It’s finally spring, and summer vacation is fast approaching, so it’s a great time to discuss traveling with kids — specifically, how do you figure out what kind of family vacation is right for you? Before and after becoming parents, have you and your partner agreed on what sorts of vacations to take? Has your idea of the ideal vacation changed since you’ve had kids? Do you prefer hotels or Airbnb when traveling as a family? Do you return to certain destinations often, or do you like to mix it up? How are you tailoring your trips to your kids’ needs and interests?
{related: three companies that rent baby gear for travel}
Personally, I’ve never had a specific image in mind for the “ideal” vacation (although I do avoid camping and cruises), but one thing has changed since I became a mom: All-inclusive family resorts now appeal to me, when I scoffed at them in the past (and never stayed at one as a child). I’m not talking about Disney-level destinations — we haven’t done those yet — but more along the lines of Great Wolf Lodge, which my son and husband and I all enjoy. (Note that the quality apparently varies among locations, as I learned from comparing notes with Kat. I like the Niagara Falls one, which is on the Canadian side.)
I’ve found all-inclusive resorts to be very family-friendly because they’re so low-effort in terms of logistics: (1) You don’t have to make daily decisions about where to eat, because the answer is … the resort! No Yelp searches or long family discussions/arguments! (2) You don’t have to research area activities, because all your choices are … right there. (3) You don’t have to drive your kids anywhere — really, you don’t even have to go outside. (I like indoor waterparks vs. outdoor — no chance of sunburn!) (4) It’s easy to entertain your kids, because that’s what the resort is made for. We’ve also taken our son to places like London and Washington, D.C., for that sort of family vacation — museums, sightseeing, visiting friends/family, etc. — but for me, the easiest and most low-stress option (for now) is a family resort. (If you offered me the choice of GWL or London as a free family vacation, rest assured that I would be on my way to England soon.)
How about you, readers? How do you figure out what kind of family vacation is right for you? Has it been a matter of trial and error, or did you pretty much choose well from the beginning? Do you travel with just your spouse and kid(s), or your extended family/in-laws, or even other families? Have you taken any trips that you’ve immediately crossed off your family-vacation list? How about trips that didn’t seem like they would be ideal family vacations but ended up fitting the bill?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Anonymous says
Ooh I love this topic! I’m obsessed with family travel.
I have a 15 month old – we’ve done a couple of beach vacations (Hawaii and the Caribbean), quite a few trips to different places in the continental US (mostly to see family) and are going to Europe for the first time this month. I would say so far we’ve focused on trips where we can get there in a reasonable amount of time (no Asia/Australia yet) and stay in one place and really soak up the destination. You obviously do that at a beach resort but I think & hope it will work well in Europe too. I wouldn’t want to be doing a trip where you have to move around every couple days with a toddler, that sounds really exhausting to me. DH and I did one all-inclusive pre-baby, and it was fun, but I love food and finding new restaurants, so I don’t see a huge downside to a resort without meals included. We went to the Caribbean (to a non-all inclusive resort) when our daughter was 9 months and it was one of the most relaxing trips I’ve ever taken – our hotel gave us a continental breakfast, we took turns snorkeling while she was napping, left the hotel for a big lunch between her naps, played in the pool together in the late afternoon/evenings and then ate a light supper, either leftovers from lunch or we went somewhere quick nearby. Super low stress and very fun, thanks to a lot of research (and – full disclosure – spending quite a bit of money to be right on the beach at a good spot for snorkeling).
For me the key has been having DH with me. WIth two adults sharing childcare equally (and especially with one kid), we can manage a pretty fun and even relaxing trip. The Hawaii trip was with my parents and while flying there solo with a baby was way less awful than I’d anticipated, the trip itself was not a vacation for me, because my parents had little interest in doing any childcare beyond holding a happy baby for about 15 minutes a day. I did hardly anything vacation-y and it didn’t seem worth the money or schlep to Hawaii. Needless to say, I’ve put a pin in trips to places that far away with my parents until my daughter is quite a bit older.
Anonymous says
We do pretty similar vacations to what I liked before kids, but mostly domestic instead of international. Lots of visiting a new city + nearby nature. My kids love any vacation so long as a) the hotel has a pool and b) I let them eat ice cream every day.
HSAL says
I had wanted to have our first family vacation at Great Wolf Lodge this summer, then I realized that I was high to consider taking an almost-4 year old and two 1 year olds on vacation to a suite room at a waterpark. So for this summer we’re staycationing – my husband and I will stay home and send the kids to daycare part of the time, and just keep them out for local adventures. I’m already planning on a vacation at Disney in two years (before the babies turn 3).
