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Non Stop Family

Tips for Traveling With Kids



First of all, it should be said that whoever writes this article is not a doctor. He is just someone who loves to travel and, like so many people around the world, is concerned with the coronavirus or, as it was recently called, COVID-19.

It was at the beginning of the year 2020 that the first news of this coronavirus appeared, but the truth is that it seemed something so distant that, to us, it seemed something that would have no impact on our life and that would easily stop appearing in the news. We couldn't be more wrong. The truth is that the coronavirus has come to shake the whole world, in the face of fears of an epidemic that we are not sure what contours it will be able to achieve.


Of course, the first thing to think about is the safety and well-being of everyone, but the point is that many of us who love to travel already had travel plans and, as in our case, even scheduled trips.

Of course, many like us already had plans made, but it was thought that we did not have as a destination any country that was still reported as having a case. As the cases of people infected with the coronavirus spread throughout the world, it starts to be difficult to choose a destination country without confirmed cases and, soon, it may even be impossible.

Thus, we are faced with the real question: Should we or should we not travel at this time?


The truth is that, at this moment, there is so much information that it is difficult to make a conscious and realistic analysis, taking into account the situation. It is also necessary to take into account that, the scenarios change very quickly and, it is impossible to say if in 2, 3 months this situation will be almost completely overcome or, if the worst of the scenarios is confirmed and we will all have to stay at home.

The truth is that, taking into account the current scenario and, in our specific case, as there are still a few months to go before our trip, the truth is that we keep our plans, but this is our decision, which is not necessarily the decision correct, because this is something that each of us will have to take individually.

What is the coronavirus, Covid-19?


According to the Portuguese SNS (you can consult the site here), COVID-19 is the official name, assigned by the World Health Organization (click here to access https: / /www.who.int/), to the disease caused by a new coronavirus (SARS-COV-2), which can cause severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. This virus was first identified in humans, in late 2019, in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Hubei province, and cases have been confirmed in other countries.

What is a coronavirus?


Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can cause infections in people. Typically, these infections are associated with the respiratory system and may be similar to the common flu or progress to a more serious illness, such as pneumonia.


But the point is that, contrary to the alarmism that many news have transmitted, the mortality rate of this virus is not very different from any flu that exists every year, and the truth is that none of us has stopped traveling because of the flu. What has been verified is that the majority of deaths have occurred in older people or people with debilitating health problems.

We strongly advise you to watch this World Health Organization video, to get more information from a safe source.


Should I travel or cancel my trip due to the coronavirus?


We would love to give a clear answer to this situation and, far from being doctors, and even doctors will certainly have many difficulties in responding to this situation. Especially because your decision must depend on several factors, one of which is your country of destination.

Should I travel to countries with a high number of coronavirus cases?


Although there is not yet an effective and widespread ban for all countries, what we advise is to check your government's directions for the destination you want to go to. Of course, it is also important to use common sense here and, in certain countries where infections are very high, some precautions may be advised here, and only in cases of greater need, should one travel. As of March 2020, the countries with the most cases are China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy.

In order to keep abreast and duly informed, we advise you to be careful with what you read and find on the net, as a lot of information, is not reliable. The best place to find out is the World Health Organization website and, if your destination is one of the hardest hit, be sure of what you will do in your life your dream trip to one of these destinations but, for now, it may be a good idea to wait a while.

Should I cancel the trip to countries with a high number of coronavirus cases?


The same applies to that mentioned in the previous paragraph, it may be a good idea to consider postponing your trip for the next few days. To achieve this, we advise you to contact your travel agency directly.

To date, there is no obligation to return the money to the traveler but, negotiating with the agency or company, it may be possible to partially or even fully refund the money, so what we advise you to do is contact your agent right away. There may be cases where, instead of returning the money, you can change the destination, which may be a good hypothesis to consider.

Can my flight be canceled?


Something that is already happening in some cases and, which may tend to increase, is the cancellation of many flights to destinations most affected by the disease. If this is the case, try to contact your airline as soon as possible to find out about this and, of course, to seek a refund of your money.


