Travel with three kids

[Anonymous]

Currently have two kids but really want a third.

Curious on other families thoughts on how this will impact travel long term?

Obviously one more plane ticket and all of that. Anything else I should think about aside from air fare and potentially two hotel rooms once the kids are older?

[Anonymous]

More work all together because you are adding another child to deal with—-so now it’s all the kid behaviors times three. Now you reset the clock on how hard it will be to travel again. I feel like by age 5, it was easier with all three but before that it was exhausting. So much stuff to pack/carry, and a lot of divide and conquering with the older two vs youngest. We did have a sweet spot for a few years when youngest became more independent and oldest was not too much of a moody complainer. Then teen years hit….

[Anonymous]

The biggest thing is finding a hotel room for five. And people think you can sneak an extra kid in but not always.

[Anonymous]

If you travel overseas, often hotels only accommodate 2 people per room.
Outside of the US, you’re going to have a harder time finding rental cars that will fit 5 people comfortably.

[Anonymous]

Only issue we have had this with hotel rooms. We often have to get to now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest thing is finding a hotel room for five. And people think you can sneak an extra kid in but not always.

This is the biggest thing. We haven't done two rooms yet, but once the youngest got too big to share a bed with DH and I, it definitely became more difficult. I seek out resorts or hotels that have a few rooms for 5. It just adds a level of complexity to that and rental cars.

Growing up, my family of 5 always shared a room and I slept on a cot, but that doesn't seem to be common anymore.

[Anonymous]

The other issue is that it sets you back and you have to wait longer to do some things. Many activities require children to be a certain age so now you all have to wait a few more years to do them as a family. Bike tours, kayak tours, some boat tours, amusement park rides, longer time ruled by naps, longer time having to bring a diaper bag along, longer time to bring car seats……

It is very freeing when kids get to a certain age.

[Anonymous]

Table for five at a restaurant is more difficult to be had than a table for four.

[Anonymous]

It’s so fun. Bring a sleeping bag for the hotel floor. Train kids early to be tough, not complain, carry their own stuff in their own backpack (be minimalist).

Now that we have 3 teens we usually do Airbnb if we can. But they can always sleep on the floor of a hotel room if that’s not an option.

[Anonymous]

I would not let travel be my deciding factor for whether I had a third child, but I will say that it certainly made travel more expensive. We now need two connecting rooms (which is v hard to come by) or a suite. It makes every vacation so much more expensive!

[Anonymous]

I didn’t think it was just about sneaking an extra kid in; it’s about fire codes and not allowing more than 4 in a room at a hotel- right?

-rule follower

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t think it was just about sneaking an extra kid in; it’s about fire codes and not allowing more than 4 in a room at a hotel- right?

-rule follower

There are tons of threads about sneaking a kid into a hotel room. I raised it because I’ve stayed in places where they were really strict. Mostly small hotels out west but that’s a favorite type of vacation for us. Also I’m also a rule follower.

We do sleeping bags if a driving vacation or a camping vacation where we’re flying with our camping gear.

The other thing about another baby is that if you are a nap slave it’s really tough to travel with a baby and older kids. We never were and had a good baby backpack where my youngest took many a nap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s so fun. Bring a sleeping bag for the hotel floor. Train kids early to be tough, not complain, carry their own stuff in their own backpack (be minimalist).

Now that we have 3 teens we usually do Airbnb if we can. But they can always sleep on the floor of a hotel room if that’s not an option.

Do you always make the youngest sleep on the floor? Or do they rotate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s so fun. Bring a sleeping bag for the hotel floor. Train kids early to be tough, not complain, carry their own stuff in their own backpack (be minimalist).

Now that we have 3 teens we usually do Airbnb if we can. But they can always sleep on the floor of a hotel room if that’s not an option.

Do you always make the youngest sleep on the floor? Or do they rotate?

DP. We don’t have to make anyone sleep on the floor. They beg to.

[Anonymous]

We have four kids. Hotel rooms are a big thing, especially in Europe where rooms are smaller and they are more strict. The other thing, at least with four kids, is rental cars. We need a van when we get a rental car. In Europe, there are a lot of small minivans vehicles but they usually just fit 5-6 people and have no room for luggage. So instead we have to get huge 9 passenger vans if we have any luggage.

The other thing with travel is just the whole resetting the clock/finding things that make everyone happy at all ages. My older kids love art museums, historical sites, etc. My 5-year old isn't interested. So, you have to strike a balance. For example, my older kids were super excited for the Van Gogh Museum. The 5-year old lost interest after about 5 minutes. So, he sat on the benches and played with toys or watched his tablet, but it's just a balancing act.