In the summer of 2016 our family set off to spend 8 weeks in London. We would explore the city and live like locals, renting a flat in Westminster. This was a far cry from our beach home in Florida and took a little adjusting to. We thrived in our new home away from home and had a jolly good time with many adventures along the way. This post is one installment in my series: Summer Abroad {with Kids}.
Prepping Kids for Travel with Lonely Planet Books
When we started planning our summer abroad I immediately began to research books to help prepare our kids for the new places we’d be visiting. After asking some friends who travel regularly with their children I decided Lonely Planet would be the best source of books for our family.
So here are a few of our favorite Lonely Planet Books (links to books are affiliates).
Pop-Up London – London will come alive with this beautiful and colorful pop-up book from Lonely Planet Kids. With a set of six stunning pop-ups and gorgeous illustrations, this book is the perfect introduction to the magic of London for any age. Perfect for younger kids, ages 4-7.
Not for Parents London: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know – This is not a guidebook. And it is definitely ‘not-for-parents’. It is the real, inside story about London. In this book you’ll hear fascinating tales about famous and infamous people, creepy underground places, dark history and strange characters galore. Check out cool stories about graffiti artists, murdered princes and people from all over. You’ll find royalty, punks and sleuths, and some amazingly weird food. Great for ages 8+.
London City Trails – Discover London’s best-kept secrets, amazing stories and loads of other cool stuff from the comfort of your own home or while visiting the city! But, you don’t have to be a visitor or armchair traveller to enjoy this–Londoners are sure to learn new things about their very own city too! Perfect for ages 7-12.
Make My Day London – This was a unique guide that allows you to effortlessly plan your perfect day. Flip through the sections and mix and match your itinerary for morning, afternoon and evening. Start the day with a ride on the London Eye, spend the afternoon exploring art at Tate Modern before enjoying a West End show in the evening; all with your trusted travel companion. Planning your city adventure has never been so easy and fun. This book was not designed for kids, but my 9 year old loved planning out our adventures so I’m including it. Perfect for the older kids who think they’re too cool to travel with the family.
In addition to the ones listed, we also enjoyed some books about Paris. My daughter loved the Paris City Trails. There’s also a beautiful Pop-Up Paris, and a Not for Parents Paris book that we loved.
Thank you Lonely Planet for sending me some of these books so my kids could read up before out trip. All opinions are my own.
