If you have enough trouble getting your kids out of the house in the morning, dragging them thousands of miles away may seem like an insurmountable challenge. But family travel can be immensely rewarding, giving you new ways of seeing the world through the eyes of children.
Prague, though, isn't the easiest place to explore with kids. Only strollers with large wheels can manage the cobblestone streets, and few restaurants have smoke-free areas or cater to the needs of kids. For a selection of family-friendly accommodations and restaurants, see the "Family-Friendly Accommodations" and "Family-Friendly Restaurants" boxes in chapters 5 and 6 respectively. While you should pack medicines or special foods that your children need, you'll find baby food, diapers (including familiar brands), and other sundries available in food stores and pharmacies around town.
Familyhostel (tel. 800/733-9753; www.learn.unh.edu/familyhostel) takes the whole family, including kids ages 8 to 15, on moderately priced domestic and international learning vacations. Lectures, field trips, and sightseeing are guided by a team of academics.
Recommended family-travel Internet sites include Family Travel Forum (www.familytravelforum.com), a comprehensive site that offers customized trip planning; Family Travel Network (www.familytravelnetwork.com), an award-winning site that offers travel features, deals, and tips; Traveling Internationally with Your Kids (www.travelwithyourkids.com), a comprehensive site offering sound advice for long-distance and international travel with children; and Family Travel Files (www.thefamilytravelfiles.com), which offers an online magazine and a directory of off-the-beaten-path tours and tour operators for families.