I love the idea of going on vacation with another family and sharing a nanny/babysitter, but I imagine the closest we’ll get anytime soon is going on a family vacation with my parents/siblings/nieces and nephews.
anne-on says
We stumbled on the Tyler Place family resort in VT when my kiddo was a toddler and man that place is magical for BOTH kids and parents. Now that he’s older we’re not as interested in going back to the same lake vacation yearly, and have been exploring more major US cities. Big cities to me are great for the 7+ age group – lots to do/see, they can stay up later, be more flexible with food/meal times, and hotel pools are SO fun and exciting. Beach vacations are still a bit more difficult IMHO, but then again we’re pale/burn and only my husband is a strong swimmer. I see those being more fun in a few years when my son is old enough to schlep his own things to the beach!
Yep says
my colleague goes there every year and loves it. It sounds great. I told my husband and he thought it was really weird to go on vacation and spend some time having meals with random people as opposed to one’s family.
Anonymous says
I think it’s so weird to go on vacation as a family and not eat a single meal with your kids. A date night at a fancy restaurant without the kids? Sure. But to never eat or spend time together? Why even take them?
Pogo says
Ha, my husband went to a place like this with his family growing up. The whole family talks of it very fondly – how he learned to shoot and waterski, and his parents would go down to the lounge (or whatever it was called, the onsite bar) every night and play cards.
Anonymous says
We have a baby on the way now, and are thinking ahead to his first birthday next summer. We’re thinking of renting a house in the USVI with my dad and my husband’s parents for a week. My parents go to the USVI every year and love it, so they are willing to rent a car and be the tour guides for the week. Parents and in-laws get along well. Is this too crazy? I am thinking I will mostly hang out at the house/pool with baby and have everyone bring me things, and they can all venture out as they feel like (and I may be able to get some beach times with my husband if folks are OK babysitting).
Anonymous says
This sounds perfect and not crazy to me. I’ve found my daughter has slept on every single plane ride we’ve done because of the white noise.
IP Attorney says
Not crazy at all – we went to Aruba with our 4 month old and it was one of the best vacations we’ve had! So much fun and the baby napped on the beach in a beach tent (highly recommend).
HSAL says
That sounds awesome. How long is the flight? A long flight could be tough with a newly mobile child, but the rest sounds great, assuming the grandparents give you some decent breaks.
Anonymous says
So far we’ve mixed it up – Boston with a 3 month old (so easy!), Disney world with a one year old, Florida gulf to visit my parents. No disasters yet! As a couple though we prefer pretty laid back vacations as opposed to touring cities. We haven’t gone camping with our 2 year old yet so I guess that has changed. I think we’ll go to the outer banks next year as a family of four because that’s our favorite place to go. We rent a small house, eat breakfast there and lunch on the beach, and then out for early dinner.
Wow says
I am not a fan of all inclusives with or without kids. I feel too cloistered and I don’t think the food is particularly good. I also much prefer being out and about, chatting with some locals, and feeling less like a tourist.
My favorite vacations are renting an air bnb and doing a beach vacation, at least with little ones. Now that my kids are slightly older, we took them recently to New York and had a great time. But I wouldn’t do that with a toddler.
EB0220 says
We’ve done a ton of travel with the kids, all domestic so far. They’re currently 7 and 4 so we are thinking Europe this year or next. Domestically we’ve done:
– Providence (baby)
– VT winter (1)
– CO skiing (2 year old + pregnant, 6 & 4)
– VT summer (6 & 4)
– San Diego (1 & 3)
– Central Illinois a couple of times (visiting my parents)
– NYC (2 & 4)
– Upstate NY (1 & 3)
– Austin (1)
– Arizona (1ish, 3 months & 2.5)
– Disney (3 & 5)
– Iowa (1.5ish)
I’m sure I’m forgetting some. Ha. But anyway, our biggest change post-kids is the afternoon siesta. Rather than go-go-go, we always take an hour or two off in the afternoon. Parents chill/read/etc and kids nap or watch something on the tablet. This really helps us feel refreshed and keeps the kids from getting too grumpy at dinner. We also pack super late and rarely check a bag unless we are skiing.
HSAL says
How was Disney at 3 and 5? Mine will be almost 3 (twins) and 5 1/2 when we go. It seems like planning for Disney is an art but I thought those ages would be good for still magical for the oldest and still free for the younger ones. :)
-formerly of Central Illinois, hat tip to your parents
Emily S. says
Not OP, but my sister did Disney World with her 2 year old the day before he turned 3, so their whole week there was free. Her thoughts were, it was okay, but would have been better when he was just a bit older. Being potty trained was key. They stayed on the property in a rented suite but extended family stayed in a rented house (with pool) offsite and she thought that might have been better. They just didn’t use the park all day, every day, or perks like early opening or late hours for guests. It seems conventional wisdom says stay on property with small kids, but YMMV. She said breakfast with the characters was worth booking in advance, but not all your meals. IDK — the Disney planning seems like it has gotten to be A THING and I’m not looking forward to it.
HSAL says
Super helpful, thanks! My siblings love to plan Disney trips so I might outsource that to them.
