of a few school events or family emergencies. I’m guessing this is common for most of you. We often don’t remember the day to day events of our past and really, why should we?

The fact that I can remember our family trips so vividly is important because it not only gives me glimpses of my past, but helps me realize that the memories my kids carry forward likely won’t be the hours of video games we’ve played together, or throwing the ball around in the backyard or the neighborhood hikes, but of places and events so out of the ordinary that they create a time stamp of their past.

The reason I say that is because even though our teens and tweens are constantly marching towards adulthood, the memories they look back upon will likely determine how they move forward.

Isn’t a memory of shared time, exploration, discovery, adventure and culture one of the best gifts a parent can give their child?

Don’t believe me? In terms of travel, many families will look back at shared trips with a certain fondness, even though regular day to day family life was a struggle for them.

I think the reason for this isn’t the location or sights you see. Often, just the fact that you spend quality time with your teen, experiencing things together, trying new things, getting out of your normal habits and putting their enjoyment occasionally over your own, creates these lasting memories. The rest is just a bonus.

Understanding your teen

Every time I go back to Disney Parks as an adult, I’m reminded not so much how it’s changed, but how I have changed over the years and what my mindset was each time I went there.

The first time I went at age seven, my family took three weeks off and we all drove down to California to check out Disneyland. I can still remember most of the rides and the thrill at being at my first true amusement park. To say it was magical would be an understatement.

Fast forward seven years and now I’m walking into Disney World in Florida for the first time. Considered the jewel of the Disney empire, what did that 14 year old have to say as he crossed the fabled gates? “Ugh, how long do we have to be here?“

So what had changed? The park still had its familiar castle and rides, it had characters I grew up with both old and new, it had everything I remembered from that first visit and much more.

The difference was obviously me. I was going through the awkward growing pains of adolescence. Yup, I was in my teen years.

To make matters worse, I was there with my cousins who were so excited to be there that they could barely contain themselves. The moment we walked in they were literally vibrating with enthusiasm.

My parents, who were supportive as usual, couldn’t understand why I was so bitter. The truth is, even I didn’t know why. They had just spent a small fortune flying with a teenager out to California, and tickets to theme parks aren’t cheap.

I’m not exactly sure when or why it happened, but somewhere that day the unhappy teen cynic that I had become took the day off and I ended up enjoying myself no matter how hard I fought against it. Some might say that it was just the magic of Disney, but given the right circumstances, it could as well apply to any place in the world.

So, what can make even the sourest teen laugh out loud in delight? Well, let’s go over a few suggestions on travel with teens and let’s find out.

Tips for traveling with teens and tweens

Now that we have a teenager and tween of our own, we’re constantly trying to figure out new ways to appeal to their likes and dislikes, and also keep the whole family happy and entertained when we travel. If you have a tween or teen of your own you’ll understand. If yours aren’t there yet, just keep some of these travel with tweens and teens tips handy. You’ll thank us later.

Keep your teen informed

The most important thing we’ve discovered when taking either a teen or tween someplace down the street (or anyplace in the world for that matter), is to give them options and keep them in the loop. Younger children are often happy to just follow along, but teens like to know what’s going on.

Don’t worry about giving them too much information (unless they ask for more details), but make sure they know what’s going to happen beforehand.

Yes, your first instinct might be to skip talking about the two hour bus ride you all have to take, or the overly long airport connection you’re going to have to sit through, but all that’s going to happen is they’re going to resent you once it happens. Give them the info beforehand and tell them that it’s required to make this trip happen.

If your child understands it has to happen regardless of anyone’s choice, they’re more likely to go along with it and hopefully make peace with it before it even begins. There’s also the added bonus that they’re now in the adult loop, which is what most teens crave for anyway.

Telling them beforehand puts them in the right mind space and lets you prepare for possible fallout before it happens. Having a plan to tackle inevitable boredom with video games, books or pre-downloaded Netflix movies isn’t a bad idea either.

Get your teen on board

If you want your teen or tween to feel like this trip isn’t all just about what you want, get their input in the planning stages. Everyone is much more likely to go along with a plan they helped establish.

It doesn’t mean giving in to every one of their demands, but give them options and let them choose from what you find acceptable. If they really don’t want to go, give them a small win by letting them choose the restaurant you’ll eat at that night or picking out the next movie you all watch together.

It doesn’t have to be much, but teens often feel like they have no control over their lives, and often rightly so. If they feel like they can control one aspect of the trip, it should help with the rest of it.

Let your teen help plan the vacation

Want to get your teen excited about your next trip? Give them some material to research before you leave, whether that’s a guidebook, a YouTube video or a couple websites for them to peruse.

YouTube videos are a huge hit with our kids. We often search for videos of the places we’re thinking of going to, and watch them as a family.

Given a little nudge, you might be surprised what interesting research your children do on their own. Whether they read about it in school, have a friend who talked about it, or whether they saw it online, searching for a few answers to a question they have about a place can lead to a desire to find the answer out themselves. This desire can even lead to excitement and that’s the best any parent can ask for in regards to their teen.

Give your teen some space when you travel

Nope, not talking about Space Mountain (but that is an awesome ride for teens), the trick is to give your teen and tween room before and after the days major events. Whether you’re checking out an amusement park, walking through ancient cathedrals or hiking the alps, everyone needs a little time to decompress after a long day of seeing the sites.

Whether that means getting them their own room or just upscaling your accommodations for a bigger sitting area, we’ve found giving our teenager space to relax and unwind pays for itself in peace of mind for everyone.

Tip: At this point in their lives, teens are going through changes, both physically and emotionally. Give them a chance to recharge their batteries at their own pace and they won’t be such a drain on yours.

Split up the group occasionally

It hurts me to say it, but the truth is, not everyone loves roller coasters and not everyone likes magical rowboats. If you find yourself traveling with two or more children of different ages, their interests might not crossover so well. Accept that and split the group up as needed to keep everyone happy.

If you do split up, arrange meet up times so you can swap parents and make sure to choose some activities you’ll all enjoy together so you can make family memories you share. Travel means different things to different people. It only makes sense that your growing children have their own passions they want to follow too.

Let the older kids play

This one is hard for most of us to accept, but your older teen is almost an adult. If they’re comfortable exploring an area on their own, and it’s safe, let them. Just make sure that, as above, you have pre-determined times and places to meet up so you can all have some shared memories as well.

This applies to major sites and activities, as well as amusement parks. Smartphones make it particularly easy to regroup later.

We used to travel with walkie-talkies when the kids were younger. When one of us went to run an errand or take the kids to the beach or someplace similar, it made splitting up into teams so much easier to regroup after.

Schedule some down time

After traveling to more than 30 countries with our children, often for months at a time, the one thing we always make sure to do is schedule in some down days. Whether you’re visiting Disney World or Universal Studios with your teens, exploring quirky and unusual things to do in London, checking out the Louvre in Paris, or gallivanting around the Galapagos Islands with your tween, everyone gets burnout eventually.

When you’re tired and cranky, standing in line or waiting around in the sun can make a good day become a bad day. Unless you’re a family whose members all have extremely high energy, don’t schedule something for every second.

Instead, enjoy a day off in the pool. Hit up a spa while letting your teen get a few solitary hours full of gaming, watching YouTube, reading a book or even checking out their social media and chatting with friends back home. It will go a long way to making every memory a good memory and the holiday a success.

These days, we’d rather miss out on an “OMG, we have to see this while we’re here” place than overburden the family. If it’s high enough on the list, it will happen regardless and if it’s not, there’s always next time. For us, the flow of travel is often more important than the destination.

Choose your destination carefully

Your children are getting older. Soon they’ll be traveling on their own. Try to pick out places today that you’ll all enjoy experiencing.

If you crave a tour of Ireland’s pubs, or a quiet remote island getaway, it might be prudent to visit those after the kids have moved out. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit certain places, it just means that you should consider what your family members will get out of the trip as well.

This realization has rearranged our travel lately more than anything. When our kids became teens and tweens, we realized that it opened up a lot of possibilities that we didn’t have when we traveled with young children.

For one, we can now go enjoy a parent’s night out since our kids are old enough to safely stay on their own for a few hours. We can now do activities that the kids were just too young to take part in like ziplining or mountain climbing. We can visit places we held off because the thought of little ones zooming around gave us panic attacks before we even got there.

On the down side, traveling with teens can get expensive quickly, since in most places they’re charged full adult fares. Don’t even get me started on their much bigger, and more expensive, eating habits. All these combined made us realize that traveling with teens is different than traveling with younger kids, but can still be just as rewarding.

Make your own memories

One of the biggest reasons people travel is to make new memories, to include special places and events that stand out from everyday life.

That’s why it’s just as important to not only see something you’ve only seen in print or online, but create a few strong memories to stay with you long after your trip has ended.

The truth is I’d rather have a single great shared memory of specific time and place with my teen than a jumble of memories all intertwined.

As an example I’m going to go back to the very first time I visited Disney when I was seven. After a very long day of rides, getting autographs signed and watching all the shows, my father and I were feeling burnt out. My older siblings wanted to go on a few more rides, but we needed a break.

My mom decided to take my brother and sister on a few of the bigger rides while my dad and I hung back. It turns out that my sister got motion sickness and my brother lost a shoe or something. It’s not my memory but it is one forever shared by my mother and her two tweens.