However, cancellations for certain travel destinations are only temporary and limited in time, so the destination may be available again at the time of your trip. Anyway, you already know, the best is to contact your travel agency.

Are there closed borders because of the Coronavirus?


No. There are only a few specific cases where some areas are isolated due to the high incidence of cases, but there are still no canceled borders. The only changes you may encounter, whether crossing physical borders or airports, are greater health controls, especially when you are moving from places where the number of contaminated people are high.

Should I avoid cruising now?


Although we are not easily impressed, we always recommend common sense and the truth is that traveling in a closed space for several days with thousands of people can be a scenario that should be avoided. There are several agencies that have canceled their cruises, so if you have a ticket scheduled, check with your agency if the trip is going to take place and the conditions for returning the money.

Can tourist attractions be closed?


Yes, this case can happen. It does not mean that they will be, nor can we say which they will be. The truth is that places where many people can be gathered, they can be closed in case it is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. A recent case was the closure of the Louvre, so this can happen in several places.

Will the coronavirus disappear in the summer?


It is impossible to say this year. The truth is that some viruses, such as the flu, have greater difficulties in surviving in the heat and, coupled with the fact that in summer there is a greater tendency for people to be in open spaces, instead of what occurs in winter, which is confined more to closed spaces where the virus is easier to spread, it causes the incidence of flu to be very low in the heat of summer. However, this is a new virus, there is a need to learn a lot about it and, say with certainty that the virus will disappear or be very rare in the summer is still very difficult to say.

Conclusion


It was never our intention, with this post, to say whether or not to make your vacation trip. What we really want to recommend is common sense. If, on the one hand, we know that, at this moment, there are no reasons for excessive alarms, the truth is that this is a situation to take into account when preparing your holidays.
What we really recommend is that you try to avoid the places of greatest contagion, since at the moment there will be some areas in China, Italy, South Korea and Iran.

How to prevent


However, if you decide to travel, or have already purchased your trip, do not forget about basic health care, especially for those traveling with children:

- Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Often we do not wash our hands well, it is advisable to do it carefully and to help and teach children to wash them well. Contrary to what you might think, the masks are of little use and, they work more for those who may be carrying the virus not to transmit to people around them. Watch this video that demonstrates the correct way to wash your hands.



- When you are unable to wash your hands, use a disinfectant, preferably alcohol-based.

- Avoid touching your eyes, mouth and nose with your hands when your hands are not washed;

- Avoid close contact with sick people;

- Cover your mouth and nose when we cough, preferably with a disposable tissue and immediately throw it in the trash.

- Study your travel destinations, try to keep contact details of your country's embassies, as well as contact numbers for the health systems of the destination countries.

- Make good travel insurance, trying to question what is protected and, if your destinations are contemplated in the destination. Ask as many questions as possible to be sure of what you are getting.

- The traveler’s consultation is an important thing to do, especially at this time, so no hesitation.

- Common sense. This is the real strategy, to always think about what will be best for us without, and however, being caught up in hysterics. Try to use all possible precautions, always inform yourself about your destination, adopt the safety measures recommended by the competent authorities, stay well informed through reliable sources and, have fun, the world is not ending.

We really hope that our post helps you to take the decision to travel or to stay at home. We would also like to invite you to leave your opinion and questions and, in case you travel recently, let us know about your experience using our comments box. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, don't forget to share it with your friends.



Visiting Machu Picchu is one of those trips that we recommend to everyone to do, at least once in their life, if possible.

However, as we have been referring in the last posts about our trip to Peru, visiting Machu Picchu may not be as easy as we would think the first time. We have already answered many of the questions in our post MACHU PICCHU - 20 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN PLANNING YOUR VISIT TO MACHU PICCHU but, we wanted to take this post to answer one of the questions that we have been asked the most.

And this question is related to one of the changes that were made to the entry regulations in Machu Picchu, in which it is mandatory to be accompanied by an official tour guide for those who visit Machu Picchu. The only exception is for people who make the route to Huayna Picchu, or the Machu Picchu mountain, where the orientation service is not mandatory.


Since our visit to Machu Picchu took place just a little after that change, so we were a little apprehensive.

Do I really need a guide to visit Machu Picchu?