EB0220 says
Hello there, fellow former Illinoisan! I think that’s a good age! The kids did well in line and enjoyed the rides. We rented a stroller which was good for when the 3 year old got tired. I am no Disney expert (actually I’m not really a fan) so we just went when my husband had an event there. We did 2 days of Magic Kingdom and 1 day of Epcot.
Govtattymom says
I just did Disney with my 2.5 year old. It was truly magical! I think it’s a great age for it, and you really do save money that way!
Anonymous says
Posting from The plane back from Disney now. Kids are 1, 2.999, 5.5.
We stayed on a very close but not onsite property with great pools. We had a 2br suite with a full kitchen. We were in FL for 7 days, did a character breakfast on day 2, Magic Kingdom on day 3, hotel pool day on day 4, magic Kingdom on day 4, day off on day 5 and Animal kingdom on day 6. Flew home midday day 7.
We were in the parks from 9:15-4:30/5 or so each day and went home for dinner where we were eating by 6 and kids were asleep by 6-7. We packed lunch and snacks for the parks because with kids this going we needed “sure win” food for our sorta persnickety eaters- but we did Disney snacks aplenty. We did a lot of air conditioned rides/attractions, especially midday. We brought our good stroller and the younger 2 stroller napped. Because <3 doesn’t need tickets, we strategized to take our 2.999 year old on rides (eg. All but me went on Small World worh a fastpass, then I took 2.999 on it again with my fastpass bc she loved it).
We also flew my MIL down for half the time- she came along to magic kingdom and was a huge help as a 3rd pair of adult hands in the parks.
Baygirl22 says
We’ve done Disney at various ages (1&3, 3&5, 5&7, 7&9) at a few different resorts, and now Universal (7&9). I really think each age has its benefits and I’m glad I got to see my kids at different stages. When they are <2 they can ride along and are kind of in awe of everything. Ages 3-5 they believe in everything and its so magical. 5+ they started to do the thrill rides but still liked the little kid stuff. Now at 7+ its all about doing every big ride but still going back to their favorites. I seriously love seeing them go through those phases.
Disney makes it easy to do things with kids if you understand how to use parent swap and fastpasses and plan ahead for things like stroller rentals and reservations. I'm a huge planner so for me making a plan that minimizes crowds and hits everyone's favorites is part of the fun. We stay on site if at all possible, especially at WDW – there we spring for Deluxe level for convenience. DL in CA has convenient offsite budget options but there are some benefits to staying at the on site hotels there too.
EB0220 says
Haha, we pack super *light*. Usually not too late….ha
In terms of the questions….
1) We haven’t done an ill-inclusive before or after having kids, but it seems fun in theory. Maybe we will some time!
2) Usually prefer Airbnb with a washing machine because kids. But sometimes we do hotels to spend points.
EB0220 says
Just for fun, here’s a list of a few travel mishaps:
– The time 2 year old threw up allll night on our first night in Colorado. Thank goodness for a washing machine in the AirBnb
– The time my 1 year old had an undiagnosed ear infection and cried the whole red eye back from PHX in first class. (The only time I have felt truly terrible about my kid’s behavior on a plane.)
– The time we got stuck in ORD and ended up playing at the playground for FOUR HOURS while we waited for my dad to come pick us up. The kids still beg me to go back to that playground.
– The time my 3 month old had a massive blowout right as we were checking in to the Doubletree in Flagstaff
– The time we got back on a really late flight and the kids had meltdowns while we waited for the gate check luggage. A nice lady showed them pictures of her horses to calm them down, bless her. And a couple of guys found my bag.
– The time I got into a shouting match with TSA in BVT about their desire to open my kid’s pre-mixed formula containers.
– The time I accidentally left my ergo in the car my husband had already taken to the airport and thus had to travel with my ring sling. Disaster.
– The time I was pregnant and sitting on the airport floor with my 2 year old in my lap. She peed and it ran out of the back of her diaper and into my crotch. I thought for a moment that my water had broken at like 20 weeks. The only time I have ever been relieved to be peed on at the airport.
– The time I opened my kid’s camelback water bottle after takeoff and because of the pressure change it sprayed water up and over the seats onto the people in front of us (they were so nice about it.)
– The time I had to carry my 4 year old and 2 year old through NYC because they were so tired and I only had one carrier.
– The time the hotel couldn’t find their pack n play and the store manager went to wal-mart to buy one
– The time we shared a hotel room wall with a pack of rowdy australian? sports players who sang drunken songs all night. It’s cool,I got back at them with my crying baby at 6 am.
Anonymous says
haha, I love these. thanks for sharing!
shortperson says
we did quite a lot of travel with baby #1, including three international trips, and it was great. but after a fun but exhausting international trip on maternity leave with baby #2 we are taking a hiatus on complicated international trips until she is about three. in the meantime we are planning aulani this summer. obviously would not have gone there without kids, btu also we would never have spent a week at the beach period pre-kids. but we are all pretty excited for this trip. we’ll be back to europe/asia soon enough.