My memory is of my father and I stealing away into one of the little bakeries and each having a huge $5 piece of chocolate cake with a little blob of ice cream on it. Seeing this is well over 30 years ago, that was a lot of money for a piece of cake regardless of where we bought it.

The kicker? I can clearly remember my dad looking down at me and saying itwas worth it. To this day, I have yet to taste a chocolate cake that was as delicious and rich as that cake was and, for all the fun and excitement that day brought, that specific memory is still the most vivid of that entire trip and one of my most cherished.

Enjoy the moment

The fun part about when you travel with teens and kids in general is that you never know which moment will be the memory everyone keeps. For you, it might be having that perfect croissant while looking up at the Eiffel Tower with your children at your side. For your teen, it might be standing in line at the airport when someone’s bag failed to show up and their dad chewing out the poor baggage handler.

Teens have their own view of the world, and their own take on what’s important to them. Don’t be afraid to listen to them, they might shed light on things you’ve never thought of and have ideas you’ve never dreamed of.

Just realize that they’re people too and what’s important to them is what’s important to them. Understand that and you’re on your way to having one of the best trips of your life and a shared memory that will last forever.

It’s a boring one, if you ask my kids. While beach balls, sand castles and water pistols are great for little ones (and myself), older kids and adults often need a little more to do when they hit the beach in summer.

We spend a lot of time at the beach, so we decided to put together a list of the best beach games for adults and kids alike.

If you enjoy beach activities, there are so many beach games to play if you’re bored of working on your tan or swimming in the water. Whether you enjoy classic beach games like throwing a Frisbee around, or prefer some of the newer beach fads like pickle ball or roundnet, there are plenty of things to do at the beach for everyone of all ages and skills.

So without further ado, here’s our list of some of the best beach games you can play while spending the day by the water. We know which ones are our favorites, which ones are yours?

Best Beach Games List

Looking for some fun games to play at the beach? Here are our favorites, with picks for beach games for couples, adults, and kids. Some of these involve fun beach toys you can buy, but keep reading for free games to play at the beach as well.

Whether you’re booking some time away with your loved ones, a solo trip, or a couples retreat, beach games are always a great way to make the most of your time in the sand.

Best throwing games for the beach

Throwing sports make great beach activities. You can often play them in the water, on the beach or on the nearby grass and, if the beach is a little crowded, lobbing something in the air gives you more room to maneuver. Just be mindful of other people’s space, and try to keep everyone, including yourself, safe.

Frisbee or flying discs

No beach day is complete without someone getting hit by at least one Frisbee. To make sure you’re not the one getting hit, be the one throwing it.

If you have a few beach items as targets, you can even start a beach version of disc golf.

If you’re playing Frisbee in the water, consider getting a soft flying disc so it doesn’t sink or hurt when you accidentally toss it at someone.

Check out these floating flying discs here. 

Nerf balls

Whether it’s shaped like a football or some weird hybrid, Nerf balls make a great way to kill time while on the beach. The best part, if you accidentally hit someone, a Nerf ball won’t typically do a lot of damage. Some even absorb enough water that if you’re playing catch in the surf, it’s just like having a water balloon fight, minus the messy balloons..

Want a nerf ball for yourself? Check them out here.

American Football

Yeah, the ol’ pigskin is better suited to throwing around on the grass and not the sand however football is still a very popular beach pastime in North America. Just don’t be the guy trying to kick it because you know that never turns out well.

Feel like throwing a classic football around? Check these out.

Bocce Ball

This is probably the pinnacle of beach style class. Technically, it’s more of a bowling game than a throwing game, however it’s great fun and a good game to play in teams. The best part is that lots of wind just makes the game more enjoyable and you can play on sand, grass or even gravel. If you enjoy playing bocce ball but haven’t bought your own set yet, similarly played petanque might also be something worth checking out.

Love bocce ball as much as we do?

Check bocce ball sets here.

Beach Volleyball

A quintessential beach sport, there’s no better reason to dive into the sand than while playing a quick pick up game of v-ball. Considering there are volleyball courts at nearly every beach these days, it makes it an easy game to get started and, if you show up at any beach with a volleyball, guaranteed friends.

Tip! Even if there’s no net, getting a few people together in a rough circle is a great way to enjoy playing a little volleyball. The bonus, you won’t be letting the team down if you suck at it.

Love beach volleyball more than life itself?

Check out beach volleyballs here.

Basketball

You know I had to add this in here. Why? Because everyone takes a basketball to the beach silly! Actually, there are basketball courts in so many parks, especially in North America, that adjoin the beach that taking one actually makes sense if you enjoy shooting hoops outside. Just make sure to grab a street ball vs a regular ball since most courts close to sand can be hard on an indoor ball.

Enjoy a little street b-ball? Check them out here.

Ladderball

Yes, this is that game where you toss two golf balls tied together on a string at some stick like ladders. No, you aren’t a dork for playing it. Yes, it’s more fun than it looks, and yes, it’s actually harder than it looks. Who knew that golfballs had so much bounce?

What’s in a name? Since ladderball is still relatively new, it’s also known in some circles as ladder toss, ladder golf, ball rope and hillbilly golf. There’s even an area down south where they call it horse nuts. If you have to ask, you don’t want to know.

Wanna toss tied golf balls at plastic pipes? Check out ladderball sets here.

Horseshoes

Speaking of horses, classics never go out of style and though lobbing a 5 pound metal U at a steel spike in the ground isn’t as common as it once was, you can still find horseshoe pits along many beaches, especially ones with parks attached to them. If you enjoy the game but hate being forced to use a sand pit, grab a set of lighter plastic ones and play wherever you want.

Feeling nostalgic for horseshoes?

Check out this awesome horseshoe starter set.

Beanbag toss

Nope, not talking about that 70’s beanbag you spent a decade lying on while ruining your posture as a kid. This is the one where you toss some square beanbags at a board with a hole in it. Yeah, it’s kind of dorky, but that’s what you get when you ask for lawn darts to be banned. For the unaware, it’s also known in many circles as cornhole, and competition can oftentimes be fierce.

Personal brag: My brother in law and I once won 17 straight matches against the extended family. The result? Accolades, trophies, money? Nope, just forever banned from ever playing together again.

Interested in tossing the old beanbag yourself?

Check out your future cornhole set here.

Roundnet

Ever wanted to slap a ball on a mini trampoline with your friends? Now’s your chance with roundnet. Also known as SpikeBall, BounceBall or Slammo, roundnet is a great new game to play at the beach. Comprising two teams of two, you need to smack the small ball onto the net and hope the other team can’t return the ball. This game is fast and furious and is a ton of fun to both play and watch.

Feel like some hectic fun? Check out these sets here.

Washer Toss

A cross between beanbag and horseshoes, washer toss involves throwing metal washers into a small hole. Obviously created by some bored mechanics, the smaller boards and large metal washers means this game can be played at the beach or in your backyard. The best part about it, with more variants than any other beach game on here means you can make up your rules as you go along and it’s doubtful anyone will know the difference or call you out about it.

Curious about washer toss? Buy your washer toss game here.

Best kicking games for the beach

If you have room to run, kicking a ball around the sand might be the best beach game for you and your friends. If you don’t have so much room, there’s also a few beach games you can play that don’t require a lot of running. No matter which beach kick sport you choose, you’re going to work up a sweat. Especially if it’s a hot day out.

Soccer (Football)

If you’re from Canada or the US, then having a soccer ball with you at the beach might seem a little strange however, trust me, pretty much anywhere else in the world the number one beach sport is soccer by a large degree. We’ve seen soccer (football to almost everyone else in the world) played on some of the most remote beaches we’ve been to and it’s not uncommon for dozens of players to join in on an impromptu match.

Need to get your beach footie on? Check out this great barefoot ball here.

Hacky sack

What? Hacky sack isn’t a sport! Well, I’m not going to argue but there are several world champion hacky sack players that might disagree. In any case, hacky sacks are perfectly suited to the beach. They’re small, easy to carry in your beach bag and since you generally don’t keep score, it allows experts and novices alike to enjoy kicking the old dirtbag among the circle.

Need to get you hacky sack on? Check out these hacky sacks here.

Sepak takraw

Volleyball not your style but still enjoy hitting something over a net? Sepak takraw is a Southeast Asian specialty where you have to kick a rattan ball over a net using only your feet, head, chest or knees. It requires crazy skill and is essentially a combination of hacky sack and volleyball. Matches are 3 vs 3 and the court is similar in size to a badminton court.

Think you have what it takes for sepak takraw?

Check out a plastic version of the traditional rattan balls here.

Footvolley

Footvolley is closer to beach volleyball than sepak takraw where they use an actual ball and the teams are 2 vs 2. You can also use a beach volleyball court so in some aspects it’s also easier to set up. Skilled soccer players without a lot of room to run love playing footvolley or kickball at the beach and you’ll often see it being played in Brasil and Paraguay.

Love soccer but hate running? Check out this footvolley ball here.

Best paddle games for the beach

Ha, bet you didn’t realize there’s a whole division of paddle sports you can play at the beach. Well, there is and here is what makes them some of the best beach games you can play anywhere.

Pickleball

The newest fad to hit the world, (actually originally conceived back in 1965), pickle ball is remarkably like ping pong but with bigger paddles and big plastic balls with holes in them. A lot of beaches have tennis courts nearby so pickleball is a great way to get some exercise without all the running involved in tennis.

