How We Spent Our Family Vacation: The Avens in Europe

11.01.2025 - 13:01 / cntraveler.com

How We Spent Our Family Vacation is a new column that unpacks a single trip down to the cost, from the point of view of families who love to travel.

When New Yorkers Claire and DJ Aven had the opportunity to take daughters Maggie (six) and Emmy (18 months) to Zurich last summer following an invite from friends, they jumped at it. “We normally do two big trips a year,” says Claire, “and due to our older daughter’s school schedule, the one in summer is almost always in Europe.” They decided to stretch a few nights in Zurich into an 11-day trip that went from Zurich to Copenhagen, a city they love for its food and kid-friendliness, and ended in London. A few must-dos—a meal at Noma and a Taylor Swift concert in Zurich—served as anchor points for the whole itinerary.

But what set this trip apart from their travels in the past was that this was the first time they traveled with another family—a move that felt like a gamble but turned out to be a total game changer. Read on for their tips and highlights from a memorable summer family vacation in Europe.

“Normally, we plan trips around an event,” says Claire. This time, it was people who helped motivate the vacation. Good friends of theirs with kids nearly the same age spend a month in Zurich every summer and invited the Avens to join. “That was the catalyst for the whole trip,” said Claire.

The Avens then suggested that the group continue to Copenhagen, a city that Claire and her husband love—and is fantastic for children (“We love sharing Copenhagen with people who love to travel with their kids as well,” says DJ.). Finally, they rounded off the trip in London to visit old friends from New York whose daughter is a close friend of their six-year-old. But events still played a role. Even though the trip was already decided, when they realized Taylor Swift would be in Zurich during the same month, they shopped for tickets and decided to try to snag a dinner reservation at Noma too. Once both were secured, flights were booked. “With those two must-haves locked in, we were able to build the trip around them,” says Claire.

The Avens always rely on Airbnb for holidays with the kids; they enjoy the flexibility of kitchens and common spaces that can be a savior when managing children with varying energy levels. But this time around, their Airbnbs proved even more valuable. “Always ask the hosts questions,” says Claire. “We weren’t sure our Zurich apartment was legit, given it had no ratings yet, and all we had to do was ask a few questions to realize the hosts were responsive, honest, and knew the area. In Copenhagen, our host gave us a list of the available baby gear so we knew what we needed to pack—and skip. In London, after hearing we would be traveling with