In June, we spent 10 days in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany with family friends who also had a son who had graduated from high school. Our son Micah chose the trip's destination as his graduation gift.

In Switzerland, we did some hiking and mountain carting. We explored waterfalls and mountain villages. In Austria and Germany, we spent our time sightseeing and visiting the old-town (Altstadt) areas of Innsbruck, Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich.

In every country visited, the people were kind, though generally more reserved than we are used to in the United States. In Switzerland, especially, we noticed how much people value peace and quiet. Quiet hours were taken seriously, and our naturally loud American family had to adjust. We were also struck by how clean every city was and how seriously people took recycling and caring for public spaces.

We had such an incredible experience that it’s hard to choose just a few favorites. My favorite day was in Grindelwald, where we took in beautiful mountain views, road mountain carts, and spent the day exploring the Alps. Noah’s favorite experience was taking the cable car to the picturesque village of Murren and hiking down to the tiny, storybook town of Gimmelwald. The kids loved exploring Vienna's historic streets, palaces, and sites. Each destination offered something unique, and gave us all wonderful memories.

The biggest adjustment was that many places didn’t have air-conditioning, which took some getting used to during the warmer days. Other than that, the trip exceeded our expectations. We definitely plan to go back. We want to spend a little more time in Germany, as we only had two nights there. We also want to go back and do some skiing and visit Christmas markets in the winter.

If you go, I recommend packing light- you’ll appreciate it when navigating train stations and cobblestone streets. We highly recommend traveling by train whenever possible. Not only is it efficient, but the scenic routes through the Alps also became part of the adventure, giving us a chance to slow down and rest between busy days of sightseeing. I also suggest leaving room for spontaneity. Rather than filling every day with guided tours, we planned our own itinerary and adjusted each day based on the weather, our energy level, and what interested our family most.

This trip reminded us that experiences are far more valuable than things. With Micah off to college in the fall and Clara graduating from high school next year, we know our time traveling together as a family is becoming more limited. We want to visit as many places as we can while our kids still want to travel with us, and this adventure only reinforced that goal.  We hope these trips continue, even if less frequently, as a way to stay connected, experience different cultures, and explore the world and all it has to offer. We are excited to see where Clara chooses for her graduation trip next year!