Spirograph says
Enjoy! DH and I went to Aulani for a spa day during a pre-kids vacation, and he is counting down to when it’s feasible as a family trip. Beautiful resort, and the spa is fantastic.
avocado says
When our daughter was a toddler/preschooler, we found hotels much easier to deal with than vacation homes or other people’s homes. One time we stayed in a cabin that had a bunch of tall furniture not anchored to the walls, tons of exposed electrical outlets, and a staircase with openings between each tread that were literally wide enough that she could have slid through. That was an exhausting trip, even with two parents plus Grandma to keep a constant eye on her. With a hotel room, we could just bring some outlet covers and a pack ‘n play and everything was fine.
Anon says
We did the Greenbriar (3 months), Phoenix (7 months) – stayed with family, Kansas City (12 months) – hotel but to visit family, Charlottesville (12 months) – wedding, long-weekend at the beach (15 months) – stayed with friends, skiing with family (18 months). We have a longer beach trip planned with my family for later this year. Unless it’s family, having a hotel suite has been better for us because toddler sleeps so much better not in the same room as us (and when she was a baby family was much more tolerant of the crying all night long). We tend to travel with or to family because they love to see her and the extra sets of hands are a much needed break for us. We also now have much slower-paced vacations rather than trying to pack everything in from sunup to sundown.
AwayEmily says
You guys are all amazing and it makes me feel bad about our total lack of vacations. My kids are 3 and 15 months and we have been on exactly two trips with them, ever (a long weekend in NYC and renting a lake house in Michigan with some friends). And honestly, neither trip was that enjoyable. When we only had one kid, traveling was tough but fun/doable. With two toddlers the difficulty is just…too much for us to handle, to be honest. We all ended up kind of cranky and exhausted from being out of our routine. Maybe i’m not go-with-the-flow enough, or maybe the kids aren’t, but we’ve decided that other than visiting family we will be keeping traveling to a minimum until the kids are more like 3 and 5.
HSAL says
See my comment above, because you are definitely not alone. We’ve visited family three times and it’s exhausting. The third trip over Easter is what made me decide to cancel the planned Great Wolf Lodge trip. I want an actual break, not my normal life that’s more expensive but in a new location. We’ll try for 2 and almost 5.
Redux says
“normal life but more expensive and in a new location” = 100!!!
Vacation takes on a whole new meaning with kids…
I honestly feel like our normal lives are so filled with activities and fun things that it looks a whole lot like a weekly vacation compared to my childhood.
AwayEmily says
Thank you for this! When I hear about other families’ awesome-sounding vacations I just need to remember “good for them, not for us.” (at least not in this season of life)
anon says
I want to reassure you that it’s really OK! Until recently, we didn’t travel much as a family at all. And my kids are 8 and 4, so not itty-bitty. Traveling is so much more enjoyable when everyone is potty trained and no longer needs a nap.
Anonanonanon says
I posted similar thoughts below. We were considering it when we had one 8 year old, but we went and had another baby so it will be quite some time until we find it enjoyable to vacation as a family, or at least enjoyable enough to justify the cost.
I will say we did GWL with our 8 year old and the baby who was like 3-months old at the time and it worked out wonderfully. We splurged for a suite that had a separate bedroom inside of it with a door that closed, so that helped the sleep situation. We also reserved an indoor cabana in the waterpark so we had a semi-private place to sit with the baby, a fridge for bottles, guaranteed access to chairs, etc. Since we splurged on those, we could only do one night (hence the cabana for day 2, we stayed past checkout so needed something to be a “home base” until we left)
Boston Legal Eagle says
We are not planning any major trips with both kids until the youngest is at least 3. Even visiting family (halfway or all the way across the country) sounds like an ordeal now. We took our then 2 year to CA last year to visit family and it was definitely not a vacation. Flights were awful and we pretty much had to parent the whole time as in laws didn’t babysit.
Vacations for us now are our once a year couple trips while my parents babysit! Trying that for the first time with 2 later this summer.
Boston Legal Eagle says
Also this: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.huffpost.com/entry/vacation-or-trip-a-helpful-guide-for-parents_b_7789310/amp
Emily S. says
My 3 year old has been on 4 vacation/trips (like present vs. gift, a vacation is where I actually have relax and have fun) and my 1 year old, 1. It seems harder to get away with 2 kids, especially a pre-schooler who doesn’t nap anymore and a baby who napped 2 times a day. Our best vacations (and only one with 2 kids) have been renting a beach house for a week. We stay right on the beach, bring a few new toys from home, and stick to our home schedule, but it feels so much more relaxed.I’m eyeing a Disney trip in the next few years and a trip with my sister’s family and our parents — anyone have any insight onto all inclusive in the Caribbean/Bahamas? Or recs for a destination for kids age 6, 4, and 2?
