BootsnAll Travel Community

I am in the beginning stages of planning a GAP year with my family. The boys will be 9 and 6 (2010). I am wondering if I should focus on South & Central America or South East Asia/India. If you could only pick one to go with your kids - where would you go?

Cental/South America
Pro:
I and the kids will _really_ learn Spanish. Since the builk of countries speak the same language - we will really get the chance to be submerged.
Spanish culture is fairly kid friendly
Con:
The shared culture.

South East Asia
Pro:
I have friends in India and Malayasia
The Multitude of sites and variety of cultures.
*I* want to go, and badly.
Con:
Language barrier - we might stay in an area long enough for a few phrases, but any chance at fluency ...
Landmines in Cambodia. (My kids are just so ACTIVE)

That's easy. SEA/ India without a doubt for exactly the same reasons you listed.

You can go to different areas in South America later when you have shorter periods off... or the kids can travel on their own when they are older.

I would have to say go to Europe instead! We spent last winter in Spain in an authentic ancient white village for less than friends stayed in SE asia. You also do not have to worry about the kids getting sick and the history and language aspects are wonderful. Live like a native and stay rural for cheap living.We are so thrilled with Europe and all it has to offer that we are adding another year or two to this phase.

Se asia is sooooo hot and humid, dirty and so over touristed, I would pick south America if you are sticking with just those two. Better to get one language good, than smattering of none.



There WILL be added dangers for kids in ALL the above and more so for very active kids. Even in European cities ( wild drivers in Paris, Athens etc) we have had to train our child to hold our hand as it was a concept she never learned as it was not needed in the coutryside where we lived.

That said, most kids survive and medical treatment every where else is MUCH cheaper than the US when paying out of pocket.

Carpe diem!

WT -

Interesting food for thought. I had crossed off much of Western Europe for both budgetary reasons - even camping seemed expensive and also it doesn't exactly have a reputation of being kid friendly (though I think the US is the most anti-kid traveling).

Do you have a car in addition to your RV? Do you feel you need to?

It really is wonderful here and we have found it EXTREMELY kid friendly. RVing is a great way to go altho we were glad to winter in our village in spain>

we live very cheaply and can sell the rv when we leave for a really good amount of what we paid> i would not rule it out.

look at the pictures of the place we stayed at in barcelona for less than 18 dollars a night , sometimes it is as little as 12 and even right in paris it was only 35 a night so we stayed two weeks.

no we do not have a car nor do we have a large motorhome ( it is older and on a van chassis but with big bed on top, 2 bunks in back).

almost all places in europe have fantastic public transportation for cheap and that is what we use. We have rented a car for a day twice just for fun. We just did it here in santorini but did not need to as there are lots of buses.

I coud stay here for a winter.

I would stock up on euros and puonds when dollar is high..that helps as it is on a down trend. That is what we did and has worked well for us.

i am at a funky internet cafe ( by the pool tho) so forgive all my typos.

Have fun on where ever you go!!

I guess depends on the boys- will they get bored of the same culture day in day out? With SEA you are seeing a lot of different cultures, can compare and contrast, and that's the fun of it. With the language barrier, if you stay with the touristy areas there are TONS of travellers in SEA and it really shouldn't be a problem. Again, landmines in Cambodia shouldn't be a problem if you stick to the tourist areas.

And of course there's the flip side- will the change in cultures, etc. be too fast paced for the boys? Do you think they are too young to appreciate all these different cultures, and maybe need more time to really get to know one culture well?

Why don't you ask them THEIR preferences - maybe even get them to do a little research from books in the library or on the internet. Happier travelling kids means happier, less stressed parents!

Either way, I think you've got 2 great options that will be the trip of a lifetime!

Wow - good for you for planning such a cool adventure for your kids! They'll never forget it.

We spent five months in Paraguay, SA with our five year old last year, and also visited Brazil and Argentina. She loved it, learned a heap of Spanish, and even went to school.

We were interested in SA for language reasons, and it really did pay off. Spanish is a lot easier to learn than most of the Asian languages. And although I've found most people in most countries seem to love kids, the Latin American culture always seems "warmer" to me.

You might also consider leaving the final choice of destination a bit open for another year or two. Despite our South/Central American slant, we didn't decide for sure until the last six months where we were going. Although, like you, we started planning well in advance, we left our options open and then decided when we found the right opportunity. After that it was just a matter of plane tickets, some shots and a guidebook, more or less. A lot of what we had to do to get ready to leave was independent of the destination, and it allowed our daughter to have more input as she grew older.

In the end, you'll have a great time anywhere you go. You'll get your best experience from a destination that you're really excited about, regardless of its language and culture, but the important thing is just to go!