England/Ireland 10-day Trip

Wow, that sounds like an amazing gift! I'll make a couple of suggestions - 1) If you haven't travelled internationally I would suggest you pick up Rick's Europe Through the Back Door and possibly his Travel skills DVDs. These contain a ton of advice on things like ATMs, issues people tend to run into, packing advice and things like that. There is no replacement for actually doing it but it can answer a bunch of questions you didn't even know you had. And then if you have any remaining questions feel free to ask them here and you'll probably get answers. 2) Ten days for two countries separated by water may be a little ambitious. This is especially true when the countries have a large rural component like England and Ireland. You'll spend at least 1/2 a day in travel between England and Ireland between getting to the airport or port and plane or ferry time. And unless you are flying into one and flying home out of the other (this is called open-jaw or multi-city flying) you end up spending that time going both ways. I personally would recommend concentrating on one or the other in a shorter period of time to maximize the time you're there. As to what there is to see and do let us know what your interests are: art, ruins, theater, music, architecture, museums, authors or something else? There is enough in London to see and do for about as long as you want to and I would recommend a minimum of 3 days there. Your interests should dictate the other days - Stonehenge, Roman ruins, medieval Bath and York, quaint countryside villages, soaring cathedrals all wait for you depending on what you want to see. England and Ireland make good "first international" destinations because you don't have the language barrier which is less of an issue that people think it is, but can be intimidating. Have a great trip! Hope that helps - just my opinions for consideration -
=Tod

I agree the UK and/or Ireland are great for a first international experience. One suggestion I have is take him to Oxford - it's so inspiring and he'll likely get a kick out of being around kids close to his age. If he's a Tolkien or CS Lewis fan, take him to eat at the Eagle and Child pub where their writing group, the Inklings, met. Also, a stroll past Tolkien's home there. And in London, the British Museum if he's interested in the rosetta stone or mummies or millions of other things. For travel, I suggest train (rather than bus or car) b/c you're going to be pressed for time.
Even though it will be a rush, you might want to limit how much you see in England so you can at least get to Dublin. I didn't make it when I was there and I wish I had. So maybe just do London, Oxford, Stonehenge, maybe Bath, and then fly to Dublin. Maybe you could fly home from there to make it easier.

Dale, My kids were 10 and 13 when they first went to London. They are now 23 and 26 and their favorite continues to be The Tower of London. I'm sure you will see the typical tourist places and walk from Westminster to Trafalgar. My son also liked the Cabinet War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum and, of course, the British Museum. We are big fans of Windsor Castle and Hampton Court. Walking along South Bank is fun. The Globe Theatre is along there. Get Rick's guide book on London and have your son decide what he thinks sounds interesting and go from there. Our family is into soccer so watching matches in pubs or at the stadium is typically part of our trip. The tube is the way to get around, but buses work well too with your Oyster card. Greenwich is an interesting town that is not far from London. You could cruise there on the Thames if the weather is decent. When we were there last June it was the coldest and rainiest June on record so be aware that summer can be cool to cold. The kids also enjoyed Oxford, Bath and Stratford on Avon.
Have a great trip!