When the Roberts family goes on vacation, they don’t just take pictures, they make a mini-documentaries… literally. And then they sell them under the title Travel With Kids. Their latest piece covers a trip to Paris where the couple visits numerous landmarks and various places around the city, all while providing helpful commentary filled with historical information and tips for parents who may find themselves preparing for a similar trip. The best part about this series, though, is that its’ more than just a simple, “Here’s what we did” short home movie.

Each hour-long episode features a selected city somewhere in the world and extensive information for preparing for the trip and making the most of it while there. Little things like designing flash cards with famous art pieces on them to keep the kids engaged at the Louvre and a brief breakdown of the lines at the Eiffel Tower help prepare other parents planning to make the trip themselves for the trip.

The couple is likeable and friendly, their kids are precocious, and the sites are breathtaking. Anyone looking for a video guide to travelling the streets of Paris with their young ones in tow can’t do better than this.

Zach’s Rating: A-
Perfect For: What else? Going to Paris with kids.
Stay Away if: You’re not…going…to… Paris…with…kids.
Watch For: Great shots from the Arc de Triomphe

To purchase Travel With Kids: Paris, visit Amazon

November/December 2009  (Volume 24, Issue 6)

Travel with Kids: Paris
(2008) 52 min. DVD: $14.95. Equator Creative Media (dist. by Janson Media).
Continuing to follow the Roberts family (mom, dad, two kids) on their European jaunt (see Travel with Kids: England and Travel with Kids: London, reviewed in VL-9/09), this guide for families visiting the City of Lights picks up where London left off, with the family taking the Chunnel (the tunnel train under the channel from London to Paris), where check-in security rivals that of an international airport. Instead of staying at a hotel, the Roberts rent an apartment in Paris District 9 (the art district), from which they set out to explore kid-friendly sights such as the Louvre (home to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and other masterpieces). To make the museum visit more compelling, the parents create a scavenger hunt for the kids giving them cards for each art piece to match up with the real deal. The Roberts also visit Notre Dame cathedral, underground Paris (including a tour of the city's famous sewer system), Disneyland Paris (which, after a shaky opening, is now said to be one of the biggest tourist attractions in Europe) and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. As with the earlier installments in the series, kid-friendly history lessons are served up alongside the advice for parents. DVD extras include a trip planner, family travel tips, and a bloopers reel. Highly recommended.