Ready to get pickled? Check out this great starter set here.

Paddle Ball

I can remember playing this when I was a kid. There really was no game, it’s pretty much just trying to hit a hard little ball back and forth to each other with a really big wooden paddle. The funny part about it is that it’s ridiculously fun and is a great game to play in the surf since you really can’t hit it that far to begin with and the ball floats quite well.

Think you can keep it up going for more than a few turns? Check out this Deluxe Paddle Ball Game Set here. 

Badminton

Ah, badminton. I didn’t really want to add this here since badminton can get frustrating outdoors. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still one of my favorite gym sports, however outside the wind plays havoc with the shuttlecock. That said, I’ve seen more than one group at the beach frolicking about with badminton rackets in their hands and happiness in their eyes. That alone tells me it’s a real beach game to someone, somewhere.

Willing to brave the outdoors?

Check out everything you need right here.

Tennis

If you can play Pickleball, you can surely play tennis, right? Yup. Tennis has been around since the 13th century and will likely long outlive most of the other games on this list. Though there’s lots of tennis courts next to beaches around the world, when you can play Pickleball in a court half the size, why would you want to get all sweaty like that?

Feeling like a champion? Check out this great tennis racket here.

Best free beach activities

Like to think out of the box? Hate organised sports or want to buck the trend of the best beach games above? Don’t want to invest in some of the best beach toys?

Here are some alternative games you and your kiddos can play at the beach. The only limit here is your imagination.

Hole digging contest

Yup, you want alternatives, dig a hole. This is great if you have sand castle blasé but still want to play in the sand. The goal is simple, get everyone in a line and see who can dig a predetermined depth before the others. Have a bunch of different ages playing? Make it something like the depth of the persons knee. Little ones with stubby legs might win it every time, but it’s not winning or losing here that counts. They get to dig!

Water filling contest

Well, what’s the next best thing to digging sand? Filling it with water, obviously. Get everyone to fill their holes in as fast as they can. Want to make it even funnier? Tell them they can only use their bodies to hold the water and no buckets allowed.

Sand sculpting

How do you make something a little more fun for bored kids? Make it into a competition. Instead of everyone creating one giant sandcastle, have everyone create their own then let everyone vote on their favorite or pick a non competitor to be the judge. Points should be awarded for creativity as well as execution to give everyone a fair chance. Bonus points to those incorporating objects they find along the shore into their design.

Sand drawing

What’s easier than sand sculpting? Sand drawing of course. Grab your finger or a stick and see who’s imagination is equal to their skill at drawing. Want to make it even funner. Tell them it has to be a self portrait or their favorite animal. Winner gets their choice of snack and bragging rights!

Beach treasure hunt

Well, if it’s a beach, there’s likely sand and water. What else is there depends on what kind of beach it is. Kinds love finding things so give them a mission. They can either do it alone or as a group and it can range from rocks of a certain size to shells, pieces of wood, crabs, feathers or even things of a certain color. Your imagination (and forethought) can make it easy or hard depending on your children’s ages.

Beach item must haves

Love the beach as much as we do? If so, you probably realized a long time ago that having a few beach specific items is a must for a happy day by the water. Besides for classics like sun tan lotion and sunglasses, here’s a few extra things that you might want to consider.

Beach socks

Love the beach but hate the feeling of sand beneath your toes? We know a few people like that and they swear by lycra beach socks. Unlike typical water shoes, these feel more like socks and are great if you’re playing beach volleyball or beach soccer and your feet get sore quickly from the sand under them. They also make great fin inserts if you enjoy wearing flippers.

Need a little more foot protection? Check out these comfortable lycra socks here.

Water shoes

Water socks not going to cut it? Need just a little more protection and a harder soled bottom so you can tackle the rougher water terrain? Water shoes are a great investment if you enjoy more natural beaches that aren’t all fine sand and comfy grass. We just picked up new sets of water shoes for the whole family and they’re great when we’re out paddle boarding or enjoying our new camper and enjoying the more rustic beaches.

Ready to tackle any beach terrain? Check out these great water shoes.

Air pump

Do you have any of those beach balls we mentioned at the top like a soccer or volleyball? If so, you’re going to need to fill them up with something. We picked up one of these a while back and it’s a great way to fill or top up those balls after a long winter of storage. The best part, with the included pressure gauge, you know exactly how hard or soft it needs to be.

Need something to pump you up? Check out this air pump kit.

Sand pails

Every kid (and sand loving adult) needs a sand bucket for a day at the beach. Sure, a true sand sculptor can get by with his hands and a stick but why limit yourself to traditional means when you can have various sized pails for every situation. The best part about this 4 piece nesting set is you can share it with your friends! Feel free to invest in some dollar store shovels and molds but a quality set of pails that generally take the biggest beating will last you forever.

Ready, set, dig! Check out these nesting sand pails.

Essential beach packing lists

Heading to the beach and not sure what all you need to bring? We wrote a great beach packlist that should get you started. If you’re looking for other essential beach gear we have you covered as well.

Looking for other ways to stay cool this summer without going to the beach? Check out this post we wrote on ways to beat the summer time heat.

So, now that you have your list of the best beach games out there, why are you still reading? Go out and enjoy your day at the beach!

Have we forgotten any of your favorite beach games? Are there other things to do at the beach that we missed? Please let us know below so we can share your insight with the rest of the world!

We’re pretty picky souvenir buyers. We’ll only buy souvenirs that we truly love, that we think are worth the money (meaning that we think they’re good quality and we enjoy them).

Universal Orlando is a fantastic place to shop for Harry Potter merchandise, because the park carries items you just can’t find anywhere else, there’s a fantastic selection, and the quality there tends to be better than online stores.

In this post, we mention stores at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando instead of Universal Hollywood, because, Universal Orlando is larger, and there’s more selection. Even so, we saw most (if not all) of these items at the smaller Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood, California, too.

Every time we visit Universal Orlando, we come home with something new and interesting. My personal favorites are usually snacks from Honeydukes, but the kids really love the wands from Universal.

Looking for a great deal on tickets to Universal Orlando? Click here to save $53 on Universal 2-Day Park-to-Park Tickets with ONE Extra Day FREE with Undercover Tourist.

If you’re looking for some more help, check out our helpful article on Wizarding World of Harry Potter tips and hacks that can save you time, hassle and money!

Harry Potter souvenirs

Ready to get some great Harry Potter gear? What’s stopping you? Put on your driving gloves, book a rental car in Orlando, and make your way to what we think is the world’s best place to buy Harry Potter Souvenirs: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando.

Here are our picks for the best Harry Potter souvenirs at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Orlando.

Where to buy Harry Potter souvenirs at Universal Orlando

There are plenty of stores in where you can pick up Harry Potter World merchandise at Universal Orlando. Some are incredibly specialized (like Gringotts, where Muggles can exchange their Muggle currency for Gringotts Bank Notes) others carry a wide range of goodies (like Honeydukes or Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes).

Here’s a quick list of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter stores.

• Gringotts Money Exchange
• Honeydukes
• Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes
• Sugarplum’s Sweet Shops
• Scribbulus
• Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods
• Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions
• Borgin and Burkes
• Ollivanders (Hogsmeade)
• Shutterbutton’s
• Globus Mundi
• Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment
• Wands by Gregorovitch (Diagon Alley)
• Owl Post
• Quality Quidditch Supplies
• Magical Menagerie
• Dervish and Banges
• Wand carts
• Butterbeer carts

It’s one thing to know where you can buy stuff, but what are the really good Harry Potter Souvenirs? Here are our top picks.

Wands

Whether you’re a fan of Dumbledore’s ornate Elder wand, Hermione’s delicately carved wand, or Harry’s simpler wand, there’s a wand for you here.

Buying an interactive wand at Universal Orlando is almost a must to get a full, immersive experience at Harry Potter World. The interactive wands help wizards and witches cast spells at special shop windows throughout both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. 

Interactive wands cost around $50 USD. For us, they were were worth every penny, as they made our kids feel they weren’t mere muggles, and helped them feel like a true wizard and witch in training!

What’s really great is that you only need to buy an interactive wand once, and you can use it the next time you visit. We’ve used the same wands at both Universal Orlando and Universal Hollywood.

You can buy a wand at Ollivanders, Wands by Gregorovitch, or at a wand cart. Wands by Gregorovitch is in Diagon Alley only, but you can visit an Ollivanders’ branch in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Wand carts are scattered throughout the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

If you want the full experience of having the wand choose you, stop by
Ollivanders wand show. There’s often a line, but the wand show only lasts five minutes, and Ollivander personally selects one person from the crowd to demonstrate a wand selection ceremony. The show’s free, but you’ll have to pay for your wand.

Want to save time buying a wand? It’s usually quieter at Ollivanders in Diagon Alley than Ollivanders in Hogsmeade.

When our kids got their wands, it was an especially busy time, so we stopped by one of the wand carts. The carts have a good selection, but don’t carry every wand. Since the wand chooses the wizard, Dumbledore’s wand chose our daughter, and Sirius Black’s wand chose our son, and they were both ecstatic with their wands.

Amazon also has a good selection of wands. 

See prices and more for Noble Collection Harry Potter wands. 