Anonymous says
We have toddler twins, which certainly makes traveling logistics trickier than prekids, but still end up on airplanes about 6 times a year. Most of our traveling is to visit family (Thanskgiving, Christmas, some graduations/weddings/milestone birthdays). I think that helped get us a lot more comfortable about the idea of traveling with kids, because we had “events” to go to that we didn’t want to miss, which seems easier to justify than vacations in terms of is the effort of traveling with kids worth it. We have done Europe twice with them and had a good time, but it’s at a much slower pace than without kids (staying in one sport, fewer tourist sites per day, etc).
We’ve never done any sort of all-inclusive, but with with the exception of when the twins were 3 months old, we’ve always made sure to have a rented house or apartment, so that we have a separate place to hang out after they go to sleep. For almost all of our trips we were either flying to grandparents or meeting grandparents at the destination, which has been really helpful for having a spare pair of hands, but the one long weekend trip we did as just a family of 4 was also quite fun (we just rented a house a 4-hour drive from home and did nearby hikes, wandering around, etc.).
New sorts of adventures this summer include:
-a long weekend with a bunch of our parent friends (between us we have five 2-year-olds so we have no expectations other than just hanging out together away from home)
-camping for the first time (here’s hoping the toddlers sleep in tents!)
Anonymous says
Has anyone taken a 3-year-old to Asia? We have the opportunity to go meet up with a family friend while she’s still posted over there and are seriously considering it, but haven’t quite decided if the 24 hours of travel and the 12 hour time change is going to make the the trip not worth it. (We’ve done the 8-hour flights/6-hour time change to Europe twice and I wouldn’t hestitate to do that again, but Asia is just so much further.)
EB0220 says
My sister has done Asia – US a bunch of times. It’s certainly doable! I linked to the post she did on it.
Anon says
I would do it! We haven’t done Asia yet but we did Australia with a 2.5 year old, and Australia is further from the US than most of Asia. The flights were really long and exhausting and the recovery time for all of us was definitely a lot longer than going to Europe, but being there was fantastic. Especially if your friend is not going to be there indefinitely, I would go now. Try to go for 2 weeks so you don’t feel bad about just doing nothing for the first couple days.
Anonymous says
Yeah, it’s either go now or don’t go at all, which is why we’re leaning towards doing it. Glad to hear you don’t regret Australia!
Travel with kids is actually not so bad says says
Me! Many times! Often alone. It was fine and fun and good.
The two challenges of long journeys with little ones is making sure they aren’t hungry or tired.
Bring snacks for the plane. On one random flight in Asia on a major Asian carrier we were randomly told that no outside food could be consumed – super weird. Otherwise I found my oddly ate more and at random times. I also brought juice boxes as a treat to keep them hydrated along with other treats (crackers, cereal bars) to entice them and make travel feel a bit fun as well as actual food (I still gave a lot of fruit and veggie pouches at that age bc mine would still eat them and I felt like it helped them get some healthy stuff). I tried to not change their diets too much to avoid irritability and constipation.
On evening/night flights I put kids in pjs and changed back into clothes on arrival. I also brought a blanket and lovey and tried to replicate night time routine at home to encourage sleep. Also bring an extra shirt for yourself (at least) because a lot happens on the plane.
If you have a stopover, try to get a slightly longer stopover it’s actually good with kids. I get a transit hotel and shower/nap if needed and let them run around. Some airports have great play areas, one had an ice rink, it’s a nice break for real food and running around.
Travel with kids is actually not so bad says
I’ve travelled extensively with mine (now 7 and 14) since they were babies and I’ve never had any bad experiences.
When they were smaller I sometimes felt like I was doing the same things I did at home with FEWER RESOURCES and LESS HELP. I then decided there are Trips and there are Vacations. So when they were small I tried for more vacations, which included stuff I wouldn’t have otherwise done (7ish cruises) that allowed me the opportunity to relax and fewer trips.
Starting when the youngest was around 4-years old everything got much easier, but truthfully it wasn’t really that bad before. We’ve done:
– Florida (from west coast when my oldest was 6 weeks old)
– Extended visit with family in Asia (international flights with my oldest at 7 mos and 1-year old by myself)
– a bunch of domestic trips I am forgetting and a cruise somewhere in there plus a few Asia trips that all blur together before youngest was born, mostly just me and the kiddo
– England, Wales, Italy and southern European cruise (oldest was 4-years old and I mostly traveled by myself with him except when we met up with family)
– Extended visit with family in Asia (kids were 6 weeks old and 7-years, flew internationally by myself with kids)
– Disney cruise in Bahamas (9 months an 7-years, flew cross country with kids and DH; Disney cruise offers babysitting to babies, which is how family reunion ended up on Disney cruise; Disney also offers 1.5 bath rooms in its rooms, baby slept on the floor in a bassinet in the smaller bathroom)
– London (2-years and 9-years old)
– Bali (3-years and 10-years)
Plus a bunch of domestic trips and smaller cruises, which were all fine. And some road trips of 6-8 hours, which I personally hate but which were also fine.
