We decided that our first international adventure as a family of five would be to Antigua, Guatemala… and I’m happy with that choice! It ended up being uniquely well-situated for what we were hoping to do.
Loved how family oriented the culture was, how much there was to do within a walking distance within the city, and how it wasn’t that far from our starting point.
Every place will have a few drawbacks though:
🌞 The sun was pretty intense out there! Altitude plus a tropical latitude means that you shouldn’t underestimate it even on a cloudy day. Get the babies slathered in sunscreen.
🛣 The streets aren’t stroller friendly. That’s because they’re cobblestone and that’s part of the charm, but it also means I didn’t have an on-the-go dock where I could my kids down for a bit. I had them strapped to me for a large portion of the trip.
🌋 So many outdoor adventures! Which… I know. Normally a good thing. But it meant I knew what I had to skip out on since I couldn’t quite make a toddler climb a volcano. I would advise against a destination that is more exclusively built around harder adventures if you don’t want to feel like you’re missing out. Thankfully Antigua had a pretty diverse portfolio of things to do so I’m still glad I chose it.