Robes

Whether you’re Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff, any Potterhead worth their weight in Floo Powder would love to get their hands on a house robe.

Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions in Diagon Alley has the best selection of robes.

There’s a nice weight to the robes, and they’re made of good quality fabric here, too. They feel like real robes, rather than a costume.

Madam Malkin’s isn’t just about robes: you can also pick up Hermione’s Yule ball gown, and full uniforms for Hogwarts students, with ties, scarves, and sweaters and more.

Robes definitely aren’t cheap here: plan on spending over $100 USD.

You can also pick up some good quality Harry Potter robes on Amazon if you’re not quite willing to pay the price at Universal, or you can’t find your favorite size or style.

See Harry Potter Wizard Robes by Cinereplicas prices and more.

Harry Potter candy and confections!

One of my favorite things in the world is to walk into Honeydukes and browse through the isles of candy and sweet confections. It’s definitely my personal favorite Harry Potter candy store.

We always pick up a few goodies at Honeydukes. One of our top picks are Fizzing Whizbees, which are tasty milk chocolate treats with fruit flavored popping candy inside. I didn’t count exactly, but there must be 20 candies in each box, making it perfect for sharing.

The chocolate frogs are also great, and in a cute box, but they’re harder to share as there’s only one frog in a box.

Sugarplum’s Sweetshop is a great favorite of ours as well. Our kids loved the inventive Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans. Watch out, though, they come with vomit and booger flavors. You can also pick up goodies like Cauldron Cakes and Exploding BonBons.

Weasleys Wizard Wheeze jokes and novelty items

Our favorite shop in Diagon Alley was Weasleys Wizard Wheezes novelty joke shop run by the Weasley twins Fred and George.

You’ll find fantastic jokes and magical stuff like Pigmy Puffs, U-No-Poo pills and Puking Pastilles.

Butterbeer

Unfortunately, you can’t bring home butterbeer from Universal Orlando. Actually, that’s probably a good thing. I love the cold butterbeer so much that I’d probably have it a few times a week at home, which is definitely not good for the waistline.

While you can’t bring butterbeer home, you can do the next best thing: buy a refillable Harry Potter mug to take home. You won’t get a discount on your butterbeer refill, but they will refill it for the same price as a regular butterbeer.

If you purchase a souvenir butterbeer mug, we were told it CAN’T be used for discounted soda refills at all the same locations as refillable cups.

It’ll cost you around $15.99 + tax for a souvenir butterbeer mug, which includes one butterbeer of your choice.

If you can’t get a butterbeer mug you like at Universal, there are a few on Amazon as well.

See Wizarding World of Harry Potter Butterbeer Mugs on Amazon.

Harry Potter Stationary

Owl’s post is the place for all Harry Potter stationary. You can buy stationary, quills and ink, and then send a postcard from the Hogsmeade Post Office that’s stamped with a Owl Post postmark.

Gringotts Money Exchange

When you’re at Universal, stop by Gringotts Money Exchange to trade U.S. currency for Gringotts bank notes ($10 or $20 denominations). You can use your Gringotts currency for purchases at Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, as well as a few other locations.

At the end of the day, you can keep unused Gringotts currency as a souvenir (or exchange it back for U.S. currency, if you prefer).

You can also pick up some nice looking Harry Potter Gringotts coins online as well.

See details and prices for this Harry Potter Gringotts Bank Coin Collection.

Magical items

Dervish and Banges is a great place to pick up magical items. There’s a lot in here, with fun magical items like Golden Snitches, and brooms like the Nimbus Two Thousand.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter t-shirts, caps and more

If you’re looking for standard souvenirs like t-shirts and postcards, a quick place to grab them is Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods in Hogsmeade. Filch’s Emporium is more like a regular gift shop with merchandise like clothing and more.

Dark arts merchandise

If you’re a wizard or witch with a dark side, you’ll find that there’s something for you at Universal Orlando. Just visit Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley where you can dabble in dark arts merchandise.

Photos at Shutterbuttons

If you’re looking for some Harry Potter themed photo keepsakes, then stopping by Shutterbuttons is a must. In the shop, you’re guided through 12 scenes where your photo is taken in costumes. You can purchase a DVD photo album in a collectible Shutterbuttons’ tin.

Looking for Harry Potter souvenirs online?

We really like this affordable Harry Potter themed jewelry on Amazon.

See prices and more for Harry Potter costume jewelry. 

See more for Harry Potter Deathly Hallows I Solemnly Swear 5 Pack Ankle Socks.

See prices now for this Harry Potter Gryffindor Quidditch  T-Shirt.

Quick tips for shopping at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando

Use the gift concierge service

Both Universal Orlando Parks (Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley) have a pickup service, so you don’t have to tote your purchases around all day.

Just buy your souvenirs and pick them up at the end of the day. If you’re staying at an on-site hotel, you can even arrange to have your purchases sent directly to your room.

Shop when everyone else is at the rides

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter can be an incredibly busy place. If you want to browse the shops for keepsakes when it’s quieter, consider going first thing in the morning.

Most people head straight for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (my favorite) or the Escape from Gringotts rides first thing in the morning when the lines are shorter. If shopping is a priority for you, then consider heading to the shops first thing when the parks are quieter, and anyone who is there is heading to the rides.

Quick tips for Universal Orlando in general

Universal Orlando is a big, busy place, so your Harry Potter keepsakes shopping will go much more smoothly if you follow a couple of helpful tips.

Consider staying at an on-site hotel

Not only will you save money on parking, and time driving, but Universal Orlando hotels have great perks like shuttles and early access.

On our last trip, we chose to hire a car in Orlando, and parked in the Universal parking lot, but plan is to save some time and hassle and stay in a Universal hotel on our next visit.

Get a two day Park to Park Pass

if you want to access all of the shows, rides, restaurants, and attractions at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter you’ll need to visit both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is split between the two Universal Florida parks (Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios). Hogsmeade is in Universal Islands of Adventure, and Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios. Both Hogsmeade and Diagon Ally have unique shops, rides and experiences, so you’ll want to go to both. You’ll also need a Park to Park pass to ride the Hogwarts Express!

You could visit both parks in one day, but you’d miss a lot, and you’d definitely be exhausted! On our last trip, we spent two days almost exclusively checking out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and we still didn’t see and do everything in both areas!

Looking for some more help? Check out our Universal Orlando tips.

If you’re booking a flight down to Orlando, be sure to do a quick comparison to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Compare flight prices on Skyscanner here.

Looking for some more fun things to do in Florida? Here’ some inspiration for the best Florida road trip.

What are your favorite Wizarding World of Harry Potter souvenirs? Let us know your tips in the comments below.

Remember those carefree days when you would throw on a swimsuit, and your beach packing list essentials were just a towel and sunscreen?

Well, those are long over. You have a family now, so get ready to carry a lot more gear. Packing for a family beach vacation is a completely different experience. Kids need snacks at all times (as any experienced parent will tell you), plus you’ll need to plan for many more sticky messes and meltdowns. And those are just the fun parts.

You won’t want to take everything on this list, or you’d need a forklift to carry your beach bag. Grab what’s on the essentials list, and pick and choose from everything else.

If you’ve got a kiddo in diapers, skip to the very end of this post for some extra gear you’ll likely need.

Ready? Here’s our ultimate family beach vacation packing list, with tips for all the beach gear your family should ever need.

Family Beach Vacation Packing List

There are a few essentials you’ll need for any family beach vacation. Here are our favorites, which we’ve used everywhere from Mexico, to Costa Rica, to British Columbia, to the USA.

Looking for a family beach vacation packing list printable list?

Click here to download our family beach vacation packing list printable as a PDF file that you can print.

Essentials

Beach bag to carry all your beach gear. We really like this Dejaroo Family Size Beach Bag. It’s big enough for a family, and packed with pockets.

See prices for the Dejaroo Beach Bag now.

Rash-guard shirts with SPF protection

Sunglasses

Hat. Admittedly, we’re not hat people, but more shade is always a good idea.

Sunscreen. If you’ve ever tried to smear sunscreen on an unwilling toddler, you know why we love spray-on sunscreen for little kids.

This Thinksport Kids Safe Sunscreen is free of avobenzone, oxybenzone, paraben, phthalates, PABA, 1,4 dioxane, and UV chemical absorbers.

See more about Thinksport Kids Safe Sunscreen here.

Beach towels

Swimsuits

Snacks (see the full list below)

Life jacket or other flotation device

Food

Exactly what you pack for food depends on how long you’re at the beach, where you’re at, and if you have a cooler.

When we’re in Mexico, we press the easy button and swing by the local Oxxo convenience store to grab drinks, chips and cookies for the beach. If you’re coming from a stocked vacation rental or your own home, you may want to grab a full picnic lunch.

Any food that melts quickly generally doesn’t do well for a beach picnic, like chocolate bars. To keep things simple and easy to clean up, we avoid using extra glasses or cutlery, so we stick mostly to finger foods and bottled drinks.

Here are a few of our essentials for a picnic lunch, which are similar to what we share in our road trip packing list.

Cooler. This TOURIT Cooler Backpack is a great choice, as it’s easy to carry and stays cool.

Click here to see the TOURIT Cooler Backpack now.