Cruises are good because I don’t have to worry about what to feed kids and there is built in entertainment and childcare. We don’t really do them now that kids are older.
Another tip when they were younger was to call the concierge at a high-end resort in the city we were visiting and get a babysitting service recommendation; particularly in Europe I was put in touch with babysitting services that had been vetted by hotel security and provided terrific care so DH and I could have a nice meal or whatever. In Las Vegas the service was overpriced but brought art projects, which kids enjoyed. Then kids can do their usual routine and go to bed while sitter stays with them.
– Norway, Sweden and Denmark plus northern European cruise (4-years and 11-years)
– Iceland (5- and 12-years)
Anonymous says
Please tell me more about cruising with toddlers. I’m also not a huge cruise fan, but I’m desperate to go to Norway and see the fjords and cruising seems a lot lower stress than road-tripping around the country with a toddler who hates her carseat. I found a cruise that leaves from Amsterdam, which I’ve never been to and have always wanted to visit, so we’re considering that as our big vacation next summer when our daughter will be not quite 2.5. We’d definitely get a balcony cabin so we can enjoy scenery while she naps. But I’m nervous about fitting us all into a tiny cabin (will there even be room to assemble the PNP?) and the possibility of her running right up to the railing of the ship makes me nervous.
Travel with kids is actually not so bad says says
Cruising with toddlers was fine.
The railings were high and the bars weren’t too broadly spaced so it didn’t seem like there was a risk of accidentally falling. If you have a stubborn climber with a death wish maybe reconsider ;0
The cruise lines I’ve been on provided pack-n-plays upon request and they fit in the rooms ok. On one cruise with a slightly larger room (mini suite?) we pushed two arm chairs together to make a “special bed”, which our toddler liked even more than the pnp.
The balcony cabin is good so you can read/drink wine/chat during nap time or early bedtime.
All the cruise lines I’ve taken have had included child care (but check the ages and requirements; Disney had babysitting for infants, other cruise lines required kids to be either age 2 or age 3 and potty trained). This meant I could go to the spa, read a book or take a nap while the little one(s) played, which was truly the highlight of the cruise.
Also, packing once and not driving or schlepping was a great way to see northern and southern Europe with littler kids. Many cruise lines have a mid-week laundry special where there is a discount on getting things washed. Do not underestimate how much clothing a child can go through and bring clothes for the worst case extremes of weather.
I enjoyed shopping in children’s boutiques in Europe and my daughter would get excited remembering that her dress came from Sweden or wherever.
The other upside to cruises is the ease of kid friendly food. I didn’t have trouble requesting plain steamed veggies even when they weren’t otherwise available/on the menu and there are always lots of choices. The food isn’t great, but you can find something decent at every meal (I’m a foodie and I get by). Depending on the cruise line you may have the option to pay an upcharge and dine at a “specialty” restaurant, which is worth it on longer cruises especially when the regular options feel a bit repetitive. Also, keep in mind that even when you go to your assigned dining time in the restaurant and order off a menu, you can generally order as many appetizers, entrees and desserts as you want – so just try stuff until you find something decent.
Kate says
We’ve done a ton of travelling with our daughter, who is 4 now. A lot of this sounds super-exotic, but since we are based on the other side of the Atlantic, it’s a bit like Kansas for you guys.
South of France (6 months): rented a little villa with the grandparents. Did a whole lot of nothing over than go to village markets, have long leisurely lunches, and hang out by the pool playing cards. Perfect for my soul at that stage.
Greece (13 months): best long weekend trip ever. We rented an apartment in Athens, and kept our expectations low. We visited tons of playgrounds, ate delicious food at family-run restaurants where the cook would take the baby out of our hands half the time, and one night we hired a guy from the Internet who came to our Airbnb to cook a traditional Greek meal while the baby slept. We didn’t see a single Greek historical site and it was still awesome.
Jordan (15 months): all-inclusive, it was great except she was too little for the kids club. Had to hide from the sun a lot with a kid that little.
Cuba (2 years): rented a little apartment in Havana. Hated it. Four floors walk up with a toddler, and wayyyyy too much effort involved in tracking down meals. On the hand, kid loved it because everyone loved her and there was always music and dancing. Adults wouldn’t do that again.
Dominican Republic (3 years): all-inclusive chosen specifically because they had a kids club for kids that young. Never doing that again! Kid hated it, wept constantly, and suddenly developed separation anxiety she had never had before. And I hated the food. Hard pass.
Rome (3.5 years): hotel room tacked onto a business trip. Food heaven for the kid set (and us adults too). Lots of random kids to play with in the squares, even in the middle of Rome! Garbage issues in the parks though, which was a bummer for all of us.
Prague (3.5 years): such a great long weekend with little kids. I swear every playgro7nd is the most picturesque postcard along the Danube you’ve ever seen, kids love the food from street carts, they have a LEGO museum and a train museum, and even a restaurant where your food is delivered by toy train.
