When her husband's job took Sarah Zaski and their kids to live in Germany for six years,

she suspected that things might be a bit different there.

Playgrounds in Germany are like nothing I've ever seen.

They are so much more imaginative.

All that fun also comes with a more hands-off approach to parenting.

There was this time in Berlin.

I saw this child, about eight or nine, dangling from a high high structure and that's the moment where I

yelled,

which means you know attention or watch out and I looked around for his parents and

none of the other adults were concerned.

Coming up in American mom schools us on the German art of raising self-reliant children.

Stephanie Rosenblum recommends getting away by yourself now and then.

She really likes Tuscany in the fall.

I mean the hillside turns golden which is such a wonderful pairing with those terracotta

rooftops. And listeners check in with their travel plans.

Come along, it's travel with Rick Steve's.

Raising toddlers or teenagers in Germany can be a surprising adventure for American parents.

We'll find out why in just a bit.

And get ideas for your next travel adventure as we check in on listener travel plans a little later in the hour on today's

travel with Rick Steve's. Traveling with the wrong person can really put a damper on your

trip. New York Times writer Stephanie Rosenblum argues that it's often better to just explore on your own.

In her book Alone Time, she looks at the ideal season for doing just that,

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