• Ice. Ice packs or blocks of ice last longer than ice cubes.
• Water.
• Drinks with lids. This prevents spills and keeps sand out.
• Cut up fruit, in containers with lids.
• Ready-made sandwiches, cut in quarters for little hands, in containers with lids.
• Sweet treats like dried fruit, fruit roll-ups, cookies or gummy bears.
• Savory treats like cheese strings, Goldfish Crackers, chips or pretzels.
• Bag to store garbage

Looking for a great family vacation destination?

Last year, we road tripped the Oregon Coast, and absolutely loved it! There’s so much to see and do, from stunning ocean views, to great food, to fun family activities. We’ve also had a blast in Cancun, Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, Cozumel, Colorado Springs, and so many more fun family travel destinations.

Clothing

One essential that we never go without on any beach packing list for the family are SPF protection shirts. The kids can swim in them, plus they have built-in SPF protection, which has saved the kids from a few sunburns, I’m sure. Plus, any area of their body covered by a SPF shirt doesn’t need sunscreen underneath, which has saved us untold hassle. Putting on a shirt much easier than smearing or spraying sunscreen all over the torso of an uncooperative kid.

Here are our beach clothing picks:

• Swimsuit
• SPF protection shirt (sometimes called a rash-guard)
• Cover-up. Micki loves having a cover-up to throw over her swimsuit when we pop into a restaurant or walk back to the car.
• Change of clothes. This one’s optional, but our kids somehow manage to get their clothes full of sand and sopping wet most of the time, so we carry a clean and dry change of clothes for them.

Bonus family travel tip! Family travel is so much easier when we have a vacation rental instead of a hotel. A condo, town home or house has a kitchen to make meals and snacks, a place to do laundry, and everyone has their own bedroom. Vacation heaven!

Beach toys and other fun stuff

The best beach games are half the fun of going to the beach, and there’s always something fun on our beach checklist for family. Exactly what you take depends on how long you’re there, and how active you want to be, but these are some of our tried and true favorites.

• Bucket, shovels and other sand toys
• Beach ball
• Frisbee. Get one that floats, so it won’t sink in the water.
• Inflatable water toys
• Swim goggles
• Gear for beach games like volleyball or badminton.
• Water pistols

Electronics

I get that the beach should be a electronics free zone, but there are a few cases that can be made for gadgets on the beach. Here are our picks.

• Kindle or other e-reader for catching up on some great books
• Smartphone (for the adults)
• Waterproof Bluetooth speaker (to stream music from your smartphone)

Packing list for families with children in diapers

If you have a little one still in diapers, your beach packing list is going to be a lot longer than those of us without. As a general rule, we would just grab our day-to-day diaper bag and tote it to the beach when our kids were this age, but our beach holiday packing list for the family would usually include these items.

• Swim diaper
• Baby wipes
• Diaper rash cream
• Diaper changing pad. You can just pack an extra towel, but you’ll want something dedicated to diaper changing – no one wants poop smears on their beach towel. Not that that happened to us, or anything.
• Baby hat
• Sun umbrella or sunshade. This Sport-Brella Versa-Brella SPF 50+ Adjustable Umbrella with Universal Clamp is a great choice. Both of our kids ripped off a hat the instant it hit their heads, so you may want a dedicated sun shade to protect their delicate skin.
• Baby sunglasses. Good luck keeping them on baby, but it never hurts to try.
• Baby bottles and milk (if you formula feed) and/or baby snacks

Useful, but not essential beach gear

There are always items that are a lot of fun to take, or just serve a really specific purpose. Here’s our random list of things that we’ve used occasionally at the beach. They may be some of your essentials.

• Hand-held spray mister. It makes a budget day at the beach feel more like a day at a fancy beach club, plus it helps beat the heat. Check out some of our other ideas for staying cool in the heat of the summer outdoors.
• Bug spray
• Lip balm with SPF protection
• Sandals or flip-flops
• Water shoes
• Books or magazines
• Battery charger (for smartphone or e-book reader)
• Beach blanket
• Beach chairs
• BBQ or camping stove
• Mask, snorkel and fins

Looking for a family beach vacation packing list that you can print?

Click here to download our family beach vacation packing list printable as a PDF file that you can print.

Do you have any beach gear for your family beach trip checklist that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below!

Are you putting off your dreams of exploring far off places for fear of schoolwork and activities your kids will miss out on while they’re gone?

Have you fell in love with the notion of worldschooling your children to make them better global citizens but don’t love the idea of having to become their teacher as well as parent and now travel guide?

Not convinced that homeschooling while you travel will work for you but convinced that homeschooling and long term travel have to be synonymous?

Well, I can’t say how your kids or your family will deal with worldschooling, however, I can tell you about our personal experience with educating our kids while we travel the world.

Is worldschooling for everyone?

Before we answer that, I believe it’s important to define worldschooling. In its simplest form, worldschooling is getting an education while you travel, with an emphasis on incorporating your journey into the curriculum.

Traditional Worldschooling Methods

While there are many ways for children to get an education while they travel, this post talks about the most common ones we, and many of our fellow travel families, have explored over the years.

Homeschooling: Where the parent takes on the role of teacher and educates the child themselves, usually with a rough outline and somewhat keeping pace with standard curriculums.

Distance education, online learning or e-learning: Where your child is enrolled in a school, but taught at a distance with a teacher, usually online.

Unschooling: Where children learn through life experiences that you or they initiate without following any standard curriculum.

Local schooling: Where children enroll in either local schools or specialized schools in the area that they’re currently visiting.

How to become a worldschooler

This post is actually in response to an email we received from a concerned mom who wanted to break away from it all and travel the world, but was nervous that her kids would miss out on going to a normal school. She wasn’t sure that worldschooling her kids was for her.

We understand her concerns and probably yours if you’re reading this. We thought long and hard about travel with kids even before we started our own family. Considering Micki and I got engaged in Thailand and then later married in New Zealand while on a year long round the world trip, you can understand our desire to keep traveling once there were more than just the two of us.

Tip! If you want to travel and homeschool your children, look into the laws about homeschooling in your country. Some, like our home country of Canada, have relatively liberal homeschooling laws, but others, like Germany, have restrictions on homeschooling.

That said, we’ve traveled with our kids since they were babies, and though we once again have a home base in Canada, that wasn’t always the case. You see, we jumped around Canada and the world for years at a time.

How We Homeschool on the Road

Once our kids were old enough, and we happened to be back in Canada for a stretch, we usually found ourselves enrolling the kids back into regular public school.

If we were gone for an extended trip, we would enroll our children into an e-learning distance education class where our kids would chat with a dedicated teacher from back home a few times a week and got assignments that way.

How we combine regular school and distance education online

In our province of British Columbia, Canada, this is called online distributed learning. It’s essentially distance education offered by our public school system. It’s a provincially accredited online K-12 program with the same curriculum as physical schools in our province.

Our kids were taught by a public school teacher employed by the online learning education department. This meant that they could go back into a regular, physical public school at any time, and be at pretty much the same place in the curriculum as other students from the grade. Many Canadian provinces offer something similar. There was no cost for this.

Typical weeks would see us emailing photos of their physical work to their teacher, and there was also some online work they had to do. As they get older and past the “learning how to write with a pencil phase”, more and more of their learning takes place online.

To stay connected, they would chat with their teacher via Skype, or by email when they needed additional help. Even though we were out on the road somewhere, our kids still roughly followed the same learning plan as they would in school back in Canada.

Unlike a lot of traveling families, we’ve never officially homeschooled our children or even unschooled them. It wasn’t that we didn’t believe in it, it’s just that neither of us ever wanted to be teachers, and for the duration of our travels we were lucky enough to have an online version of our public school curriculum. It also didn’t hurt that there was no charge, and that Canada ranks as one of the best public school systems in the world.

The nice part about e-learning, or distributed online learning as it’s called here in British Columbia, was that they still had a teacher that assigned and checked their work. We were strictly the helpers who made sure the kids completed their assigned tasks. Of course, we were also always on hand if they needed help and support.

A few bonuses to online distance education while you travel

To be honest, being able to be there for our kids is one of the biggest pluses to what we do. When you travel extensively together, you have way more hours together as a family than regular 9 to 5 working parents have.

If you enjoy your you time, don’t become a long term traveling family. You’ll likely get tired of always being together.

Luckily for us, we’ve always enjoyed spending time with each other, so our lifestyle generally works well for us.

The greatest part about following a more standard education while we travel is that we can still work, research our next move, and enjoy wherever we happen to be without also having to make sure our kids learn the basic necessities they will eventually need in life like reading, spelling and math. Having a teacher guide them also forced us to not completely ignore their schooling since, for the most part, assignments and timelines were out of our hands.

In truth, that alone kept us honest, otherwise I know a more traditional education would have faltered if it was dependent on us finding the time to create, assign, then mark their schoolwork while on the road.

World Schooling via e-learning

A cool aspect about the Canadian e-learning classes they took was that the teacher, used to dealing with students on the move around the world, would often assign projects based on where we were.

For example, our kids learned about democratic history while we were traveling in Greece, the home of democracy itself. Our son Cole was especially interested in how governing bodies are formed and who gets a say in a country’s development.

That trip they also learned about the Age of Exploration in Portugal while walking the same cliffs that Henry the Navigator walked on while ushering in the European expansion to Africa, China and the new world in the 15th century. The names of Dias, Gama, Columbus, Magellan, Drake and Vespucci became part of their world and gave our kids courage in exploring their own world.