London (3.5 years): if you manage to find a way to be bored in London, you might be an alien! Kid loved it all, from riding the Tube to Hampstead sheath to the Transport Museum to the boats on the Thames to the kids at the Princess Diana playground “SPEAKNG ENGLISH, MUMMY!”
South Africa (4 years): road-tripped along the Garden Route. Perfect for little people (especially since I made sure every stop had a swimming pool). Beaches are great, restaurants were kid friendly, my only regret was that as the only driver, I couldn’t really have a drink anywhere.
Redux says
As someone who goes to Kansas to visit my in-laws a couple times a year, I assure you: none of this is anything like Kansas. (I wish!)
Anon says
Umm…we don’t? I have a 16-month old and she hasn’t stayed in a hotel yet. We’ve taken her to visit family overnight a 2-3 hour drive away, but other than that, we stick close to home. We live in a popular vacation destination, so day-to-day life includes weekend walks on the beach and amazing weather , but I just don’t feel ready to travel with her on a long plane flight yet. DH and I were big international travelers before she was born, and we’d like to take big trips once our kids are older, but the baby/toddler phase of life doesn’t seem like an enjoyable time to travel for us, to be honest. We take weekend trips without her to get our travel fix for the time being.
Anonymous says
I differentiate between trips and vacations. We’ve flown with the kids on trips to visit family, but vacations are strictly driving for now because it’s just less hassle. We opt for house/condo rentals over hotel rooms so we have separate bedrooms, a kitchen (we aim for only 1 meal a day in a restaurant for both logistics and cost reasons), and outdoor space. Other than that, though, our travel style hasn’t changed much. We like to plan a max of one activity per day, and leave plenty of downtime. Our family scattered all over the US, and we try to do at least one thing with local flavor when we visit, but mostly just hang out at local parks.
“Real” vacations:
Hershey Park (long weekend, kids were 6m, 2 and 4): Stayed in an air bnb that was an old mill house, and had a huge yard with sheep and chickens. 1 day at the park, 1 day at a train museum, 1 day hiking
Rohoboth Beach (x3, starting with two kids, 1.5 and 3): Rent a house about a block from the beach and a short walk down the boardwalk from Funland. Every day for a week, we go to the beach in the morning, come back for nap, then go to Funland in the evening. Last year we rented bikes and rode through the state park one day, and also did one day at a small water park in town. Will probably do the exact same thing this year. It’s not exciting, but it’s easy and relaxing.
Snowshoe mountain resort (kids 2, 4, and 5.5): DH and I used to snowboard a lot pre-kids, and this year we finally tried to make a family trip out of it. We rented a condo walkable to the village/lifts, signed all the kids up for 3 days of full day ski school / childcare, and it was a blast. The kids had a great time learning to ride and playing in the snow, and DH and I had a great time on the mountain by ourselves for 5 hours/day. Apres ski was in the family fun center rather than at the bar, but they still served drinks there, so good enough. We kept one day with no lift tickets and went sledding and to the pool.
By next summer, everyone will be potty trained and can reasonably be expected to skip a nap without a full-on meltdown, so I’m looking forward to branching out a bit.
Canadian says
We did pretty adventurous travel pre-kids and spent a good chunk of our disposable income doing it (ie trips to Indonesia, Tanzania, Galápagos Islands). Unsurprisingly our travel has changed considerably since kid(s) have arrived. We have done one international trip each year since becoming parents, although our criteria is now (1) direct flight with minimal time change (so far we have only done 1 hour change. We contemplated Hawaii this year but chickened out) and (2) A separate sleeping space- ie not just a hotel room. This means we have either done apartment/air bnb or resorts with family “suites”.
So far internationally we have been to Curaçao (9 months), Cuba (18 months), Grand Cayman (2.5 year old) and Honduras (8 month and 3.5 year old). We have also rented a “cottage” in “cottage country” a couple of hours north of where we live in Ontario (ie a rustic house on a lake) for a week before through air bnb and will be doing that again.
Like others, I consider our international trips just that- trips, and not particularly vacations. But travel was so important to us pre kids that we have worked hard to keep it a priority for us. We are hoping to be a bit more adventurous with kid travel once no one is napping.
Anon says
You should try more a than 1 hour time change! I was like you pre-kid and although we are definitely less adventurous travelers post-kid (I would be scared to do Cuba or really any developing country with a toddler, unless we were pretty much entirely staying at a nice resort), I’ve been pleasantly surprised how easy it is to go to different time zones. We’ve done Hawaii (5 hours difference) and Europe (6 hours difference) from the East Coast. The travel day is long and tiring, but our kiddo adjusts fast and the trips themselves have been very enjoyable. And I think my kid is comparatively bad at sleeping on planes – it sounds like a lot of people here have kids who will sleep at least part of the time on long flights, mine won’t at all.