One of the concerns were, of course, financial, as our travel budget is generally well thought out and calculated, and we always try to avoid costs that are considered unnecessary by us.

However, it would also make no sense to go to a place like Machu Picchu and miss out on the opportunity to truly know and explore this wonder of the world just to save a few dollars on the guide, so we tried to gather as much information as possible to find out if it was really necessary whether or not a guide to making the most of the experience.

So, the answer to the question: “Do I really need a guide to visit Machu Picchu?” Concerns two fundamental questions. The first is legal, that is, if entry to Machu Picchu is really prohibited without a guide, and the second question, whether I need a guide to make the most of the experience of visiting Machu Picchu.

Answering the first question, the truth is that the changes to the entry rules in Machu Picchu has forced you to enter accompanied by a guide. However, what happened when we visited Machu Picchu was that there was absolutely no requirement to be accompanied by a guide and, until the date of 2020, this obligation is not in fact.

However, it is not known whether at any time there will be a policy change, but if it does, it is easy to hire the services of a guide, either in Machu Picchu Pueblo, or even at the entrance to Machu Picchu.


Regarding the second question, which is whether I need a guide to make the most of my visit to Machu Picchu, the truth is that it depends a lot on you.

The truth is that a good guide can help you learn a lot about the history of the place. We are talking about people who know the place as few and can help to pay attention to details that I would never have noticed or known had it not been for this precious help.

However, there are people who, like us, love to explore, discover and know every detail of their destination, even before taking the plane to their destination. If that is your case, our opinion is that you can very well make your visit to Machu Picchu without a guide. In our case, we had already done so much research that when we entered Machu Picchu it was as if we knew every inch of our destination.

In addition to this factor, there is another one that we identify with, which is to make our visits at our own pace and not be dependent on anyone. Something we loved was being able to stand still in Machu Picchu, just to contemplate, especially in the moments when we were able to be more alone, something that may not be easy to achieve in Machu Picchu but, to achieve this, we advise you to read our post on how to avoid crowds at Machu Picchu.

Conclusions


Well, responding directly to the question that led us to write this post, we are obliged to answer that yes, you can make your visit to Machu Picchu without a guide. In legal terms, it may not seem possible at the outset, but it is still possible (in 2020) to make this visit without having to fight it.


Visiting without a guide has the clear advantage of saving money and being able to follow your own pace throughout this marvel of humanity. However, as mentioned above, if you have not done your “homework” and have not studied your destination properly, we advise you to request the services of a guide, as it makes more sense to explore this destination by knowing its history, something that without a guide and without having studied, will lead you to lose much of the charm of this visit.

So, in case you have not made this visit, we really advise you to do it with a guide. However, we made the choice to go without a guide and, we loved the possibility of following our pace, with our times. Do not forget, regardless of the way you do it, do not miss visiting Machu Picchu, as it is something that will not fail to amaze you.

We really hope that our ideas help you to prepare for your visit and if you are planning your trip to Machu Picchu, we always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog.


Booking.com

We would also like to invite you to leave your opinion and questions and, in case you have already visited Machu Picchu, let us know about your experience using our comments box. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

If you are planning your visit to Peru, here is a list of some of our destination-related posts that are sure to be very helpful in organizing your itinerary:

- 10 reasons why you should visit Lima
- 20 things you should know when planning your trip to Machu Picchu 
- What is the Sacred Valley of the Incas? What to see in the Sacred Valley, Peru
- Sacred City of Caral-Supe: Best day-trip from Lima 
- How to visit the Rainbow Mountain in Peru? Things to know when planning your trip




Being a parent requires travel destinations to change and adapt to life changes, changes that are not necessarily negative, and sometimes even lead to discoveries we would not think to discover.

One of our travel wishes came through a family passion, playing with Legos and hence came the desire to visit Legoland, but not any Legoland, we wanted to visit the first, original, Billund Legoland in Denmark.

That's when we started planning our visit, which may not be as easy as you might think at first. The difficulty is not exactly in visiting Billund's Legoland, as Billund has an airport very close to Legoland, which is extremely facilitating for those who just want to visit Legoland.