Even while on holiday exploring the Mayan ruins in Mexico, our kids studied ancient civilizations and their effect on societies today. As a bonus, they also became experts on chocolate and can tell you exactly how cocoa beans were originally harvested and how they go from fruit to finished product.

In terms of culture, after watching the flamenco being performed in Spain, our kids and their teacher decided to learn about different dance and music styles around the world and, having a multi cultural dance off with your kids, is nothing short of fun.

More recently, last year, while we were exploring the Galapagos Islands, they learned about Darwin and his theories of evolution. That same trip, they learned about the Amazon rainforest and it’s effects on global weather before we had the opportunity to visit the Amazon for ourselves and see it firsthand on our Ecuador Amazon tour.

Worldschooling regardless of education

No matter where in the world we’ve gone, we’ve tried our best to tie the kids learning with where we were currently staying. We like to think that it has spurred their imaginations and made them more aware of how we’re all connected.

Though some of that learning was spurred on via a teacher, it’s not to say that when we happened upon an interesting place, event or historical figure that we wouldn’t do our own research as a family.

The truth is that learning new things, seeing different cultures, embracing different ideas and exploring the world around us all come hand in hand with long term travel. Let’s face it, if we didn’t already have an innate curiosity to our world, we wouldn’t be traveling anyway.

Travel as a learning tool

In terms of education, just being in a foreign location is enough to spur curiosity and learning. For instance, our kids learned Spanish while traveling through South America and their curiosity about marine animals was peaked while snorkeling with sea turtles and sharks in Belize which, in turn, lead to plenty of reading about marine life and habitats.

Even our trip to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios was a result of our daughter (who was eight when we went) reading the entire seven-book Harry Potter series while we traveled. Now, it’s not conventional learning, however her reading speed and vocabulary improved a lot because she wanted to read the complete series as quickly as she could. (See our Wizarding World of Harry Potter tips here).

Homeschooling on the road

I honestly can’t talk a lot about homeschooling on the road, however, we have friends who have gone that route and their kids seem to do well. Some have even pulled their kids in and out of different schools around the world while homeschooling as they moved from one place to another.

It’s interesting to read that many studies these days conclude kids actually do better with homeschooling (if done in a structured form) than traditional schooling. See this article from Gwen Dewar, PhD for a helpful look at homeschooling outcomes.

Homeschooled kids get much more one on one time and frankly, even though their school days are a often few hours rather than an entire day, they seem to retain what they learnt better than children in traditional classes. Homeschooling may also get them past their awkward adolescent stages easier since they don’t tend to get caught up in typical school drama such as bullying or peer pressure.

We decided a few years ago that a more standard education, coupled with our own self-driven desire to learn and seek out new worldwide experiences would work for us and so far it has. Our kids do well both in school and out when we’re on the road. There’s even a name for this type of homeschooling and traditional schooling mix: it’s called hybrid homeschooling, and it’s becoming increasingly popular.

Going to school in a foreign country

The beauty of travel is that you can put your kids into schools around the world or continue to teach them yourself. So many more parents are traveling today that there are way more options than even a few years ago.

For instance, we have some American friends living in Spain who put their kids right into the Spanish school system without knowing more than a few words in Spanish. The first few weeks were awkward for them, but they were soon fluent in Spanish and thriving in their new school environment. You can find out more of Heidi and Alan’s story on their blog, Wagoner’s Abroad.

It’s just more proof that you don’t need to follow any set rules while long term traveling. That’s the beauty of it all.

We’ve even taken our kids out of school for three months and without signing up for e-learning. Both their principals and teachers were aboard. We learned the basics of what they were going to teach in that time frame and just taught it ourselves as we went. It was probably the closest we’ve ever actually came to homeschooling, and when the kids got back it only took them about a week to fully catch up and keep going.

Education matters, exactly how, not so much

The truth is that your kids will likely be fine no matter what you choose as long as you cater to their educational needs and make it a point that they continue to learn as you travel.

The negatives of worldschooling

While there are many bonuses to worldschooling, of course there are a few negative ones as well.

For instance, if you take them out of school for long term travel then yes, they may miss their friends and a few birthday parties. They might even miss some memorable class moments however it’s highly likely their new travel memories will stick in their mind for the rest of their life rather than for the rest of the year.

The bonus of growing up today in the digital world is no matter how remote you travel, if you need to connect, your friends and family are likely just a quick call away.

If your kids are into a lot of extra curricular activities like sports or music, then yes, the new life paradigm will be an adjustment for everyone. The good news is that a lot of sports are universal and there’s always new sports to learn wherever you happen to be. Music is the same. Each country has their own music and learning about them has always been one of our children’s biggest travel draws.

The benefits of worldschooling

Yes, there might be a few things your kids might worry about when they leave the safety and comfort of their everyday lives, however, to us and our children at least, the benefits of long term travel outweigh all the negatives.

When kids travel, they will see and do things that stay with them for a lifetime. It’s also likely they will be more mindful of other cultures and ethnicities. They will witness for themselves both the hardships and the beauty that other people in the world experience. They will hopefully also realize that the biggest things holding them back from doing anything in life is themselves.

I only wish that more families and more kids could travel so that everyone had a bit of worldschooling. I truly think the world would be a better place if we could all walk in another cultures footsteps, if only for a while, and try to see the world from a global standpoint rather than only a regional one.

Are you dreaming of extended travel?

If you’re looking into educating your kids via worldschooling during an extended trip abroad, I wish you good luck with whatever decision you make and wherever you choose to make it.

If you go, know that there are tons of websites with useful information out there, as well as Facebook groups that will let you meet up with similar traveling families. We’ve made some great friends that way and there’s tons of valuable advice from other families on the move as well.

The greatest part about travel is that you can go or stay as long as you want. There are no rules. If you want to move to London, Bali or Rio for a year, you can make it happen. If you’re tired of travel, you can also settle down right where you are or stop someplace else. Your kids will adjust and most will thrive however, how you go about their education is up to you.

Long term travel with a family is about options, choice and change. If you think that’s a good thing to teach your kids then start packing your bags.

As long as you make education a priority, they will learn what they need to whether that’s at home in a regular school system, through e-learning or through homeschooling and, if your kids are learning anything while you travel, they’re worldschooling regardless.

We visit the Universal Orlando theme parks every chance we get and each time compile notes and tips on the best way to maximize our time there for the next outing.

Want a great deal? See prices for a 3 day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO extra days FREE here on Undercover Tourist.

Deals change often, so see all the latest Universal Orlando deals here!

Like a lot of families visiting Orlando, some of our favorite family memories occurred during our time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I’m honestly not sure who enjoyed it more – us or our kids! Universal has done a stunning job of making the entire experience special and memorable!

While we’re huge fans, it’s no doubt a visit to Universal Orlando is expensive, so you’ll want to make the absolute most of your visit to the three Universal Parks, and come home with wonderful memories for yourselves!

Top Universal Orlando Tips

It’s no secret that you could spend weeks at Universal and still not see every show, enjoy every ride, and snack at every restaurant. We’ve got tips that can help save you money, and just as importantly, help save you time and hassle.

Now that Universal’s added the spectacular Volcano Bay water park, there are now three full sized parks here: Universal Studios, Universal Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay.

Visit for at least three days, but four is better

Each of the three Universal Orlando parks is huge, and you’ll only get to sample a portion of the rides, food, and activities in a park in one day.

Three days will let you dedicate a day to each park, while four days will give you a chance to go back to your favorite rides and attractions, and catch anything you missed the first time around.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ll need two days to check out Hogsmeade (in Universal Islands of Adventure) and Diagon Alley (in Universal Florida). You can visit both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in a single day, but it would be a rushed affair, and you would miss a lot of the details that make each experience unique.

Where to stay

We actually stayed off property during our last visit, since we had plenty of time to visit.

Check prices for all hotels near Universal Studios Florida.

Many of the Universal Orlando hotels include Unlimited Express Passes and early park access to help you beat the morning rush. Since the hotels are on site, you’ll be able to use the free shuttle, saving money on parking and time driving to the parks.

All on site hotels offer Early Park admission (one hour before regular opening hours) and free transportation to the Parks and CityWalk. Other perks include complimentary delivery of merchandise from the Resort to your hotel, appearances by Universal Orlando characters, and priority restaurant seating (for Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Royal Pacific Resort).

There are a few hotels onsite, including Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Leows Royal Pacific Resort, Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel, and Leows Portofino Bay Hotel. The hotels include a Free Universal Express Unlimited, which is worth up to $89 per person, per day (not offered at at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort or Cabana Bay Beach Resort).

Check prices for hotels near Universal Studios Florida.

Save money by buying tickets online in advance

The last thing you want to do on your trip to Universal is spend a lot of time waiting in line buying tickets. You can save a lot of time, and even a fair bit of money, by buying tickets online in advance.

One of the best deals Universal currently offers is the save on a 3 day Park-To-Park pass, with TWO extra days FREE.

We’ve heard great things about buying passes in advance on Undercover Tourist. Unlike a lot of other sites, taxes are included up front (so no surprise fees at the end), AND shipping is free. Plus, you’ll save $42 over paying at the gate.

See all of Undercover Tourist’s Orlando ticket deals here.