Anonanonanon says
I am on team “good for them, not for us” re: vacationing with kids. We are fortunate that my parents live across the street from the beach in Florida, so we go there for a week a couple of times a year and the kids get some beach/pool time in and my husband and I can do a few things just the two of us. Since my parents live there full-time and it’s not their vacation, we don’t feel guilty asking them to watch the kiddos while we go to dinner etc. Other than that, I just don’t choose to spend our money living our normal life in a more expensive location crammed into a hotel room. The idea of flying 2 kids to Europe to eat lunch at a nice cafe and go to playgrounds just doesn’t appeal to me unless we had the ability to bring a nanny of some sort, which we don’t. I can have a nice lunch and go to playgrounds here. However, we live right outside of a major US city/tourist destination, so maybe I’d feel otherwise if we lived elsewhere.
happymom says
My 2-year old son has flown seven times – six domestic and one international. We’re based on the West Coast and have flow back to Atlanta, New York, and Houston to visit family. Here are some observations:
1) Red-eye flights are convenient, not necessarily for the parent since you’re holding your child in your arms the whole time, but for the child. My son was able to doze off the sleep throughout the flight as opposed to a cross-country flight during the day.
2) Take your time. My husband and I are normally go-go-go when we travel, but with our son, it’s forced us to slow down and take things easy. It’s a good thing! Our son still needs a solid nap during the day, so we’ll do one or two big activities during the day as opposed to one. Also, we keep our schedule loose and flexible.
3) Travel nearby. When our son was one years old, we took him to Vancouver since it was only a two hour flight. Same thing with Vegas (one hour). Taking one to two hour flights are much more manageable compared to five to six hour flights.
With that being said, we’re headed off to London this month. I’d greatly appreciate travel tips for long international flights with a 2-year old. Thanks!
Jeffiner says
I think 2 years old was the worst time to fly, but we did it, so you can too! At that age my daughter was too old to just be held and suck a pacifier, and too young to be distracted by a screen. We did buy her some little headphones and downloaded lots of cartoons onto our tablet, though. We had a seat for her, with her carseat in it, but even though she sleeps in it in the car, she would only sleep in my arms on the flight. Put a clean shirt for you in your carry-on, twice I’ve been peed on as soon as we check our luggage. Pack one diaper for each hour of the flight, then you won’t have to worry about running out. Lots of things your son is interested in – stickers, coloring books, story books, hand puppets, snacks, etc.
I know the conventional wisdom is to go sight-seeing and not check into your hotel until the evening to counteract jet-lag, but with a small child I do the exact opposite. I will pay extra to be able to check in as soon as we land, we take a nap, and then we go out. I don’t enforce bedtime on vacation, especially not in different time zones.
Jeffiner says
My husband and I loved to travel pre-kids, and when our daughter was born we didn’t want to give it up. We booked plane tickets to Iceland when she was 7 months old and figured it out from there. Both of our families are a plane-ride away and we do one international trip a year, so we end up flying 4-6 times a year with her. She’s 4 years old now and is a pro at airport security, boarding, layovers, hotels, etc.
Our trips are much the same as they were before kids. My husband loathes resorts and we both prefer more adventurous travel. I love vacation planning and do it all myself. Because we have a kid, I only pre-book activities when absolutely necessary, and we go at our own pace at our destination. The only changes we’ve made have been choosing age-appropriate activities. Most days we’ll do something “adult” like an art museum in the morning, then let her have fun at a folk park or animal farm in the afternoon, but we have to skip things like glacier hiking completely.
I think the fact that we only have one kid makes this possible, it would be so much more difficult with two kids. Also, she is a very easy going child. Transitions have never bothered her, and she’s loved people watching since she was an infant.
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Baygirl22 says
I posted above about our many Disney trips, but we don’t just do Disney, we really mix up vacations a lot and have done I think every type listed above. I guess I like to get away a lot? And I like planning. We budget and save a certain amount each paycheck so we’re able to do things. Both my husband and I were big travelers before kids and travel for work (which helps with points. We scaled back on distance and changed the way we travel we’ve still done a lot when I look back.
Lots of trips to places where family lives that would be considered vacationy when they were younger. We’ve done cruises if they go to a place we otherwise would find it hard to get to. We did Great Wolf Lodge once because it was near family. We also have a trailer and camp frequently – one long national park trip and a few weekends each year. Now that our kids are older (7 and 9) we’re venturing into international travel and went to Paris for Spring Break. We asked their opinion on where to go, they helped plan it, practiced on a language app and they did great on every aspect of travel. My super picky son even became an amazing eater and decided he wants to live abroad.
I think the key to all vacations is planning and prepping the family. I’m a big planner and I’d rather know all the options and have a rough plan, then be ready to adjust in real time without too much stress. The whole planning process has kind of become an enjoyable hobby for me that I can do 6 or 12 months ahead, record all the info, then revisit when we get close.