But that was not our goal. Generally, when we visit a destination, whenever we have the opportunity, we try to organize ourselves in order to make the most of our trip so as to know as much as possible.

In that sense, and as we had never visited Scandinavia, we wanted to make the most of our two weeks vacation and explore a little.

Of course, two weeks would be impossible to get to know Scandinavia at all, so we were faced with the challenge of planning a road trip itinerary (because we were going to rent a car at the arrival airport for maximum mobility), which necessarily passed by Billund.

In addition to having to go through Billund, we had the added challenge of the size of Scandinavia, which is HUGE !! Especially when compared to Portugal, which is a small country.

Being Billund in Denmark, this would be a must-see country for us but it would not be possible to visit all of Scandinavia at all. Even if we spent all our holidays driving, it would still be impossible. In this sense, and only distance-related issues, we were forced to set aside Finland, and our circular road trip would be through Denmark, Norway and Sweden.


Whenever we organize our Road Trips we aim to do so in such a way that our starting-point coincides with the end of the trip as it makes car hire a lot less expensive and often you get better travel prices. also when buying round trip tickets to the same destinations.

So, for our Scandinavia road trip, we didn't necessarily have any starting point that we considered the main one, so our itinerary serves any of the airports near our destinations, namely Bergen, Copenhagen, Oslo, Copenhagen or even from Billund.

In our particular case, our choice was to start our road trip through Copenhagen, to get the best prices for that destination and to get excellent value for a car. However, any of the above airports are great starting points.

Therefore, we will explain our two-week itinerary through Scandinavia, which took us for about 2300 km of pure adventure.

Day 1- Landing in Copenhagen


- Rent a car
- Sleep in Copenhagen

Day 2 - Discover Copenhagen


- Sleep in Copenhagen

Day 3 - From Copenhagen to Billund (265 km)


- Odense and Kongernes Jelling Tour - Home of The Vikings

- Afternoon at Lego House

- Sleep in Billund

Day 4 - Billund


- Lego Land

- Sleep in Billund

Day 5- From Billund ToKristiansand (380 Kms)


• Alborg
• Ferry boat

Day 6 - From Kristiansand toStavanger (260 Kms)




• Sleep in Stavanger 


Day 7 - From Stavanger to Bergen(220 Kms)


•  Walk around Bergen

•  Sleep in Bergen

Day 8 - Bergen 


•  Walk around Bergen

•  Sleep in Bergen

Day 9 - From Bergen to Nesbyen (378 Kms)


• Undredal village and fjord
• Make the way to Flam.

Day 10 - From Nesbyen to Oslo (151 km)


• Go through Norefjell, Noresund and Honefoss

• Sleeping in Oslo

Day 11 - Oslo


• Discover Oslo

• Sleeping in Oslo

Day 12 - From Oslo to Fredrikstad (91 Kms) 


• Stroll through Fredrikstad.

• Sleep in Fredrikstad.

Day 13 - From Fredrikstad to Gothenburg (215 Kms)


• Going around Gothenburg

• Sleep in Gothenburg.

Day 14 - Gothenburg


• Going around Gothenburg

• Sleep in Gothenburg.

Day 15 - From Gothenburg to Copenhagen Airport (310  Kms)


• Passing by Malmo and the Oresund Bridge
• Return home.

Conclusions

It is not at all easy to choose what to do in Scandinavia and we are bound to say that there is much more to do in this wonderful part of our planet. Unfortunately, we did not have time to go hiking as we would like and one of our wishes is to visit further north of Bergen in Norway, in particular, to go to Tromso, along the coast exploring its incredible fjords. Also, Finland is on our bucket list, but we will also have to leave it for a future trip but, we have to say that our trip and our itinerary made for a great family trip.

We really hope that our ideas help you to prepare for your trip to Scandinavia and if you are searching for places to stay, we always do our reservations with Booking, they are our partners and its with them we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and it helps us to support our blog.

Booking.com

We would also like to invite you to leave your opinion and questions and, in case you have already did a Road trip to Scandinavia, let us know about your experience using our comments box. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, don't forget to share it with your friends.
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