Summer vacation is a blast for kids! No school, warm weather and total freedom. But with a chance to travel, kids get so much more from their time away from the classroom. While most families take their vacations in August, here are a few kids from our community who had the chance to travel in June. What did they learn and what did they love? We'll let them tell you!
Ryan, 13
I just returned from a family trip to Italy to celebrate my sister’s high school graduation. Our first day was a long 12-hour travel day from Los Angeles to Milan. It was an overnight flight, but I slept pretty well. We arrived in Milan, and we loved it—from the food to the shops to the overall feel of the city. The next morning, my dad and I went on a tour of the Monza Circuit, a very popular Formula One racetrack. After that, we traveled by train to Venice. We loved the views and the water, and we got to take a boat ride to the glass factory and a gondola ride. Then we went on to Florence. It's an amazing city with great food and fun things to do. We visited museums (even saw The David) and saw many things I had learned in my social studies class this year. After that, [we] went to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. It was so beautiful! Our last stop was to Rome, where we visited the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, the Forum and the Colosseum. We rented e-bikes and explored the entire city on our own. Overall, it was a great trip. I learned a lot and got to see some beautiful places. [I] hope to go back again soon!
5 Things I Loved
1. Boat trip around the island of Capri—beautiful warm waters, lots of jumping into the water and beautiful scenery.
2. Visiting the Lamborghini and Ducati Factories and Museums—they are the coolest cars ever, and we even got to see some new concept cars not available to the public!
3. First dinner in Milan—we ate at a homemade pasta place—so delicious!
4. Visiting the Monza Formula One Racetrack and riding a bike through the entire track!
5. Renting e-bikes and exploring Rome on our own for seven hours!
Gabby, 13
My name is Gabby, and I’m going to tell you about the best summer ever! I went to Idaho this summer, and it was spectacular. My family owns a lake house on Coeur d'Alene Lake, so we try to go to Idaho as much as possible. But this year was special! We did many different activities like jet skiing, wake surfing, tubing and so much more. My favorite thing we did was go to the water park! The water park has huge slides, a lazy river and a 50-gallon bucket of water that splashed everyone. I learned how to indoor surf! I admit it was hard at first, but once I did it, it was pretty easy and fun. Before our vacation was over, my family and I went on a seventeen-mile bike ride. The view was absolutely amazing. My vacation was a blast! I can’t wait for next summer!
5 Things I Loved
1. The lake was so pretty, especially in the morning.
2. The water park was a blast! I loved the slides!
3. The bike ride was long, but it was really good exercise and fun to ride with my family.
4. We had some great meals at really good restaurants.
5. My summer so far is the best one I’ve ever had!
Daniel, 14
My trip to the Grand Canyon was amazing! At one point, I got pretty scared because when I looked over the edge, it was straight down. We went on the Skywalk at Eagle Point, and the view was awesome. The Skywalk is a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge [that] sticks out in mid-air of over the Canyon. It’s about 4,000 feet above the ground. Crazy! Then, we went on a helicopter and flew all around. We also took a Pink Jeep tour. That was fun because we had a guide who knew all the best lookout spots and places where there were no other people. He also taught us a lot about the history of the Grand Canyon. Overall, the best part of the experience was the amazing views. We learned about the Grand Canyon in science class, but to see it in real life was something I will never forget!
5 Things I Learned
1. The Grand Canyon is over 200 miles long and 6,000 feet deep!
2. The Grand Canyon is full of hidden caves. I’d love to explore them.
3. The Colorado River started carving out the canyon millions of years ago.
4. The Grand Canyon Park is bigger than the entire state of Rhode Island.
5. Native Americans have been living at the canyon for thousands of years.