See the 3 day, get TWO days free deal here!

If you’re only going for three days, you can still save with Universal’s special, where you get one extra day FREE if you buy a two day Park to Park pass. See prices for the 3 day Park-to-Park pass with two days FREE here.

Our Top Harry Potter Tip: Get a Park to Park Pass

Get a two day Park to Park Pass if you want to access all of the shows, rides, restaurants, and attractions at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is split between the two Universal Florida parks (Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios). Hogsmeade is in Universal Islands of Adventure, and Diagon Alley is in Universal Studios. Both Hogsmeade and Diagon Ally have unique shops, rides and experiences, so you’ll want to go to both. You’ll also need a Park to Park pass to ride the Hogwarts Express!

You could do both parks in one day, but you’d miss a lot, and you’d definitely be exhausted! On our last trip, we spent two days almost exclusively checking out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and we still didn’t see and do everything in both areas!

Check prices for the two day park hopper, get ONE day free deal here!

You can check out more of our specific tips for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter here.

Save time with the Official Universal Orlando® Resort App

The free Official Orlando Resort app is a must. We used it to help plan our itinerary for the parks, and to let the kids mark the attractions they didn’t want to miss. In the park, the app was indispensable! We used it to figure out where we were and to help decide where to go to next.

Even better, the app is instantly updated with wait and show times. It’s also great for finding rides, and sorting out which restaurants to visit. Since the restaurant menus are included in the app, it also makes it really easy to pick a spot everyone in the group will enjoy.

Another bonus for the app is that you can save your parking spot so you can remember where your car is located. (Which might not sound like a big deal but trust us it is. The parking lots are huge!)

Here’s an extra helpful, time saving app tip! You can set up alerts for when ride wait times drop, saving you a lot of time waiting in line.

FYI. If you don’t have a data plan, don’t worry, there’s free WiFi available throughout the Orlando Universal parks!

Download the app on iTunes here. Get the app on Google Play here.

Universal Tip: Go Early

There’s so much to do at Universal Florida, and tickets are pricey enough, that you’ll definitely want to maximize your time. Go as early as your ticket allows, and stay right until closing, and you can maximize your time at the parks.

We’re not early birds, but we make an effort to go as early as possible, because we always find crowds to be much lighter in the morning before noon. Try to be at the park at least half an hour before opening, or get early access. Parking opens well before the gates to the actual park does so don’t be afraid to come a few minutes earlier.

Also factor in the fairly long walk (around 10 minutes) from parking to the entrance, plus the time you’ll need to pass through the entrance line. Depending on which lot you’re coming from, there are motorized walkways from many of the parking areas that will speed your arrival.

There are also a few ways to get early access to the parks, including staying at onsite parks, or getting Unlimited Express passes, which we talk about a little later in this post.

Stay late at Universal Florida

We find that crowds at Universal really dropped off around 6 pm, in the three hours before closing, and stayed quieter until the park shuts down. This, or early morning, is the perfect time to take in the busier rides and attractions at Harry Potters Wizarding World. Since most people have experienced and left this area of the park by 6 the lines are way shorter.

If you really want to enjoy that time, I suggest you grab an early supper (Three Broomsticks is our favorite Harry Potter restaurant) at around 4:30 pm and start checking out the rides around 6 pm.

Make sure you check closing times! Closing times for Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure were different when we visited.

Get an Express Pass at Universal

An Express pass lets you skip the normal lines and jump in the express line.

We love the Express Passes, as they save us plenty of time in lines during the busier afternoon lineups. They’re not cheap (around $50 a person) however, when you factor in all it’s cost you to get to that point, that $50 could be the difference between getting to go on all the rides you wanted to and not.

I’d say the Express Pass is almost essential during times when the Parks are crowded like Spring Break or Christmas. That said, if you’re going during a particularly quiet time, you may want to save some money and skip the Express Pass altogether.

Important! You can’t use Express Passes at Fievel’s Playland, Pteranodon Flyers, Kala & Tai Nui Serpentine Body Slides or Ko’okiri Body Plunge, but we found they were a lifesaver for other rides in the Universal Parks.

To save time in lines, use the alerts in the Official Universal Orlando® Resort App to let you know when a wait time has dropped (get it on iTunes here | Google Play).

Go during a quieter month

If you have the flexibility, try to avoid traditionally busy times like weekends, Christmas, Spring Break and summer holidays. Mid week during the off season could be your best bet.

Orlando Informer has a helpful Universal Crowd Calendar.

Use child swap at Universal Orlando

If you have kids, child swap is one of the best time savers around. You’ll need two adults for this, but it’s a fantastic perk.

With a child swap, the entire family stands in line together. At the last moment, one adult waits with the children at the front of the line, while the other adult rides. When the first adult is done, the adults swap, and the adult who waited with the child first now goes to the front of the line.

Just tell the greeter at the front that you want to use child swap. They do this all the time, so it’s a quick and efficient process. Our son also joined both of us when our daughter decided she didn’t want to go and got to ride twice with no lining up!

For example, we used child swap on Escape from Gringotts, when our eight year old decided at the last moment that she didn’t want to go. That ride actually had a designated area for parents with small children off to the side complete with activities and monitors playing Harry Potter movie snippets.

Since a lot of the Harry Potter themed rides have unique and entertaining happenings (like walking through Gringotts bank and having the goblins give you the evil eye), the designers at Universal have filled the lineup areas with plenty to see and do as you wait for your ride. If you don’t get in line, you might miss out on more than just the ride itself.

Take the single rider line

If you want to get onto the rides even quicker, and don’t mind riding without the rest of your group, use the single rider line.

This saves a lot of time waiting in line, especially on the busier rides like Escape from Gringotts and The Hidden Journey. Though it’s usually a different line than the normal one, you can still walk in with someone and hang out with them in line and then only do the ride on your own at the end. This is a great way to go if you already went on the ride together the first time and just want a quick second or third ride for yourself.

It can also turn an hour and half Hulk roller coaster ride into a 15 minute ride! Just make sure to ask the attendants if there is a single rider lane since not all rides have it.

Note: Due to it often being a different line, both the single rider lane and Express Pass lane might bypass some of the interactive areas the designers included for the regular line bound guests. If you want to see and experience everything pre-ride, you might want to stay in the regular lines the first go around.

Pay for Preferred Parking at Universal

We get prime parking whenever we visit. It’s a great perk to have a short walk to our car at the end of a tiring day and it gets us out of the parking lot before most others.

Preferred Parking also makes the walk to the gates entrance a lot faster and gets us into the park quicker. Preferred parking is currently an additional $10 a day more than regular at $30 (it’s $20 for regular parking).

The only time I’d consider skipping Prime Parking would be if the parks are especially quiet (which is almost never!) or if we stayed in a very nearby hotel and took a taxi or Uber over. Of course, if you stay at one of the on resort parks you not only get in earlier but you also get free transportation.

Buy a wand for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We debated getting the wands for our visit, but I’m so glad that we decided to buy one for each kid.

Wands bring shop displays to life, and really bring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to life! Our kids used their wands at both parks. You can also bring your wand with you the next time you go to Universal Studios, so you only need to buy them once.

Wands cost about $50 USD per wand, so they’re not cheap, but our kids spent hours casting spells in shop windows at Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

Don’t forget to look at the special map in your wand’s box! The special map that comes in your interactive wand’s box will guide you to wand spots in both worlds!

Most articles will tell you to buy your wands at Ollivanders in Hogsmeade or at Wands by Gregorovitch in Diagon Alley. They both have a good selection of wands and the choosing ceremony as well however both places can be ridiculously busy!

If there are big lines at Ollivanders or Wands by Gregorovitch (there always are), buy your wand at a cart instead, like we did. There are wand stands located throughout both Harry Potter Worlds with practically no one in line.

We picked our wands up at a cart in Hogsmeade at the Islands of Adventure, near Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Since the wand chooses the wizard, Dumbledore’s wand chose our daughter, and Sirius Black’s wand chose our son. The stand attendant was patient and helpful, and our kids got their wands much more quickly than if we’d stayed at Ollivanders.

Take the Hogwarts Express train between parks

Even if you’re not a huge Harry Potter fan, taking the Hogwarts Express between Universal Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida will save you a lot of time, and let you rest your weary feet.

Try to take the train both ways, since it’s a different experience each time but be weary that the lineups can be slow! The train was down for most of the first day were there and opened only sporadically the second day. That made the lineups when it was running especially long. Also note that

Eat in the Parks or at Universal CityWalk

There are so many places to eat at the park, and it’s such a huge walk to parking, that you’ll definitely want to stay onsite for meals. There’s something for every taste at Universal.

You can save some money by getting one of several different dining plans that are offered by Universal. What you get really depends on your appetite, who’s in your party, and how long you’ll be at the parks. Check the different options.

Tip! You can get ice tap water free throughout the park! Just ask!

There are so many places to grab a bite here that we haven’t been able to try them all (or even a good percentage of them), but here are a few we loved.

As you’d expect, there are plenty of Harry Potter themed restaurants (and butterbeer!) at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We really loved the Three Broomsticks, but the Leaky Cauldron gets great reviews as well.

If you’re looking for a good burger, we liked Crusty Burger in Universal Studios. It’s a Simpson’s themed restaurant, with a big selection, and a lot of seating. We had the vegetarian black bean burger, and a regular burger, both of which come with tasty Cajun onion rings. Our littlest had a cheese pizza, and we washed it all down with incredibly thick chocolate milkshakes .

