"It can be incredibly intimidating to travel to another country with kids - whether you're juggling babies, toddlers, elementary-aged kids, tweens, or teens. Taking trips in the United States with children comes with plenty of stressors on its own, but adding language barriers, cultural differences, and foreign ways of doing things can be downright harrowing if you're in charge of kids."
"But some places are easier than others when it comes to traveling with kids - and Switzerland is one of those places! This fall, I took a trip to the city of Zürich and nearby Laax, in the Swiss Alps, in order to scout out the country for kid travel. Everything I learned pointed to one overall takeaway: Switzerland is a perfect place to take kids on a vacation, from ease of travel to how its culture treats children."
"I know it's a weird thing to say, but let me explain: in Swiss culture, kids are seen as real people with real feelings, thoughts, desires, and needs. In the United States, where a kid might be dismissed as just a child, or a baby might be seen as an annoying crying machine on a plane, I got the distinct feeling in Switzerland that kids are allowed respect and equality, not seen in America."
Switzerland offers exceptionally family-friendly travel with efficient transportation, welcoming public spaces, and cultural norms that respect children. Children are treated as equal individuals with real feelings and needs, and caregivers respond to those needs without visible inconvenience. Swiss children enjoy high autonomy and early self-reliance, often traveling unaccompanied on public transport. Public venues like indoor skate and trampoline parks accommodate child independence while parents supervise casually. Cities such as Zürich and mountain destinations like Laax provide accessible infrastructure, making logistics straightforward for families. The combination of safety, respect, and independence creates ideal vacation conditions for children.
Read at Scary Mommy
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