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Things to do with Kids in Dubai
When you think of Dubai, the first thing that comes to mind is its glamorous skyscrapers, massive malls and extraordinary man-made islands. After all, most of us know Dubai as a haven for outstanding leisure, shopping and entertainment choices. But beneath its enormous steely high-rise structures lies an astonishing child-friendly destination which offers a roster of exciting options for kids of all age groups. So if you’re looking for amazing things to do with kids in Dubai, this list covers it all. You can make your own guide or plan 4 Days in Dubai. But, Is It Now Safe To Visit Dubai With Kids? With the prestigious Safe Travel stamp…
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Going to the Little Monsters Ball Hardrock Cafe
Last Updated: October 22nd 2025. Each year we try to do something special for Halloween, in 2019 we attended the Little Monsters Ball Hardrock Cafe in Amsterdam. Halloween is on the rise in The Netherlands, and has numerous events happening now each year. Our son was at that moment still too young for haunted houses and fright nights, but luckily there are events suited for kids. Little Monsters Ball Hardrock Cafe The Hard Rock Café each year organizes a breakfast buffet on the Sunday before or on Halloween itself. Every family had its own table and could get plates full of delicious food. You did have to wait in line…
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Fun at Ripley’s Believe It or Not Halloween
Last Updated: October 22nd 2025. Halloween isn’t a holiday that’s originally celebrated in the Netherlands. But more and more events with a Halloween theme are popping up in The Netherlands. In fact there’s plenty of choice nowadays in Halloween events. We love going to one of these events each year and a few years ago we celebrated Halloween at Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Amsterdam. We had a blast. Ripley’s Believe It or Not Halloween The whole Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum was decorated with cobwebs and other creepy things. This added extra to the Halloween atmosphere for us. Without the Halloween decorations the museum is already bizarre,…
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Krka National Park: Waterfalls, Swimming and Hiking
Last Updated: February 17th 2026. Krka National Park has it all: beautiful nature, hiking and swimming opportunities, architectural, historical and archeological sites. We visited the Krka National Park in Croatia on a road trip in 2017 during a hot summer. So the swimming part was very welcoming to us. Sadly, as of 2021, swimming near the waterfalls is prohibited. Where is Krka National Park? Krka National Park is in Dalmatia in Croatia. To be exact in the northern part of Dalmatia, near Lozovac and Skradin. It’s close to Šibenik. From Šibenik to Krka National Park is 15 kilometers, about 20 minutes by car. Zadar is an hour driving with 76…
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A Family Vacation Close to Home: Texel
Last Updated: November 5th 2025. This blog post was written in 2020, when there was a pandemic. That’s obviously not the case anymore. So not all discussed here still applies, however Texel is an incredible destination. Which we’ve been to several times. When the intelligent lockdown in 2020 was declared all our vacation and getaway weekend planning was put on hold. When they say stay home and only go out for necessary stuff, I’m not making plans for outings let alone a vacation. After a few months restrictions were slightly loosened, so we booked a long weekend getaway for Acension weekend, a vacation close to home. One of our first…
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Shenandoah National Park: bears and endless views
Last Updated: March 30th 2024. Back in 2015 we did a road trip through the USA, we drove from New York to San Francisco in 6 weeks. On that road trip we stopped at Shenandoah National Park. It was our first acquaintance with the Blue Ridge Mountains. They’re so beautiful! Where is Shenandoah National Park? Shenandoah National Park is in the Northwestern Part of the state of Virginia. Its located on a mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The park starts in the Northeast at the town of Front Royal and runs all the way to Waynesboro in the Southwest. Some facts about Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park…
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Fun Times at Disneyland Paris: With and Without Kids
Last Updated: May 23th 2024. We’ve been to Disneyland Paris four times: once before Yuri was born, in 1999. Back then it was still called EuroDisney. Three times with our son in 2014, 2019 and 2021. In 1999 we went in the Summer and spent one day at EuroDisney. In 2014 it was a winter visit with an almost 4 year old boy, a road trip with a toddler. In 2019 was 20 years after our first visit to Disneyland Paris, again in the Summer. Last time was in 2021, again in the Summer time. Those 3 visits were all 3 days, 2 nights. We’ve enjoyed ourselves every single time.…
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Finding Peace As a Family
Last Updated: October 7th 2025. My husband was driving on highway 1, we had to be on time at San Francisco airport to catch our flight back home. Home being Utrecht in The Netherlands. Far away from the beach and rolling waves I was seeing out of our car window. Yuri was asking why we had to go home, why couldn’t we keep on driving, he didn’t want to go home. Paul said shall we drive on? We all wanted to go further north on highway 1, was what was going through my mind. why don’t we? Half a half year before driving on highway 1 Paul, my husband, was…
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What to Do at Home As a Family / What to Do During Lockdown
Last Updated: October 4th 2025. This post was written back in 2020 and right now in 2025 there are ofcourse no lockdowns anymore 🙂 However the tips of things to do when not traveling, still apply. They’re fun things to do with your family and/or friends. Like a lot of families around the world right now, we’re in a lockdown. In The Netherlands there’s a soft lockdown. We still can go outside for groceries, a short walk, a motorbike ride, to help someone who can’t go outside or to work if you have an essential job. Group formation is forbidden, more than 2 people together is forbidden except when you…