Our go to snack is always Auntie Annie’s Pretzels at Universal Studios for a warm bucket of cinnamon sugar pretzel nuggets to share. The only negative is that there’s almost always a line during busy times.

There’s a huge selection of restaurants at CityWalk, which you pass when you first walk into Universal Orlando on your way to the main entry gates.

CityWalk is a great choice for a bite at the end of the day, since it’s on your way to the parking lot. There are dozens of restaurants here, including Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Hard Rock Cafe, Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, Johnny Rockets and so much more.

While you’re grabbing a bite to eat at CityWalk, you can also check out mini-golf, clubs, shows, movies, karaoke and concerts. You don’t need a ticket to Universal to get into Universal CityWalk so you’re free to come on your off days as well.

Plan your meals ahead

If you have any special dietary requirements (vegetarian, gluten free, allergies, and so on), choose your restaurant wisely. We had three vegetarians in our group, and there were veggie options at every restaurant we visited, but we were definitely limited in what we could eat.

For example, at the Leaky Cauldron in Universal Studios, they only had soup and salad as a vegetarian option, so we decided to eat elsewhere.

Use the Official Universal Orlando® Resort App (get it on iTunes here | Google Play) or check out the Universal Orlando website to check out menus in advance.

Take a day off from Universal

Yes, I know you’ve traveled all this way to go to Universal Studios in Orlando Florida however, most multi day passes are good for a week. That means that if you bought a 2 day pass, you can go on day 1 and day 7 instead of going back to back days.

Why, you might ask? Between the miles and miles of walking, the crowds, the sights, the rides and the food, a full day at Universal will be tiring. Doing two full days back to back can overload even the hardiest of theme park lovers.

Our suggestion, if you have the time, skip a day or two and take in quieter sites for those days or sleep in and enjoy the pool and food at your hotel. That way, once you’ve gotten your wind back, you can fully enjoy your second or third or fourth day at the park with renewed vigor!

If time is limited, consider the VIP Experience

If you only have a day at Universal Orlando, you’re going to need to maximize every second. One way to do this is to splurge out a little with the VIP Experience. See VIP Experience prices and more on the Universal website here.

With a VIP experience, you can skip ALL of the lines. You can also get a personal Universal Orlando tour guide. It also includes a continental breakfast, plus you can choose several other options. The VIP Experience is definitely pricey, but worth considering.

A VIP experience gets you priority front-of-the-line access to all rides and attractions, including all of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions and experiences. Plus, you can get behind the scenes tours, complimentary valet parking and reserved seating at shows.

You can get a private VIP experience, with just you and your party (which includes two full service meals), or a regular VIP experience. I didn’t know about the VIP experience option when we visited, but it sounds amazing.

See information on the VIP experience here.

What to wear and bring to Universal Orlando

Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes.

You’re going to be walking all day long within and between parks, and when you’re done, you’ll be walking back to the front entrance and the parking lot. That’s a lot of concrete and if you don’t have good shoes you’ll be done by lunch.

I wish I’d worn my Fitbit when we were at the parks last time. I bet I easily put on 20,000 plus steps a day!

Since the weather in Orlando can vary depending on the season, bring along a jacket or even a rain poncho if you think you’ll need it. During our last visit, the mornings were cool enough for a jacket, but afternoons were warm enough for shorts and a sleeveless shirt.

Don’t forget sunscreen! We forgot ours during our last visit, and I got a mild sunburn just from being outside during 65 degree weather and light cloud cover!

Some of the major rides include free lockers right before or after the ride however most of the larger rides won’t even let you take along a phone and wallet with you. Having a backpack isn’t a bad idea but you will be forced to locker it often. We found having clothes with lots of zippered pockets to be helpful and being able to split the family up occasionally meant we didn’t have to rent a locker for the day either.

Check for deals before you buy tickets!

Before you buy your tickets, be sure to check out Universal’s deals and specials. They often have some fantastic deals, and offer special rates for Florida residents as well. 

Right now Universal has a fantastic special, where you save $53, plus get one extra day FREE if you buy a two day Park to Park pass.

See prices for the buy three days, get TWO DAYS FREE deal here!

It’s no secret that London’s West End has some of the best children’s theatre on the planet, with dozens of family shows available year round.

The problem is, with so many amazing performances, how do you decide which one is right for you and your little (or big) ones?

We’re planning a London visit this Spring and definitely plan on taking advantage of the huge selection of live theatre for children, so we thought we’d share with you some live action family shows and musicals that you definitely don’t want to miss.

There are even some cool Harry Potter themed attractions and shows on the site, like the Breakfast at Hogwarts experience (which you know we’re going to have to check out for ourselves).

The best part is that every show on this list can be bought ahead of time.

We aslo love that London’s West End is a great destination in and of itself. It’s packed with plenty of great London landmarks, like Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square,

While every show on this list is amazing in its own right, we’ve included a suggested minimum age. Of course, every child is different so take that as you will.

Best London shows for kids of all ages

School of Rock (ages 5+)

Based on the Jack Black character, Dewey Finn, from the movie of the same name, the musical School of Rock is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. As the 13 gifted musical students come into their own right on stage in front of you playing their own instruments, Dewey Finn realizes that all it takes is a little practice and a whole lot of love to be the rock god he’s always wanted to be.

Matilda the Musical (ages 6+)

When things aren’t sunny for young Matilda, she decides to take control of her own destiny. Based on Roald Dahl’s acclaimed book Matilda, we learn that sometimes kids have to be a little creative to achieve their dreams. With some amazing staging and an empowering story, little ones and kids of all ages will love Matilda.

Wicked (ages 7+)

The winner of hundreds of awards and always a crowd favorite, Wicked puts on a spin of the Wizard of Oz story, with the lines between good and evil not as clear as we always see in the movies. This amazing play featuring the good witch, Glinda the Good, and Elphaba, the evil Wicked Witch of the West, will have you and your kids talking for days about the lavish costumes, amazing sets and awesome special effects.

The Mousetrap (ages 6+)

A classic whodunit murder mystery will have you guessing who murdered who in The Mousetrap. The worlds longest running play, 65 years and still going strong, continues to entertain even today’s youth and, with over 10 million people having seen the production, you know it’s a classic for a reason.

Disney’s The Lion King (ages 6+)

Based on Disney’s acclaimed film, join Simba, Timon and Pumba as they return to the pride lands of the African Serengeti in one of the largest theatre productions to date. With over 200 puppets and famed songs such as the Circle of Life and Hakuna Matata, this live action odyssey will change how you view live theatre.

Disney on Ice (ages 3+)

Classics never disappoint and Disney on Ice has existed in some form or another since I was a child. With dozens of today’s famous characters from Moana and Maui to all the Disney Princesses, past to present, if you love figure skating or just creative storytelling on a cool medium, you might want to check out Disney’s latest incarnation of Disney on Ice while you’re in London.

Disney’s Aladdin (ages 6+)

Magic carpets, genies, evil sorcerers, princesses in peril as well as a rags to riches story, what’s not to love? Disney brings the beloved Princess Jasmine and Aladdin, the boy who found the magical lamp, to life in this huge unforgettable tale. With songs from the movie and some amazing special effects, Disney’s Aladdin is sure to bring a smile to everyone in the family.

Best live theatre in London for middle school aged children and older

The Wider Earth (ages 10+)

Join a young Charles Darwin as he sets out across the sea in the HMS Beagle and discovers new lands and more importantly, new animals and species in this great blend of storytelling and science. We’ve heard that the intricate sets and amazing puppets do a great job of bringing to life this award winning play and the debate between faith and science will leave your kids asking questions for years to come.

The Comedy about a Bank Robbery (ages 11+)

With laugh out loud gags, some hilarious back and forth banter and a stolen diamond gone missing, this comedy caper will leave you and your kids in stitches.

Best live theatre in London for older children and adults

Heathers The Musical (ages 14+)

The Heathers are feared, hated and envied by everyone in their high school. When the three most popular girls in school (all named Heather) befriend Veronica, she soon learns that leaving the Heather trio isn’t as easy as it was getting in. Based on the 80’s classic featuring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers is a dark and comedic coming of age tale that will make you question just how important being popular really is.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (ages 14+)

Inspired by the BBC documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, this theatrical tale of Jamie choosing to wear a dress to grad is both thought provoking and taken right out of the headlines. As gender becomes more fluid, choosing your own path isn’t always the easiest road to take. This thought provoking and entertaining musical play will leave you with more questions than answers. In this case, that’s a good thing.

London’s West End Matinee Shows

While seeing a show in London’s West End is high on our list of the best things to do in London with the family, we’ve discovered that the secret for affordable family theatre in London is to book the matinee shows. Not only are the shows cheaper, which helps when you have a family with you, but you’ll find better seat selection, smaller audiences and easier parking.

You’ll find most of the shows on the above list have a matinee a few times a week (namely Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday) and with show choices for almost any age, from toddler friendly shows like Disney on Ice and Aladdin, to primary age shows like Matilda the Musical and School of Rock, to older family shows like Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Heathers, there’s something in London’s West End for everyone.

Think we missed any great London shows for the family? Reply in the comments below and we’ll share it with everyone.